The Scherzo No 3 Op. 39 in C-Sharp Minor by Frédéric Chopin, completed in 1839, was written in the abandoned monastery of Valldemossa on the Balearic island of Majorca, Spain. The composition is dedicated to Adolphe Gutmann, one of Chopin’s favourite pupils, much to the indignation and envy of others, since – in their opinion – he was not exactly a shining talent. Chopin esteemed him – oddly, perhaps– for his powerful striking. Chopin also entrusted to Gutmann the first performance of the Scherzo in the company of friends, maybe in order to show the powerful sound this work needs. – Ivo Pogorelich
