# Piano Ballades



## Aramis

As far as I know only Chopin wrote bigger set (four) of ballades which are among his best works. Some other great composers wrote single ones (Fauré, Brahms, Liszt, Grieg) but in genral it's not very popular form. But very characteristic and I have to say that it is interesting enough to make me search for other examples of solo piano ballade. 

Do you have your favourite ballades?


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## Sebastien Melmoth

*Definitely* 'The Ballade of Amaris Jones'.


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## joen_cph

I´d say that the Chopin set is the pinnacle.

Have been particularly impressed by some eccentric performances: a monumental Horowitz and a Gilels 1939 performance of No.1, a Freddy Kempf of No.2, an Arrau 1939 of No.3, and a Freddy Kempf & Ignaz Friedman of No.4. 

The Liszt no.2 has been attracting me because of its hypnotic beginning, but the rest of it becomes too vulgar. Of the other ones, they have not really nestled in my mind so far, so to speak, even though some consider the Grieg his most ambitious piano work. The Faure is a splendid, if somewhat elusive work, as a concertante piece. Haven´t heard its solo version. For some reason, I´ve never felt much about the rather heavy ongoings in Brahms´ piano works, except from the 1st Ballad, which is splendidly mysterious and intense.

Some further ones includes Medtner´s "Sonata-Ballad" (his magnificent 3rd Piano Concerto likewise has the subtitle "Ballade"). Debussy wrote a "Ballade Slave" for piano (1890), Carl Tausing a ballad called "The Ghost Ship". The late-romantic Boris Lyatoshinsky a "Ballade" op.22 (1928; available in a hard-punching boxing version on you-tube) and Frank Martin a set of concertante "Ballades" for various solo instruments and orchestra that, as regards many-facetted content, could perhaps be a rival to Chopin´s cycle. There are others, no doubt, including a lot of orchestral stuff, but these are what immediately comes to mind ...


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## shaulhadar

Actually Chopin invented in modern musical Ballade genre, and he was a master of piano colors and emotion, so i think his Ballades are the best that were written.


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## Sid James

I was fortunate enough to see all four Chopin Ballades in a solo recital this year here in Sydney by Russian pianist Tatiana Kolesova. They exude a melancholy air, perhaps reflecting on a homeland which at that time did not exist (Poland was torn between Germany & Russia, it was not independent).

I'd agree with joen's assessment of the Liszt 2nd Ballade - the first few minutes are simply breathtaking, the rest is your typical romantic struggle between the darker 'stormy' theme and the other 'religious' theme. The end, with the triumph of the latter, seems to be like a religious sermon set to music. But for all of it's imperfections, I love the fluidity of the piece, and how it is an interesting companion piece to the Sonata in B minor (in the same key) composed at the same time.

I haven't heard any other ballades in recent memory, but I'm interested in exploring Brahms' solo piano music later, and perhaps his ballades will be my first steps in that direction...


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## Romantic Geek

Kinda glad spam brought this back up...cause I have a comment!

Amy Beach's Ballade, op. 6 is pretty impressive...considering that it's an early work for her, and at this point, she had received no formal training in composition or theory. Is it as good as Chopin's...probably not. However, I think it's pretty darn close.

Joanne Polk does the best recording I know.


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## Rasa

Peter Benoit also has written a few ballades. Listenable and charming, but didn't particularly enthousiasm me.


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## Selby

I'm a little embarrassed that I did not know Faure wrote a ballade. I will have to seek that out.


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## Feathers

Mitchell said:


> I'm a little embarrassed that I did not know Faure wrote a ballade. I will have to seek that out.


Make sure you check out the version with orchestral accompaniment too!  I had thought it would bear close resemblance to a piano concerto, but actually I found it to be quite light in orchestration and leaned towards the side of musical poetry rather than concerto (although those two are certainly not mutually exclusive).


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## Lisztian

Sid James said:


> I'd agree with joen's assessment of the Liszt 2nd Ballade - the first few minutes are simply breathtaking, the rest is your typical romantic struggle between the darker 'stormy' theme and the other 'religious' theme. The end, with the triumph of the latter, seems to be like a religious sermon set to music. But for all of it's imperfections, I love the fluidity of the piece, and how it is an interesting companion piece to the Sonata in B minor (in the same key) composed at the same time.


There are imperfections? I respectfully disagree. If high romanticism is imperfect, perhaps. I think it's perfect for what it is, and one of Liszt's piano masterpieces. In fact, I put it above every Chopin Ballade except the 4th. Beautifully melodic, great pianistic ingenuity, marvellous orchestral sonorities, masterful thematic transformation and very tightly constructed...one of the great examples of storytelling in piano music. We must remember the program, either Hero and Leander or Burger's 'Lenore.'

Arrau is spellbinding here.


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## violadude

Aramis said:


> As far as I know only Chopin wrote bigger set (four) of ballades which are among his best works. Some other great composers wrote single ones (Fauré, Brahms, Liszt, Grieg) but in genral it's not very popular form. But very characteristic and I have to say that it is interesting enough to make me search for other examples of solo piano ballade.
> 
> Do you have your favourite ballades?


Brahms wrote 5 Ballades, not one.


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## Lisztian

violadude said:


> Brahms wrote 5 Ballades, not one.


And Liszt wrote three. Above and:


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## unpocoscherzando

I prefer the five Brahms pieces and the Grieg variations to Chopin's set, actually.


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## trajcep

I've enter this topic just to see your choices and recommendations. I've heard some of them, they were simply beautiful. I'm now bookmarking all the rest. Thank you guys


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## PetrB

Debussy





Frederic Rzewski ~ North American Ballades I - IV
These are performances by the dedicatee, Paul Jacobs
1.) _Dreadful Memories_




2.) _Which Side Are You On?_




3.) _Down by the Riverside_




4.) _Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues_








No. 4 in one link, pianist Roger Wright





and a later 'independent of the set of four' 5th Ballade, _It Makes A Long Time Man Feel Bad_, performed by the composer





Charles Koechlin: Ballade pour piano et orchestre









Germaine Tailleferre ~ Ballade pour piano et orchestre





Darius Milhaud ~ Ballade pour piano et orchestre


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## Klavierspieler

Samuel Barber - Ballade, Op. 46


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## LordBlackudder




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## PetrB

LordBlackudder said:


>


LOL, as if inserting this into this thread is either going to 'legitimize' this score as 'classical' or magically turn it into a ballade.
No harm trying, though


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## PetrB

Klavierspieler said:


> Samuel Barber - Ballade, Op. 46


Love TC. trip through a thread with links, find something you did not know of.... frequently. Thanks, I was ignorant of this one.


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