F. Chopin - Scherzo no. 2 in B flat minor Op. 31 - analysis - Greg Niemczuk's lecture. 

As an amateur trying to learn this piece, thank you so much for putting it together. Your analysis of the ending was something I had never considered and I’ve heard this piece so many times before this is what makes RU-vid great. This is one of Chopin’s greatest pieces in my opinion, and thank you for enhancing my enjoyment of it.

Dear Greg, I left you a comment about an hour ago, saying that it was a great video. Then I sat down to practice. I have been quite ill for the last few months and have not practiced much because I simply could not find the energy to sit at the piano and play. After watching this video, I am thrilled to tell you that I found my deep love for the piano again. I played through the A and some of the B section, and found playing with a ferocity, sense of mystery and a passion that I thought was no longer within me. Thank you so much!

I spent the day reading Alfred Cortot's book, "In Search of Chopin" after listening to Piotr Alexewicz on the Chopin Institute recital. Cortot mentions the Scherzo No 2 and to better understand it, I came here, but you sent me first to No. 1 analysis. That was an awakening; your analyses are invaluable. They deepen the experience as you translate Chopin's life and music for us. Actually transports through time in ways that keep unfolding. Your butterfly image is delightful. I can see them all joyful. Thank you.again for taking the time to share all of this with us.

As an amateur pianist I cannot begin to express how much your channel is an incredible educative possibility and a source of knowledge that would simply not be attainable for many (and also a brilliant display of your artistry). I studied your videos a lot when I learned Chopin's 2nd Sonata and have spent many minutes discussing things learned here in Québec with my piano teacher (and am quite lucky that she is an incredible pianist that fled from the USSR : she ended up Watching a Bunch of your videos on hier own). And a lot of what I learn from your channel I can bring with me when tackling Other composers such as Alkan, a close Friend of Chopin when they both lived in Paris. All this to reiterate my thanks and how inspiring the work you put into your channel is : if you make the effort to put your passion into thoughts and share Them with the world as you do, they are Bound to resonate with others at some point!

Another outstanding lecture, you pointed out so many things that I surely must listen to this many more times. Now, I can’t help thinking about you every time I listen to Chopin

Those scherzos are all very close to me. Like the Ballades, the emotional content is all encompassing- from screams of agony to wispers. So vulnerably human... You capture that so authentically in your playing and explanations. Bravo!

I started to study this scherzo and asked myself : “ what it is about? Why scherzo, why so many bars with pauses and what the first phrase of this means”. The next day I opened RU-vid and found your video. You gave me so many answers! I watched your video in one breathe👍 Super informative and a lot of rare information. ( especially about charnel house, I haven’t read about it anywhere) Thank you a lot!

wow, thank you so much for your generous teaching, discussion and playing. I loved every minute of this video. And even you said at the end how much you love this piece…it was obvious from the first few minutes of the video that this is true. Absolutely lovely experience and I learned much that I will treasure for a very long time. Thank you.

I could watching this 1M times no problem 😍

I will never fall a sleep watching your video... Very energetic but not annoying...and more importantly is very informative.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.

Very beautiful message, thank you

must be the best explanation what this scherzo is about ... Mr. Chopin would be proud :). dziekuje

You are awesome. Thank you

I recently discovered your channel and I am absolutely impressed with how you have explained Chopin's pieces in terms of their poetic and theatrical qualities with such depth and passion. I have come to appreciate and obsess over Chopin's genius even more through these brilliante lectures; they shall keep me very busy with all the binge watching...

Never boring! I'm waching this like 50 times lol

The sense that this piece is deemed overplayed probably has to do with how striking and catchy the themes are. The musical ideas forces themself upon you and keeps you mentally engaged throughout the listening experience as you try to follow along every segment in your head

이렇게 값진 강의를 볼 수 있게 해주셔서 감사드립니다. 피아노 뿐만 아니라 음악에 대한 이해와 많은 감정, 생각을 배우게 됩니다. 존경스럽고 감사드립니다.

