Chopin: The Four Ballades (Cho Seong-Jin)

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 พ.ค. 2024
  • Chopin’s ballades are written to such a pitch of harmonic innovation, expressive power and structural novelty that they sort of exist in a valley of their own making. Nothing any other composer wrote (even other ballades, to be sure) really compares to them. The most immediately striking feature about them is their narrative musicality: transitionary passages are extraordinarily beautiful, and really do not need to be justified by what they are moving to or from; and a small digression might open up a whole new harmonic or developmental vista, a trait especially evident in the last ballade.
    Each ballade offers radical new treatment of (or engagement with) sonata form. #1 and #3 superimpose on the goal-oriented sonata form an arch-like symmetry (both have a mirror reprise and a striking central episode with new material that serves as pivot), #2 imposes a two-key scheme upon what initially looks like a simple alternation between two themes but really is not, and #4, the most structurally rich of the set, fuses sonata form with the more static form of the theme and variations.
    BALLADE 1
    00:00 - INTRODUCTION in Neapolitan harmony [Note minor 9th motif in LH at 0:34, wrongly indicated in this edition as D-G-D; it should be D-G-Eb]
    EXPOSITION
    00:42 - Theme 1
    02:20 - Transition
    03:19 - Theme 2, limb 1 [Note its harmonization in 4ths, mirroring the horn calls which introduce it, and the use of subtle hemiola in the LH]
    03:59 - Theme 2, limb 2 [Really a diminished version of Theme 1]
    DEVELOPMENT [This section puts both Themes in direct and violent contact with each other: there is no transition bridging the two, only a section where Theme 1 tries desperately and almost fails to reach the high B which begins Theme 2 (5:07). The themes’ tonalities (G min/Eb maj) are also brought into unstable alignment (A min/maj)]
    04:48 - Theme 1, opening with a minor 9th descent
    05:15 - Theme 2, climax
    05:49 - Transition
    06:05 - Theme 3 [A brilliant waltz much like Chopin’s waltzes of this period]
    06:20 - Transition
    RECAPITULATION/REPRISE [Note the arch-like symmetry: Theme 2 is presented before Theme 1, in its original key]
    06:40 - Theme 2, limb 1
    07:09 - Theme 2, limb 2
    07:44 - Theme 1, again heralded by a falling minor 9th
    CODA - 08:30. Note the profusion of falling minor 9ths in RH figuration, as well as the Neapolitan harmony from the introduction,
    BALLADE 2
    EXPOSITION
    10:00 - Theme 1, F maj, a siciliano/pastoral
    12:20 - Theme 2, A min
    DEVELOPMENT/FALSE REPRISE
    13:13 - Theme 1, F maj. Looks like a reprise, but -
    13:52 - veers off course, into harmonically complex modulatory territory. This section is where the heavy lifting that shifts the entire tonal centre of the work takes place.
    15:33 - Theme 2 [In D min, which is revealed to be a suspension that resolves to A min. This section substitutes for a reprise proper.]
    CODA/CLOSING SECTION - 16:15 [References to Themes 1/2]
    BALLADE 3
    EXPOSITION
    17:33 - Theme 1, lyrical
    19:40 - Theme 2, dancelike, developed in F maj/F min/C maj.
    21:47 - Theme 3
    DEVELOPMENT/ REPRISE [As with Ballade 1, note how the themes are presented in reverse order]
    22:36 - Theme 2, Ab maj
    23:02 - Theme 2, C# min, developed with LH counterpoint. Note that the LH figuration is based on a diminished version of a section of Theme 2 (heard most clearly in the LH at 23:25)
    23:27 - Theme 2, developed with RH figuration, climax.
    23:42 - onset of harmonic instability
    24:29 - Theme 1, now triumphant
    CODA/REPRISE - 24:58, Theme 3
    BALLADE 4
    25:19 - INTRODUCTION in dominant (C maj)
    EXPOSITION
    25:50 - Theme 1 [Note how the theme itself is sequential/variational in character, being made of a short phrase repeated in different keys]
    26:51 - Theme 1 VAR.1 [very slight decoration]
    27:46 - Episode 1 [Based on Theme 1]
    28:53 - Theme 1 VAR.2
    29:29 - Transition
    29:49 - Theme 2, a chorale/barcarolle
    DEVELOPMENT/EXTENDED BRIDGE [in contrast to the typical development, while there is harmonic exploration there is no buildup of tension, and the material comprises the only lighthearted passages in the entire piece]
    30:57 - Modulating sequential passages
    31:45 - Strands of Theme 1 combined in three contrapuntal lines. One of the lines turns into -
    32:08 - The magical return of the INTRODUCTION, whose distant A maj harmony functions as dominant to -
    RECAPITULATION/REPRISE
    32:48 - D min, where Theme 1 returns in VAR.3, a striking canonic variation that fully exploits the theme’s sequential qualities to modulate back to F min
    33:51 - Theme 1, VAR 4. It’s extraordinary how Chopin places a Bachian variation (No.3) right beside a full-blooded romantic one (the cantabile-decorative treatment of no.4).
    34:33 - Theme 2, in Db maj, climax. [Note how beautiful the writing is: see e.g., 34:50, with the overlay of notes in groups of 4/6/9]
    35:44 - Extended pause on dominant [structurally mirroring the introduction]
    CODA: 36:14
  • เพลง

