Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner My recording of Chopin's 2nd Ballade

Less number 3, I have recorded all the ballades now.

I thought I would be original with number 2. It is an unedited and a true "take 4". I had some accute problems with continuity, but gradually I am resloving them.

This is by no means "finished", but I am hoping it will enlighten all listeners who are entertaining the concert piano journey as I have done.

Sadly for the time being I believe there is a download limit to 10. Hmmmmm hopefully there won't be any takers

Here is the link: http://www.box.net/shared/u0gas90ebc

Less the Waltzes, Mazurkas, Etudes, Rondos. Ballades, Scherzi, Nocturnes, Polonaises. Impromptus, Sonatas, Concerti, Berceuse, Tarantella, Bolero, Variations, and Miscellaneous Works...

I have recorded all the works of Chopin now.

Good that you've posted recordings! Unfortunately the sound quality reminds me of those old Edison wax cylinders. What is your recording set-up? Because of the less-than-hi-fidelity, it is difficult to say anything about your performance.

As to the download limit of 10, that is not a problem since an infinite number of people can actually listen to the piece online without downloading the file. Also, with the free box.net membership you can upload up to 20MB per day, I think.

PartyPianist :

I'm not sure whether you expected comments or critiques of this performance, but if you did, all I can say at this point, is that this needs work - a lot of work - both technically and musically.

The opening plods along without the grace suggested by the Andantino marking, with no apparent sense of phrasing or direction. You use a little too much pedal at times, and with heavy accents on the first and fourth beats, this section just doesn't come off at all.

As for the Presto con fuoco, it sounds as if you are having trouble just reading the notes, and the same goes for the Agitato. These sections are played at less than half tempo, and that combined with your hesitations and stumbles have me wondering why you are sharing this at this stage. Your performance seems far too slow and much too inaccurate for me to get any sense of your intended musical interpretation of this work.

How was this attempt intended to "enlighten all listeners who are entertaining the concert piano journey as I have done"? Enlighten them in what way?

I feel that had you wished others to say nothing, you would not have posted this. I wish I could find something positive to say; it certainly needs a lot of work, just getting the notes right for a start.

Regards,

I agree with you, Bruce. I listened to the opening section and a little of the next, and just didn't know what to say.

I would just add that I think the first thing to do (maybe) is to get a better sense of the rhythm of the opening section. That's such a key aspect of the section, and it's quite a bit off.

I can't help but think back to discussions where some people have said that so-and-so piece isn't that hard and that they can play it with no problem. Whenever I see that, I wonder exactly what they mean by "playing." If we're talking about just sort of getting the notes, that's one thing, but that's not how I think of it.

We don't want to be unkind; we want to encourage people to play stuff and to share it. But I think it's useful to point out differences between sort of playing something and really playing it.

Obviously, PartyPianist is still in the process of learning the piece and hasn't "finished" it yet, as he himself mentioned in the opening post. If that is the case, then the recording wouldn't really give us a clear impression of what he can do with a piece that he knows.

In any event, I would agree with the suggestions that others have given. Technique, phrasing, and tonal production need a lot of work, but I think that your first step should be to solidfy the notes and the rhythm.

I thank the OP for posting his work. That takes courage. In general I wish him well on his musical journey, and I often find what he has to say here informed, sensitive and interesting.

That said, I just can't reconcile this playing with previous claims made:


on Marc-Andre Hamelin:
on the Mozart d minor fantasy:

Thanks again for posting, though, and everybody have a great holidays.

-Jason

Thanks for posting; however, I found the recording noise and the police siren most distracting. As far as the recording, I'm afraid little can be said due to the poor quality, other than your piano needs a tuning.

I thought back to one of those things too, in exactly the same way. And indeed I wondered along these lines at the earlier time, but didn't know.

One of the better 2nd Ballades I have heard:

By the way....Do you have a teacher? Sorry if you've said so elsewhere and I just haven't seen it. In any event, if you do have a teacher, I'm guessing you haven't yet worked on it in the lessons, or not much. The things we're mentioning are things that I think just about any teacher could quickly start helping you with. You have the interest, enthusiasm, and knowledge to play challenging pieces, and I think you would benefit a lot from working with a teacher if you aren't already. And I'm speaking as someone who to some extent was "self-taught" and appreciates the joys of it. (As well as the hazards.)

...

Guys, it's Christmas. Can't you find something nice to say before attacking with hatchets drawn!

That's rule #1 of good teaching, right? Lead with a compliment.

OK, I haven't listened yet, but you're scaring me.

And I'm still trying to figure out what xtraheat's "....." means.

I think asking about a teacher and making suggestions about that is as good a Xmas gift as can be.

Well beet31425 did commend him for his courage in posting the recording

....and anyway let me try to do better:

Thanks to PartyPianist for having the love of music and of piano, for sharing that with us, and for caring enough about this beautiful piece to play it. That all counts for a lot.

It usually means that what was originally written was withdrawn.

When one chooses to remove a post during the six-hour period after posting in which editing (and, theoretically, deletion) is enabled, it's not always possible to delete the entire message lock stock and barrel.

In that event, the only alternative is to cut out the content—but something has to be left in its place, be it a dot, several dots, a single space, etc.

Steven

I'd probably have tried very hard to be encouraging if so many of PartyPianist's previous posts hadn't led me to expect something of a much higher standard. He's the one who claimed he played all the Beethoven and Mozart sonatas, that nothing was beyond him, etc etc...

Nah... It is just a way of expressing disappointment/annoyance. While there is nothing wrong with an amateur playing this piece like this, he is the one that constantly claims that "nothing" is beyond his level, calls himself a virtuoso, and compares his interpretations to those of the best in the world, yet he can not play this Chopin Ballade anywhere near speed...

You're being kind, currawong.

PP's unmitigated and unbridled hubris was nonpareil, rather like that German guy who breezed in and out of here claiming he was a "Beethoven specialist"—and then posted a recording of the Grave intro to the Pathetique that had incorrect note values, wrong notes and dropped notes galore, flubs and stumbles throughout, etc.

The memory of that offense is too fresh for me even to consider listening to PP's recordings in light of Bruce's critique.

Steven