We live in a world with a barrage of information, very little of which is positive, especially right now. So I’m offering you all a bit of respite in the form of some classical piano music! The instrumental nature of this genre leaves plenty of room for interpretation, so please take whatever you need from this music. If you’d like, you can try creating an environment that helps you focus – dim the lights, wear some headphones, take a bath – whatever works for you!
Classical piano is a huge subject with centuries of history so, for the sake of this post, I decided to share some of my favorite pieces by one of my favorite composers. Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) was a Romantic-era composer who wrote almost exclusively for solo piano. Chopin created a new musical form, which he called the ballade, to write these four beautiful, dramatic, and emotional pieces of music:
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- Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23
- Ballade No. 2 in F major, Op. 38
- Ballade No. 3 in Ab major, Op. 47
- Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52
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Over the past two centuries, generations of pianists have paid pilgrimage to these ballades, ensuring the immortality of Chopin’s artistry. Here are four different performances of these four ballades by some of the most highly regarded pianists of the 20th century, available via our Hoopla database:
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- Claudio Arrau, tracks #1-4
- Vladimir Ashkenazy, tracks #22-25
- Alfred Cortot, tracks #1-4
- Maurizio Pollini, tracks #1-4
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It can be interesting to compare the different interpretations of these performances i.e. tempo, dynamics, rubato, voicing, etc. What stands out to you?
If you want to get really nerdy here are a few videos you can delve into:
The documentary Chopin Saved My Life shows the effect that Ballade No. 1 has had on the personal lives of two people on opposite sides of the world, and includes commentary from top pianists.
Chopin: Ballade in G Minor, Op. 23 , episode 9 in the Great Courses series The 23 Greatest Solo Piano Works, starts off by addressing the physical characteristics of pianos and then explains the musical structure of Ballade No. 1.
Or if you want to learn more about Chopin’s life and musical development, try this short biography.
Vladimir Horowitz’s performance of Ballade No. 1 at Carnegie Hall is particularly moving, in my opinion. It’s not available via SPL, but head over to YouTube to watch it if you’re curious. SPL does have recordings of Horowitz playing other pieces of music on Hoopla if your interest is piqued!
~ posted by J.A.
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