ความคิดเห็น • 843

  • @AshishXiangyiKumar
    @AshishXiangyiKumar  7 ปีที่แล้ว +1192

    00:00 - Ballade No.1 in G Minor, Op.23
    09:59 - Ballade No.2 in F Maj/A Min, Op.38
    17:33 - Ballade No.3 in Ab Major, Op.47
    25:19 - Ballade No.4 in F Minor, Op.52
    Cho Seong-Jin’s playing is marvellous: it is consistently reverential, finely detailed, and anti-virtuosic, as you might expect from someone whose role models are Zimerman and Lupu. Even the most virtuosic passage is voiced fully, and the pauses which mark out crucial transitions and harmonic shifts are fully observed. There is some excellent cantabile playing in the melodic passages (and beautiful chord voicing too), and the quiet passages have a tenderness and reticence that’s petty moving.

    • @NoahJohnson1810
      @NoahJohnson1810 7 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      I've listened to this set from mr. cho for a while, and I can't agree more. Fantastic.

    • @delitaly
      @delitaly 7 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      4:15 woooow!!!! so beautiful..........

    • @samaritan29
      @samaritan29 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      what do you mean by anti-virtuosic.....

    • @hiccofriskmada4223
      @hiccofriskmada4223 6 ปีที่แล้ว +46

      I think that Ashish means that Cho is trying to showcase musicality, rather than his own technical skill, as the stereotypical 'virtuoso' is likely more prone to do.

    • @qdelfaquik3995
      @qdelfaquik3995 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Ashish Xiangyi Kumar

  • @mystogan6556
    @mystogan6556 2 ปีที่แล้ว +625

    I'm glad that I discovered classical music

  • @kristianj.8798
    @kristianj.8798 5 ปีที่แล้ว +220

    I love how he can play loudly without sounding like he's just banging the keys.

    • @Iceboundjester8
      @Iceboundjester8 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Kristian J. Magic lol

    • @nataliesvt
      @nataliesvt 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      hahah i cant relate its so hard

    • @goldmathshow
      @goldmathshow หลายเดือนก่อน

      nah i kinda sound he's banging the keys.

  • @a.feuerstein9512
    @a.feuerstein9512 2 ปีที่แล้ว +181

    35:47 is the part where you as a pianist inwardly hope, that the audience is not clapping at you.

    • @yoaveden
      @yoaveden 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      What?

    • @Anonymous-el6pv
      @Anonymous-el6pv 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Underrated comment

    • @SirEmanon
      @SirEmanon 2 ปีที่แล้ว +52

      @@yoaveden The audience is normally supposed to wait until the piece finishes to applaud - here, the piece isn't finished yet but someone not familiar with it might assume that it is due to the pause there

    • @benana_3
      @benana_3 2 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      This actually happened during Yundi Li's performance of this Ballade...you can see the pain on his face when the audience starts clapping.

    • @erezsolomon3838
      @erezsolomon3838 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      I still remember the time I got interrupted in a concert because they thought the piece ended. It was my 2nd concert. I was smiling outside, but not inside. For the sake of my 4th concert (two months ago) I raised my finger (as Vinheteiro does) so that they know I'm not done yet. It saved Tchaikovsky, and I got it down naturally. Easily my toughest concert struggle, I was borrowing quite some time to come up with the answer

  • @vegrl
    @vegrl 2 ปีที่แล้ว +441

    #1: most exciting
    #2: most dramatic
    #3: most charming
    #4: most beautiful

  • @Gamingcreeper001
    @Gamingcreeper001 5 ปีที่แล้ว +748

    8:30 is just so insane. I love the sound of it

    • @delko000
      @delko000 4 ปีที่แล้ว +48

      I think it's the favorite of many people.

    • @TheBreadBoxes
      @TheBreadBoxes 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      It's so good

    • @mralcina8726
      @mralcina8726 4 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      Yeah i agree, i usually don't like when they play the coda fast, but this one is so clear and crisp, its irresistable

    • @RaZorasiangamer
      @RaZorasiangamer 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Laterino Craperino the tempo is supposed to be fast

    • @mralcina8726
      @mralcina8726 4 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      @@RaZorasiangamer yeah, but if you saw zimerman's interpretation of the coda, he does slow down a bit to give it more clarity and emotion

  • @Weirdoshibe
    @Weirdoshibe 2 ปีที่แล้ว +441

    Cho Seong-Jin is absolutely one of best interpreters of Chopin music. He just feel it. His victory in International Chopin Piano Competition '15 in Warsaw was clearly justified

    • @desktopmoss5617
      @desktopmoss5617 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      Interpreter not impersonator

    • @Weirdoshibe
      @Weirdoshibe 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@desktopmoss5617 maybe, english is not my native language 🤷🏻‍♀️

    • @equinoxtheseasonwing857
      @equinoxtheseasonwing857 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      and to think Entremont gave him a 1...

