Video: Chopin's Ballade Op. 52

[thesixthsensemusic]

Kawai CA-901, recording made with my Galaxy A56.
Edition used: almost falling apart 1960s reprint of the Paderewski edition (Chopin Institute), and Cortot's annotated edition in English translation(Editions Salabert)

My inability to learn the 4th Ballade has haunted me ever since I was 17 (almost 23 years ago) and gave up playing piano due to frustrations over this. Ended up playing again but only 8 years later.

Decided 2 months ago to face my demons and give it another go, going all-in on learning the devilish coda properly before anything else. This is the result so far. Think I'm actually getting it done this time, to my own surprise.

[essence]

well done! Much to admire.

Couple of comments - maybe more dynamic range? Also pedalling needs to be a bit cleaner.

Do you have a teacher?

The opening few bars are the most difficult....'Once upon a time....'.

[thesixthsensemusic]

well done! Much to admire.

Couple of comments - maybe more dynamic range? Also pedalling needs to be a bit cleaner.

Do you have a teacher?

The opening few bars are the most difficult....'Once upon a time....'.

Yeah, the opening is quite tricky to get right, not just because it is deceptively simple and transparent but also because you have to perform a somewhat awkward short diminuendo in the left hand while simultaneously having a longer crescendo in the right hand. Quite counter-intuitive but it's clearly written there. Meanwhile you have to use rhythmic freedom but not at the expense of the forward momentum suggested by the 'con moto' bit. Getting this done in a tasteful manner is a substantial challenge.

The dynamic range is unfortunately so poor because of the mic on my smartphone, loud passages are compressed flat.... Agreed that I should use less pedal, especially since my dining room is quite echo-ey, but I can only go by what I hear from my own vantage point at the keyboard.

Not taking lessons at the moment and I cannot really afford to on a weekly basis. Have been mostly autodidactic since I quit lessons as a teenager with occasional professional guidance.

[carmelopaolucci]

I really appreciated your commitment to presenting a truly difficult piece.

There are two things I hated about your video: the lack of dynamic variation and that damned creaking of the piano stool, which prevents me from appreciating the nuances you've brought to the piece. It's a very challenging piece, and I feel like you've studied it diligently.
You did a good job on the piano, but the resources you used to record it were detrimental.

The recording quality could be improved...
I saw you use a Kawai CA 901; it's an excellent digital piano and has several options: you can connect it to a PC via USB and record audio with a DAW, or simply connect the audio output to a recorder and then edit the audio and video together.
This would greatly improve your video, eliminating all the unwanted noise.
You remind me of when I recorded my first YouTube videos...
Put your mind to it, listen to videos and performances, and try to find solutions to improve the recording quality.
If you need advice on the forums, you'll find many members willing to help, including me.
You have talent, but you need to be able to express it to the fullest.
Greetings from Italy
Carmelo

[lelle]

Great ambition to tackle this piece again. I think you should go for it and have this as your goal.

I think it's worth keeping in mind (considering your frustrations learning this piece before) that pieces such as this one require playing lots of other stuff that builds up a technical foundation that allows you to handle the demands of this piece with relative ease. If you don't have that foundation, playing this will be a struggle, not due to a deficiency on your part, but just because the foundational work isn't there and you can't get around that.

I'd highly recommend getting a teacher, even if you can't have lessons weekly, to reach your goal.