🇷🇺Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ： Children’s Games Scherzo

Mussorgsky’s Children’s Games Scherzo is a piano scherzo in which lively motion and a mischievous spirit seem to mingle. Short motifs appear to pass from one gesture to another, while contrasts suggesting shifts of scene bring out the buoyancy of the rhythm and the music’s forward drive. Its appeal lies in the shadows that emerge amid the bright gestures, as well as in moments when the momentum suddenly relaxes. In performance, it is important not to pursue speed alone, but to keep the small figures clear and finely articulated without exaggerating the accents. A light touch and flexible pedaling can convey both the freedom of play and the agility characteristic of a scherzo.