Chopin - Ballade in G-minor. Emotion or no?

[picadilly1234]

Hello there,

I'm currently a teenager applying to universities around the world. Some of them have the choice to submit an Arts supplement, which I did. One of the pieces I submitted was Chopin's Ballade in G-minor. I performed it quite well, both musically and technically, and performed it in full.

I'm a very emotional pianist - I lean back and forth when performing, make different facial expressions, nod my head, and throw my hands in the air (this is rarer, but it does happen).  This Ballade is no exception. My pedagogue told me that this is no problem at all for this type of piece, and it, in fact, bolsters my supplement, as it was written in a time period where music was made to be emotional and it should be performed emotionally, whereas if you played something like Bach or Mozart, you'd need to be calm and contain emotion (that's why I never play them). My pedagogue, though, is a bit biased because she, herself, is an emotional pianist. However, she is very highly acclaimed, so I trust her on that one.

I already submitted these art supplements, but I did think about it and was wondering, how much emotion is acceptable? Any at all? I probably overdid it a little bit (I'm Lang Lang level), or did I? Just want some thoughts from this community. What do you think?

TL;DR: how much of a display in emotion is acceptable when performing pieces from the Romantic period, but especially for Chopin's ballade?

[dogperson]

 I would have thought you would have discussed this with your teacher prior to submitting. .. that would be a better resource than a bunch of internet strangers.

[picadilly1234]

Of course I discussed it. She said it's fine. I was just wondering what a bunch of internet strangers thought cuz everyone has different opinions when it comes to presentation.

[quantum]

Personally I don't mind it.  Though, if it is drawing more energy and attention than the sound producing portion of your music, then you may need to ask yourself questions on how it serves your music. 

Put it another way, if you were to play your music over the radio, or to perform for visually impaired listeners, would such listeners experience the same level of immersion and engagement from your music despite not seeing your physical expressions? 

I think that one should be very mindful about conservation of energy, and devote ones energy to externalizing music with the aim of effective communication towards ones listeners. 


BTW, Bach and Mozart are just as capable at evoking emotion as Chopin, they just do so in a different manner. 

[illystraiter]

I don’t see an issue, I would think the quality of the music is what maters most.

[kitty on the keys]

 Exactly, Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven are no exception to emotional playing.

Mozart  Fantasy in C minor, Adagio in B minor, the sonatas
Haydn   F minor variations, Trios, sonatas
Beethoven  slow movements of the Sonatas

The music rules!

Kitty on the keys

[aaron_banks]

For every musical expression there is a body response which collaborates with the music. When were are flaws in performance often there's a conflict between the material and how you move. Do you mean that your body moves hinders you in the Ballade?