So I kind of forgot to link this before. Here's an old video of me playing (most of- I think the camera died...) the coda to the first ballade. It's not a recent video, and I'd also ask that you keep in mind that I'm self-taught. But I think it's not bad considering all of that. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eptdCHdLE6w.html
Sometimes we don't even realise how lucky our generation is for being able to listen to the most perfect pieces ever composed/played in history, whenever and wherever we want.
And instead, we complain about how the ad at the end of the video/music is annoying. I mean they are but some of us even bring politic in the conversation.
@@segmentsAndCurves Don't be sorry, your opinion is important as well. I agree with your opinion that people tend to complain a lot about minor inconveniences these days, like what's the hurry? It's not like we're all dying tomorrow.
for some reason some other chopin pieces are also flagged as jurassic park. check out ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-n2S5rCS4Img.html (zimerman playing minute waltz) and ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XIKdCTmcTLs.html (pollini playing torrent etude), they are both flagged by UMG lol edit: and another one, ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DZTAXk2NOdc.html (zimerman and BSO rachmaninoff concerto no. 2)
What, you don't remember the coda of the second ballade playing while they were running from the dinosaurs? As a sidenote, I never thought my video would get attention from you. Just wanted to say I love your videos!
His first ballade is the first one I listened to and learned to play, and it will always have a special place in my heart. That being said, I love the fourth one!
@@jtfay5628 I too thought it was impossible, now I know 3 now (I finished the second one) just put in hella effort into the first one, jump to the 4th one, and learn the other 2, that’s what I did
@hello olleh damn you make it sound super easy lol. Im 14 and working on the 3rd one, it’s almost complete but in my opinion it’s the easiest. The 4th one is my favorite but I can’t imagine doing that for another 10 years lol.
I don’t know what it is, but Chopin can speak to me like no other. But for example when I listen to Rachmaninoff, for me it’s just as beautiful, sometimes even better or on a higher artistic level. But somehow when I listen to Chopin again I feel at home, like I’m being talked to through music. What can I say.. His music is truly unique.
@@Benjamin-fk2yo Rachmaninoff is expressive, mind you but Chopin feels more realistic, something that speaks to me more….his music has accompanied me through much, through others and through my interpretations. His music is like a friend to me, more loyal than most humans…
I don't know why I really can't get into it, all the others I love but the third ballade is just... Meh. I mean just from an ignorant listener point of view. First is amazing, Second is powerful, Forth is magical, Third is.... meh :D
@@gianpa the 3rd ballade I find has a more constant appeal to it from start to finish, compared to the other 3 where there are normal points and incredible points; it keeps building from the intro much like the 4th ballade does but splits into two primary themes rather than just focusing on one. Also all codas apart from the 3rd are in minor which I think for most people adds to the gravitas and they are quite unique from how the rest of the ballades sounds leading up to it. With the 3rd ballade's coda, it's in major (I'm not including the f minor section included here as that's much rather a refrain of the first f minor section which more textural colours) and is a return to the intro theme with a lot of ornamentation. To me, the coda of the 3rd ballade might not sound as powerful as the others but when you listen to it along with the rest of the piece it makes a lot of sense to close out in that style as it shows clear resolution in the journey that the piece has taken you.
Honestly the 4th ballade is something special. The other three are great, but the 4th is just on another level. It isn't everyday that you hear a 9:8 polyrhythm in a piece of music from the common-practice period.
I feel the same, romantic and something else the other ones doesn’t have. Don’t get me wrong, i love the other 3 ballades, but for me 3 it’s more musical and have a deeper meaning
@@frankeylorenzo I guess its the major tonality, makes it more joyful. Its also the ballade that plays with themes best, recapitulations are so integrative with the piece progress
@@zacksima8333 Impressive :-) I'm halfway through Ballade 1, but my view on it has changed quite a lot. It now seems quite immature to me on listening-it is one of Chopin's relatively early works, after all. I would learn Ballade 4, but I think it's still a bit beyond my ability LOL.
@Duy Duong Hi, how are you? Are you the person who was aiming to learn all of Chopin's Ballades this year? If that is you, how is it going? How did the concert go?
