I enjoy this artist’s passion and deep love and understanding of this Chopin ballade! Thank you, Tonebase, for making this amazing tutorial and all videos in your channel accessible to classical musicians world wide.
As a Chopin fanatic I love the enthusiasm that Ms. Cann shows for Chopin and this piece in particular. Her phrasing and dynamics are beautiful, and the performance advise she gives is excellent.
18:40 I got chills listening. She is a MASTER of the craft and knows this piece to the most intricate details, to be able to make it sound this good. Hats off.
I think it's incredible how the most subtle of nuances can change the emotion of a piece of music. What she mentioned in the very beginning about the music describing characters in a story was also quite insightful and reminds me of something I read recently: "Music is speech."
Excellent - i see why she at curtis - this was such an interesting video. Please can she do no1 g min? She made me appreciate this piece in a new way and articulated things ive never heard before - bravo - love it
Never closed so quickly Rachmaninov piano Concerto n.3 by Yunchan Lim. Thanks Tonebase for the constant upload of this incredibile videos, love them all 🤍🎹🎶
Love this! She conveys the technical aspects of her playing and the emotional intuition of a seasoned musician. I deeply identify with her philosophy of following the music rather than needing to prove yourself. Wonderful!
This was a wonderful treat. It is always gratifying to see another Black classical musician / teacher… particularly a pianist , my instrument . Unfortunately, we are still comparatively small in number. Again, this was an unalloyed pleasure. Please do more…
My recording of this ballade is on my channel, in a rather unfinished form....some note errors and such, but this video really makes me want to completely overhaul my performance of it;)
I’m never going to play this whole piece but love playing the section at 5:29, what is that beautiful sound, is accessible to us mortals. She’s right it just comes out of nowhere. To be a fly on the wall when Chopin was improvising.
Wow Michelle, your talent, enthusiasm and joy are so infectious to experience. You're a great teacher who so vividly conveys the idea that technique, art and emotion are all joined at the hip. Well done! 🎹
Michelle I can't tell you how beautifully you play this Ballade by Chopin....the way you analyze the mood and character of this dynamic composition is remarkable. The Curtis institute must be thrilled to have you as an instructor. I'm just learning of you here. I, too, am a Philadelphian and a great admirer of Chopin's music. I would love to see you in performance one day. Thank you for your masterful lesson my love ❤️🤩
Great video. Love her passion for phrasing. Notice that Cortot's edition mentions the poem Switezianka by Adam Mickiewicz has source of inspiration (and that schould be your first lesson on this Ballade). My piano teacher told me the all story section by section from the poem to every section of the ballade, but the best thing is to read the poem by ourselves and be creative in our interpretation (i also recomend Cyprien Katsaris masterclass where he describes the all story just like i learned it)... Another thing is Chopin's pedaling in section 6:26... Unfortunatly she's not following the correct pedaling... I would say 90% of pianists ignore Chopin's pedaling of this Ballade in that same spot. At 12:31 Chopin marks sostenuto, so the tempo has to come down in this section (usually pianists play it even faster...). Thanks a lot for this video!!
Thanks for the comment! I have to recommend now that you go and watch Michelle's full course on the 3rd Ballade, because she frames the entire thing in terms of that Mickiewicz poem (which is also known as 'Undine'). I didn't include in this edit simply because it's a thread that runs through her whole course and it wasn't so easy to make it extract and synthesize! It's also worth pointing out that there's never been any definitive evidence that Chopin Ballades were inspired directly by specific Mickiewicz poems, and actually this very same poem as been associated with the Second Ballade! Also on the tonebase platform you will find Gary Graffman (another Curtis person) describing the entire legend of Lake Świteź and how it applies scene-by-scene to the Second Ballade.
@@tonebasePiano Thank you for the reply! I also have a video connecting Switezianka to the 2nd Ballade, nevertheless Cortot's edition is still the most important since it dates from 1929. There is also the book "The Polish Ballade" that addresses this issues about the 2nd and first Ballade. We can only guess... Keep up with this videos!
