Chopin Ballade No. 1 Essay

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The balance of a calm, graceful melody and bombastic runs of Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 makes it a riveting piece of music to experience. Considered to be one of the most prolific musical masterminds of the Romantic era, Chopin has produced a piece that is popular even today. Though with such a layered and intricate piece of interweaving themes, there is much that is left up to the performer to interpret. There lie two sides to all performances, the technical skill required to play the piece, and the emotional drive brought out of the pianist. Chopin has a laid out a general feel that should be evoked when this piece is played; performers must traverse this feeling yet add their own signature to it. Among the performances of Alfred Cortot, Teresa …show more content…

The technique displayed by both Cortot and Carreno are excellent, though Carreno suffered again from her timing. On the other hand, Lang Lang took the section and made it sound crazed and obnoxious. The critics believe that his flashy moves just mean loud playing that is distasteful to listen to. Even though this is the case, it should be noted that he does not have the rhythmic shortcomings as Carreno. Lang Lang’s interpretation is still valid and does not go over the line of acceptability. His emotional flare, and general flashiness is subjective and can be appealing to others. The feeling of grandeur still shines through, albeit in a crude fashion. This situation comes up again near the end of the piece, where a long run occurs. This run could be considered as the most technically difficult portion of the piece, and it truly tests the skill of the performers. It is the dramatic conclusion, and all performers have the technique to get through this section. Lang Lang, in particular, tried to show off his skill, as if going faster and faster to test his limit without falling apart. He is not so much trying to make a point about his interpretation but rather is extending his

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