    • @stanisawkoziarski5929
      @stanisawkoziarski5929 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      A słuchała Pani kiedyś Ingolfa Wunder’a?

    • @mhdfrb9971
      @mhdfrb9971 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Weirdoshibe nope. It's Rubinstein

  • @michaelloew522
    @michaelloew522 ปีที่แล้ว +112

    seong jin cho must be one of the greatest pianists alive. all of his interpretations are very good, and are without any fluff or showoffishness.

  • @KenWangpiano
    @KenWangpiano ปีที่แล้ว +54

    Chopin would be very happy if he heard this.

  • @meowmeowcat6013
    @meowmeowcat6013 16 วันที่ผ่านมา +3

    Cho's performance of the op.52 has to be among the best I've ever heard. Deathly, ethereally beautiful.

  • @leaf731
    @leaf731 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    35:27 The best interpretation I've ever heard

  • @Iamcwinge1234
    @Iamcwinge1234 2 ปีที่แล้ว +85

    23:15 is the absolute height of genius. What a gift to the world these Ballades are.

    • @Pr0tal
      @Pr0tal 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      that just sounds like la campanella

    • @porple4430
      @porple4430 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      @@Pr0tal bruh no

    • @bringhast2255
      @bringhast2255 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      ​@@Pr0tal wtf no

    • @potatoman2449
      @potatoman2449 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@Pr0tal nooooooo whyyyy

  • @jeanparke9373
    @jeanparke9373 7 ปีที่แล้ว +851

    Ah, CHOpin

  • @francescobasso2322
    @francescobasso2322 3 ปีที่แล้ว +320

    I tried (and failed) to learn the 4th ballade a couple of years ago, and I still remember the nightmarish passage from 28:53 to 29:33 and how hard was to even just try to express the melody between all those chords. I used to listen to Cho's recording and ask myself "How is this possible?"; and the way he plays the coda, mesmerising and unbelievable. The best, simply the best, the greatest pianist of our time

    • @lia17829
      @lia17829 3 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      @@ibrahimsaka511 everyone has their own opinion 🤷‍♀️

    • @ChuckisNorrish
      @ChuckisNorrish 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      @@ibrahimsaka511 "you have a wrong point" how dumb do you have to be to call an opinion on a best pianist wrong?

    • @fredericchopin6445
      @fredericchopin6445 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      @@ibrahimsaka511 there is no 'wrong' or 'right' in opinions bruh

    • @GarciaAlisson
      @GarciaAlisson 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      I am learning it right now and I can say that those measures are indeed a nightmare to pull off, but once it's done, it's not only one of the most beautiful passages in the whole romantic era (for me) but also fun to play. The fun thing also happena with those rising thirds in the coda. Hard as hell, but once you learn it... Fun!

    • @GarciaAlisson
      @GarciaAlisson 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      I might add that the 4th ballade is my favorite of all ballades ever and a dream for me since i started learning the piano. To be practicing and learning it now it's just a huge dream coming to life and I play it with a sacred respect. Can't wait to have it all done and play it on stage.

  • @koumusic2600
    @koumusic2600 4 ปีที่แล้ว +59

    4:15-4:21 Unique individual traits in that passage that tells the pianist is definitely Seong-Jin Cho. I love it.

    • @ffontanna
      @ffontanna 4 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      So simple notes, but so touching

    • @CarmenReyes-em9np
      @CarmenReyes-em9np 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      No interrumpir ..🧐😵‍💫

  • @user-yi7fe4ts4h
    @user-yi7fe4ts4h 5 ปีที่แล้ว +63

    내가 제일 좋아하는 곡... 곡이 서사가있을수있다는건 진짜 센세이셔널한거다 한곡안에 기승전결 스토리가 다있다

  • @BillyQian
    @BillyQian 4 ปีที่แล้ว +107

    The third ballad is seriously one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard

  • @koumusic2600
    @koumusic2600 4 ปีที่แล้ว +143

    16:15-17:02
    This is Seong-Jin Cho, one of the best pianists of our generation. Extraordinary, i’m speechless on his approach of the coda.
    Especially through 16:26-16:42
    How he prolongs the notes and approaches the dynamic in that passage with such flexibility.

    • @Tizohip
      @Tizohip 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      i love this part

    • @Tizohip
      @Tizohip 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      one of the best sounds of chopin

    • @user-fr6ed3cj3h
      @user-fr6ed3cj3h 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I agree

    • @alokjohn8208
      @alokjohn8208 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      The amount of maturity he can play with at such a young age, he truly understands the music

  • @sabrinaschantz
    @sabrinaschantz 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    18:34 I'm used to hearing pianists play that chord and trill sudden and vigorously, but here he plays it so smoothly, very brilliant!