@@segmentsAndCurvesMaybe it’s conveying a “story” on water. ;) It’s doesn’t follow the Ballade meter, but I was more referring to musically speaking and how he develops the piece. One of the last works he wrote and what a masterpiece! Imagine if Chopin had lived another 10 years to compose more music.
@@stephenn77 I think along with the barcarolle, the polonaise-fantasy has a pretty good punt at the title of the “5th ballade”. These pieces are some of chopin’s finest!
@@Populous3Tutorials I don't skip anything :). You can't turn this one on me lmao. For the 131 people that didn't care to listen to everything, I'm only extending the recommendation. I've played 3 of them. Btw, I only added the "imagine skipping" part to add some emotion to my comment, not to actually convey upset feelings that you skipped a few seconds of the piece. I hope you didn't get too defensive.
@@skrutten_ dude i didnt skip a single second of the piece, i only said where the CODAS start. there's a lot of piece before that (which i "skipped"), but the codas start at the times i stated. its not an opinion either, it's a fact
@@Populous3Tutorials My latest response says you "skipped a few seconds of the piece" which wasn't as detailed as it probably should've been. I mean that you provided a timestamp that succeeds a few seconds after parts of importance. Also, I never said anything about the truth of your original comment. My first comment wasn't about the correctness of the timestamps you added.
I personally like no. 2's coda the best. Just intense, fiery and I love the "melody" there. It almost sounds scary and devilish when Zimmerman plays those rising-chord-arpeggio things. Probably ballad no. 1 is a close second for me, I feel it gives it a perfect and cohesive ending. Ballad 1 itself is a perfect piece of music. That being said, I love Ballad 4's and 3's codas, in fact, I love how 4 goes into borderline atonality. And no.3's constant perfect cadences at its climax make me lose my mind and rewind to that part on repeat. [EDIT]: Okay, so y'all are considering No.4's coda to start earlier than I considered it. In that case, I freaking love No. 4's surprise cadence in C major (dominant) right before the "atonal" part. Maybe it's overused, doesn't matter to me either way.
@@marcus4403 I'm pretty sure the other guy wasn't talking about this recording either. These aren't the best recordings of the ballades. This video is about the codas, not Cho playing the codas, and people are mentioning Zimmerman because they think Zimmerman has the best rendition of the ballades.
@@RFL1 My problem with Rubinsteins performance for the nocturnes is that it feels without emotion and I don’t like the pedaling he does. It shows the most in Nocturne no. 18 at 1:45 to 1:55 in the arpeggio which leads into a trill. Both are objectively good but I prefer Maurizios style more. It could also be the quality of the recordings I listen to.
The second is my personal favorite. The intense difference between the chorale and presto sections are the most dramatic changes of all the Ballades. The Coda perfectly ends the piece. It starts with fury, but ends in the chorale from the beginning. Ending the chorale in a minor, brings a bitter/sweet conclusion to such a brilliant piece
I can't lie, the ballades are SO good that it is impossibly difficult to rank them. Even if we just consider the codas, each one is so intense, unique and remarkable that it is simply impossible to rank them, for me at least. Its just masterful.
3rd ballade in its integrity is just something else, it’s on an another level. Every single ballade is great and every one of them unleashes a unique colour, however the third one, in my opinion has got something more in terms of feelings. It has this constant theme evolving from the beginning, which explodes during the coda. I’ve been thinking about which one is the best ballades for days, listening on repeat to all 4 ballades, it has been really hard but I think I came to a conclusion: 1) Ballade 3 2) Ballade 4 3) Ballade 1 4) Ballade 2 I genuinely feel bad putting the first one and the second ballade in 3rd and 4th place, however if I had to give an order, this might be it.
@@madsvold5403 i would probably put it like this: 1>3>4>2 ballade 3 has an epic coda but so does ballade no 1, i just prefer the other parts of ballade no 1 over ballade no 3. ballade no 4 has a certain feeling to it which makes it unique, but still for enjoyment i would put it under ballade 1 and 3. and 2 is just kinda boring for me tbh.
