SEPTEMBER SCHERZO

Early September can be a strange time. So far in the south west of England, we have had final, fleeting teases of late summer sunshine that have been quickly muted by a ceiling of dull and overcast low stratus clouds that drizzle with humid, muggy rain, eventually broken by fresher spells with cooler temperatures that has me instinctively glancing at the log pile as a portent of colder months to come and the inevitable hunkered down introspection that will soon follow.

In these transition days I was happy to wake up yesterday morning to the sound of Dvorak's Piano Quintet in A, Op 81 : Scherzo playing on Radio 3. There was a perfect blend of rambunctious, defiant energy that reminded me of these last days of summer.

The word scherzo translates in Italian as 'jest' and typically arrives as the third movement in sonatas, quartets, quintets and symphonies and often contrasts both light and dark themes as well as deploying sudden dynamic contrasts to keep the listener on their toes, preparing them for a conclusive movement where a greater certainty or dramatic resolution will typically be found.

Combining highly energetic Czech folk elements with a more reflective classical passage of writing, Dvorak expertly spins a compositional web with this particular scherzo that reminds me of a busy spider (which I've seen a lot of lately). And then, I can almost see delicate rain drops collect on silk threads as the notes become momentarily softer and slower.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about scherzos generally (mostly ambivalent I would say) but this delightful piece caught me unawares and won me over instantly with its beguiling, mercurial charm.

And as a bookend to my similar piece 'Spring Is Strung' (March 30th, 2024) from earlier this year I realise that Dvorak has been the continuity composer for reflecting the two most significant seasonal transitions: winter to spring, summer to autumn.