Chopin, Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31

The trio of Frédéric Chopin's Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31 transports us into what seems like another world, not just into a new tonal sphere. The Arcadia into which the trio carries us takes three different characters in turn. The first barely marks its presence, with just a few bars of a bucolic sicilienne. The second embodiment of Arcadia is of a waltz-like character, singing and swinging; Chopin has it sung by four different voices at once. The third incarnation of carefree Arcadia also pulls us into the whirl of a waltz, of a ritornel character.