@@tonebasePiano I have a different take on the "program" for this piece after reading the biography of George Sand, Chopin's lover. The "Raindrop" prelude is known as a depiction of their vacation in Majorca. It features a repeated A flat/G sharp, like this Ballade. They took a donkey cart up into the mountains, like the C Major section of this Ballade. The mountain path became scary, with rock slides, as in the f minor section. They danced and partied, like the next A flat section. Chopin had nightmares, like the C sharp minor section. Then does he wake to a glorious morning? I don't know for sure, but it helps me when I play the piece.
What a great tutorial, her passion and deep understanding of this piece is amazing. It's a piece I've been working on for a year now, I am going to take her thoughts and suggestions into my practice and finishing of the piece!!
@@Y2J75 Interesting. I'm European and a close neighbour to France, so maybe that's why we use the proper pronunciation? We also use other 'musical terms' (prelude, intermezzo, interlude, nocturne etc) and more often than not pronounce them as we would in French (with some exceptions lol)
This is a most BRILLIANT lesson !! Congratulations on your excellent presentation and enthusiasm. I have been a piano teacher for 45 years and I studied this work in 1983 at university. It’s a beauty! I just wish I had the opportunity to work with you on this piece. You’re so inspirational!
Great lesson! She clearly loves this piece, has plenty of interesting things to say about it, and it seems to me that she has a natural affinity with the music of Chopin, the music just flows. There is a great interview with her (in two parts) at Living the Classical Life. I highly recommend it for musicians and non-musicians alike, for there are many gems in that interview!
Guess it's because I've had horses in my life but what she says is a dance literally sounds more like being on the back of a horse ruminating and reflecting perhaps between epsodes but most people can't relate to it that way today.The chacter introduction was very astute, and I love her commiment and energy.
Omg, I played this piece two years ago, still the hardest piece ive played EVER, I wish I had this video then! I still cant belive ive managed to play the highlight section, it was soo difficult.
Wonderful to see people of color in classical music. As a pianist of color, my dream is to have programs introducing children of color to classical music. I would love to see her in performance. Her approach is so engaging and warm. Makes me want to go and pull out the ballade number three. Damn you guys every time I see a video I want to go pull out a different piece of music, lol.
Why are you primarily interested in introducing classical music to coloured children? Surely the racial bias distorts the humanistic message common to great music.
@@mouisehay930 No implication that they want to prioritise children of colour over anyone else. They only said that they would like to see more pianists of colour in media because that has a really positive impact on encouraging children of colour to get involved in the field of classical music - a predominately white field. Nothing at all problematic about what they said.
Maybe because you're not at that level yet? The pianists they teach are already accomplished pianists. They don't need to learn how to play notes, they need to learn how to interpret & what technique to use to achieve that goal.
Proud of this sistah for representing. This piece brings back bad memories. My second memory slip up during a recital after fifteen years of performing.
Good luck, its a wonderful piece, with great moments, But also really hard, like really, saying from expirience, still to this day the hardest thing ive ever played.
@@avivyoukerharel2140 Really!? What other pieces have you played? I don't find it too technically challenging, mostly musically challenging. Past getting the notes down it's hard to get it to sound "right"
At 4:57, the reason that accenting the Fs makes it “sparkle” is that the F makes a suspended chord that demands to resolve down to E (C major). So it is tension-release all the way up the keyboard
Whenever I watch these I always wonder where they’re filmed. Im assuming this is a conservatory or university? I play on electric keyboard or sometimes an old upright that’s out of tune when I watch my neighbors dog. Can they just go and play on a grand piano whenever they feel like it ? I work in construction to pay the bills and many times work in wealthy neighborhoods and I can’t help but be jealous when I see a $250,000 grand piano in a house that never gets touched
Ms. Cann you are fabulous! Such a wonderful and joyful coach. I played this 20 years ago and I must come back to it again and take your advice to heart. No wonder that you have such an important position at Curtis. I am forever a big fan of Curtis Alumni Jorge Bolet, Samual Barber, Abbey Simon and Shura Cherkassky. Not to mention Mr. Serkin. Best Regards. Thank You for this.
Ms. Cann not only tells you how to execute these incredible sounds, her imaginative palette of color and sound brings everything to life in this Ballade which can sound so trite in the wrong hands. The structure is so important in this piece as in all of the Balades. Ms. Cann, how I wish that my student could study with you, but unfortunately, it's so hard to get into Curtis. I'm telling her that when the time comes, she should bring in something meaningful to her pre-screening video. Thank you!!!