If I had to choose 1 piece by Chopin, Ballade 3 will be the one (followed closely by Barcarolle, and Impromptus nos 2 and 3 and Polonaise-Fantaisie). Ballade 3 and Barcarolle have a spiritual authority, confirmation and reassurance that he will be saved at the end no matter the current devastating situation. The rest are too sentimental and a bit hand-wringing (I know I know 😅 I better stop
I played the first ballade at my school recital, and I’m currently practicing the fourth one. Practicing piano without any lessons as a non-music major student, is hard af, but I think piano itself is just making me happy. It will be a hard journey practicing the fourth ballade, and it actually is, but I’ll do my best.
I'm just learning the first one now, I'm on page 5 now and pushing through to finish by the middle of spring, got any suggestions on how to tackle the coda?
@@connorparrett2490 Garrick Ohlsson has a RU-vid video with great tips on the coda. And there are a few slow recordings of the coda by others that were helpful to me. Practice slowly and enjoyably...
I think the coda of the 3rd ballade is the most perfect for many reasons. It's the most versatile and in my opinion, the most ingenius. I just love the entire ballade altogether. Maybe I'm a little biased though, since it's the only one I've learned completely.
To me, the coda of the 4th ballade is the best based on complexity, while the 1st is musically the best. I mean I cannot live without anyone of these pieces
The 1st ballade was the first one I discovered, and I adored it, listened to it heaps over a few months, loved the climax and the coda, thought it was the best. I hadn't even touched his other ballades, thinking they were weak and genuine rubbish - one of the worst things i could've done. After some time, I had been searching several interpretations of ballade no.1 when I found Zimerman's. Through him I learned of the other ballades, and In my opinion, they each outshine no1 in their own way. I, of course, recognise that each ballade is unique and no.1 has its own great moments. The 2nd ballade's coda is my favourite by far, simply because of Chopin's use of the descending chromatic octaves, but the trills and double notes beforehand create such an incredible build-up. Not to mention the incredibly epic sequence near the end of the coda, right before the calm conclusion. The 3rd ballade is my favourite overall ballade - I enjoy the heavy climaxes, and the satisfying dance-like feel it gives off. The coda is also quite exciting. The 4th ballade is simply astonishing. I believe Chopin drew the melodies from a chest from another universe - and its so complex and beautiful. The arpeggios before the coda give me chills every time. The entire piece is simply magnificent - Chopin's greatest, in my opinion. The coda is incredibly complex, and I'm still trying to get my head around it. Overall, a wonderful ballade.
Really happy to get a comment that isn't viamently criticizing the winner of the 2015 International Chopin Competition. I get that people have opinions, but it feels like the majority of them approach expressing them in a tone that's more gatekeeping than honest.
Ballade No. 1. It's probably my favorite Chopin composition and one of my favorite pieces of classical music ever. And kindly ignore my profile picture and name, I assure you I say this freely without a hint of bias. :)
It's impossible to separate each coda from the context of the entire work that they come from. They're spectacular because they are the natural, organic result of everything that comes before, and they are innovative because most often in music the coda conveys a diminishment of tension after a climax (similar to the denouement in narrative); with Chopin, the codas are themselves the climaxes. You can't isolate them from each ballade as a whole. All four are monumental. Having said all of that, personally I think that the Fourth Ballade is the greatest of them, and one of the greatest works of music of the 19th century.
Chopin's 1st ballade is to his 4th as Rachmaninov's 2nd piano concerto is to his 3rd. The 1st ballade has more of a "pop" kind of appeal but the 4th is much deeper in its scope. Same with Rach 2 vs 3. As far as codas, I have to go with 4th being most epic, followed by 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in that order.
@@adamlodge491 I'd actually say that No2 I think is the most dramatic. No3 is the most musical. No1 is the most epic and No4 is the most perfect. However I still think No3 is my favourite overall, although that might be bias because I'm learning it atm.
