F. Chopin - Ballade no. 3 in A flat major op. 47 - Analysis. Greg Niemczuk's lecture.

#allchopin #chopin #chopinproject #lecture
Concert pianist describes and analizes Chopin's Masterpieces for the piano.
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[@elias7748]

I can't play this piece and it's beyond my level. I just love watching your analytical videos on Chopin's pieces to get a better understanding of his music. Thank you.

[@gregniemczuk]

Thanks for watching and being here! Maybe one day you'll reach the level to be able to play it! Good luck

[@peternorton592]

A revelation! I felt that the conclusion was somehow addressed directly to me, as a music lover who is not a musician: “There are also many other ways” to understand this work. “The beauty of music is that everybody can understand it the way they want, and my goal is just to show you my way-and most of all to tell you in simple words how it’s written, because I know that for most of music lovers it’s quite difficult to get it just by listening. Of course you get the beauty. But when you go deeper, then you can understand more. And I hope now you understand more, and you will listen to this ballade in a different way.” Yes, I got the beauty decades ago. But thanks to you, I understand so much more, and I will forever listen to this ballade in a different way. And I can say this not only about this lecture about this work, but about your other lectures about other works as well. Thank you!

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you so much! That's why I post these videos.

[@alicialoveschopin6774]

Love your passion. I’m currently learning this piece, just started the part of team no.3, and it’s already hurting my brain :) Appreciated your effort and generosity, the videos are really helpful. Thanks again.

[@MarkKlett]

That was brilliant Greg, thank you so much for your hard work in analyzing this amazing piece of music! I'm going to be learning this piece and teaching it to a very talented student. I will be sure to include many pieces of this analysis during my teaching of the music. I will also point the student to your channel as a resource for great explanations of the classical repertoire. Keep up the great work!

[@gregniemczuk]

Wonderful!! I'm so happy Mark! Good luck and stay in touch!

[@youngliverfailure6536]

It's so obvious when someone understands the music, the composer and speaks from his heart. You are the perfect person for interpreting Chopin and it's incredible you decided to share it online

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you so much! It was because of the pandemic....and apparently I started to love it! To love sharing it to the world

[@esauponce9759]

What a beautiful analysis of this masterpiece! Thank you so much!

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you very much!

[@cunite9263]

This pianist is so handsome! He doesn't look 48 but impressed me as in his 20s.Even when he reaches 50yrs old, he would still look the same😘

[@gregniemczuk]

Hahahahahah, I'm "only" 39

[@simontabz]

Another FANTASTIC analysis on this magnificent piece. You have given me a newfound appreciation for this piece. This either my most favorite ballade or second favorite after No. 2. And this was actually the first Chopin ballade I was exposed to, and the only I listened to for a very long time, so it has a special place in my musical heart. I never thought of all the musical complexities of this piece before this video. Your analysis has been truly eye-opening. Thank you very much for this. This has finally now convinced me to learn this piece and skip number 2 (for now).

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you so much!! Good to see you here!

[@minae1960]

Every time I watch this video I learn something new. I can not thank you enough. Such a broad knowledge,,, the interpretation of this song is so accurate to my ears.. unlimited appreciation to your work. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you so much!!!!

[@jbondy6395]

I think there is another story, the same story as the "Raindrop Prelude". The bio of George Sand describes how she and Chopin traveled by boat to Majorca one winter (section 1). They took a donkey cart up a mountainside to a monastery (section 2). The road was dangerous (minor section). They danced and had parties (section C). Chopin had nightmares (c-sharp minor section with repeated g-sharp, just like Raindrop Prelude). But he can later look back on the whole incident with triumph (conclusion).

[@gregniemczuk]

Wow! Sounds interesting and convincing. But I focused more on the structure which is fascinating. Thanks for sharing this!

[@laowei7279]

Thanks for your revealing analysis! Btw., I also found very inspiring (and poetic) notes by Cortot in his "Edition de Travail".

[@ewapiano1222]

Good evening Marstro again,good evenig everybody music lovers!Greetings from very coldł and white Warsaw

[@RonojitBhuyan]

thank you so much greg!- you were so helpful and insightful. I'm playing this piece for my masters auditions/competitions. The analysis brought a new life to my playing and character to the piece, thanks again- definitely subbed and will share your channel as well!

[@gregniemczuk]

Wow, I'm so happy to hear that! Good luck and have fun with this beautiful music!!

[@mandarinchiki-x3s]

What an amazing lecture...Your passion and feeling of the music are fascinating! Also, what piano are you playing on? The sound is so wonderful..

[@ewapiano1222]

can you imagine 19 th century woman on the horse in beautifull park?

[@ewapiano1222]

after this part we can see a very beautifull viev and more persons

[@bergraff]

Fantastic!! Very interesting analysis of the « story »!! Thank You! It will help me greatly for the interpretation of this piece!

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you! Good luck! Please share it if you like!