Ok that was just wonderful. She did a superb job so full of music, not just the notes, she made it all come alive and really warned the heart ❤️. Thank you so much
WHY? Criticized a master piece !!! Almost two hundred years since this was composed. Why instead don't just create your own compositions And allow others to do just the same to your master work. Chopin was a very loving person a cupid, but his same devotion for love kills him At the moments when he was composing all his music He involved in it as he was doing so, full of emotions, desires, love ... Not one should be allow to take any credits for destroying something that through time has been respected and appreciated. That's what I think, because Chopin was and would always be only one. Leave it as it is or leave alone.
So like, don't play the piece anymore to preserve it? Or play it robotically devoid of any personal interpretation as to not offend a dead person? What, are you going to get a Ouija board and commune with Chopin to ask him how to play his pieces?
The digital rendering of Chopin was made by Iranian artist/photographer Hadi Karimi. There are many feature articles about him and the process he uses to create photo realistic images of famous composers. They are utterly amazing. Here’s a RUclips video to get you started. ruclips.net/video/OMkB32CR0-I/видео.html 😎🎹
this is my favorite ballade. i'm so glad you did this video...i'm attempting it right now, but i know my skill level won't make it through the coda...but that isn't stopping me from trying my favorite piece. thank you!
The only one I studied in my life. The first part reminds me of the beginning of the Lord of the Rings: a beautiful day in a beautiful contryside town during Summer. all are happy and nothing disturbs this peace.
When someone si putting words yo the piece, like she si doing. Is possible than Chopin reply at Hering her: "thats not what i was thinking when i wrote it"?
Nah. Not only will we never know what Chopin himself was "thinking", we have stories of his approach to his own music shifting from time to time. Interpretation is part of the deal, unless the performer is a dead fish. The only question is whether an interpretation is musically effective. And if Chopin did not like others interpreting his music, he should have not published it. Now that the cat is out of the bag, and Chopin is dead, the pedantic concern of how he would react to, or "like", a given interpretation of his music 170 years later is arguably part of what is killing classical music. No one asks that about Shakespeare performances. Audiences used to be allowed to like what they liked. Now we intimidate them and performers with deriding speculation about what composers might possibly like or not like. Give it a rest.
@@mikesmovingimages can you provide a link/source to these "stories" you mention? also why do you think "Audiences used to be allowed to like what they liked"? if someone is intimidated by a discussion over art, they should not do art
@@dpetrov32 As for being "intimidated": I agree, to a certain extent. Art is essentially sharing ideas. But it is stupid to degrade art on the bases of unprovable speculations on what a composer might think about an interpretation of their music. How can any one know? Or even to extrapolate an artist's stated vision into a time and culture infinitely removed from their own. That assumes a composer's original thoughts remain static through even their own lifetimes, let alone all time. That devices is a cheap tool for critics who cannot articulate their thoughts and therefore try to assume the role of spokesperson for the composer. It is not constructive. And if anyone is interested in preserving this music, which slips further and further from the cultural mainstream with each year, then that kind of criticism does not advance appreciation and understanding.
At 2:28, the Gb is not just “colour”, it serves a very important purpose because there is a LOT going on here harmonically. The Gb turns what would be a Cm7 chord (the iii chord of Ab major) into a Cdim7, which is borrowed from the key of Bb minor, which is the ii chord of our home key of Ab major (the Cdim7 is the “ii of ii”). The ornament played over the Cm7 (F to a trill between Gb and Ab) draws the ear inexorably down to the F, but rather than F minor it is an F major arpeggio followed by Bb (the key our Cdim7 was borrowed from). So Cdim7-F-Bb functions as a ii-V-I cadence, establishing our new key as Bb, but Chopin writes only Bb octaves (Bb minor is implicit because it is our ii chord in Ab major, but it feels like it could be Bb major). THEN, he immediately does the same thing over again!!! Repeated Ab octaves this time-incredible that Ab suddenly sounds so surprising considering that it was our tonic just two bars ago-and then the same chord substitution but from our new key of Bb (major?), ie Ddim7-G-C or ii-V-I in our new key of C (implicitly minor but again ambiguous because it is just C octaves). Then he repeats the same progression but now instead of C octaves he adds E naturals, confirming that we have indeed arrived not in C minor but in C major. The feeling of this section is very bright because “normally” a modulation to C would be minor (being in Ab our ear expects Eb not the brighter E natural), not to mention that the key has risen by a whole tone twice in the space of four bars. After this sunny interlude, the left hand walks up chromatically from C but stops on Eb-which is immediately established as the V of our original key and poof! We are instantly back in Ab major. And even though we have gone back down two tones, it still feels like we have gone up because of the chromatic lift in the left hand. Brilliant stuff!!! (Sorry about the length, but as I said, there is so much more going on here than sudden G-flats for “colour”)
Absolutely . Studying in depth gives deeper insight as to why it feels special. I think she may not have time on tonebase to explain all of the theory behind it, also keep in mind there can be thousands of physically capable students watching this that may not have reached the level of understanding theory yet.. they want the cliff notes. I don’t doubt she knows these things.
