# Favorite Non-Beethoven Orchestral Scherzi



## Bevo (Feb 22, 2015)

I absolutely LOVE orchestral Scherzi. And even though I personally feel Beethoven was the king and master of this genre, I know we all have different opinions (Mahler, Bruckner, etc.). So I was curious what some of your other favorite orchestral Scherzi NOT composed by Beethoven would be? And possibly one or two that are lesser known. Thanks in advance everyone!


----------



## Alfacharger (Dec 6, 2013)

One scherzo I enjoy all by itself is Brian Newbould's completion of the D708A symphonic fragments by Franz Schubert.


----------



## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)

I was tapping my relatively shallow extent of musical knowledge, and was about to say you could list countless scherzi, but then realized I was picking all chamber music! My best "lesser known" nomination would be *Korngold's* scherzo from the Symphony in F.


----------



## Abraham Lincoln (Oct 3, 2015)

Does this count?


----------



## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Abraham Lincoln said:


> Does this count?


As an orchestral scherzo? Alas, no.

Dvorak 9 has a very Beethoven-esque scherzo, and his 7 has a good one. Ives 1's scherzo isn't far from what Dvorak wrote.

I like Walton 1's malicious scherzo, but really, there are so many (and this just for symphonies).


----------



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Dvorak had a knack for brilliant scherzi. The first of his mature symphonies, no. 5 is wonderful. 6 and 8 also have a wonderful 3rd movement, but they aren't labelled as scherzi. But the crowning example to my mind is symphony no. 7 with no. 9 of course being a close second.

I tell you, Dvorak could really write a scherzo, even if they weren't orchestral. The 2nd movement of his op 77 string quintet is perhaps my favorite scherzo of all of his.

Also, try the 2nd movement scherzo of Balakirev's 1st symphony in C major.

And I have a weakness for the scherzo of Shostakovich's 1st violin concerto, and the 5th symphony's.


----------



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Also, Schumann's 2nd symphony contains another one of the best scherzi ever written, in my opinion.


----------



## DiesIraeCX (Jul 21, 2014)

My favorite non-Beethoven scherzo has to be the 2nd movement of Bruckner's 9th. What a work!





 - Giulini





 - Karajan


----------



## Rhombic (Oct 28, 2013)

Dvorak 7th symphony.


----------



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Bruckner Symphony 7


----------



## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

Mahler Symphony 2
Bruckner Symphony 7
Tchaikovsky Symphony 1
Rachmaninoff Symphony 2
Dvorak Symphony 9

favorite unknown would be Moritz Moszkowski - Piano Concerto Op. 3, movement 3




It's super fun


----------



## Gustav Mahler (Dec 3, 2014)

Should I elaborate, or commenting is enough to understand who I am supporting here?


----------



## Alfacharger (Dec 6, 2013)

Martinu wrote some great scherzi. Here is the beginning from the 4th symphony.


----------



## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

clavichorder said:


> Dvorak had a knack for brilliant scherzi. The first of his mature symphonies, no. 5 is wonderful.


Yes!!! I often have this as an earworm, and I love it! It's rather simple, like scherzi tend to be, but it's so disarming and wonderful.


----------



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Only one work remains in the repertoire from Henry Charles Litolff --the Scherzo from his Concerto Symphonique No. 4. Here it is:






BTW check out his life story on Wiki. He lived the life Berlioz wanted.


----------



## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)

GreenMamba said:


> I like Walton 1's *malicious scherzo*...


Ah love this! Such a perfect way of putting it.


----------



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Alfacharger said:


> Martinu wrote some great scherzi. Here is the beginning from the 4th symphony.


Symphony 1's scherzo is great too!


----------



## Guest (Nov 1, 2015)

This work is fabulous!

View attachment 77145

Igor Stravinsky
Scherzo Fantastique, Op. 3
Charles Dutoit, Montreal Symphony Orchestra

It's a very early composition by Stravinsky that foreshadowed some of the techniques that he would later use in his great ballets. This particular disc has The Firebird ballet and another early work, Fireworks, Op. 3

Another great one:

View attachment 77146

Antonin Dvorak
Scherzo Capriccioso, Op. 66
Rafeal Kubelik


----------



## Alfacharger (Dec 6, 2013)

How about John William's Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra!






Or his concert piece "Scherzo for Piano and Orchestra".


----------