[@martinezgutierrezluisenriq633]

I have no words to explain how amazed i am, it's absolutely stunning the way you explain with such a passion the ballade, This Is the first Video i found of you and im already in Love with your content

[@gregniemczuk]

Hi Martin! Welcome to my musical world! I hope you will enjoy every video - I made them about almost all Chopin's music for piano!

[@vripiatbuzoi9188]

Looking forward to your more in-depth analysis for musicians.

[@minae1960]

I loved your interpretation of this beautiful Ballade, thank you so much.

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you! I appreciate it!

[@bluepearl4806]

I love your analyses very much!!! every motive become meaningful sounds deeper you ecplain so beautifuly you inspire us and we become more curious..😊 an other very delightful video thank you so much!!!💐💐💐💐💐💕💕💕💕💕🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@NoirFranz]

Thank you for your lecture, this will absolutely help me with this piece! 💯 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.❤

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you!

[@StephenGottPianist]

Very informative thank you. I'm working on this at the moment.

[@The5thSphinx]

Wow! Just.......WOW!!! Since childhood, Chopin has been my favorite, and no one has been able to top him. His ballades are my favorites of all his works. The journey and "exploration" you did of this work took me to a totally new understanding of it. BRAVO!!!

[@gregniemczuk]

Thanks!!!! Welcome to watch all the other videos ! There are more than 120 of them lol

[@Felven]

amazing analysis of my favorite ballade! thank you for making this content!

[@ericrakestraw664]

I was surprised to hear that this is the most difficult to play of the Chopin ballades. I remember in college my piano professor bragged that she could play this ballade in her sleep. For the record, I agree with you on the difficulty of the Third Ballade, especially the stormy development section before the triumphant return of the first theme.

[@ewapiano1222]

*Maestro,cold

[@martadrozd9373]

wow !

[@donvarner3891]

Absolutely amazing content. Thank you for these amazing videos!!!

[@CLdanse]

Wonderful ! Thank you for being both so entertaining and so deeply articulate !

[@maywu3161]

Auto caption error: s/b THEME not TEAM

[@raaghavgoel3966]

Thanks for an amazing video, this was so helpful! Would you be able to please post the link for the full text from the National Chopin Institute website? I would love to read it through entirely as well :) Thanks!!

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you. Of course! chopin.nifc.pl/en/chopin/kompozycja/110

[@raaghavgoel3966]

Thank you so much!!

[@zdzislawmeglicki2262]

This first theme getting kidnapped and only returning in its full glory in the coda is reminiscent of the first movement of Sonata #3. There the first theme is omitted in the recapitulation too, and only returns in the coda as the "hand of God" is being repeated in rising scales towards the final chord. You showed us that! By the way, have you done the analysis of the cello sonata? Now that would be a feast.

[@gregniemczuk]

You're absolutely correct! Oh no... I need a cellist for that!

[@zdzislawmeglicki2262]

@@gregniemczuk Matthew 7:7

[@salifscott4664]

@@zdzislawmeglicki2262 shut

[@rwbrazis]

Wow! Thank you for your explanation of this ballade. Really helped my understanding of it. Look forward to watching more of your videos.

[@gregniemczuk]

I'm happy to hear that! I made such videos about every single Chopin's piece!

[@rachmaninovatan]

Thank you

[@jyandel1]

Spectacular lecture! 3 was my first ballade I learned so it holds a special place in my heart. Unfortunately it gets overlooked by the others (which are fantastic of course), and I’m very grateful you’ve done it justice here!

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you Jonathan!

[@XanderMoss]

Chopin was such a genius, i believe Ballade 2 and 3 are connected. Ballade 2 first part and ballade 3 second part has the same "heart beat" rhythm and almost identical melody feeling. Maybe after the catastrophe from Ballade 2 the third one is like the rebirth but it would be "cheap" to reveal it immediately, so he kept it for the second part!

[@gregniemczuk]

Very interesting and enriching idea!!!

[@ewapiano1222]

after this I can see something sad , Chopin's dram?ilness?on the really end I can imagine his crying or so on..agree with difficulties of his life?

[@ewapiano1222]

the most of people understand this as happy end,me-not

[@gregniemczuk]

But it's in major!

[@ewapiano1222]

beautifull!!

[@hpdw5630]

Great analysis! Is it weird that i find the beautiful part at 33:08 close to part B from the first ballade?

[@gregniemczuk]

Yes!!! Só true! I also like to compare it

[@chopinfanclub6672]

Your videos will save me

[@miguelisaurusbruh1158]

you need more pedal

[@gregniemczuk]

That's the original pedal written by Chopin. I know our ears are used to the longer pedal used by majority of the pianists but I decided to follow Chopin's instructions.

[@miguelisaurusbruh1158]

@@gregniemczuk oh ok

[@artinmadadiPianist]

❤️❤️❤️

[@romaindoyard9127]

Magnifique. Le tout début me fait beaucoup penser à la bourree no1.

[@cunite9263]

As a pianist myself, Chopin is really my favorite Romantic composer of all time! I'm currently studying this Ballade as there is something intriguing about the music and not as difficult to play as the other Ballades☺

[@gregniemczuk]

Yes. Good to see you here! Good luck with that and all the other Chopin's masterpieces!