  • @raymondhummel5211
    @raymondhummel5211 21 วันที่ผ่านมา +2

    His extraordinary melodies seen to be speaking to us. The stories conveyed can be conceived in our own minds. I guess one could say that his remarkable scores take us on new found journeys! How awesome is that!

  • @jakobhedman836
    @jakobhedman836 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    The left hand bass phrasing from 8:30 to 8:50 is out of this world

  • @PaintAMelody
    @PaintAMelody 7 ปีที่แล้ว +668

    A role model to every pianist. Seong jin cho is just amazing.

    • @stonefish7745
      @stonefish7745 4 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      Agreed

    • @greenapple306
      @greenapple306 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Zimmerman should be, not him

    • @fattit7598
      @fattit7598 4 ปีที่แล้ว +46

      @@greenapple306 It all depends on your opinions. Seong jin cho might be a role model to a lot of people while zimmerman or any other pianist could be a role model to others.

    • @mamartinez2583
      @mamartinez2583 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      STRAIGHT FACTS

    • @elijahvalongo9528
      @elijahvalongo9528 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I didnt even know it was him playing wow lol, his la valse by ravel is absolutely flawless. After yuja wang pianists just keep getting better

  • @NN-df7hl
    @NN-df7hl ปีที่แล้ว +35

    Anyone else get the absolute CHILLS @ Theme 2 climax? 5:15. Love this version, btw. Cho's the Man. Excellent choice, Kumar! :)

    • @timward276
      @timward276 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Probably my favorite moment in all of Chopin's music.

  • @pubgplayer1720
    @pubgplayer1720 3 ปีที่แล้ว +29

    Seong-Jin Cho has to be one of the best Chopin interpreters of our time.

  • @cozierpaladin9562
    @cozierpaladin9562 4 ปีที่แล้ว +75

    28:51 is one of my favourite passages in all of classical music

  • @SvetoslavSlavovPiano
    @SvetoslavSlavovPiano 2 ปีที่แล้ว +54

    Cho has a very unique way of bringing up inner voices which no other pianist has paid such an amount of attention to in their recordings. Makes you wonder how many other beautiful voices hide in the sheet music. Truly, this man is a genius in his field

  • @bean_boy4511
    @bean_boy4511 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    About a year ago, I was given the opportunity to take a trip to Switzerland. On one of the stops was a wooden cabin that overlooks a valley lake, the streets and peoples of Seelisberg sank into the mountain vistas. There was a radio in each room, and that night I fell asleep to German news and narration, and this. Hearing it now, all I can think about was that room, the mountain vistas, the valley lake, everything.
    As I’m typing this now, it is snowing there, and all I can think about is how happy I am that I can call a place the world away my home.
    Thank you for this lovely compilation of music, I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I heard Chopin melodies once again.

    • @bean_boy4511
      @bean_boy4511 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      Returning back to this comment over a year later, and all the memories still rush back to me when listening.

    • @eliasabbas8450
      @eliasabbas8450 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Beautiful comment.

    • @alfredwegener9813
      @alfredwegener9813 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      corny ahh comment 💀. sounds beautiful tho

    • @bean_boy4511
      @bean_boy4511 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      @@alfredwegener9813
      Yeah, a bit corny, but can you blame me lol

  • @PieInTheSky9
    @PieInTheSky9 7 ปีที่แล้ว +62

    The section at 34:33 is some of the most beautiful writing in all of piano literature.

    • @Tangerine__blue
      @Tangerine__blue 7 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Echoherb 37:25 also. So calm

    • @Ikari1212
      @Ikari1212 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I fell for that, lol.

    • @sillygoose2215
      @sillygoose2215 7 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Wow now I have to go all the way back to where I left off

    • @EricLeePiano
      @EricLeePiano 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      i love the part starting at 34:33 especially 34:52 - 34:58!

    • @romki1810
      @romki1810 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Echoherb I think the same, it is really beautiful.

  • @kylelandry
    @kylelandry 5 ปีที่แล้ว +833

    Wow love these structural analyzations !!!

    • @megumichan3150
      @megumichan3150 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      GAHH KYLEEEEEEEE XD

    • @my_family_journal
      @my_family_journal 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Kyle Landry I love you🌷🌷🌷

    • @jamesshin4901
      @jamesshin4901 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      So good to see you here, Kyle!

