Stravinsky originally wrote this work for jazz band on a commission from bandleader Paul Whiteman. Oddly, what the composer produced divulges little that is bona fide jazz, and perhaps that is one of the reasons for the work's failure in its initial guise. Stravinsky recast the Scherzo in this orchestral version in 1945 and found greater acceptance of it.

The work opens with a bouncy theme whose utter joy and sunny character exude a sense of Russian festivity in its lively dancing spirit. Stravinsky's orchestration is masterful here, especially in the theme's more splashy second subject, when the brass seem to overheat in their glee and threaten to turn the music sour.

In the ensuing first Trio, there is a nostalgic manner in the playful canonic theme, given by harp and piano. The melodic material here, like that in the second Trio, has been related to Russian themes in the composer's Sonata for two pianos (1943-1944). The main Scherzo section returns with few changes and after the reappearance of the flamboyant second subject, the second Trio follows. It is at first somewhat austere, but gradually turns more colorful and lively. The Scherzo returns to close out this buoyant, utterly charming masterwork. The composer also made a version of Scherzo à la Russe for two pianos in 1954, but it is the orchestral rendition of the three that is most commonly heard today.

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