The celebrated Armenian-born pianist Marianna Shirinyan performs some of Chopin's most fascinating and fiendish pieces: the four ballades and the four scherzos. Chopin invented the term "ballade," recalling medieval minstrels singing poetic ballads. His four ballades are quite different in character, but share a sense of romantic storytelling in their dramatic contrasts and virtuosic display. The first three of Chopin's four Scherzos are fiery and dissonant; all four are exceptionally difficult. The Scherzo No. 1 is sometimes nicknamed "The Infernal Banquet" because of its diabolical character, which is juxtaposed with a central lullaby based on the Polish carol "Sleep, Little Jesus." Schumann considered Chopin's Scherzo No. 2 to be Byronic in the grandeur of its passion, and the Scherzo No. 3 is also remarkably bold, with an almost Wagnerian chorale. Chopin's Scherzo No. 4 is the only one in a major key, but its relatively serene nature, with fluid and whimsical twists, also makes it one of the most demanding to play.
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