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Topic: Chopin Ballade 4 (Read 1993 times)

nosaj123

Newbie
Posts: 4

Chopin Ballade 4

on: July 13, 2016, 04:24:04 PM

Hi everyone,

I'm going to play the 4th ballade for a recital and a competition in the near future, and I want to get your opinion on a suggestion my teacher made. In the Ocean etude passage before the coda, my teacher said that he heard a few people (one of them was probably Horowitz) accent the third note of each run (the a-natural, b-flat, and the b-natural) so that the f doesn't dominate all the time. I think that this is a really neat idea, but I don't know if I should play it that way. Any thoughts?

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quantum

PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 6223

Re: Chopin Ballade 4

Reply #1 on: July 13, 2016, 05:44:54 PM

Can you build a convincing interpretation around it?

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Made a Liszt. Need new Handel's for Soler panel & Alkan foil. Will Faure Stein on the way to pick up Mendels' sohn. Josquin get Wolfgangs Schu with Clara. Gone Chopin, I'll be Bach

billyfisher100

Jr. Member
Posts: 25

Re: Chopin Ballade 4

Reply #2 on: August 09, 2016, 06:34:11 PM

Quote from: nosaj123 on July 13, 2016, 04:24:04 PM

Hi everyone,

I'm going to play the 4th ballade for a recital and a competition in the near future, and I want to get your opinion on a suggestion my teacher made. In the Ocean etude passage before the coda, my teacher said that he heard a few people (one of them was probably Horowitz) accent the third note of each run (the a-natural, b-flat, and the b-natural) so that the f doesn't dominate all the time. I think that this is a really neat idea, but I don't know if I should play it that way. Any thoughts?

In my opinion, Chopin's greatest work, and, hence, care should be taken in meticulously forming an interpretation.

I don't see a problem with the F dominating all the time in all honesty - if you don't like that as part of your interpretation, then, by all means, accent the third notes on the runs. However, don't feel that it's compulsory!

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