chopin scherzo no 2 - stupid?

[ladychopin]

Today someone told me that chopin scherzo no 2 is a stupid work by chopin because it repeats itself a lot (like fur elise) what do you think? O_O

[nocturnetr]

 It's a scherzo mate.

[evitaevita]

"The scherzo itself is a rounded binary form, but, like the minuet, is usually played with the accompanying Trio followed by a repeat of the Scherzo, creating the ABA or ternary form. This is sometimes done twice or more (ABABA)."

This excerpt is taken from https://Wikipedia.org

The form is "rounded binary". This means that the theme A of the piece has to be repeated many times, as well as the theme B.
Not even Fur Elise is a stupid piece. It is very popular and relatively simple, but this doesn't mean that it is not a serious work.

You, ladychopin, what do you think?

[kersplona]

Your friend is the stupid one.

[shaggyy]

Just because of those repeating themes the end is more impressive I think. I personally love that scherzo by the way. 

[thesixthsensemusic]

I love it, the repetition of the first theme is there (albeit with slight changes everytime) but not as often as in some of his Nocturnes for example, and the whole piece is a nice combination of subtility and explosiveness. I consider it to be one of my favourite Chopin pieces, also when playing it myself, it's difficult but perfectly manageable for an advanced hobbyist, yet so rewarding because it's full of bravoura like rapid arpeggios and and jumps across the keyboard.

[cmg]

Today someone told me that chopin scherzo no 2 is a stupid work by chopin because it repeats itself a lot (like fur elise) what do you think? O_O

Well, a piece with such inventive, beautiful and memorable themes is quite welcome to "repeat itself a lot."  Tell that person who made the comment that Chopin's heirs will probably be filing a lawsuit for slander.  Or criminal stupidity.

[chopin2015]

Did you ask him how he could be so heartless?

[ladychopin]

The person who said that to me, won first prize at chopin competition for ages 16-18 in my  country, that why it interests me! 
I love that piece! I don't have enough knowledge to judge her, and not sure if its my favorite scherzo, but I will definitely play her in the future.

[chopin2015]

Oh big whoop! She should have been disqualified for calling any of his works stupid, she is unworthy!

[bugrad]

Play the Scherzo if it's a piece you real want to learn.  Don't worry about what others think about it.  Have you done much Chopin before ? Do you plan to include this in a program ?

[ajspiano]

for ages 16-18

This part clues you in to the potential failings related to musical wisdom.

Pop music as an entire genre should be sufficient to tell you how effective repetition is in music.

[thesixthsensemusic]

This part clues you in to the potential failings related to musical wisdom.

Pop music as an entire genre should be sufficient to tell you how effective repetition is in music.

I disagree. Claudio Arrau could play all of Liszt's Transcendental Studies at concert level when he was 11 years old, Clara Schumann composed a brilliant and very melancholically sounding piano concerto at the age of 14 with only some help in orchestration from her later husband Robert, the ability to play abstract instrumental music of the most complex kind just depends on training and talent, not on being emotionally mature or not.

Rather to the contrary, there are plenty of examples of well-respected musicians who were probably NEVER emotionally mature even as adults. Glenn Gound for example, was an oddball and even though he had intimate relations with a number of women, never seemed to be capable of leading a normal family life, and he was also extremely stubborn, which is an undisputed and well-documented fact. Beethoven was a bipolar schizophrenic alcoholic who had a troubled love life and was so eccentric that his patrons eventually just accepted the fact that normal social conventions did not apply to him, and the list goes on and on, but you get what I am trying to say, right?

[ajspiano]

I disagree. Claudio Arrau could play all of Liszt's Transcendental Studies at concert level when he was 11 years old, Clara Schumann composed a brilliant and very melancholically sounding piano concerto at the age of 14 with only some help in orchestration from her later husband Robert, the ability to play abstract instrumental music of the most complex kind just depends on training and talent, not on being emotionally mature or not.

Rather to the contrary, there are plenty of examples of well-respected musicians who were probably NEVER emotionally mature even as adults. Glenn Gound for example, was an oddball and even though he had intimate relations with a number of women, never seemed to be capable of leading a normal family life, and he was also extremely stubborn, which is an undisputed and well-documented fact. Beethoven was a bipolar schizophrenic alcoholic who had a troubled love life and was so eccentric that his patrons eventually just accepted the fact that normal social conventions did not apply to him, and the list goes on and on, but you get what I am trying to say, right?

Ofcourse I get it.. I did say "potential failings" -  in general though, even clever young people tend to be more prone to having unfounded arrogant douchey opinions..  (myself included - hell, maybe this is one of them.. )

Also, there's the possibility that this particular person is not a composer at all, and has little background in composition.. only in performance..  which largely discredits their opinion on the quality of compositions and what makes a good or bad one...

I mean, really..  stupid because it repeats itself a lot? ..that's not a wise comment.

[j_menz]

Beethoven was a bipolar schizophrenic alcoholic who had a troubled love life and was so eccentric that his patrons eventually just accepted the fact that normal social conventions did not apply to him

I don't think he was schizophrenic.