To this day I always listen to this ballade performance. I personally think that this is the best ballade 4 performance on youtube! Very expressive and is just such a beautiful piece. Thank you Sergio!
8:55 When the bass hits so hard, it makes the screen shake. In all seriousness, excellent job! One of my favorite performances of one of my favorite piano pieces.
So intense, haunted, it's unbelievable how well you carry the great crescendo throughout the piece to the epic coda. It's magnificent, goes right to my heart !
Appreciate the free YT recordings and you trying to reach an audience on this platform in general. Very few big names in the classical music scene take social media and independent content platforms more seriously than simply a way for them to spread plugs of their newest CD releases and concerts. Excellent interpretation, as per usual. I enjoyed it very much. Tasteful use of rubato and a very clean sound. It all just makes sense!
Waouh ! Je prenais déjà un plaisir fou à vous voir jouer aux échecs, dans un petit bar saint-gillois, toi, Alex et Eugène. Mais c'est presque 15 ans plus tard (hier) que je découvre ton jeu, qui tu es. Je suis émerveillé. C'est magique, merci !
Sergio, acabo de descubrirte y fue al comprar entradas para el recital Argerich en el Colón. No puedo creer lo que acabo de escuchar y ver. Me emocionaste completamente. Simplemente magnífico.
simply sublime. Wonderful to hear you again, Sergio. Fondest memories of our Rachmaninoff 3 together with the Kenosha Symphony many years ago! Nice to see - and hear - you are thriving. All the very best!
What an amazing interpretation! I have listened a few times and enjoying more and more. Please come back to Australia for another beautiful performance.
Hola Sergio, Soy Víctor, sobrino de Antonio, se de la familia a través de Internet, te sigo por familia y por lo bien que interpretas, les envio a todos un abrazo afectuoso. Cuídense mucho
it's hard to judge this interpretation because it has as much validation as any other really...as a classical artist myself i feel any performance is made uniquely for that place and time...1 can play a piece 1000 ways depending on the circumstance and state of mind of the performer. that;s the beauty of art..it's just a SNAPSHOT in time
Hello Tiempo I went to see Tiempo's concert in Handa, a local city in Japan. I remember that from the middle of the concert, most of the mid-range sounds of the piano were shifted and the encore song was played in the high range. It's a more polished performance than back then.
Astounding! One of the ironies of recorded music is that in capturing a performance, it also takes it out of Time. So I don't know how I'd react to repeated listenings of such a mercurial performance. Like, this would be for Sundays, but no weekdays. 😄 But I loved every second of it! I always think of this as Chopin's cruelest piece, because it tempts the intermediate or advanced student that they can play it for their own enjoyment, even if not for anyone else. But then Chopin wrote that diabolical coda, as if to say, "Virtuosos only!"
Beautiful. I was missing hearing new recordings of yours since the Fantasia with Martha, and although I'm a little late to this video, my wish has been granted! Please, publish this as a single on Tidal, Spotify, etc!
Just discovered you through a short clip on Instagram. Sorry to see you have such a small number of subscribers here. Hope you gain the recognition you deserve soon!
Sergio!! Fantastic performance. 👏🏾 You’ve definitely accomplished your narration goal and the interpretation is more inviting. Hope you and your family are doing well during this time. All my love. ❤️
Tremendo como siempre!, me llama mucho la atención la suavidad del gesto al buscar los Fa del bajo, cosas de pianista que ya ha recorrido un largo camino... si tu deseo es jugar una partida de ajedrez con Prokofiev el mío es jugar una con vos y obviamente también charlar de lo increíble de esta música y de los hallazgos de cada uno! Un gran abrazo! Francisco Pieklo
your interpretation is always superb. i always have been surprised by your playing. so genius. i want to listen to your bach peice. if you like bach, please upload when your time permits(i know you are so busy for practicing, and so on. so i am happy if you upload on only free time).
Fabulous work! Having only discovered this a year after it being posted I’m shocked I haven’t heard this sooner. I’m curious how your unique technical style and hand posture came to be, as well as how you approach masterworks like this. Nevertheless, this is a incredible take on a favorite of mine and I hope to hear more!
Yes, finally another video!! Thank you so much for posting this. I’m obsessed. I love your recordings/performances. They’re the best. When is the next time you think you might come to Boston or New York? Bisous. 😘❤️
Sir, I wonder why you didn't take part in the Chopin competition/Tchaikovsky competition etc .... when you were younger. I believe your unique interpretations would have reached more people if you had taken part in these big competition, and I also believe you would have been at least a finalist.
