which scherzo is better as a competition piece?

[maxine]

I'm working on Chopin's first scherzo as one of my competition selection. My teacher has pointed out that it'll be hard to impress with the first scherzo. She didn't elaborate, but i guess she meant that the first scherzo is hard to play well?
I also noticed that alot of pp play Chopin's third scherzo for competition? why? Is it because it's more technically demanding? or intrinistically more interesting?
Have i made a bad decision in playing the first? 

[stevie]

4 is the most fresh, and i think its the best piece, also the hardest, and it is becoming more popular as a competition piece for these reasons, its a masterpiece, randomly.

[burstroman]

Go with #1, it's refreshing brashness is a welcome contrast to the salon-style interpretations of much of Chopin.  #1 is raw power.

[franzliszt2]

4 is the hardest, and in my opinion the greatsest. Its also open for many different interpratations

DO NO play Bb minor, everyone plays that

C# minor is also great, I don;t see any problem with that. I would do 3rd or 4th, just because I personally do not feel confortable playing no.1, don;t no why, just can't feel confortable whenever i play it.

[turner]

I agree that there's nothing inherently wrong with No. 1, and that No. 2 is way over-exposed.  No. 1 can be a show-stopper if your technique is very solid (don't emulate the runner-up of Miss Texas  ).  Because the thematic material in the 1st and 3rd sections can sound repetitious, you do need an imaginative approach to the interpretation so that the audience (and the jurors!) won't be bored.

[verywellmister]

4 is the most fresh, and i think its the best piece, also the hardest, and it is becoming more popular as a competition piece for these reasons, its a masterpiece, randomly.

It is becoming more popular.  At the MTNA eastern division competition, 2 collegiate contestants played it and so did the winner of the junior high competition.  this was equal to the number of no.2 players there!
 

[anda]

4 is the most fresh, and i think its the best piece, also the hardest, and it is becoming more popular as a competition piece for these reasons, its a masterpiece, randomly.

4th is definitely the most fresh. however: technically speaking, it's the easiest one, it's main difficulty is playing it unitary - the way it's written, it's very fragmented, and you have to find a way to connect these very little "fragments" (most of them, not longer than a phrase) into one single work.

imho, overexposed or not, the 2nd scherzo is the most complex - if i had to choose for a competition, i'd go for 2nd or 3rd (also considering the timing difference)

[soliloquy]

4th is definitely the most fresh. however: technically speaking, it's the easiest one

This would lead me to believe you've never played No. 4, because it's common knowledge that it is definitely the most difficult.

[frederic]

imho, overexposed or not, the 2nd scherzo is the most complex - if i had to choose for a competition, i'd go for 2nd or 3rd (also considering the timing difference)

Hi there. Just wondering. How is no.2 the most complex? i've played this and i never found it complex.  The form and structure is very straight forward, if that is what you are refering to. I would have thought the 4th is the most complex, though i've never learnt it myself.

[anda]

This would lead me to believe you've never played No. 4, because it's common knowledge that it is definitely the most difficult.

actually, i've played all 4 of them (including in same recital). and  it is the easiest one technically.

Hi there. Just wondering. How is no.2 the most complex? i've played this and i never found it complex.  The form and structure is very straight forward, if that is what you are refering to. I would have thought the 4th is the most complex, though i've never learnt it myself.

ok, maybe "complex" wasn't the best word - i don't know about you, but for me, #2 was the most demanding in terms of colour diversity, quick changes of state of mind, and so on.

technically, it's also the most demanding - the other ones are focused on one type of technique, but for this one you need more than just good octave technique, or fast scales & arpeggios, etc.

[maxy]

assuming it is well played, Scherzo 2 and 3 would outshine Scherzo 1 IMO.

Scherzo 4 is a fantastic piece, but it seems hard for different pianists to agree on how it "should" be played...   

[franzliszt2]

I agree with Maxy

[frederic]

actually, i've played all 4 of them (including in same recital). and  it is the easiest one technically.

ok, maybe "complex" wasn't the best word - i don't know about you, but for me, #2 was the most demanding in terms of colour diversity, quick changes of state of mind, and so on.

technically, it's also the most demanding - the other ones are focused on one type of technique, but for this one you need more than just good octave technique, or fast scales & arpeggios, etc.

wow, good on you. did you find it hard to sustain your stamina when you performed all four in one recital? and i agree with what you said about the 2nd scherzo. The d-flat major subject is probably the most challenging thing to play in the whole piece. part from playing the last note accurate (!!!).  How did you go about this difficult concluding note? in the recital, did you take a risk and played it very fast, or did you stay safe and took your time?

[frederic]

wow, good on you. did you find it hard to sustain your stamina when you performed all four in one recital? and i agree with what you said about the 2nd scherzo. The d-flat major subject is probably the most challenging thing to play in the whole piece. apart from playing the last note accurate (!!!).  How did you go about this difficult concluding note? in the recital, did you take a risk and did a fast jump, or did you stay safe and took more time?