LDV14

18 You’ve decided to couple the four ballades with the Prelude op.45, the Scherzo no.4, and the Barcarolle. Why did you select these as a complement? First of all, it was a foregone conclusion that my first Chopin disc would feature the ballades, given the place they’ve occupied for so long inmymusical universe. I could have coupled themwith the four scherzos, as others have done, but I thought there was something too systematic about that, whichmade me less than enthusiastic. I preferred to follow the ballades with an exploration of the later Chopin in the Fourth Scherzo and the Barcarolle. The Prelude op.45 was written between the Second Ballade and the Third and is an incredibly modern piece. Chopin’s last years display an extraordinary evolution of his musical language, with a harmonic freedom and a refinement that look far into the future. In that respect, the Fourth Ballade is already in the category of late Chopin, even if it doesn’t possess quite the same colour as the Fourth Scherzo or the Barcarolle; it’s still darker than they are, more dramatic in character, closer to the other ballades. Let’s take a more detailed look at each of the pieces in your programme, starting with the First Ballade in G minor op.23. This is the most epic of the ballades, a sweeping panorama, and still a very Polish Chopin, grieved by the recent sufferings of his country. But one can also link this score to the composer’s feelings for Maria Wodzińska. Heroism, love, passion: the Ballade op.23 is a real whirlwind, the work of a very impetuous musician indeed, with its breathtaking coda! In textural terms, we are still verymuch in a perspective of ‘accompanied melody’, typical of the young Chopin. CHOPIN