Following in the footsteps of Beethoven's late scherzos, these are characterised by expression associated with a fantastic imagination, surprising, sometimes frightening. Each scherzo has its own expressive shadow and its own forms, but these are most often variants of reprise structure. The outer sections are agitated, restless, anxious, even demonic, while the tranquil middle section symbolises a place of refuge: family, Arcadian, philosophical or emotional.

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