OMG this analysis just blew my mind. You're incredibly amazing Greg!

I just can't express myself enough! Wow! Genius!

Hello again, another breathtaking experience, not only from your tutorial but also from your performance in Beijing. How lucky you are to have the ability to converse with people all around the globe with not only your perfect English & polish , (I am sure you speak French & Italian too) ,but with the language of music, explaining what was going on in the mind of a 26 years old genius , Chopin, 2 centuries ago. What a gift. I admire you more for sharing your research, knowledge and experience with others. Making them better listeners, better musicians, and above all better human beings, because it is through music that we can bring goodness to this world without any particular opinion or orientation. Love your work and will follow you all over the world from my home, watching your valuable videos. This is pure magic. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Very grateful for bringing clarifications about this work, which has always intrigued me deeply. Bridge's second theme has always seemed to me to be something delightfully bohemian - in a hedonistic sense of the term, perhaps because something in Brazilian popular songs bears a certain resemblance. What your analysis says about this moment and its cantabile nature makes me feel that I could be right. The left hand also brings a swing that reminds me of Brazilian piano music by old popular composers. But it is also possible that Chopin influenced them. These analyses and demonstrations bring me real happiness. Thank you very much.

Great! Marvelous

Another wonderful video - thank you. I can't wait for your take on Op. 49

Playing Scherzo op 31, no 2, mainly means "playing" the pauses! In my opinion, this is the key to an impeccable performance of the piece. All the other demands are, more or less, common to all unrepeatable masterpieces, composed by Chopin! Maestro Niemczuk, beyond your explicit and detailed analysis of the piece, your playing in front of an audience of this divine music, is and will remain a reference !!! I thank you so much from the bottom of my heart !!!

awesome video as always

Absolutely love it! Wspaniała robota!

Fascinating video!

Absolutely love it! 💙💙💙

you‘re great! Looking forward to hear your performance in zurich😊

i like your playing

I love watching your videos, its very motivating ❤ i love how you talk about the music!

Fantastic video as always! These series are absolutely fantastic and give great insight into the life and music of Chopin. Thank you so very much for uploading them and for the great time and effort you put into each video!! Congratulations and hats off to you for all your hard work and effort, your passion and love for this music really shows! May I ask, will you be covering all of the music Chopin wrote? Including lesser known pieces such as the A minor fuge, Variations on "Là ci darem la mano", other variations, cello sonata ect?

The left hand Motive you show on 43:33 and on 43:43 you also find at the end of ballade no. 1. My biggest compliments for your fantastic videos. It is not only your technical expertise, but also your enthusiasm. Chopin was the greatest composer of all for the piano, but one shouldn‘t forget Rachmaninov too.

Moje ukochane scherzo i to wykonanie!

The middle of the nocturne op 55 no 1 uses the same chord progression as the begining of this Scherzo. Great videos!

Such a liteness wow!

I'm doing a presentation on this piece. This is really useful information. Great analysis.

Wow, amazing analysis! Thank you so much for this, it's very interesting.

👏👏👏bravo ! Greg 💐 I ‘m thinking no.2 Scherza is for young boys . Middle part is so beautiful! Thank you for telling me. I’ll try to play this piece again!

Wow! Without pedal? Amazing!

great video as always. You teaches us even more than our teacher at school =))) Can you maybe do a small tutorial on the Etude Op 25 No.12, especially how to move/play/practice correctly. My arm gets tense after first half T____T. I know it shouldn't be like that and i'm doing something wrong. I did some research and some said there should be rotation movement in between, the others said no, dont do it, you should jump/release from position to position. I'm not professional pianist, i just love this etude so much! Send you Bigg Icee Creamm from Germany with love!

35:38 the left hand is very similar to Lacrimosa in K626.

Hahaha the left hand without pedal is just mind blowing lol

Want to know from u which ending among all scherzo is best in ur opinion , btw nice analysis and ur dedication is hats off

This is Artur here from Australia all the way ok lol

Actually, in Romanian we have the word 'jale' which may be a good equivalent of that Polish word.

marvelous! What is the word zhal you say at 3:26? Did I suddenly wake up? I really want to know!It means regret in Ukrainian, right?