Insanely beautiful - love the camera shots. Sergio!!!! Amazing. Who is the first composer you'll want to meet in heaven? ... And what's the first question? 🙂
Thank you my dear Kamel! As for your question, I think Prokofiev, and I'd ask him to tell me a joke and to play a game of chess with me. Then I'd probably ask Beethoven why he thinks people are so obsessed with his tempo markings. Mostly I would try to play for all of them and see how offended they are by me...
Sergio te tengo una pregunta que puede ser un poco tonta....Es Ginastera #1 el concierto mas desafiante al que te has enfrentado?......Hermoso Chopin por cierto.
Nada tonta la pregunta. Fue muy desafiante para aprender y memorizar, pero coma obra en sí encuentro los conciertos de Chopin o Rachmaninov, por ejemplo, más desafiantes.
Dear @peterectasy, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I LOVE Mr. Zimerman's playing of this piece. Particularly the DG recording. It's true that it is extremely subtle and with very refined nuances. He also manages to create an overall feeling of well-aged wine. Our approaches are different simply because the music allows a multiplicity of interpretations. His view, I think, is more episodic and he makes clear delimitations between sections by taking a lot of time between them. He nevertheless keeps a similar palette of colors from beginning to end, thus creating unity. My view of the piece is more multithreaded. I see all of the different themes in the piece undergo individual transformations. More specifically there is a duality between the static and the fluid which takes place throughout. And I see all of the threads, at different points in the piece, having a tendency to go from the static to the fluid state, culminating in the coda's explosion of fluid and almost chaotic effervescence. I hope to convey a feeling of constant mutation, mostly avoiding clear-cut movement-like separations in the piece. The subtlety that I seek is within each theme's lifespan and their respective morphing psychological changes. This means sometimes sacrificing the general mood of a section for the mood of its inner characters, and allowing the the general mood to be defined by the resulting state (Sort of like counterpoint). Finally, the most important thing, I believe, is that in order to make music convincingly one must ultimately be true to one's own nature. This nature will not please everyone just like no personality is compatible with everyone, but at least there will be some truth in the expression and this is, in my opinion, the only thing that persists. Fortunately, we all have different natures, and this is what allows us to continue playing the same masterpieces in as many different ways, thus revealing the unfathomable greatness of the works. But in short, yes. I love Krystian's Ballade. 😄
Mister Tiempo, I wanted to ask somebody close to Martha Argerich a question. I always see Argerich's and your wrists being very relaxed, but when I try to relax them, I can't. My question-how do you achieve that floating feeling in the wrist/freedom at the piano? I'm stuck, no matter how hard I practice and many face the same problem. I'm looking forward to your answer. ☺️
What a shame that the five chords preceding the coda are not played pianissimo. The whole mystery of this passage has been evaded. Otherwise it's a superb version which reflects the epic side of this ballad well.
9:15 why on earth do you believe to be wiser than Chopin, playing his ballade different then he demands? And, by the way, fast & furious is not what Chopin's romantic music was meant to be performed like
You mean except for the many pieces where Chopin expressly demands fast and furious? You could've at least tried to make it look like you knew what you were talking about
Dear W. Hooch, Thank you for your criticism. I do not consider myself to be wiser than Chopin or anyone else. As interpreters we are always taking the risky decision of playing in a particular way which we believe to reveal a certain truth about the music. Because the great works of music are so infinite, we can only choose one way at any given moment which only reveals one side of it. That is why there are so many different interpretations of the same pieces by different interpreters and even by the same interpreters at different points in time. This, in fact, is the case with the composers themselves, when they interpret their own works. So, if I may, I'd like to turn the question right back at you: Why do you think that YOU know how Chopin's romantic music is "meant" to be performed? Other than that, of course I respect your TASTE.
Thanks for your response. I play Chopin by myself, of course not being a professionalist and giving concerts. And when you play Chopin very slow (for example while learning) there are so many moments where the chords or harmonies are so breathtaking - especially in this ballade. Those simple steps are just marvelous and this is what makes Chopin so different than many others, considering his harmonies or modulations he simply what a genius but at the same time a very delicate person, preferring playing piano among his friends and in front of small auditorium. So the question would be: what do you think, how many people would have the joy and pleasure of hearing those extraordinary harmonies, when his music is being played fast and furious and one is only trying to show his excellent technique with this ROMANTIC pieces? Unfortunately i can only hear those moments and can really admire this unbelievable art when playing Chopin by myself and slow, but still there are performers that concentrate on the beauty of Chopin's harmony and not the show. So my recommendation would be: why not slower? Why not letting people hear that, what Chopin's soul want to tell us?
