# Brahms Ballade Op. 118 No. 3 Please Comment!



## eddieker08

Just started up piano again two months ago after not playing for three years and thought I'd tackle Brahms' Op. 118 No. 3 Ballade. Enjoy  It'd be great if I could get some comments!


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## Saturnus

Solid playing! Good job. 
The only thing that was really bad was the sound, (a Petrof AND bad recording quality, no that's too much for me  ) 
_Nitpicking_: The middle voices in 1:05 - 1:16 sounded too harsh, you can never be too careful on that range, I think it's because the hearing system is biased to the range of the human voice.
Also, too much space between the beats at 3:35 to 3:40, (but hell that's a lot of notes)


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## TWhite

Technically, it's very solid playing. That's not an easy piece, and to tackle it and perform it after not having played for three years is really commendable. As far as the Petrof piano--I'll disagree. I've played Petrof's both here and in Europe, and they can be a very responsive piano, but like any good European piano, each instrument is quite individual. I would say the rather 'harsh' sound is due to the recording and the room itself. But with that out of the way, I like your approach. 

My only comment would be to think of the themes in 'longer' phrases. Brahms is a very 'vocal' composer, and especially in his later, more intimate piano works, the melodic phrases are extremely important in conveying his intent--they have to really 'sing' in the fingers. I've always reccommended that pianists listen to some of the Brahms' Lieder before tackling any of the later piano pieces in either Op. 117, 118 or 119--they're very subtle and intimate. Brahms often said of them, "If two people are listening to these works, it might be two people too many." That's how intimate and personal he thought these pianistic jewels to be. 
This Ballade is particularly tricky in that the melodic theme has to be sustained over a rather 'brusque' staccato accompaniment. Think of it in four, rather than two-bar phrases, and don't be afraid to use just a little more pedalling in the middle section to to extend the lyricism. It's not really a 'showpiece' (despite its difficulty), it's more of a dynamic reflection--Brahms having a little FUN with 'drama'. 
But all in all, I think you've got a good handle on the piece. I'd just be a little more conscious of the phrasing and broaden it out a little. 

But all in all, it's a darned good performance. I like your approach to it. A lot of pianists I've heard tend to just 'pound' the piece as if it were the last part of a Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody. Not to denigrate Liszt, who I like, but this is a completely different piece. And you approached it with a Brahmsian feel. 

Tom


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## eddieker08

Thank you so much for replying and taking the time to write such an indepth analysis it is greatly appreciated. I have also posted some impressonistic music and fantasie impromptu if you or anyone would like to take a gander. These are from a while back so the recordings once again aren't great but I took these when I was 15  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/user/eddieker08?feature=mhum


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## TWhite

I'm not familiar with the Rene-Baton, so I can't comment very much on it, except to say that it sounds like a nice mixture of Debussy, Ravel and Liszt. Probably all I could offer is to use a little more 'wash' on the pedals. I only noticed your pedalling in the first part of the performance, and you seemed to be pedalling every harmonic change instead of being a little more generous and letting the harmonies 'drift' into one another. It's quite a nice piece, though. I'll have to become more familiar with it. 

A suggestion: You might try working on some of the Debussy Preludes--I'd reccommend "La Cathedrale Engloutie" for working on washing the sound with the pedal, and also "La Puerta del Vino" and "La Fille aux Cheveaux de Lin." You seem to have an affinity for Impressionistic music and you would probably enjoy working on these pieces. 

The Copland is very good, IMO. There's a lot of wit in that piece, especially in the first portion, and your dynamic changes brought it out extremely well. Keep the 'wit' constant, and deliniate a little more between the two 'characters' in the piece as far as the sudden changes in dynamics. It's pretty obvious that you like it, though, you kept it interesting all the way through. Nice job.

Tom


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