Chopin's best composition?

[russmpiano]

One I haven’t seen mentioned yet is the Heroic Polonaise. One of my favorite piece OAT and I think it’s a microcosm of the Romantic period.

But, of course, if we’re mentioning “Romantic Era microcosms”, then Ballade 4 fits the bill. Also the Polonaise-Fantaisie.

(EDIT: Heroic Polonaise did in fact get mentioned. Still underrated though.)

[liszt-and-the-galops]

It's been a bit since I posted in this thread, so I'll just update my list:
Scherzo no. 2, Ballade nos. 2 and 4, Op. 10 nos. 1, 8, and 9, Op 25 nos. 1 and 9, Sonata no. 3.

Somehow forgot the Polonaise-Fantaisie (which is my favorite of Chopin's Polonaises) and Ballade no. 3.

A strong, adamant opinion, with no elaboration / analysis to back it up ...
Welcome to the internet.

They elaborated on their opinion a while ago. You yourself also contributed to that discussion (and were a lot less dismissive, I might add).

Ballade No. 1 in G minor. Obviously. Why is the 4th ballade getting more attention? It's nothing compared to the beauty of the first ballade.

What recordings have you listened to that gave you that opinion?

I assume you've listened to the 4th quite a bit ...

The 1st ballade is an early work - sketches started in 1831 - Chopin was 20. Completed in 1835.
The 4th ballade is only from 7 years later but is considered a more mature work. Composed in 1842.

The 1st ballade is full of fresh ideas, vigor and beauty. A clear example of Chopin's genius.
The 4th ballade is all this and an even more sophisticated rendering of how beautiful the piano can sound, wonderful contrapuntal writing, unexpected shapes and contours, a grander scheme and deeper pathos.

To say one is better than the other is rather ridiculous, but to say that you like one better than the other and "this is why - - " works:

I listen to Maurizio Pollini's recording on Spotify.

Sorry, I tend to be a little dogmatic about my opinions when it comes to my favorite piano pieces, and I like making controversial statements

I'll admit I actually haven't played either (I want to learn the first ballade later this year), and I probably need to listen to the fourth ballade a little more to compare the two (I've listened to the first ballade so much I practically know it by heart). Also, I'm by no means a pro pianist so maybe I'm just not mature enough to appreciate it yet.

I tend to gravitate towards songs with a more pronounced melodic line, and the Gm ballade hits the spot at that better than Fm, in my opinion. The Gm melody is full of power and beauty, and it deeply resonates with me. On a surface listening, Fm sounds more jumbled and has a less clear direction; I'm sure it has structure but it's hard to hear the structure on a first listen-through. Gm constantly returns to the same theme, developing it, and has a clear story arc that culminates in the awesome coda (it's ab-ab-ab structure reminds me of La Campanella).

I'm sure my opinions on these pieces may change as the years go by, especially after I learn them. All of Chopin's ballades are incredible works of music.

Thanks for being transparent with your exposure to these pieces (not "songs", lol).
You clearly resonate with the gm ballade - that's awesome.
The 4th ballade is more complex and subtle - it takes more listens than the 1st to fully absorb it (I think most would agree with me on that).
I've played all the ballades except the f minor, will do that soon. 
I've heard both played by many different pianists.

Yeah "pieces" I know. Not sure what happened there on my end.

Good to know about Ballade 4. I'll keep listening to it.

(EDIT: Heroic Polonaise did in fact get mentioned. Still underrated though.)

IMO it's honestly overrated. It's good, yes, but I see so many people saying that it's one of the best pieces ever written when it just isn't. It's also very overplayed (although not to the same extent as something like Mozart's Turkish March, Liszt's Liebestraum no. 3 or S. 141 version of La Campanella, Beethoven's Sonata no. 14), and I think everyone can agree on this.

[eee-_-]

Ballade 4 .