S2.E49. Fizz with Dvorak's Scherzo Capriccioso, Handel's melting 'Where 'er You Walk, Light Touch with Chopin Nocturne op 9 no.2, and high spirits with the finale of Schumann's Piano Concerto.

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Welcome back to Perfect Pitch with Nick Healy Hutchinson and his fresh approach to the world of classical music. Whether you're an expert or a beginner, old or young, Perfect Pitch has something for everyone.

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We finished off last week with some light-hearted Dvorjak. So let's resume from there with some equally carefree music by the same man. Devorjak's orchestral piece, Schatzoka Preto, combines the word joke with in a lively manner. I read somewhere that the two words together are supposed to convey a variety of different moods in a restless manner. But the reality is that the less than lively moments only really dip into a kind of briefish tranquility rather than anything into the polar opposite of its overall energy. Above all, the piece must be allowed to fit. And that's exactly what he does in the hands of the London Symphony Order. The more I listen to the two H's, the more I realize that these comparisons are just meaningless. The outcome of a god, in this case Jupiter, falling for a human semile was never going to be a good one. The Hannel's opera simile includes this little gem of an aria where'er you walk with words to win over the most reluctant soul. Where'er you walk cool gales shall fan the glade. Trees where you sit shall crowd into a shade. Where'er you tread, the blushing flowers shall rise and all things flourish where'er you turn your eyes. When Jupiter's real identity is revealed, Emily is engulfed in flames. I think she might have expected better from the so-called bringer of jollity, but she must have damned near swooned at the music first, especially if sung to her like this by John Mark Ainsley in a nineteen ninety-nine production at the English National Opera. Schopper wrote twenty-one lock turns for the piano, and the Opus 9 number two is one of the most famous. All the top pianists have recorded them, so identifying something original or something that just clicks better than the norm can be tough. I especially like this version by Valentina Lizitza. Everything is crystal clear, with a real lightness of touch. It also has plenty of light and shade without being excessively indulgent. And the icing on the cake for me is that she resists thumping the bottom of the keyboard towards the end, a temptation to which almost everyone succumbs. The lightness of touch is thus preserved to the finish. But it's only a small leader from Shotan to Schumann who wants to have integrated today with a final movement of Shuman's early channel computer. It's remained one of the most popular and widely played in the repertoire today. The final movement opens without a pause of a clean one, which is why it comes over at the top of the start.

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