    • @AssistantRegionalMgr
      @AssistantRegionalMgr 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Kyle?? The Kyle Landry? I didn’t expect to find your comments here

    • @pivotmaster9556
      @pivotmaster9556 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      lol its called sheet music

  • @HansWurst-xj7xh
    @HansWurst-xj7xh 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    Before discovering Cho Seong-Jin, I always listened to three recordings of the fourth Ballade: Zimmerman, Horowitz and Cortot. Zimmerman for hearing what's written and to help with practice, although I always found his a bit boring, Horowitz for the energy bursts and his great staccato in certain passages and Cortot for the poetic feeling and the (sometimes dangerous) ambition in some passages. Cho Seong-Jin has something of them all and even more! Absolutely marvellous!

  • @maxfiniss
    @maxfiniss 2 ปีที่แล้ว +43

    34:33 - breathtaking. After the meandering lushness of the first eight minutes, this melodic line just floats with such clarity and simplicity. And he does this by doing the opposite of what most pianists do here by backing off the pedal, p-pp, and voicing the rh to let the single line shine through unadorned. So beautiful.

  • @darquoy
    @darquoy 7 ปีที่แล้ว +110

    Ballades played that way tell us how much seong Jin cho deserved his Chopin prize - btw no need to be polish to get that Chopin feeling - both Chopin and mr Cho are God sent - cause being able to feel these masterpieces the way he does at the age he has is like a miracle to me... Thank you Cho for showing us the best of Chopin coming from your heart. I love You.

    • @seouloverpark2332
      @seouloverpark2332 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Roland Schimpf Thanks Mr Schimpf for your not Schimpfwort but a charming comments ~ I agree with you totally. "Cho & Cho-pin", what a miraculous gift for "Musikliebhaber unsere Zeit"!

  • @mralcina8726
    @mralcina8726 4 ปีที่แล้ว +125

    Don't know if i like Zimerman's or Seong-Jin's interpretations better, they are both amazing

    • @ayhamshaheed7740
      @ayhamshaheed7740 3 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      True. Both are champions of the ballades. Untouchable by everyone else as far as I’ve seen

    • @cynthiaflorencio3498
      @cynthiaflorencio3498 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      You've said it all. Same for me here

    • @edzielinski
      @edzielinski 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Agreed. Why focus on just one when you can enjoy both for what they offer? At a certain level, art transcends normal life, and for me it's no longer about comparisons and all about the experience.

    • @nunyabusiness4606
      @nunyabusiness4606 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      I like Zimerman better. But Cho is still amazing

  • @hoangdang6142
    @hoangdang6142 3 ปีที่แล้ว +41

    19:40, I can believe how good the melody is, I felt in love with it. It's so calm and peaceful...

    • @jorgefraile218
      @jorgefraile218 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      My favourite ballade of all time

    • @stephenjackson5065
      @stephenjackson5065 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Chopin works wonders with his melodies. I think the third Ballade really showcases this. They are just so unique but still sound lovely.

  • @vedantdave579
    @vedantdave579 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    Wow. That 3rd ballade just hits different. Where did the notion of it being "weaker" than the rest ever come from?

  • @arielchaconrojas9781
    @arielchaconrojas9781 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    This is the best interpretation of 8:24 I've ever heard. You can feel the absolute blast of intensity channeled and then dropped on that low note

  • @user-kw7eg1pe8w
    @user-kw7eg1pe8w 5 ปีที่แล้ว +192

    05:15 젤 조아하는 파트당...

    • @user-eg6xm7cp1b
      @user-eg6xm7cp1b 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      저도 맨 첨이랑 이부분 좋아해여ㅜㅜ

    • @zlatevlad5887
      @zlatevlad5887 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      same

    • @user-kw7eg1pe8w
      @user-kw7eg1pe8w 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      머야 언제 85개 됐어 감삼당 히히

    • @beom0653
      @beom0653 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      와 한국인 오랜만에 본닼ㅋㅋ 외국거만 찾아보다가 첨봄ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

    • @minsungkim8903
      @minsungkim8903 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      전 (15:56) 16:15

  • @xcj1982
    @xcj1982 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    So precious!

  • @jeffreymeijer933
    @jeffreymeijer933 2 ปีที่แล้ว +22

    36:40 The dynamics and voicing here are absolutely insane! Usually people stay big here but he really dims it down to get big later

  • @sdfgrsd
    @sdfgrsd 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    1 and 4 are unreal

  • @LukeZX4
    @LukeZX4 7 ปีที่แล้ว +142

    Cho's renditions of the 2nd and 3rd ballades are absolutely beautiful, and I argue that they're the best I have ever heard. His 1st and 4th are also wonderfully expressive. With winning the Chopin Competition and this album, he has already affirmed himself as a legend in the making.

  • @SkyFoxTale
    @SkyFoxTale 3 ปีที่แล้ว +53

    #4 is the most beautiful piano piece of all time

    • @tylerperry5501
      @tylerperry5501 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      you're not lying

    • @PieInTheSky9
      @PieInTheSky9 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Not easy to disagree with this

    • @timward276
      @timward276 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      You're not wrong. First time I heard it was on a classical station in Baltimore when I was 17. Garrick Ohlsson was playing it. I just remember hearing the opening melody sing out, and I was struck literally speechless.

