Chopin’s Grande Valse Brillante is so flashy and charming and recognizable that it’s been used in a handful of iconic and unexpected places:

Tom and Jerry “the flying cat”,

(Turns out you don’t necessarily need John Williams to get a brilliant “flying theme”, plus using Chopin melody is free)

(the ballet) Les Sylphides, final waltz:

Remark: the initial orchestral arrangement of Grande Valse Brillante for Les Sylphides w a s by Alexander Glazunov, for the 1909 Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes production. Later around 1930s, British composer Roy Douglas was commissioned to create a clean, musically consistent orchestration of Les Sylphides for the Royal Ballet, which is the music we often hear today.

Interesting fact: at the time Les Sylphides was created, Diaghilev commissioned several Russian composers to orchestrate Chopin’s piano music—including Stravinsky. He didn’t get the job, obvi. But his arrangement is brilliant, I would describe it as “full of pixie dusts”:

Best piano version of Grande Valse Brillante is…

— the bright and refined Vladimir Ashkenazy:

I’ve listened to enough versions of this piece so as to wave the Ashkenazy flag… Of course, musical taste is personal. But here’s why:

Ashkenazy’s Grande Valse Brillante captures the balletic essence of the piece. I think he understands gesture in music. The rubatos are all handled with brilliantly continuity—keeps the pulse alive even in the most delicately expressive parts. And with Ashkenazy’s downwards scales rushing like waterfalls near the end—you can totally imagine those swirling chainé turns across the stage. There is dancibility in the music, like Tchaikovsky—and it can and should be choreographed in a similar manner like Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux.

Other recordings: Pollini’s Chopin is exceptional — his poised, classical, architectural approach works beautifully with Chopin’s early style. I find his music’s clean lines would work incredibly well with choreography. But somehow there is no any available recording of Pollini on Grande Valse Brillante Op.18… Still, I’d recommend hearing his interpretation of similar styled piece, Valse Brillante (Waltz in A-Flat Major, Op.34 No.1):

The most popular rendition of Grande Valse Brillante is Lang Lang:

Lang Lang’s style is more emotionally vivid, like theatrical. And as the Grande Valse Brillante is a crowd-pleaser — Lang Lang plays it like a showpiece, with big gestures, rubato, dramatic phrasing. This should appeals to many listeners. But Chopin ≠ Liszt. Too much expressionism really disrupt the natural dance rhythm that should pulse underneath, making it feel self-indulgent rather than buoyant.

Well, as most classical works do, Chopin always demands a touch of nobility, taste, and inner control — even in his most dazzling works. The thin line between interpretive depth and emotional showmanship is hard to grasp. But that might be more obvious in the space of dance: just imagine a ballerina rehearing until she throws up her hands and says: “No — this is impossible. I can’t dance to this anymore if you keep changing tempo 4 times a bar, without a clue!”