Louis Kentner plays Chopin Ballade No. 1 in G minor Op. 23

[flugelmaniac]

Dear Pianopera....revised version re pedalling!(ignore my first comment.)

pedal down right through G minor upward runs...pedal up immediately after releasing top note of run... silent bottom G and pedal simultaneously immediately depressed and held until dotted crotchet G minor chord...then syncopated pedal with this chord!!!.....

[pianopera]

@flugelmaniac Yes, he wants to create a continuous mysterious bass sound by this effect. But I think the sudden silence between the furious g minor unisono scales and the soft g minor chords is important too, because it gives an important dramatic effect... which is missing completely here.

[flugelmaniac]

@pianopera ....totally agree

[flugelmaniac]

Dear Pianopera,.....regards this pedal effect at the end.......I think he used

sycopated pedal with the top note of the two upward G minor runs ,then next immediately silently depressed the bottom G without releasing the pedal again until another sycopated pedal after the first G minor chord......

A very unusual effect for this piece.....but quite Lisztian...which of course fits with our Mr K.entner..Kentner was also a great authority on pedalling technique,so that fits too,hey?

[pianopera]

One of the greatest Liszt-interpreters, but also very convincing in Chopin!

Interesting pedal-effect at 8:24, he is holding the bass notes with sostenuto (middle) pedal. Of course that pedal wasn't invented yet in Chopin's time.

Btw, from what year is this recording?

[gullivior]

@pianopera the LP is from 1964 (recording date is not specified, however I think early '60s)..

[pianopera]

@gullivior Thanks! Now that I listen carefully again, I don't think he was using middle pedal... he was pressing down the keys silently (at the g minor chords), changing right pedal immediately after it for a special effect. Schumann had a similar effect in mind at the end of "Paganini" (Carnaval)...

[gullivior]

@pianopera I think he obtain this effect by pressing immediately the bass notes without sound, without the sostenuto pedal



[gullivior]

@pianopera ops! ! I crossed your comment..

[pianopera]

@gullivior Great minds think (or listen) alike! ;-)

[tuisunn]

simply great !!!!! Thanks,thanks, thanks