![Pianist John Ogdon says “it is unbelievable that [this piece] lasts only 12 minutes- for it contains the experience of a lifetime.”
I couldn’t agree more. I first heard this piece on a disc of Garrick Ohlsson playing all four of Chopin’s ballades, plus a few other works. I found that I loved each of the 4 masterpieces for different reasons- each piece brought out a different part of my personal psyche. However, the 4th, the gargantuan F-minor Ballade, known to many pianists for its knuckle-crushing intensity in the final few minutes, eluded me.
I couldn’t get into it in the beginning. I had to always fast-forward to the middle section where it got “interesting,” and then always replayed the Coda and the seconds leading up to the Coda over and over until my CD scratched a thousand times.
Once I realized that all the thematic material of the entire piece was contained in the above picture-post of the opening motif, I was alarmed. I couldn’t quite grasp it. The reason now why I look back and try to figure out why it is so life-altering, is because I then couldn’t physically take in all the emotions the 4th Ballade encompasses. Now as an adult, I feel all those emotions and I play it with nuance and care to each emotion.
It is the only piece that I know that can be tender, sad, furious, lovestruck, joyful, manic, frenetic, and peaceful all at once. Truly amazing stuff. I will continue to work on refining it for the rest of my life probably. I did play it on my last recital, but it always comes back to haunt me.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/Pd2pecx7Zpwq2mzzQvFnmcHEo1_500.jpg)
Pianist John Ogdon says “it is unbelievable that [this piece] lasts only 12 minutes- for it contains the experience of a lifetime.”
I couldn’t agree more. I first heard this piece on a disc of Garrick Ohlsson playing all four of Chopin’s ballades, plus a few other works. I found that I loved each of the 4 masterpieces for different reasons- each piece brought out a different part of my personal psyche. However, the 4th, the gargantuan F-minor Ballade, known to many pianists for its knuckle-crushing intensity in the final few minutes, eluded me.
I couldn’t get into it in the beginning. I had to always fast-forward to the middle section where it got “interesting,” and then always replayed the Coda and the seconds leading up to the Coda over and over until my CD scratched a thousand times.
Once I realized that all the thematic material of the entire piece was contained in the above picture-post of the opening motif, I was alarmed. I couldn’t quite grasp it. The reason now why I look back and try to figure out why it is so life-altering, is because I then couldn’t physically take in all the emotions the 4th Ballade encompasses. Now as an adult, I feel all those emotions and I play it with nuance and care to each emotion.
It is the only piece that I know that can be tender, sad, furious, lovestruck, joyful, manic, frenetic, and peaceful all at once. Truly amazing stuff. I will continue to work on refining it for the rest of my life probably. I did play it on my last recital, but it always comes back to haunt me.
