My thoughts: Chopin's Ballades

[joel_w]

Ballade 1:

I think this is the most played of them all, and rightfully so. I classify it as being right next to the 4th ballade in terms of the diversity and brilliance as well as level of 'epicness'. This piece never ceases to excite me, and I view it as one of the greatest pieces of music ever written for the piano.

Favorite performance: Vladimir Horowitz, Carnegie Hall, 1968

Ballade 2:

I feel this ballade is heavily underrated. Even when it was published it was considered "less genius than the first", but I disagree. Just because it isn't flashy doesn't mean it wasn't masterfully written. After all, this was the product of a genius mind. The slow section gives me great serenity in a way no other piece can. The 'presto con fuoco' sections and the coda are equally as moving, but in a different kind of way of course. I think you can really hear Chopin's thoughts in this piece. Being dedicated to Robert Schumann, I can easily see the correlation between this ballade and Schumann's life.

Favorite performance: Ivo Pogorelich, International Chopin Competition, 1980

Ballade 3:

I love this ballade us much as the rest, though I still think it's the underdog of the four. It is the least difficult technically and the shortest in length. Despite the long intro, I feel it does a great job at keeping one focused. Though the scherzando section isn't as energetic as the first ballade's, I enjoy it just as much. I am currently working on this piece as I write this and I'm having a blast doing so.

Favorite performance: Arthur Rubinstein (studio recording)

Ballade 4:

This is regarded by many to be the greatest of the four. I don't fully agree due to my feelings about the first ballade, since I view them as being in the same class as each other. This being said, there is an obvious difference in the maturity between the two. I think this piece is truly the pinnacle of Chopin's genius at play. I love the way Chopin repeats the main theme, each time getting more and more complex, eventually going completely berserk. To me, this piece also wins a spot at one of the greatest pieces in piano literature.

Favorite performance: Stanislav Bunin, International Chopin Competition, 1985

[austinarg]

Great post, I now want to post my own thoughts too  . Perhaps about Liszt's Transcendental Etudes?

The fourth ballade is truly something remarkable. I never get tired of listening to it. I think Chopin left a bit of his soul in it for us to admire every time we listen to it.

[chopin2015]

God, I hope I get the strength and patience and mental state of mind to start on the second ballade soon. As well as another etude.
 

[nanabush]

Great post!

There's a special spot in the 3rd Ballade that probably makes it my favorite of the four.  When I was REALLY young, I heard a small clip and it was just called "ballade", and it was the section building into the climax in C# minor... it was just so epic, and gave me chills (I have chills writing this out); I couldn't really describe what it made me feel because I was 7 or 8, but it was just incredible.  Now whenever I heard the 3rd Ballade, I just wait for that section and it has definitely left the biggest impact on me out of the 4.

I'd have to say that they are all great pieces... I played the Bb minor Scherzo this year and secretly wish that I had chosen the 2nd or 3rd Ballade instead haha.

They're just such concise pieces!!!  There aren't any jarring moments whatsoever, and listening through the entire set is a great way to spend 40 minutes

[joel_w]

@nanabush

Could you link us to a video of it on YouTube and point out where to listen at?

[nanabush]

5:15 till about 5:50

Damn... so good!

[joel_w]

That part is beautiful. It gets so electric part the triple a-flat octave part in the right. 

My favorite part is the cadence at 4:36 - 4:40. The whole phrase is really from 4:22 - 4:40 but that cadence at around 4:36 is so serene. How could a human write that? Gahhh! :')

[scherzo123]

Most Favorite to Least Favorite: No.1, No.3, No.2, No.4

[joel_w]

They're all so different from each other. I could never play favorites with them.

[scherzo123]

They're all so different from each other. I could never play favorites with them.

I can, and I say that the first Ballade is one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard.

[joel_w]

I completely agree. It's so timeless, it's hard to describe. -- something that I can't even say about the 4th.

[starstruck5]

In the 4th Ballade Chopin's harmonic language seems to have become more Wagnerian if you like -can anyone tell me if Chopin liked Wagner -I know Chopin admired the human voice -and Wagner was only 3 years or so younger than him -but I can't find anything on the net regarding any thoughts Chopin had regarding  Wagner.

