The Lost Art of Golden Age Pianism: Chopin's Ballade 1

In this performance of Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23, I am working to revive the lost language of Golden Age pianism—a style that was once instinctive but has largely disappeared from modern playing. This approach is not just about technique; it is a musical language that must be learned and internalized, just like any spoken language. To truly understand and express this music, it must become part of the soul, not just the fingers.

Many of today’s pianists—Krystian Zimerman, Kate Liu, Maurizio Pollini, Daniil Trifonov, and Rafal Blechacz—bring their own interpretations to Chopin’s music, often emphasizing technical precision, clarity, and a hyper , almost machine-like boxed in approach. While these performances are undeniably unique, they are also a product of the modern, competition-driven aesthetic, where control and accuracy often take precedence over spontaneity, risk-taking, and improvisatory freedom.

Compare this to the playing of Alfred Cortot, Josef Hofmann, and Benno Moiseiwitsch—pianists who lived much closer to Chopin’s time and were either directly or indirectly trained in his tradition. Their interpretations were flexible, deeply personal, and full of rubato that mimicked the phrasing of bel canto opera, something Chopin himself adored.

Many of these Golden Age pianists were directly linked to the great composers:

Theodor Leschetizky studied with Carl Czerny, Beethoven’s student.
Franz Liszt (whom many Golden Age pianists studied under) was also taught by Czerny and had direct contact with Beethoven.
Several pianists—Hofmann, Busoni, and Pugno—studied with pupils of Chopin himself, inheriting an unbroken tradition.
Plante saw Chopin play the piano himself.

This lineage matters. The way they played wasn’t based on modern analysis or Urtext editions—it was an oral tradition, passed down from those who knew the composers personally. This is why their interpretations sound so different from today’s performers.

Today, Chopin is often played with extreme polish and too much control, but that is not how his music was originally meant to sound. His compositions were rooted in improvisation, opera, and expressive rubato—qualities that are largely missing from modern concert performances.

I am striving to bring back this lost approach, where the pianist is not just a performer but an interpreter, shaping each phrase as if telling a story in real-time. This is not about playing Chopin “perfectly”; it’s about playing him in the ideal, with the spirit of the era in which he lived.

If you believe in reviving historical performance traditions, Romantic-era interpretation, and Golden Age pianism, I invite you to listen, comment, and discuss. Let’s keep this tradition alive together.

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