Chopin Ballade #1

The form of this ballade is quite interesting. I call mm 8-31 A, 32-66 B, 67-93 C, 94-105 A, 106-117 B, 118-165 D, 166-193 B, 194-205 A, 206-264 coda(E). This is an overall ABC ABDB AE form with three reappearances of the opening melodic theme and three repetitions of the B theme (m. 32). Of course most of the excitement of the piece has to occur in the coda which, like all the other sections, is blurred into the preceding sections. This blurring forces performers to gauge, in advance how they are going to change the tempo and style: dramatically or gradually. Performance of this piece demands an understanding of coloristic varieties. Since Chopin blends sections together it is the performers task to smoothly shift between lyrical nocturne styles and fast, sparkling, brillant styles. There are several areas in the A and B sections that demand phrase variety due to repeated melodic figures. For example, observing how a performer might differentiate m. 8 and m. 16 is important. Do they create changes, or repeat exactly the same? Also how do performers change the tempo between sections A and B? Considering the expanse of the form, do the performers create long term lines or are they caught up in overemphasising melodic fragments. Important harmonic changes that seem unusual in the context of a section should also be observed. For example m. 91 suddenly reaches a G minor chord. How do pianists shape at the microscopic level?
Listening on the microscopic level the opening five bars are absolutely essential to understanding how these pianists are going to play the whole piece. #1 rushed through the opening eliminating any sense of anticipation or grandness although, he (or she), like the others, had moments of hesitation crucial to this style. #2 was the most clear and articulate. He had some nice hesitations, particularly in the third measure. Perhaps this artist was striving for a polonaise style, more than a legato dreamy mood. The third performer revealed, from the start a variety of color changes and subtlties and balanced the time of the three measures perfectly. The time spent on the quarter-note G in the third measure made up for the time taken away in the second measure.
On a larger scale it is interesting to see how these performers move out of the A section into the B. #3 is the best in terms of tempo smoothness, however he sacrifices a little bit of musicality. All three pianists play m. 8 and m. 16 the same. #1 hesitates on the second chord of m. 10 and exactly the same on m. 18. #2 has this instant fade away effect: the high D in m. 9 is instantly dimmed into the C in m. 10 (he does this exactly the same on the repeat). Between m. 20 and m. 35, #1 and #2 have moments of rubato. #2, as he did in the beginning, has somewhat abrupt moments of rubato. #1 uses more dynamic overloading but has some rubato also. All three performers successfully gauge the tempo change, slowly increase speed at m.36. #1 seems to push ahead quite rapidly at m. 48 (sounds like Rachmaninoff).
m. 180 is another highly exciting moment in this piece. How are the performers to deal with the simple repetition? Performer #1 is my favorite. He (she) has a subtle diminuendo into the end of the first phrase (m. 184). He contrasts the repeated phrases in m. 184-186 by initiating the soft pedal at m. 186. He also dissolves the left hand in order to stress a stronger diminuendo at m. 187. #2 has a very articulate approach with very little variety. #3 is the most expressive, and unfortunately the most speratic. Each figuration is emphasised (overly so). There is a huge rubato in m. 187 and an amazing pause between m. 189 and 190 to emphasize the minor triad. He clearly emphasizes this the most.
The coda is another interesting spot to see a variety of interepretations. #1 is the most dramatic in mm. 206-207. He pounds out the melody slowly. #2 is slightly faster, and #3 has the most logical natural pulse. This also the case throughout the remaining piece. #1 lingers starting at m. 231 to emphasize the cresendo. #2 Has some problems and has substancial slow downs between mm. 225-226. This pianist however has the fastest right hand in m. 246! #2 has very clean pedal changes even at the end where I believe Chopin desires more of an effect than a clearly articulated chromatic line. #2 however, does create the best contrast between the virtuosic parts and the p chords at mm. 252 and 256.