“More importantly, the narration is uninterrupted from beginning to end, so…” Except FOR THE ABRUPT, ABUSIVE AND ABHORRENT ADVERTISEMENT which interrupts your otherwise beautiful rendition of a masterpiece rendering it rather useless. How could you allow your management to publish such an ad in the middle of such an important work? 🙄
Dear eligraf, thank you for your helpful comment. I had no idea that the video was interrupted by advertisement. Could you tell me how to remedy this? I posted it myself so I am quite ignorant about these things…
Ok, I dug around and I discovered that the problem is that TH-cam has changed its rules since a couple of years in such a way that, even though my channel does not make any money and that none of my videos are monetized, they still stick ads onto them! There is absolutely nothing I can do about it. So very sorry.
@@sergiotiempo5542 I really appreciate you taking the time to respond and understand that TH-cam is doing all kinds of manipulation to get revenue from videos. It’s really a shame if not a blight on the potential for artists to share these great works. Greatest respect from Japan
Unique as it is, personally the playing here is overdone. Moments of reflection and contemplation are disturbed by irregular phrasing and strange rubato; although this may contribute to the "unknowability" of this elusive and profound work, I simply don't think it works. Silence is pivotal in all of Chopin, least in this ballade... it is a pity to hear silence abused and ruined. Technically brillant, discounting the mere slips in the coda (perhaps due to the excessive ferocity?) but musically lacking in thought.. it needs to breathe, and in my humble opinion, I do not (yet) hear this music taking control of itself, or breathing like an autonomous "entity"... which is arguably the quality in performance that transcends reality and approaches the closest to the concept of perfection.
To this day I always listen to this ballade performance. I personally think that this is the best ballade 4 performance on youtube! Very expressive and is just such a beautiful piece. Thank you Sergio!
Thank you very much! You make me blush
8:55 When the bass hits so hard, it makes the screen shake. In all seriousness, excellent job! One of my favorite performances of one of my favorite piano pieces.
This is a crazy Interpretation. The Bass Lines are so intense its making the screen shake. Well Done!
Yup, without a doubt one of the best pianist of his generation and shamefully underrepresented.
Thank you for not over-pedaling! Glorious.
Absolutely one of the best pianists in our generation and in our time! Brilliant! you took our breath, Sergio,!
So intense, haunted, it's unbelievable how well you carry the great crescendo throughout the piece to the epic coda. It's magnificent, goes right to my heart !
This is to weep over. Blessings to Tiempo, Chopin and to being alive to hear it!
Lieber Sergio, Sie sind ein großer Chopin-Interpret mit einer tiefen Liebe für diese Musik: Danke!!!
It‘s absolutely wonderful!!!
8:17 idée géniale, et quelle maîtrise !
Appreciate the free YT recordings and you trying to reach an audience on this platform in general. Very few big names in the classical music scene take social media and independent content platforms more seriously than simply a way for them to spread plugs of their newest CD releases and concerts.
Excellent interpretation, as per usual. I enjoyed it very much. Tasteful use of rubato and a very clean sound. It all just makes sense!
Great performance!So well understood Chopin! Lovely!
True,one of the best performance of Chopin Ballades
Beautiful to look at and beautiful to listen to!
Still looks young.
What a wild interpretation!
Es ese suspiro Sergio del final. Eso causa la obra más magnífica de Chopin. Mucha energía. Bravo!
Waouh ! Je prenais déjà un plaisir fou à vous voir jouer aux échecs, dans un petit bar saint-gillois, toi, Alex et Eugène. Mais c'est presque 15 ans plus tard (hier) que je découvre ton jeu, qui tu es. Je suis émerveillé. C'est magique, merci !
I loved the dynamics at the climax and the agonizing intensity of the coda
I enjoyed every single second of your wonderful performance.
Merci Maestro Sergio Tiempo🎹💐 👏Superbe 👏
Masterful playing
Heart melted.
