The Scherzo Connection
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"Symphony No 2 Scherzo," painting by Caroline Tate
Allegro, adagio, presto…. Composers often give movements an Italian name that indicates how fast— or slow—they should be played.
But there is an exception—the scherzo—an Italian word that means “jest” or “joke.”
In this hour, a look at how the scherzo came to be——and what it unexpectedly became.
FEATURED RECORDINGS
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CD Title
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Group/Artist
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Catalog #
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UPC
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Masterpieces in Miniature [for Litolf]
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San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas
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SFS Media 821936-0060-2
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821936006023
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Haydn: Complete String Quartets
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Angeles String Quartet
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Philips 464 650-2
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028946465028
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Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 40-54
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Austrian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Adam Fischer
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Nimbus NI 5530/4
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710357553028
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Beethoven: 9 Symphonies [for Sympony No. 3 “Eroica”]
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Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
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Teldec 2292-46452-2
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022924645228
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Chopin: 4 Scherzi,
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Maurizio Pollini
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Deutsche Grammophon 431623
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028943162326
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Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
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London Symphony Orchestra, Andre Previn
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EMI Classics CDC 7471632
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00724357498128
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Tchaikovsky: Complete Symphonies
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New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein
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Sony SM5K87987
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5099708798727
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Dvorak: Symphonies [for Scherzo Capriccioso]
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London Symphony Orchestra, Istvan Kertesz
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London (Decca) 430 046-2
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028943004626
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Stravinsky: Shadow Dances [for Scherzo a la Russe]
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Orpheus Chamber Ensemble
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Deutsche Grammophon 453 458-2
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028945345826
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Metcalf: Paths of Song [for Septet]
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Solstice Quartet, Eleanor, Philippa Davies, David Campbell
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Signum Classics SIGCD203
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635212020326
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