Chopin's Ballades: Which Coda is Musically Best?

Seong-Jin Cho is the pianist.

[vansbyikea]

So I kind of forgot to link this before. Here's an old video of me playing (most of- I think the camera died...) the coda to the first ballade. It's not a recent video, and I'd also ask that you keep in mind that I'm self-taught. But I think it's not bad considering all of that.

[randomytguy]

Sometimes we don't even realise how lucky our generation is for being able to listen to the most perfect pieces ever composed/played in history, whenever and wherever we want.

[gvngr]

Video: Chopin's Ballades
Description: j u r a s s i c p a r k

[jashepoon]

Can we agree that they're all great?

[goktugblack]

The MAJESTY of the 1st
The MADNESS of the 2nd
The GLORY of the 3rd
The ENIGMA of the 4th.

[HedOnFire]

His first ballade is the first one I listened to and learned to play, and it will always have a special place in my heart.

That being said, I love the fourth one!

[whyme]

Which coda is musically best?
Me: Yes

[shivanis_is_swaggy]

5:26 the transition is ingenius. 3rd ballade is underrated

[francescosecchi]

Why the people don't like a lot the number 3. For me it's one of the best

[LukeFaulkner]

Computer science friends: Machine learning is getting so advanced
YouTube Content ID: *THIS IS JURASSIC PARK FOR SURE*

[theflipeechestlanjao]

The fact how almost everyone loves all of these four Ballades codas shows how great Chopin was as a expressive composer.

[alexshih]

Honestly the 4th ballade is something special. The other three are great, but the 4th is just on another level. It isn't everyday that you hear a 9:8 polyrhythm in a piece of music from the common-practice period.

[razepp]

0:00 - Ballade No 1
1:44 - Ballade No 2
4:04 - Ballade No 3
6:18 - Ballade No 4

[jahman]

I love all of them, but the 3rd has always spoken to me in a way that the other's don't.

[stephenn]

You know what piece is really underrated by Chopin, the Barcarolle! It’s practically the 5th Ballade and what a coda it has!

[amj.composer]

I personally like no. 2's coda the best. Just intense, fiery and I love the "melody" there. It almost sounds scary and devilish when Zimmerman plays those rising-chord-arpeggio things.
Probably ballad no. 1 is a close second for me, I feel it gives it a perfect and cohesive ending. Ballad 1 itself is a perfect piece of music.
That being said, I love Ballad 4's and 3's codas, in fact, I love how 4 goes into borderline atonality. And no.3's constant perfect cadences at its climax make me lose my mind and rewind to that part on repeat.
[EDIT]: Okay, so y'all are considering No.4's coda to start earlier than I considered it. In that case, I freaking love No. 4's surprise cadence in C major (dominant) right before the "atonal" part. Maybe it's overused, doesn't matter to me either way.

[bigl]

The second is my personal favorite. The intense difference between the chorale and presto sections are the most dramatic changes of all the Ballades. The Coda perfectly ends the piece. It starts with fury, but ends in the chorale from the beginning. Ending the chorale in a minor, brings a bitter/sweet conclusion to such a brilliant piece

[flyingpenandpaper]

Musically: 4, 2, 1, 3
Personal preference: 4, 1, 2, 3
Preference of Ballades in their entirety: 1, 4, 3, 2
(And all of them are very good indeed.)

[PopulousTutorials]

codas start:
1- 0:14
2- 2:45
3- 5:31
4- 7:58

[marshan]

People shit on the 3rd way too much it’s the best, criminally underrated