@@niampatel9115 since my last comment my taste has changed quite a bit and I actually think you have put it perfectly, I must say as of now no2 is my favourite with no3 very close behind. At least we can all agree that they are amazing pieces! I’m learning ballade no2 atm aswell so I might also be bias
@@metodoinstinto I mean the coda in the end kind of sounds atonal in some parts, but it isn't obviously. (I don't really get what you are trying to prove here, just stating my opinion and view???)
It was a joke. I never meant anything by it. I do think it's kinda crazy to imagine Webern being inspired by it, but it was only a joke. Sorry if it offended anybody.
To be honest, I personally just recently discoverd chopin ballades thanks to his codas which I saw in another video about the hardest codas and I am so thankful for that video. I then went to check the piece (it was the first ballade), and at first and second listen I didn't like it alot but I still saved it in my classical music playlist. when it came out I didn't skip and kept listening to it and between the 3d to 4th listen I just got in love with the first ballade and realised how awsome it is, so now I checked out all of his ballads and I still like the most the first but the 4th one is also good. I think I just need to give the others a bit more listens to decide but they are just all GREAT and might be even the greatest piano series of pieces ever compsed, they just fit one each other like a puzzle when you hear them together. this is probably the first time I am this greatful to the youtube algorithm edit: Well, i listened to the others a bit more and i have to say now i can't decide which is the best. i mean i still think that its the first ballade but in "second place" its hard to me to decide because everytime i listen to one of the ballades i just love it. i think that at 1st place is chopins first ballade, even chopin himself was proud of her, but second place is every ballade, they are all equal because they are quite different from each other yet all are so great. more than that when speaking of the codas i think that they all serve the same purpouse and they all do such a great job at what they need to be. in conclusion i think that the first ballde is still the best, but they are all great and we just HAVE to thank Chopin for them
Hearing this reminds me how I have neglected my piano playing for far too long. I used to attempt these ballads, slower of course, fluffed loads, but got so much emotional enjoyment out of it. I don't do New Year's Resolutions, but perhaps I should. The Ballades and Scherzi are amongst my favourite Chopin pieces.
4 ballad without a shadow of a doubt. We are now in the last creative moment, and now his genius produces works of such height as to escape the possibility of understanding by his contemporaries, an immense work, from the most remote and lyrical unconscious, up to the fall into the abyss
The 3rd ballade would be the absolute masterpiece of ANY lesser composer. Yet it is arguably "underwhelming" compared to other ballades. That is how great Chopin is.
its sad that my hands cant catch up to my memory. I know the notes to the whole Ballade 1, yet I cant seem to nail the speed required to play the coda. Ive put it aside for now and started on Ballade 3, and its going good so far - its less demanding and a little shorter.
Slowly build up your speed. Like, painfully slow speeds first, gradually moving up. If it takes you too much time (say more than 2 years) perhaps you are not ready for it technically.
@@samb23productions i think my problem is one of endurance rather than speed. i agree with you: i may just not be ready for it yet, hence the ballade 3
I taught myself the first ballade back in 2018. Years later, I can still remember bits of it here and there.. but still have the coda under my fingers because of how much I practised it. (Who knows, might post a video of it in the future?) My recommendation is that for whatever ballade you choose to learn (if you decide to start over with 3 or go for 1 once again), when you ramp up your practising again, start with the hardest portion (which is typically the coda.) Once you have that down, then I'd move on. This should lift a weight off of your shoulders knowing you've conquered the hard part- like solving the hardest problem on a math test first.
These 4 ballades are such wonderful music. The genius of Chopin is outstanding. I can’t even say which ballade is my favorite: it proves how great the composer was… I just love the melodies and climaxes of the 1st, the contrasting themes and the intensity of the 2nd, the build-up and the transitions of the 3rd, the emotions and virtuosity of the 4th… Maybe they are ones of the greatest achievements of Chopin, of even the greatest masterpieces of musical literature, but they’re for sure my dream pieces, along with Rach 2. Hope to learn them in the following years !