I don't think a performer has to go that deep into theory to effectively play the piece. The fact that is color remains, and therefore takes a backseat to the real action in the left hand. WHY the Gbs are colorful and how they play a role in moving the piece along harmonically, are fascinating but that level of understanding is not necessary. One can "see" those things happening and exploit them in performance without having to be able to write a dissertation on them. And not all things can be brought out and focused on in a performance, AND no one performer can know everything about every piece they perform.
Outstanding!! I love her depth of knowledge and *passion* for the music! I could listen to her all day. Thank you
I've seen you twice in concert in Asheville! You're an absolute treat to hear and to watch. I teach piano for your sister!
I enjoy this artist’s passion and deep love and understanding of this Chopin ballade! Thank you, Tonebase, for making this amazing tutorial and all videos in your channel accessible to classical musicians world wide.
Yes! Her playing is meaningful, purposeful.
This lady understands music.
Thanks!
omg. this is incredible. in another league.
simply piano ads when starting this video....:)))
I'm sorry to say I don't care too much for any of his ballades.
🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀
Lol and you clicked on a video with such title?
@@StaceyFoxx 🤭
@@StaceyFoxx yes - well i thought i might have a go at number 3 (not because I particularly like it but because it is the easiest one, apparently).
Sir you have no soul although you may inhabit the land of the living you are an empty shell
As a Chopin fanatic I love the enthusiasm that Ms. Cann shows for Chopin and this piece in particular. Her phrasing and dynamics are beautiful, and the performance advise she gives is excellent.
18:40 I got chills listening. She is a MASTER of the craft and knows this piece to the most intricate details, to be able to make it sound this good. Hats off.
I would love to hear her analyze Ballade No. 1! More of her please!
I really love her! She is absolutely musical and lyrical! Definitely talented and gifted! Bravo!
I think it's incredible how the most subtle of nuances can change the emotion of a piece of music. What she mentioned in the very beginning about the music describing characters in a story was also quite insightful and reminds me of something I read recently: "Music is speech."
Duh it's ballade. Right there in the name.
@@jisyang8781lmao
This is spectacular teaching! Great focus on the main sections while being concise and engaging to listen to. Would love to see more from her.
Excellent - i see why she at curtis - this was such an interesting video. Please can she do no1 g min?
She made me appreciate this piece in a new way and articulated things ive never heard before - bravo - love it
she can explain while playing, epic!!
Never closed so quickly Rachmaninov piano Concerto n.3 by Yunchan Lim.
Thanks Tonebase for the constant upload of this incredibile videos, love them all 🤍🎹🎶
I've no words to describe how I love Mrs Michelle Cann! How expressive!!!!
Finally someone who understands and interprets this music properly. Alfred Cortot would have approved I think
Love this! She conveys the technical aspects of her playing and the emotional intuition of a seasoned musician. I deeply identify with her philosophy of following the music rather than needing to prove yourself. Wonderful!
This was a wonderful treat. It is always gratifying to see another Black classical musician / teacher… particularly a pianist , my instrument . Unfortunately, we are still comparatively small in number. Again, this was an unalloyed pleasure. Please do more…
we need more of you, please.
