Laurent Meneret : Deux Valses DOz

Laurent Meneret

Les Productions D’Oz : 7 pages

These two waltzes are modest in size and not too difficult to play and are dedicated to two of his family.

Firstly, La Valse de Rose is dedicated to his granddaughter Rose and is set in E Minor at the speed of 46 dotted minims a minute. It is immediately quite pleasant to play and something that many will enjoy, especially as it doesn’t have modern harmonies as such, but is set in a style which players will enjoy. The style is very much the standard waltz, with a bass note and two accompanying chords on beats two and three, as is often the case with waltzes. After the opening section it moves into the Tonic major key for the second theme, and then returns back to the opening key but with a quite varied melody this time, leading quickly to a coda on a run up the fingerboard and a close on a harmonic E

The second waltz, La Valse de L’Aube is dedicated to his daughter Marine, and is in D Major, and marked Espressivo and is slightly slower than the first waltz, being at 126 crotchets a minute. This moves around a little bit more than the first and is slightly harder to play as a result, but not too much. The middle section is in the Tonic minor key and is the most difficult part of the two pieces in that the melody jumps around quite quickly and so you have to have your fingers ready for it! This is another nice piece, and unlike the first piece, does not return to the opening theme or even the opening key, but finishes in D minor.

This is a nice pairing, and not too difficult. If you like this style of music it might be something you would enjoy playing.

Chris Dumigan