I wish longer lecture. I can watch 2 hour long video lol

Thank you! Your channel is a treasure! So delicate, professional, original and clear! And so sincere in sharing your love! How do you think, doesn't that Scherzo resemble some scenes from Faust? It's doesn't seem to be an original point of view (everyone was obsessed at that time with Faust, "La Peau de Chagrin" was published few years before Scherzo no.2 and could also refresh that interest), but I haven't met in special literature examples of such associations. Part A would be then something like dialogue between Faust and Mephistopheles, when Mephistopheles demonstrates to Faust a vision of divine beauty. Bridge includes Mephistopheles' laughing ("I can bring you everything"). Part B is the scene of Margharita's efforts of praying, but she cannot pray, because she's obsessed by longing ("Meine Ruh ist hin"). The beginning of climax is an appearance of Faust ("Here he is!"), and then we have a literal fall of Margharita. The descending octave scales in the bass line are realy all the circles of hell!)) Everything ends with Mephisto laughing "hahaha" in coda and that's why it is the scherzo. Of course Chopin probably did not have a concrete faustian idea here. Nevertheless, Chopin does a real symphonic work, showing how two opposite melodic images - desperate question about the fate (compare beginning of Liszt's Sonata) and silent prayer (calm and symmethrical melody) at first are shown separatedly, then begin to struggle and finally find their intimate similarity. (All this served between infernal whirlwinds - the 3rd image of the eternal trio "Faust-Margharita-Mephistophele"). Through the processes of intonation Chopin shows how heaven tends towards the hell and hell tends towards heaven in human souls.

What year was this masterpiece written?

At 50 mins he repeats the first motif in bar 578 and says there are no changes .But in my score there is a much longer F the second time which is repeated 3times to bar 619 😮Why did Chopin do this please?

Hi Greg! Have watched your video the third time and I am again on this Scherzo. Fighting with the tempo - have one bar about 85. But part B - there is nothing written to slow down. What tempo you would recommend? LG Kerstin

How can I get all those books you have Herr please ?

hi! I do a live stream impersonation of 9 pianists at 5 pm GMT today = Hoffman, Rachmaninoff g minor prelude Lisitsa, Rachmaninoff 18th Variation on a theme by Paganini Schiff, Bach Harpsichord concerto no. 5 (II) Richter, Bach Prelude and fugue in c major BWV 846 Giltburg, Chopin Nocturne in c sharp minor Poon, Chopin Waltz in A min op. post Zimerman, Chopin prelude in A major Horowitz, Mazurka in a min op 17. no. 4 Katsaris, Schubert Klavierstuck no. 2

Thank you thank you soo much for you beautiful briliant so valuable explanations!!!!🙏🙏🙏🙏💐💐💐💐💐And you also play soo beautifuly bravo👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻💐💐💐💐💐💐🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺Chopin is genious and he is my best of best composer!!!! But I dont think Chopin compose his pieces only mathematicaly thinking...but such a genious interpret all life and feelings with notes and motives...he experinced that all beauties may turn into huge disasters.. good thinks can be treetened by wars..by death.. there is adeath bur also peace and happines too....life is a big strugle in which beautiful happy things meeged time ti time...I feel myself that composers tell us about life in their pieces...like a good movie tells us a real life story. or tragedy...Composers does this with notes motives structures...yes genuin..but for them..this is so natural..like words. It was so delightful to watch and listen to your video thank you so much again!!!!

what do you think of jazz

God!

Can you do an analysis of Rondo a la Mazur Op. 5? It’s my favorite Chopin piece!

i am blind and i want to get the braille music for the foursczerzos can anyone tell me where to get the braille music? i am in ausralia please reply if you can help me thanks

The word may be "spontaneity" unexpected - ly from "spon-tanious...

how do you spell 'gial'??

I’ve done something horrible oh god oh god

do you pretend to analyse the nocturnes?