My recording of this ballade is on my channel, in a rather unfinished form....some note errors and such, but this video really makes me want to completely overhaul my performance of it;)
Great to see black classical pianist 👍
I’m never going to play this whole piece but love playing the section at 5:29, what is that beautiful sound, is accessible to us mortals. She’s right it just comes out of nowhere. To be a fly on the wall when Chopin was improvising.
Well not totally out of nowhere. It’s like he inserted a waltz in there for kicks.
Wow Michelle, your talent, enthusiasm and joy are so infectious to experience. You're a great teacher who so vividly conveys the idea that technique, art and emotion are all joined at the hip. Well done! 🎹
This woman is gorgeous. Pls same work on number 4!!!!!
Michelle I can't tell you how beautifully you play this Ballade by Chopin....the way you analyze the mood and character of this dynamic composition is remarkable. The Curtis institute must be thrilled to have you as an instructor. I'm just learning of you here. I, too, am a Philadelphian and a great admirer of Chopin's music. I would love to see you in performance one day. Thank you for your masterful lesson my love ❤️🤩
Great video. Love her passion for phrasing. Notice that Cortot's edition mentions the poem Switezianka by Adam Mickiewicz has source of inspiration (and that schould be your first lesson on this Ballade). My piano teacher told me the all story section by section from the poem to every section of the ballade, but the best thing is to read the poem by ourselves and be creative in our interpretation (i also recomend Cyprien Katsaris masterclass where he describes the all story just like i learned it)... Another thing is Chopin's pedaling in section 6:26... Unfortunatly she's not following the correct pedaling... I would say 90% of pianists ignore Chopin's pedaling of this Ballade in that same spot. At 12:31 Chopin marks sostenuto, so the tempo has to come down in this section (usually pianists play it even faster...). Thanks a lot for this video!!
Thanks for the comment! I have to recommend now that you go and watch Michelle's full course on the 3rd Ballade, because she frames the entire thing in terms of that Mickiewicz poem (which is also known as 'Undine'). I didn't include in this edit simply because it's a thread that runs through her whole course and it wasn't so easy to make it extract and synthesize!
It's also worth pointing out that there's never been any definitive evidence that Chopin Ballades were inspired directly by specific Mickiewicz poems, and actually this very same poem as been associated with the Second Ballade! Also on the tonebase platform you will find Gary Graffman (another Curtis person) describing the entire legend of Lake Świteź and how it applies scene-by-scene to the Second Ballade.
@@tonebasePiano Thank you for the reply! I also have a video connecting Switezianka to the 2nd Ballade, nevertheless Cortot's edition is still the most important since it dates from 1929. There is also the book "The Polish Ballade" that addresses this issues about the 2nd and first Ballade. We can only guess... Keep up with this videos!
@@tonebasePiano I have a different take on the "program" for this piece after reading the biography of George Sand, Chopin's lover. The "Raindrop" prelude is known as a depiction of their vacation in Majorca. It features a repeated A flat/G sharp, like this Ballade. They took a donkey cart up into the mountains, like the C Major section of this Ballade. The mountain path became scary, with rock slides, as in the f minor section. They danced and partied, like the next A flat section. Chopin had nightmares, like the C sharp minor section. Then does he wake to a glorious morning? I don't know for sure, but it helps me when I play the piece.
I love Michelle Cann. She has brought attention to Florence Price who has been shamefully ignored.
very true my friend, its all white folx
@@dpetrov32How racist of you
I agree
What an incredible lesson, thank you Michelle and tonebase!
What a great tutorial, her passion and deep understanding of this piece is amazing. It's a piece I've been working on for a year now, I am going to take her thoughts and suggestions into my practice and finishing of the piece!!
Even pronounces ballade correctly. Then proceeds to crush it.
She is epic
How else would you pronounce it? Is there an American way of pronouncing it or something?
I’d normally say ballad lol ballade is just different for me. x)
@@Y2J75 Interesting. I'm European and a close neighbour to France, so maybe that's why we use the proper pronunciation? We also use other 'musical terms' (prelude, intermezzo, interlude, nocturne etc) and more often than not pronounce them as we would in French (with some exceptions lol)
@@jordidewaard2937 there’s ba-lid, then buh-lawd
The E changes the pronunciation...
