Chopin's First Scherzo in B minor, Op. 20, was conceived during a period of involuntary departure from Poland and completed in Paris.
Performer Biography
Eugene Mursky, the pianist on this album, won the First Prize at the World Piano Competition in London in 1994, which included an award for the best Chopin interpretation.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Chopin made the scherzo an independent musical genre, rather than just a movement within a sonata or symphony, a path few composers emulated.
Compositional Technique
The First Scherzo in B minor, Op. 20, includes the melody of the Polish Christmas carol "Lulajze Jezuniu" (sleep, my dear little Jesus) in its trio section, reflecting Chopin's homesickness.
Compositional Technique
Chopin's Scherzo in C sharp minor, Op. 39, composed during an unsuccessful stay on Majorca, anticipates the "unfriendly" late works of Franz Liszt and the angularity of Johannes Brahms.
Recording & Production
This album is a co-production with NDR Hannover, a German public broadcasting institution.