They're all gorgeous, but to me the 2nd is the better because it actually uses elements that were already used before in the piece so the coda it's more connected to the rest of the ballade
They are all AMAZING codas! I did number 3 back in my University days. I didn’t find it TOO difficult, but it takes something to bring it off well. I love the first and the 4 th is really staggering
4,1,2,3 imo. 1 & 4 may be overplayed but that doesn’t take away from their greatness (and the 2nd theme in no 1 is probably my favourite in all of Chopin’s music). It’s really hard to decide as they’re all so so good Edit: *not based on Codas. If it were ranked by Coda I’d go 2,4,3,1
After many years of listening and playing these pieces I eventually concluded that the 2nd ballade coda is my absolute favorite with the coda of the 3rd ballade being a close second. To me, what makes it so strong is how it is able to tie the whole piece together, which the 3rd ballade coda does successfully as well. The codas of the 1st and 4th ballade, while intense and passionate in their own right, have a disjointed feeling. The 4th does this on purpose with a huge pause before it begins but the coda of the first ballade almost feels like a brand new piece in the hands of an amateur pianist. In other words, the codas of the 2nd and 3rd have a masterful manipulation of the thematic material presented earlier in the piece which 1 and 4 don't have as much.
2 and 4 are my favorites. 4 is so intricate and elegant while being tempestuous. 2 is just so intense; probably the most intense and fiery passage of any Chopin piece.
I'm certainly partial to No. 2 because that was part of my graduation recital from Temple University, Philadelphia PA in 1970! I totally agree with @bigl5343. Good memories... ☺
For me: 1, 2, 4, 3 1 is best - that coda is absolutely legendary and absolutely brilliant! 2 is next - it’s like a violent storm that interweaves the two main themes. 4 is next - the final lines are beautiful and exciting but the coda is a little manic. 3 is last - this coda is just not as exciting as the others but it is still beautiful!
So pretty much just the endings of each Ballade lmao. No but really, my favorite Chopin Ballade is his first overall, however the ending of the fourth is I think the most exceptional piece of music ever written. It's just so damn gorgeous
To me I feel like ballade no 1 was chopins attempt of escaping life, fate and ballade no 2 like his anger, sadness and inspiration for someone or something, ballade no 3 I feel is like a mask of happiness to cover the feelings of sadness and depression which I think is felt in ballade no 4 as well as a bit of anger and happiness amongst it
Thank you Mr. Cho! I am so pleased to hear one of the few recordings where these codas are not played insipidly as some form of finger exercise to show off technique. He approached this music with an imaginative ear and listened and focus intensively on making the instrument produce what he heard already in his heart. Bravo! Now can we have some uploads of the Chopin Winter Winds and other overplayed etudes that have been butchered by pianists who simply want to show off technical bravura and sacrifice the music?
I was a music major in college and one of the piano students played all four ballades just for the second half of his senior recital and played them superbly.
That can be your personal ranking but Ballade no 4 borders on sounding transcendental and must be objectively the best of these pieces. It’s arguably the greatest work of solo piano ever composed.
@@paulinocontreras8426 of course music is subjective but there is an objective reality to it too. Ballade 4's coda is objectively most musical which makes sense since it's one of Chopin's later compositions.
Of course this is a matter of personal opinion and I like the 1st ballade most as a whole, but the ending of the coda is just some scales. I think the coda of the 3rd ballade is by far musically most versatile and redeeming.
It's interesting how the first three codas have very similar right hand figurations, quick broken chords spanning two octaves. Guess Chopin thought it added an extra bit of flair -- which it certainly does! -- and therefore reserved it for the closing act of his pieces.
1st ballade coda is so intense and full of a feelimg that i cannot explain 2nd ballade coda the last part when it gets quite again gives me nostalgia of something 3rd ballade coda is something like firework, probably the happiest ending of all four ballades 4t ballade coda is a summary of everything, literally. It has everything inside it Well, those all four codas cannot be explained by words. I live for Chopin's four ballades. His ballades just came from heaven They are all great My personal favorite is 4
I think each one fits the ballade of which they are a part equally well musically. But the coda of the fourth is certainly the strangest. One of the great masterpieces of the piano repertoire, and I think the greatest of the four Ballades overall.