This is a most BRILLIANT lesson !! Congratulations on your excellent presentation and enthusiasm. I have been a piano teacher for 45 years and I studied this work in 1983 at university. It’s a beauty! I just wish I had the opportunity to work with you on this piece. You’re so inspirational!
What a lesson! Crying my heart out and smiling at the same time. The love she jas for this music is so infectious. Thank you everyone
Great lesson! She clearly loves this piece, has plenty of interesting things to say about it, and it seems to me that she has a natural affinity with the music of Chopin, the music just flows. There is a great interview with her (in two parts) at Living the Classical Life. I highly recommend it for musicians and non-musicians alike, for there are many gems in that interview!
Finally, a real piano teacher.
Wow! Great playing and teaching!
Guess it's because I've had horses in my life but what she says is a dance literally sounds more like being on the back of a horse ruminating and reflecting perhaps between epsodes but most people can't relate to it that way today.The chacter introduction was very astute, and I love her commiment and energy.
damn! that was awesome! Lots of stuff that us beginners can start thinking about!
You play so beautifully! Wonderful lesson - thank you!
She’s very good and folks if your teacher isn’t showing you these kinds of things at the lesson , get a better teacher!! Carry on.
Great teacher & magnificent skills 👏🏻 👌🏻 👍🏻 Thank you! 🌞 🌹 🎹
Omg, I played this piece two years ago, still the hardest piece ive played EVER, I wish I had this video then!
I still cant belive ive managed to play the highlight section, it was soo difficult.
Wonderful to see people of color in classical music. As a pianist of color, my dream is to have programs introducing children of color to classical music. I would love to see her in performance. Her approach is so engaging and warm. Makes me want to go and pull out the ballade number three. Damn you guys every time I see a video I want to go pull out a different piece of music, lol.
Better than drill music lol
Why are you primarily interested in introducing classical music to coloured children? Surely the racial bias distorts the humanistic message common to great music.
@@mouisehay930 wrong questions get wrong answers.
@@mouisehay930 No implication that they want to prioritise children of colour over anyone else. They only said that they would like to see more pianists of colour in media because that has a really positive impact on encouraging children of colour to get involved in the field of classical music - a predominately white field. Nothing at all problematic about what they said.
I totally agree! She is a great teacher & very engaging. Thanks for your wonderful comment. 😊 🎹 🌹 💐
23:30 "I'm not trying to prove anything to the world!" Amen!
Incredible thank you for making this video. She essentially made one of my favorite ballades 23 minutes long, I could rewatch this over and over.
Never come across this style of teaching, it’s mind blowing 👌🏿
Maybe because you're not at that level yet? The pianists they teach are already accomplished pianists. They don't need to learn how to play notes, they need to learn how to interpret & what technique to use to achieve that goal.
@@jessevallejo8797 Ok
@@jessevallejo8797 Or maybe because Cann has a unique style of teaching?
This lady is FANTASTIC! Brava, Madame! Brava!!!✊🏾👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Prof. Cann's touch and control are incredible!
What a great video, this is how all should be.
Gorgeous playing, and excellent teaching.
Chopin was a genius!!! No other opinions allowed!❤❤❤❤❤
Inspiring and imaginative teaching!
makes me wanna bring back the Ballade 3. I really do miss that piece amongst all the ballades
Chopin and I share the same birthday date. Not same age lol
I love her choice of words describing the progressions and developments in the music.
Very charming.
Love her energy and passion towards the music. Very infectious! Wonderful insight.
Ballade No. 3 is my favorite Chopin Ballade. From one Queen to another, thank you Michelle! 🤎
Proud of this sistah for representing. This piece brings back bad memories. My second memory slip up during a recital after fifteen years of performing.
I was literally practicing this piece and just opened my phone to this 💀
Just a coincidence ;)
It's listening to you
Good luck! I hope this helps!
Good luck, its a wonderful piece, with great moments, But also really hard, like really, saying from expirience, still to this day the hardest thing ive ever played.
@@avivyoukerharel2140 Really!? What other pieces have you played? I don't find it too technically challenging, mostly musically challenging. Past getting the notes down it's hard to get it to sound "right"
At 4:57, the reason that accenting the Fs makes it “sparkle” is that the F makes a suspended chord that demands to resolve down to E (C major). So it is tension-release all the way up the keyboard
please make also short Lessons on my favourite Chopin's 4rd Ballade -)
I love her! What a great lesson! She is so articulate, conveying very clearly both technique and expression. More!