[j_menz]

In the 4th Ballade Chopin's harmonic language seems to have become more Wagnerian if you like -can anyone tell me if Chopin liked Wagner -I know Chopin admired the human voice -and Wagner was only 3 years or so younger than him -but I can't find anything on the net regarding any thoughts Chopin had regarding  Wagner.

Wagner was no fan of Chopin, calling him a composer for the right hand only. Given Chopin's genius for fighting with his friends, it's hard to believe he would have admired an "enemy".

[vitruvius]

Great post!

There's a special spot in the 3rd Ballade that probably makes it my favorite of the four.  When I was REALLY young, I heard a small clip and it was just called "ballade", and it was the section building into the climax in C# minor... it was just so epic, and gave me chills (I have chills writing this out); I couldn't really describe what it made me feel because I was 7 or 8, but it was just incredible.  Now whenever I heard the 3rd Ballade, I just wait for that section and it has definitely left the biggest impact on me out of the 4.

I'd have to say that they are all great pieces... I played the Bb minor Scherzo this year and secretly wish that I had chosen the 2nd or 3rd Ballade instead haha.

They're just such concise pieces!!!  There aren't any jarring moments whatsoever, and listening through the entire set is a great way to spend 40 minutes

I have heard from somewhere (probably a radio show by david dubal) that the 3rd ballade is actually the most popular of the 4 in the 19th century. Maybe someone can elaborate on this.

[qpalqpal]

I can only truly speak of the fourth and first ballades. They are the ones I know inside out, and I love both almost equally.

First of all, the first ballade, as someone mentioned above, has a 'timeless' sort of quality, and it is absolutely unique and beautiful. If I had to chose to live with one ballade, or learn one, it would definitely be the first. The ending, starting with the presto section, is so unique, there is nothing like it. The beginning of the ballade, which is so surreal and supernatural, diverse etc., is what will leave you speechless, and when you hear the theme, it is so familiar, so so familiar somehow. And then the little different diversions in the piece, it is playful at times, melancholic, tragic, and cartoon like. It's... well, listen it to yourself and see what I'm talking about.

The fourth ballade is also extravagant. The beginning is one of the most beautiful musical phenomena I have ever heard, and the theme mysterious, and some parts are just beautiful, the variations of the theme, and lets not debate as to whether  it has the most resolute ending ever. My goodness. And right before the whole ending rant, the super soft chords are so quiet and beautiful.

Sorry I can't describe the other two! 

[werq34ac]

Actually the 1st ballade is my least favorite. It's a great piece, but it's given too much credit in my opinion.

the 2nd ballade is by far (but understandably) underplayed. It seems a little boring if you don't really listen and pay attention. It has some very interesting harmonies and modulations. And the section leading up the coda, it's masterfully written.

the 3rd ballade being the only one I've studied, deserves more credit than the OP gives it. The first section is a long introduction? NO WAY. It presents important thematic material and is just as beautiful as when the first theme of the first ballade is introduced (though a different kind of beauty of course). The 2nd section is really just beautiful and it's the theme we hear most often in various forms, although the 1st theme (which the OP has dismissed as introduction) defeats the main theme triumphantly in the coda. 3rd section may not be as energetic as other scherzando sections in Chopin's music, but that's not it's charm. The 3rd section is playful, yes, but it is also intimate. Plus the way it transitions into the next section is just fantastic. And then we get into Ab major, the original key, but it soon turns to C#minor. The most dramatic and intense section in the entire piece, it's really quite something. Then you get this sort of gray area, with lots of key changes and a sense of suspense and anticipation, it ends angrily but soon becomes jubilant with the 1st theme returning in full chords in both hands. Then you get a bit of the 3rd section again and the piece ends with a very happy ending. Yay happy ending. It's worth noting the 3rd is also the only ballade to end happily.

4th ballade, do words need to be said? It's Chopin's masterwork and contains the maturity of a man who has lived several lifetimes.