Sergio, acabo de descubrirte y fue al comprar entradas para el recital Argerich en el Colón. No puedo creer lo que acabo de escuchar y ver. Me emocionaste completamente. Simplemente magnífico.
¡Otro lujo del Mtro. Sergio Tiempo! Una performance maravillosa. ¡Gracias por escuchar las extraordinarias Obras que interpreta!!
simply sublime. Wonderful to hear you again, Sergio. Fondest memories of our Rachmaninoff 3 together with the Kenosha Symphony many years ago! Nice to see - and hear - you are thriving. All the very best!
Incredible, love your interpretation, so beautiful :)
What an amazing interpretation!
I have listened a few times and enjoying more and more.
Please come back to Australia for another beautiful performance.
Wonderful! Full of passion, and wisdom..
Just terrific !!
Playing piano like good operatic singer. Bravo! ❤
Hola Sergio, Soy Víctor, sobrino de Antonio, se de la familia a través de Internet, te sigo por familia y por lo bien que interpretas, les envio a todos un abrazo afectuoso. Cuídense mucho
This, as is all your work, was amazing. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Simply Bravo! 🎆
Truly remarkable and heartfelt interpretation of this gem, thank you very much for sharing it!
Querido Sergio, el demonio de Tasmania que habita dentro de mí acaba de calmarse. Muchas gracias por compartir tu talento.
it's hard to judge this interpretation because it has as much validation as any other really...as a classical artist myself i feel any performance is made uniquely for that place and time...1 can play a piece 1000 ways depending on the circumstance and state of mind of the performer.
that;s the beauty of art..it's just a SNAPSHOT in time
Que grande Sergio! Un orgullo para todos nosotros! Arrancando mi ultimo año de piano en la facultad. Estos videos motivan y mucho!
Que maravliha, querido Sergio! Sou seu fã!
Bravo! Very delicate.
Воодушевленно. И по своему. Свобода подкупает. Слушать интересно.
Correction: never seen such good pianism in my life and I’ve been a fanatic for over 30 years.
Hello Tiempo I went to see Tiempo's concert in Handa, a local city in Japan. I remember that from the middle of the concert, most of the mid-range sounds of the piano were shifted and the encore song was played in the high range. It's a more polished performance than back then.
Astounding! One of the ironies of recorded music is that in capturing a performance, it also takes it out of Time. So I don't know how I'd react to repeated listenings of such a mercurial performance. Like, this would be for Sundays, but no weekdays. 😄 But I loved every second of it! I always think of this as Chopin's cruelest piece, because it tempts the intermediate or advanced student that they can play it for their own enjoyment, even if not for anyone else. But then Chopin wrote that diabolical coda, as if to say, "Virtuosos only!"
Maybe this is my favorite interpretation of this piece of all...
Beautiful. I was missing hearing new recordings of yours since the Fantasia with Martha, and although I'm a little late to this video, my wish has been granted! Please, publish this as a single on Tidal, Spotify, etc!
Excellent amigo. It is great to hear how your musicality (which was always beautiful) has matured over time.
Maravilloso Sergio como siempre! Gracias por tu arte! Saludos desde Argentina!!
Stunning and very thoughtful interpretation and performance.
La op 52 es mi preferida, aunque sería un sacrilegio descartar las restantes. Las voces interiores están muy bien logradas!
I really like your performance. Thanks for uploading! 🥰🥰
Just discovered you through a short clip on Instagram. Sorry to see you have such a small number of subscribers here. Hope you gain the recognition you deserve soon!
Bravissimo, great interpretation !
This is absolutely amazing, I love this interpretation!
DZIĘKUJĘ Sergio. Love from Poland🎶❤🎶
Bellisimo... Grazie!
Magnifique.
Very cool.
wow!!
Very impressive.
Magnifique
Merci mon ami!
Sergio!! Fantastic performance. 👏🏾 You’ve definitely accomplished your narration goal and the interpretation is more inviting. Hope you and your family are doing well during this time. All my love. ❤️
Fantastic !!!👏👏👏👍👍👍
Merci mon Clown!
Magnífico!
Tremendo como siempre!, me llama mucho la atención la suavidad del gesto al buscar los Fa del bajo, cosas de pianista que ya ha recorrido un largo camino... si tu deseo es jugar una partida de ajedrez con Prokofiev el mío es jugar una con vos y obviamente también charlar de lo increíble de esta música y de los hallazgos de cada uno! Un gran abrazo! Francisco Pieklo
8:55 etude op.25 no.12
Wonderful ❤️
Bravo!!!!
your interpretation is always superb. i always have been surprised by your playing. so genius. i want to listen to your bach peice. if you like bach, please upload when your time permits(i know you are so busy for practicing, and so on. so i am happy if you upload on only free time).