Chopin, most elegant composer in history
I love Michelle Cann! She's a huge inspiration to me with collaborative piano 🎹🎹🎹
Whenever I watch these I always wonder where they’re filmed. Im assuming this is a conservatory or university? I play on electric keyboard or sometimes an old upright that’s out of tune when I watch my neighbors dog. Can they just go and play on a grand piano whenever they feel like it ? I work in construction to pay the bills and many times work in wealthy neighborhoods and I can’t help but be jealous when I see a $250,000 grand piano in a house that never gets touched
Ms. Cann you are fabulous! Such a wonderful and joyful coach. I played this 20 years ago and I must come back to it again and take your advice to heart. No wonder that you have such an important position at Curtis. I am forever a big fan of Curtis Alumni Jorge Bolet, Samual Barber, Abbey Simon and Shura Cherkassky. Not to mention Mr. Serkin. Best Regards. Thank You for this.
Ms. Cann not only tells you how to execute these incredible sounds, her imaginative palette of color and sound brings everything to life in this Ballade which can sound so trite in the wrong hands. The structure is so important in this piece as in all of the Balades. Ms. Cann, how I wish that my student could study with you, but unfortunately, it's so hard to get into Curtis. I'm telling her that when the time comes, she should bring in something meaningful to her pre-screening video. Thank you!!!
This Woman is Amazing 👏😍❤️🙌
Thank you for reminding me that the 3rd Ballade is my favorite and will always be.
Ok that was just wonderful. She did a superb job so full of music, not just the notes, she made it all come alive and really warned the heart ❤️. Thank you so much
Nice to see women poc on this channel ❤
Smokin'! I love the way she explains things.
she is so lovely!
Brilliant!
This video is the first time to meet Ms. Cann. She is incredible. I love her, love the teaching, love the expression. Wow, just beautiful. ❤
Michelle is my new favourite teacher right after Seymore Bernstein. More of her please!
Her trills 😮❤️
I don't play the piano, but I feel like I do after watching this video
So good!!! Thank you.
My first time seeing and listening to Mrs Cann and wow very passionate about her art and her presentation was grand.
Great video. This is my favorite ballade as well
Amazing video!
OUTSTANDING! The passion!
This was PHENOMENAL!
WHY? Criticized a master piece !!!
Almost two hundred years since this was composed.
Why instead don't just create your own compositions
And allow others to do just the same to your master work.
Chopin was a very loving person a cupid, but his same devotion for love kills him
At the moments when he was composing all his music
He involved in it as he was doing so, full of emotions, desires, love ...
Not one should be allow to take any credits for destroying something that through time has been respected and appreciated.
That's what I think, because Chopin was and would always be only one.
Leave it as it is or leave alone.
So like, don't play the piece anymore to preserve it? Or play it robotically devoid of any personal interpretation as to not offend a dead person?
What, are you going to get a Ouija board and commune with Chopin to ask him how to play his pieces?
What a beautiful explanation!
The video front portrait has likeliness with Chopin, wherefrom is it?
The digital rendering of Chopin was made by Iranian artist/photographer Hadi Karimi. There are many feature articles about him and the process he uses to create photo realistic images of famous composers. They are utterly amazing. Here’s a RUclips video to get you started.
ruclips.net/video/OMkB32CR0-I/видео.html
😎🎹
this is my favorite ballade. i'm so glad you did this video...i'm attempting it right now, but i know my skill level won't make it through the coda...but that isn't stopping me from trying my favorite piece. thank you!
This is fantastic.
The only one I studied in my life. The first part reminds me of the beginning of the Lord of the Rings: a beautiful day in a beautiful contryside town during Summer. all are happy and nothing disturbs this peace.
Excellent! Cependant, des quatre ballades, la 3e est celle que j'aime le moins
When someone si putting words yo the piece, like she si doing. Is possible than Chopin reply at Hering her: "thats not what i was thinking when i wrote it"?
