Nearly Waltz op 98 by Nikolai Kapustin

In 1999 Kapustin wrote three short pieces for cello and piano, Elegy, Burlesque and Nearly Waltz. The Nearly Waltz has the tempo and feel of a waltz, with a lilting cello theme accompanied by a driving rhythmic piano part, but for the first 33 bars the time signature alternates almost randomly between 5/4 and 3/4. After a central sequence of an equal length in regular waltz tempo, Kapustin reverts to the disarming rhythm of the opening section, finishing with both instruments in high register with the music slowly dying away…