Thank you very much for your kind words. I love Bach! I hope to post something in the not so distant future….
@@sergiotiempo5542
i always come back to your playing. every time impressive. bravo.
Fabulous work! Having only discovered this a year after it being posted I’m shocked I haven’t heard this sooner. I’m curious how your unique technical style and hand posture came to be, as well as how you approach masterworks like this. Nevertheless, this is a incredible take on a favorite of mine and I hope to hear more!
OMG the Coda...
I KNOW
🌹
Yes, finally another video!! Thank you so much for posting this. I’m obsessed. I love your recordings/performances. They’re the best. When is the next time you think you might come to Boston or New York? Bisous. 😘❤️
Thank you Princess. I don’t know, I would love to return as soon as possible. Boston symphony is one of my favourite orchestras in the world!
Sir, I wonder why you didn't take part in the Chopin competition/Tchaikovsky competition etc .... when you were younger. I believe your unique interpretations would have reached more people if you had taken part in these big competition, and I also believe you would have been at least a finalist.
with your powerful bass, I wonder how your Scriabin will be.
Insanely beautiful - love the camera shots. Sergio!!!! Amazing. Who is the first composer you'll want to meet in heaven? ... And what's the first question? 🙂
Thank you my dear Kamel! As for your question, I think Prokofiev, and I'd ask him to tell me a joke and to play a game of chess with me. Then I'd probably ask Beethoven why he thinks people are so obsessed with his tempo markings. Mostly I would try to play for all of them and see how offended they are by me...
Sergio te tengo una pregunta que puede ser un poco tonta....Es Ginastera #1 el concierto mas desafiante al que te has enfrentado?......Hermoso Chopin por cierto.
Nada tonta la pregunta. Fue muy desafiante para aprender y memorizar, pero coma obra en sí encuentro los conciertos de Chopin o Rachmaninov, por ejemplo, más desafiantes.
@@sergiotiempo5542 Muchísimas gracias por tu respuesta. Que interesante, pensaré mucho sobre lo que has dicho. Saludos cordiales maestro!!!
apperenty this is extremely difficult ballade for delicate interpretation, what you think about Krystian ZImerman performance ?
Dear @peterectasy, thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I LOVE Mr. Zimerman's playing of this piece. Particularly the DG recording. It's true that it is extremely subtle and with very refined nuances. He also manages to create an overall feeling of well-aged wine.
Our approaches are different simply because the music allows a multiplicity of interpretations. His view, I think, is more episodic and he makes clear delimitations between sections by taking a lot of time between them. He nevertheless keeps a similar palette of colors from beginning to end, thus creating unity. My view of the piece is more multithreaded. I see all of the different themes in the piece undergo individual transformations. More specifically there is a duality between the static and the fluid which takes place throughout. And I see all of the threads, at different points in the piece, having a tendency to go from the static to the fluid state, culminating in the coda's explosion of fluid and almost chaotic effervescence. I hope to convey a feeling of constant mutation, mostly avoiding clear-cut movement-like separations in the piece. The subtlety that I seek is within each theme's lifespan and their respective morphing psychological changes. This means sometimes sacrificing the general mood of a section for the mood of its inner characters, and allowing the the general mood to be defined by the resulting state (Sort of like counterpoint).
Finally, the most important thing, I believe, is that in order to make music convincingly one must ultimately be true to one's own nature. This nature will not please everyone just like no personality is compatible with everyone, but at least there will be some truth in the expression and this is, in my opinion, the only thing that persists. Fortunately, we all have different natures, and this is what allows us to continue playing the same masterpieces in as many different ways, thus revealing the unfathomable greatness of the works.
But in short, yes. I love Krystian's Ballade. 😄
Mister Tiempo, I wanted to ask somebody close to Martha Argerich a question. I always see Argerich's and your wrists being very relaxed, but when I try to relax them, I can't.
My question-how do you achieve that floating feeling in the wrist/freedom at the piano?
I'm stuck, no matter how hard I practice and many face the same problem.
I'm looking forward to your answer. ☺️
Everybody raves about KZ but this interpretation seems more personal to me
Really like your interpretation, maestro. Just wondering, do you like Julio Iglesias singing?