    • @BRNRDNCK
      @BRNRDNCK ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@timward276 I first heard it on headphones at age 14. I was in the sun with wind blowing, and within 30 seconds I felt like I was floating.

  • @alvexok5523
    @alvexok5523 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    This music is beautiful

  • @fugueholic
    @fugueholic 5 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    I truly love and support this yet young but prominently mature pianist, Cho Seong-jin, expecting his bright, bright future.

  • @Peculate
    @Peculate 2 ปีที่แล้ว +35

    The harmonies at 8:13 are so amazing and forward-looking for Chopin's time. He is strongly, repeatedly emphasizing the 7th scale degree (F#) in the melody, over a #4 fully diminished 7th chord (C#o7), which wants so desperately to resolve to the dominant, which is reaffirmed by the D in the bass. It's an accented non-chord tone that makes it sound like a kind of C#o7 / DM7 polychord, or for fellow jazz musicians a GmM13#11/D.
    Note how the chord has not one but TWO major sevenths in it (between the D and C# and the G and F#).
    And as if that weren't enough, he then resolves the 7th in the melody unexpectedly to the 9th (A), which makes a THIRD major seventh.
    It's so dissonant yet so beautiful, tugging at your heartstrings with painful sorrow.
    To our modern ears, jaded by post-tertian harmony, it might not sound revolutionary, but imagine how it would have sounded then.

  • @rachmj
    @rachmj 4 ปีที่แล้ว +186

    Coda
    No.1 8:17~
    No.2 16:09~
    No.3 24:51~
    No.4 36:14~
    I love the melody right before move on to coda
    so I included it in range😉

  • @thelittleoneh4881
    @thelittleoneh4881 3 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    I Dare to say that Cho's sounds .. . . Most touching in my heart and pleasant to my ears.

  • @GalactixFX
    @GalactixFX ปีที่แล้ว +9

    The chromatic scales are so majestic..

  • @jacopastorius319
    @jacopastorius319 7 ปีที่แล้ว +72

    this No.4 makes me cry

  • @celesteaida48
    @celesteaida48 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Can’t help myself ❤❤❤ just love it!
    Grazie velvet touch Maestro!

  • @isabelle-tt2rz
    @isabelle-tt2rz 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    cannot believe the way he interprets ballade 3. Since the part of coda, he expresses the piece as if storm is slowly devouring the melody. Interesting to see him using pedals to deliberately crush the sounds, and emphasizing left hand for maximizing the darkness of the notes. Such a wonderful rendering, cho!

  • @Julia-uu7fs
    @Julia-uu7fs 6 ปีที่แล้ว +31

    조성진의 쇼팽 발라드...너무 좋아요...😭😭

  • @christianvennemann9008
    @christianvennemann9008 5 ปีที่แล้ว +246

    I honestly think this interpretation is up there with Zimerman's; and I truly believe Cho will be regarded as one of the best pianists of the 21st century.

    • @mikolinek13ziom
      @mikolinek13ziom 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Zimerman is waaay better

    • @christianvennemann9008
      @christianvennemann9008 3 ปีที่แล้ว +55

      @@mikolinek13ziom Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man. In all seriousness, I didn't state it as a matter of fact that Cho's interpretation was better. I just said that it was my opinion that Cho's is up there with Zimerman's interpretation (however, I will give you that Zimerman's interpretation is probably the gold standard for the Four Ballades).

    • @dariotovar1886
      @dariotovar1886 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Agreed

    • @louisvalencia5244
      @louisvalencia5244 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@mikolinek13ziom Why Zimmerman is better???

    • @Numberonesorabjifan
      @Numberonesorabjifan 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@mikolinek13ziom I agree that he is better, but only slightly.

  • @thegreenpianist7683
    @thegreenpianist7683 7 ปีที่แล้ว +52

    Amazing first ballade especially the coda, his coda is Incredible
    All of them were amazing tbh

    • @lcc9769
      @lcc9769 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      TheGreenPianist indeed, great dynamics.

  • @nickk8416
    @nickk8416 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Great stuff as always AXK. These 4 Ballades along with a few Beethoven Sonatas and Rach 2 I could not live without. Desert Island stuff. Wonderful playing. I've noticed some interesting fingurings I need to try too. Thanks

  • @bruniasha
    @bruniasha 7 ปีที่แล้ว +162

    Chopin is my favourite composer. He exactly opened a new life for me. I adore playing his music on piano and I love to learn new things from him. Now I learn the first ballade.
    I've never heard about this pianist before, but when I found this video.. Oh, God, I think I'm crying. It's so wonderful and beautiful. I'm kinda melting like an ice-cream from this.

    • @richardszalai5230
      @richardszalai5230 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Be carefull whit the first balade . I know just 10 % perfectly and the 40% i know, but not perfectly . the next 50% i dont know .

