Arthur Rubinstein plays Chopin Ballade #2 in F Major, Op. 38

Arthur Rubinstein plays Chopin Ballade #2 in F Major, Op. 38 .

One of my favorite songs due to the abrupt change in temperament.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• arthur
• rubinstein
• chopin
• ballade
• F major
• op. 38
• piano
• romantic
• music

[bmossade]

no i think it is just as amazing as all his other epic pieces. it wraps up a whole lifetime's feelings into under 7 minutes. love, pain, anguish, find joy again, but again it is taken away. all of life's struggles. this is what it conjures up for me: you're going about your quiet peaceful life minding your own business, raising your family. then war and revolution happen and throw your whole world into unimaginable chaos. your life is thrown into turmoil, you struggle to get your life back....

[PianoForteAndrew]

to me, the sad ending is equivalent to the ending of a sad story (some say it was based on one, though im not so sure). i get the same 'feeling' of loss when i hear the last bars of this ballade, which shows really the power of music; it can communicate emotions in the same way as words and stories.

[MozartK365]

@gkatta the least easy to fall in love with would be his 3rd ballade, for me at least

[throwscats]

@MozartK365 I thought so, too, for the longest time. Then, one day, it suddenly resonated with me very deeply, and now I love it.

My teacher played it for me, recently, and brought out many lines in the music that I didn't even realize were there, and it cemented it for me.

[Bristlehoth]

@Kinjutsuu I understand what you mean.

[dsm2240]

The beginning to me shows the influence of Mozart's K 313.

[Kinjutsuu]

Actually I dislike the first ballade. There are some really thrilling passages, but mostly I think it's just too... how shall I put this delicately... "Chopin" kinda piece, I don't know how to describe it really, but a lot of pieces by Chopin just sound too much like Chopin.

Often those major passages

Don't get me wrong, I love his etudes, impromptus, heroique polanaise, a couple of his waltzes, but again most of his waltzes just have that "superficial" feel.

But I LOVE the 2nd ballade!!!!!!

[dhollandpiano]

I believe this is by far the best recording of this piece.

Rubinstein takes time with all the details and score indications.

On the level of composition this piece is about the destruction of the opening key of F Major and its replacement by A Minor. The coda doesn't even include B Flat in the key signature.

I also agree that this is about the destruction of Chopin's life as he knew it. Does anyone have any ideas about the opening? It seems like a cradle song or perhaps a barcarole.

[audreyhsux5727]

@MozartK365 i second that

[ilovechopin11]

@audreyhsux5727 You have a point :)

[audreyhsux5727]

@kingurfay hes telling us thu the whole song...

[audreyhsux5727]

@ilovechopin11 and kissin's hair isn't strange?