Scherzo No. 3 (Chopin)

He began composing it 1838 in the abandoned monastery of Valldemossa on the Balearic island of Majorca, Spain, and completed it back in France by the end of 1839.

Louis Kentner thinks of it as "a Wagnerian melody of astonishing beauty, recalling the sound of tubas, harps and all the apocalyptic orchestra of Valhalla."

This is particularly difficult to perform, due to the technique needed to accurately and quickly execute the running octave patterns.

The main theme and its sequences begin with strong chords that hold the melody followed by a downward flutter of notes.

The elements of this lyrical section repeat themselves a few times and the piece then moves back into the main theme.