    • @sheshebella2392
      @sheshebella2392 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Same

    • @puertecitos6888
      @puertecitos6888 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    • @alokjohn8208
      @alokjohn8208 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      He does Chopin the best imo

  • @christinarhee9251
    @christinarhee9251 7 ปีที่แล้ว +131

    This is just perfect.. It's so sensitive and at the same time it is so deep to understand his interpretation of Chopin. He truly expresses Chopin I guess.

  • @djmotise
    @djmotise 6 ปีที่แล้ว +67

    There is so much stunning excellence in this entire recording that one has no idea where to begin. He is one of the greatest pianists and musicians that ever walked the planet.

  • @timward276
    @timward276 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Those 5 quiet chords in the 4th ballade feel like you're in the eye of the hurricane, before the storm starts up again in the coda.

  • @Numberonesorabjifan
    @Numberonesorabjifan 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    16:15 he really took the "agitato" personally

  • @federicoferretti1030
    @federicoferretti1030 4 ปีที่แล้ว +44

    Wow! He sounds like he always is in full control of the instrument, everything feels so measured and exactly were it should be. These recordings genuinely made me sing along the melody.

  • @juliangst
    @juliangst 5 ปีที่แล้ว +38

    Seong-Jin Cho is by far my favourite pianist of all time!

  • @low_quality_films
    @low_quality_films 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Im glad your lie in April introduced me to this beautiful piece

  • @brioche5845
    @brioche5845 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    This "mysterious" silence at 13:27 sound ironically beautiful and strong to me, it's like it tell you the brutal end of a story, but finally she's not finished yet. Like life is an eternal circle like this, the same melody repeat, it begin for someone and still end for another one, and sometimes in your life you will have hard times... Fucking exactly as this entire n°2 Ballade.

  • @Admiralmeriweather
    @Admiralmeriweather 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    Fabulous. I can play the first ballade just enough to know what a masterclass in voicing and phrasing this is

  • @yubby1873
    @yubby1873 3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    I chose to watch this video to help me study but it is impossible to focus on my work when I can't help myself but to awe every second of this majestical playing of Cho Seong- Jin. This is honestly absolutely beautiful.

  • @sehankwon9515
    @sehankwon9515 4 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    조성진의 레코딩에서 알프레드 코르또의 향기가 난다.. 특히 2번 코다 부분에 분산화음을 정박으로 연주하는 것이 아니고 루바토로 연주하는 것은 현대 레코딩에서 잘 찾아볼 수 없는 요소인데 정말 대단하고 쇼팽에 대해 완벽하게 이해하고 있다는게 몸으로 느껴진다.

  • @empireentertainmentevents1353
    @empireentertainmentevents1353 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    CHOPIN composed so many deep moving pieces, it does boggles one's mind how someone who was born in war torn Poland at that time can produce such astonishing music...unique only to Chopin which no other composer can emulate. Thank you Chopin for your contribution to the world. Though you are no longer with us, your music lives on forever. RIP Chopin. You are beyond amazing!

  • @zachpiker1091
    @zachpiker1091 3 ปีที่แล้ว +53

    Generally for the ballades I prefer Zimerman, however there is no doubt that Seong-Jin Cho plays these masterpieces with an insane amount of respect and purposefulness. In fact, I think that I actually prefer his ballade 1 coda to Zimerman's. This is without a doubt one of the best recordings of these pieces that exists today. Someone once told me that Seong-Jin Cho's playing is "anti-virtuousic" and I have thought about it and I have to say that I agree. Thanks for posting and thanks for the structural analyses as well! :)

    • @rattywoof5259
      @rattywoof5259 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Try Ashkenazy's 1960s recording on Decca (re-issued on CD) - my favourite of all, but I'm not daft enough to say it's 'the best'. Different interpretations and preferences are what make music the great art form that it is.

    • @RioPradipto
      @RioPradipto 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      When I attended zimmerman's piano recital few years ago (he played scherzi), they were each different to his recordings that are available on youtube. Of course it was way better to listen the piece in the hall (live) cause I was immersed in his playing that I forget how it was but beautiful playing. I think sometimes pianist has some kind inconsistency with his/her way on playing. If you were there, you would forget everything about analysing it and what you probably wanted would probably "I wish he played more" xD
      But yesh. different interpretations is what makes classical music great otherwise it'll be monotonous (well duh). I prefer to have a lot of selection of pianists than listening to one specific pianist.

    • @jlole9460
      @jlole9460 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Zimmerman actually praised seongjin-cho

  • @giacomocasartelli5503
    @giacomocasartelli5503 7 ปีที่แล้ว +35

    I bought his cd 3 months ago, I love how his ballades sound

  • @romki1810
    @romki1810 7 ปีที่แล้ว +37

    Seong-jin Cho is one of my favorite pianists

  • @tabletgamer2
    @tabletgamer2 7 ปีที่แล้ว +47

    100% certain this is the best 2nd ballade I've ever heard. Incredible.

