Some of the most beautiful music written for piano comes to us through the genius of Frederick Chopin.  With his birthday coming soon, March 1, 1810, it seemed fitting to feature his compositions for the next couple of weeks.

Chopin’s output is impressive given his short life, and the majority of his compositions were for the piano.  His music was influenced by Polish dance and folk music as he greatly missed his home country while living and working in Paris.  You will be listening to one of the four Scherzi that he wrote which tells a dramatic musical story.  Listen for the change of tonality (major/minor) from the beginning to that at the end of the piece.  Also, notice the opening figure – the motive or “motif”- on which the composition is based.

Krystian Zimmerman playing Scherzo in Bb minor- Chopin