Nah. Not only will we never know what Chopin himself was "thinking", we have stories of his approach to his own music shifting from time to time. Interpretation is part of the deal, unless the performer is a dead fish. The only question is whether an interpretation is musically effective. And if Chopin did not like others interpreting his music, he should have not published it. Now that the cat is out of the bag, and Chopin is dead, the pedantic concern of how he would react to, or "like", a given interpretation of his music 170 years later is arguably part of what is killing classical music. No one asks that about Shakespeare performances. Audiences used to be allowed to like what they liked. Now we intimidate them and performers with deriding speculation about what composers might possibly like or not like. Give it a rest.
@@mikesmovingimages can you provide a link/source to these "stories" you mention? also why do you think "Audiences used to be allowed to like what they liked"? if someone is intimidated by a discussion over art, they should not do art
@@dpetrov32 As for being "intimidated": I agree, to a certain extent. Art is essentially sharing ideas. But it is stupid to degrade art on the bases of unprovable speculations on what a composer might think about an interpretation of their music. How can any one know? Or even to extrapolate an artist's stated vision into a time and culture infinitely removed from their own. That assumes a composer's original thoughts remain static through even their own lifetimes, let alone all time. That devices is a cheap tool for critics who cannot articulate their thoughts and therefore try to assume the role of spokesperson for the composer. It is not constructive. And if anyone is interested in preserving this music, which slips further and further from the cultural mainstream with each year, then that kind of criticism does not advance appreciation and understanding.
She's convinced me to look into this piece.
OMG Michelle Cann!!!! I love you, seriously amazing session and you are such a wonderful and emotive player. Wow....
AMAZING!
What an entry!
At 2:28, the Gb is not just “colour”, it serves a very important purpose because there is a LOT going on here harmonically. The Gb turns what would be a Cm7 chord (the iii chord of Ab major) into a Cdim7, which is borrowed from the key of Bb minor, which is the ii chord of our home key of Ab major (the Cdim7 is the “ii of ii”). The ornament played over the Cm7 (F to a trill between Gb and Ab) draws the ear inexorably down to the F, but rather than F minor it is an F major arpeggio followed by Bb (the key our Cdim7 was borrowed from). So Cdim7-F-Bb functions as a ii-V-I cadence, establishing our new key as Bb, but Chopin writes only Bb octaves (Bb minor is implicit because it is our ii chord in Ab major, but it feels like it could be Bb major). THEN, he immediately does the same thing over again!!! Repeated Ab octaves this time-incredible that Ab suddenly sounds so surprising considering that it was our tonic just two bars ago-and then the same chord substitution but from our new key of Bb (major?), ie Ddim7-G-C or ii-V-I in our new key of C (implicitly minor but again ambiguous because it is just C octaves). Then he repeats the same progression but now instead of C octaves he adds E naturals, confirming that we have indeed arrived not in C minor but in C major. The feeling of this section is very bright because “normally” a modulation to C would be minor (being in Ab our ear expects Eb not the brighter E natural), not to mention that the key has risen by a whole tone twice in the space of four bars. After this sunny interlude, the left hand walks up chromatically from C but stops on Eb-which is immediately established as the V of our original key and poof! We are instantly back in Ab major. And even though we have gone back down two tones, it still feels like we have gone up because of the chromatic lift in the left hand. Brilliant stuff!!!
(Sorry about the length, but as I said, there is so much more going on here than sudden G-flats for “colour”)
Absolutely . Studying in depth gives deeper insight as to why it feels special. I think she may not have time on tonebase to explain all of the theory behind it, also keep in mind there can be thousands of physically capable students watching this that may not have reached the level of understanding theory yet.. they want the cliff notes. I don’t doubt she knows these things.
Nerd!
Yes, you are smart and important.
I don't think a performer has to go that deep into theory to effectively play the piece. The fact that is color remains, and therefore takes a backseat to the real action in the left hand. WHY the Gbs are colorful and how they play a role in moving the piece along harmonically, are fascinating but that level of understanding is not necessary. One can "see" those things happening and exploit them in performance without having to be able to write a dissertation on them. And not all things can be brought out and focused on in a performance, AND no one performer can know everything about every piece they perform.
Thanks! Do you have perfect pitch?
a video on the 3rd ballade??!?!!? and on (the day after, admittedly) Chopin's birthday?????? I feel blessed, what an amazing teacher and lesson :)