[@Jessica-si5wo]

Thank you so much 😘 !!!

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you Jessica!

[@vitortadeucarramaomello4491]

I love this ballade too I played it when I was 18.

[@wedemeyerr]

Я если честно так наслаждаться как ты играл, што сильно испугался когда ты прекратил играть 🥲

[@jonathanteller6550]

30:00 What exactly makes the theme change to a Minor from a Major? Is it the changing of a few key chords to minor, or is it the changing of all the chords to minor ?

[@gregniemczuk]

In this case everything is in a different key so all the chord are minor

[@sunareekaewnat8967]

Greg the more I study this ballade the more I believe that the whole approach to try and tie the ballades to a “story’ is wrong. Chopin may have chosen to call them ballades, but the more appropriate question is why he chose to write these extended pieces that 1) are not sonatas 2) are longer and more complex than the nocturnes, mazurkas and scherzos and contain codas that are in general far more difficult than 98% of the music Chopin wrote. My personal view is that the ballades were written to be emotional journeys that broke with traditional forms of musical structure in piano music and take the listener through an evolution of emotion as a common idea is contemplated upon. Thus the central interpretive question is how the appearances of the themes that are repeated are balanced and constrasted.

[@gregniemczuk]

Yes, I think I can agree with you. My "stories" and explaining in this video is created to help non musicians, music lovers with no musical knowledge and complete amateurs to better understand and follow the construction of this, and all other three, complex works.

[@sunareekaewnat8967]

@@gregniemczuk I think of Chopin as a quiet revolutionary, who like Richard Wagner made the decision that he was going to transform the genre of music he chose to focus on. Unlike Wagner, he did not build his whole public persona around this goal but chose to do so through the music itself. If there is one unifying idea through Chopin's work, it is that every form of composition for the piano can be infused with emotional depth. Czerny's work was universally acclaimed and utilized, even by Chopin with his own students, to advance piano pedagogy, but Chopin decided to write etudes that were every bit as practical yet far more beautiful musically. Likewise, Chopin understood the incredible utility of Bach's Well Tempered Clavier as a guide to composition, yet wrote preludes that spanned the emotional landscape on top of a common musical theme. In his early twenties, I think Chopin made the conscious decision that he was not going to follow in the footsteps of Beethoven, whose piano composition centered on the creation of sonatas, but to explore myriad forms. And while he may have admired Liszt as a pianist, he chose to limit the writing of virtuosic passages within his music so that it was not outside the realm of the bottom 98% of those who played piano seriously, but were not prodigies.

[@sissi7746]

Merci!

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you!!!!

[@1NBLOG]

Una joya esta pieza a mi parecer , y en tus manos un placer!!😍

[@gregniemczuk]

Gracias!!!

[@RolandHuettmann]

Your piano is completely out of tune! This needs to be fixed before presenting to the public. Not? Then -- I think -- too much is moving. Chopin needs no additional gestures of any kind. I learned to control my mimics and movements a bit when my teacher told me what appeared distracting and showed tenseness. Especially this piece needs calmness -- also in the body. The analysis is always helpful. Thank you.

[@gregniemczuk]

Dear Roland. Look at the date when it was recorded..... This whole project was recorded during DEEP COVID LOCK-DOWN. No tuner available, nothing available...... I was publishing videos every weekend for almost two years, covering all Chopin's music for piano..... I put the emphasis on what I say rather than the perfection of the piano itself. Also, those videos were especially made for non-musicians, simply music lovers with no musical education. For them the tuning makes no difference.

[@medeia77]

⁠@@gregniemczukdefinitely, I learned so much from your analysis and it was so inspiring and entertaining too! I love your animated face and body movement to present the feels of the music to audiences. Thank you for sharing your expertise!

[@ÁngeldelaOssaJiménez]

The worst version i have heard in my life

[@gregniemczuk]

Sorry, it's not the performance. That was not the point in this video at all. The story of those analyses is totally different.

[@oscarperry5041]

You move your head to much

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you. When I try to control it, my music gets colder....

[@oscarperry5041]

@@gregniemczuk Your ego is distracting you from the music

[@gregniemczuk]

@@oscarperry5041 you made me sad writing that. I really don't believe that I'm the best. On the contrary.....

[@oscarperry5041]

​@@gregniemczuk Well let us be sad together, I have a strong misanthropic tendency which gives me daily doses of sadness. Don't worry I'm not singling you out, I hate everyone relatively equally. I respect your humble statement.

[@BRNRDNCK]

@@oscarperry5041 The way a pianist moves during a piece doesn't matter. If it distracts you, close your eyes when he plays. An artist is allowed to be affected by his own art. The fact you would think moving is unacceptable, and also tell someone directly, and then presume they move because of their "ego," says far more about you than it does about the pianist. I'm hesitant to even post this comment because your own comments reveal you are deeply insecure or unhappy and I would rather be gracious to someone in that state. But it should be said nonetheless.