Interpretation of Chopin's ballade 1

[nicoleyoong]

I'm currently working on Chopin's ballade 1 but I've faced some problems while interpreting this piece. Is there anyone who has been working on this piece? How you guys interpret this piece can you guys share your idea with me?

[dima_76557]

@ nicoleyoong

Read or get acquainted with Konrad Wallenrod by Chopin's friend-compatriot and poet Adam Mickiewicz.

[chopin2015]

dark, sad, angry. In the slow parts, make sure to beg, as in someone is dying and you are begging them to stay.

Take lots of pauses, not necessarily silence. have a large bit consistent range in tempi.

[dima_76557]

dark, sad, angry. In the slow parts, make sure to beg, as in someone is dying and you are begging them to stay.

Take lots of pauses, not necessarily silence. have a large bit consistent range in tempi.

Read the narrative poem I cited anyway, Julia. Western-Europeans have never been able to link Chopin's inspirational sources to something Western-European, that's why they mistakenly concluded that there is nothing in Chopin's work except for music. But Chopin was a nationalist in denial and in exile who generally behaved "politically correctly" and didn't talk about it openly, something that could have had a disastrous effect upon his career. Although he used Western-European musical forms, everything in his work breathes with Polish literature (more drama, less fiction) and paintings, the key to understanding the spirit in his works.
P.S.: This also goes for the 2nd sonata (discussed in another recent topic in this section of the forum), which Anton Rubinstein, his "Slavic brother", recognized immediately as a "Poem of Death". Rachmaninoff understood that too. His second sonata in the same key is a tribute to Chopin's second sonata, albeit with a more triumphant conclusion.

[j_menz]

Chopin was a nationalist in denial

Hardly in denial. His nationalistic views were well known, and Parisians were (to the extent they cared) generally sympathetic.

Also, Konrad Wallenrod is by no means universally recognised as either the inspiration for or the model of this Ballade. Chopin certainly knew it, but the link is somewhat speculative.

[arianareid]

I've heard this piece is the epitome of his life. He was a sick, sad man. He longed to see his home country. Play with sadness, and desperation (LOTS of expression.) As Chopin once said, "Put all your soul into it, play the way you feel!" Of course tempo and dynamics are important, but try to really pour your heart into it. After all, the piece is meant to make audiences feel what Chopin felt. Good luck!

[chopin2015]

Read the narrative poem I cited anyway, Julia. Western-Europeans have never been able to link Chopin's inspirational sources to something Western-European...

Great! I am very pleased to read of this!
A while ago, I may have read over discussion about why and how Chopin's pieces were dedicated.

[nicoleyoong]

@ nicoleyoong

Read or get acquainted with Konrad Wallenrod by Chopin's friend-compatriot and poet Adam Mickiewicz.

I've read the Konrad Wallenrod.Is that the ballade 1 contains the element of seeking revenge?

[dima_76557]

I've read the Konrad Wallenrod. Is that the ballade 1 contains the element of seeking revenge?

Let the music itself lead you, Nicole. Follow all of Chopin's indications to the letter, work on phrasing and voicing, and do not interfere with intellectual concepts.

[pianoplunker]

I'm currently working on Chopin's ballade 1 but I've faced some problems while interpreting this piece. Is there anyone who has been working on this piece? How you guys interpret this piece can you guys share your idea with me?

For me , the part in the middle says everything. The peaceful section in Eb where I dream about my love and then stand alone in the cold realizing it is gone and I am alone and cold - sad but overcoming it.

[pytheamateur]

Read the book by Alan Rusbridger.

[canada100]

As for any piece, it is important that you do not start playing right away. Music is not just the notes, read about the piece. Go on Wikipedia; they have an article about Chopin Ballades which I find quite educational and informing. Ballades 1 and 2 have some literature background with them, but 3 and 4 do not.

Without a doubt, this piece is one of Chopin's best known. Of all the Ballades, this one is the most played, often very badly. It is extremely important to learn this piece HANDS SEPARATELY! This makes it easier for one to catch details, as you have only one hand to focus on. You should be able to perform each hand separately from memory with confidence, as if you are performing the piece hands together. Be sure to keep a relaxed and supple wrist with FIRM FINGERS! Listen to the sounds you are producing.

There are some technically taxing sections of this piece, not just the Presto con Fuoco, but also in the middle of the piece, in a dance-like section. Practice the jumps without looking at the keys. Again, be sure to keep a free wrist with firm fingers! Think of the phrasing too, as it helps enormously.

It would be better to explain this in person.

Good luck! I hope you enjoy learning this piece as much as I did!