What a shame that the five chords preceding the coda are not played pianissimo. The whole mystery of this passage has been evaded. Otherwise it's a superb version which reflects the epic side of this ballad well.
I serched for the hall.
The capacity is maybe 20 to 30? Was that a private concert or performed purely for recording?
No it was just for recording on this occasion.
Hi sir. How can you keep your hair intact like that at age 50? Your face looks 30 to me. Any diet hack?
😂 that’s very sweet, thank you!
@@sergiotiempo5542 i am pleasantly surprised that you replied. Looking forward to more playing from you maestro
🤣That's very sweet of you thank you. The secret is to remain a child all your life...?
Mechanical and metronomic
9:15 why on earth do you believe to be wiser than Chopin, playing his ballade different then he demands? And, by the way, fast & furious is not what Chopin's romantic music was meant to be performed like
You mean except for the many pieces where Chopin expressly demands fast and furious? You could've at least tried to make it look like you knew what you were talking about
Dear W. Hooch,
Thank you for your criticism.
I do not consider myself to be wiser than Chopin or anyone else. As interpreters we are always taking the risky decision of playing in a particular way which we believe to reveal a certain truth about the music.
Because the great works of music are so infinite, we can only choose one way at any given moment which only reveals one side of it. That is why there are so many different interpretations of the same pieces by different interpreters and even by the same interpreters at different points in time. This, in fact, is the case with the composers themselves, when they interpret their own works.
So, if I may, I'd like to turn the question right back at you: Why do you think that YOU know how Chopin's romantic music is "meant" to be performed? Other than that, of course I respect your TASTE.
Thanks for your response. I play Chopin by myself, of course not being a professionalist and giving concerts. And when you play Chopin very slow (for example while learning) there are so many moments where the chords or harmonies are so breathtaking - especially in this ballade. Those simple steps are just marvelous and this is what makes Chopin so different than many others, considering his harmonies or modulations he simply what a genius but at the same time a very delicate person, preferring playing piano among his friends and in front of small auditorium. So the question would be: what do you think, how many people would have the joy and pleasure of hearing those extraordinary harmonies, when his music is being played fast and furious and one is only trying to show his excellent technique with this ROMANTIC pieces? Unfortunately i can only hear those moments and can really admire this unbelievable art when playing Chopin by myself and slow, but still there are performers that concentrate on the beauty of Chopin's harmony and not the show. So my recommendation would be: why not slower? Why not letting people hear that, what Chopin's soul want to tell us?
the level of technique makes me question the purpose of life..
Tell me about it
Have you heard Lisitsa play this piece? *ducks *
Кода хоть слишком быстрая как Лан лан но намного романтичнее , а не как робот
“More importantly, the narration is uninterrupted from beginning to end, so…”
Except FOR THE ABRUPT, ABUSIVE AND ABHORRENT ADVERTISEMENT which interrupts your otherwise beautiful rendition of a masterpiece rendering it rather useless. How could you allow your management to publish such an ad in the middle of such an important work? 🙄
Dear eligraf, thank you for your helpful comment. I had no idea that the video was interrupted by advertisement. Could you tell me how to remedy this? I posted it myself so I am quite ignorant about these things…
Ok, I dug around and I discovered that the problem is that TH-cam has changed its rules since a couple of years in such a way that, even though my channel does not make any money and that none of my videos are monetized, they still stick ads onto them! There is absolutely nothing I can do about it. So very sorry.
@@sergiotiempo5542
I really appreciate you taking the time to respond and understand that TH-cam is doing all kinds of manipulation to get revenue from videos. It’s really a shame if not a blight on the potential for artists to share these great works.
Greatest respect from Japan
Unique as it is, personally the playing here is overdone. Moments of reflection and contemplation are disturbed by irregular phrasing and strange rubato; although this may contribute to the "unknowability" of this elusive and profound work, I simply don't think it works. Silence is pivotal in all of Chopin, least in this ballade... it is a pity to hear silence abused and ruined. Technically brillant, discounting the mere slips in the coda (perhaps due to the excessive ferocity?) but musically lacking in thought.. it needs to breathe, and in my humble opinion, I do not (yet) hear this music taking control of itself, or breathing like an autonomous "entity"... which is arguably the quality in performance that transcends reality and approaches the closest to the concept of perfection.