  • @poplife123
    @poplife123 5 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    Deserved win .....saw him in London just after .... his playing was exemplary.

    • @yuji2631
      @yuji2631 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      poplife123 you’re so lucky😭

  • @carmelmtoussaint1481
    @carmelmtoussaint1481 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    Chopin will always be remembered for his contribution to the evolution of musical language. As witnessed by his virtuosity and innate sense of harmony, Chopin has expressed the many levels of human emotion.

  • @user-po2fh9ux1h
    @user-po2fh9ux1h 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    6:04~ It is really addictive and refreshing to come down clearly and lightly from the part that starts with and suddenly pull it gently into legato.

  • @user-wz3mw9jf6t
    @user-wz3mw9jf6t 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    내가 4개의 발라드를 숨도 안쉬고 초초집중해서 듣다니.. 조성진만이 할수있음..

  • @ludwig4029
    @ludwig4029 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    29:02 how can something that beautiful even exist

  • @nathaniello9733
    @nathaniello9733 2 ปีที่แล้ว +37

    Perfect voicing at 6:09 just speechless

  • @kenyang687
    @kenyang687 5 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    The attention to detail in this version is really breathtaking.

  • @LordGreystoke
    @LordGreystoke 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Ballad 2 is so exquisite in its beauty. That intro always makes me think of the Civil War era. Like the Union soldiers are coming home, victors but having survived a brutal conflict and the South is defeated.

  • @Dylonely42
    @Dylonely42 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    About 35 minutes of pure beauty…

  • @Iamcwinge1234
    @Iamcwinge1234 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    32:08 tears every time

  • @thetecnos6821
    @thetecnos6821 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    I think that the coda of the first Ballade is the best i’ve ever heard

  • @pongproductions9703
    @pongproductions9703 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Just watched the Pianist. Needless to say, this song has a new meaning for me.

  • @user-id7ti1vm8n
    @user-id7ti1vm8n ปีที่แล้ว +4

    The first Ballade is my favorite piece of Chopin and it will be my favorite one for my entire life.. It is such an emotional piece, pure beauty !

  • @Virtualmuzyk
    @Virtualmuzyk 7 ปีที่แล้ว +47

    Beautifully played ...that's what I use to listen in my country Poland others played... That's the feeling that's ballade ! with all moods and feelings. Bravo.

  • @Rachman01
    @Rachman01 4 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    Aahh, that third balade's inner voicings are magical.

  • @zachbarry1992
    @zachbarry1992 3 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    22:41 the voicing is insane

  • @IvyTeaRN
    @IvyTeaRN 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    1 is the most beautifully tragic and intensely interwoven pieces ever, the way Chopin alters the first theme for the second part of the second to create this juxtaposition between this reminisce/dream for the ideal world and the bleak reality is genius. Also the mirror reprise in which this altered second theme is structured to come first and directly contrast the first theme which has the final say and kills any hope for the better tommorow and then the coda(just like the introduction) wraps everything up so fittingly in a tragically-epic manner...a piece in a league of its own

  • @bigkahunauk1
    @bigkahunauk1 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Bellissimo 🥰

  • @maxgodtankspubg3089
    @maxgodtankspubg3089 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    My favorite piece by anyone is ballade no 1, and even better, it is played by my favorite artist

  • @mir7359
    @mir7359 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    When I listen to this I feel all the deepen soul of mankind, it’s good it’s sorrows it’s obscurity, the mystery we live in. In the inexorable flowing of time there is a piano and somebody playing this.

  • @spectralanalysis
    @spectralanalysis 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Everytime I listen to these pieces, I feel like I'm listening to opera.

  • @nunyabusiness4606
    @nunyabusiness4606 2 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    Best Ballade #2 in existence IMO. You can really feel the agitato during the coda.

  • @user-sf6rz6fw6e
    @user-sf6rz6fw6e ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Браво, незабываемое исполнение это шедевры в руках исполнителя.

  • @davidfranklin272
    @davidfranklin272 5 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    Nicely played. Lots of feeling.

  • @thelittlegumnut
    @thelittlegumnut 5 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    The opening of the 3rd Ballade... it's like a casual acknowledgement of something beautiful that ought to be appreciated.

  • @NaudPeters
    @NaudPeters 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

    Overall godly performance but where he really shines for me is his timing. It's so easy to sound overly dramatic or not give a passage the space it needs, but he's just spot on each and every time.

  • @JessicaSarapoff
    @JessicaSarapoff 3 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    Simply gorgeous and heartbreakingly sumptuous. I'm discovering this pianist. My heart, brain and soul exploded. The third is a bit too sugary to my taste, but the rest... And top of it all, he never tries to show off, always with tremendous sensibility.
    Thank you for uploading this recording.

  • @qooo8720
    @qooo8720 7 ปีที่แล้ว +81

    와 .. 감탄밖에안나온다