
Krystian ZIMERMAN plays: Frederic CHOPIN -Ballade No.1 in G minor Op.23- Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23, was composed in 1835--36 during the composer's early years in Paris and was dedicated to Monsieur le Baron de Stockhausen, the Hanoverian ambassador to France, and reportedly inspired by Adam Mickiewicz's poem "Konrad Wallenrod". Chopin seemed to have been fond of the piece; in a letter to Heinrich Dorn, Robert Schumann commented that, "I received a new Ballade from Chopin. It seems to be a work closest to his genius (although not the most ingenious) and I told him that I like it best of all his compositions. After quite a lengthy silence he replied with emphasis, 'I am happy to hear this since I too like it most and hold it dearest. The piece begins with a brief introduction which, contrary to popular belief, is not unrelated to the rest of the piece. Written in first inversion of the A flat major chord, it is a Neapolitan chord that implies a majestic aura, ending in a dissonant, questioning left hand chord D, G, and E-flat that is not resolved until later on in the piece. Though Chopin's original manuscript clearly marks an E-flat as the top note, the chord has caused some degree of controversy, and thus, some versions of the work - such as the Klindworth edition - include D, G, D as an ossia. The main section of the Ballade is built from 2 main themes. The brief introduction fades into the first theme, introduced at measure 8. After some elaboration, the second <b>...</b>
Frederic
Chopin
ballade
no.1
op.23
Krystian
Zimerman
classic
piano
music
miliona
re