Ballade No. 2 in F Major

As with his First Ballade, Chopin lulls the listener into a false sense of security with a gentle and extended opening to Ballade No. 2, the solo piano piece composed in 1839. A simple, folk-like melody strikes a plaintive tone that is dramatically interrupted by a blast of ascending and descending scales and rumbling chords. The whirlwind disappears as quickly as it arrives, with a return to the original tune. These two opposing themes alternate throughout the short work, creating a varied and vivid effect. Chopin dedicated his second Ballade to Schumann, another composer who excelled at integrating very different musical moods. The frequent use of syncopation—off-beat rhythms—adds to the work’s unsettling character and propels the faster sections onward. In the end, though, it is the pensive theme that has the final word: an elongated, transformed version of the opening solo provides a despondent and rather listless conclusion. About Chopin's Ballades Composed between 1831 and 1842, Chopin's Ballades broke new ground with their free-form structures. The four pieces for solo piano are played as individual works in their own right, yet are united by a distinctive use of contrasting musical ideas (sometimes referred to as subjects). As a devotee of the newly invented piano, Chopin's compositions highlight the instrument’s poetic capabilities—finely wrought melodies and layered textures are central to the Ballades. But the Polish composer was also boldly innovative: the series is sprinkled with freewheeling keyboard acrobatics, punchy bass lines and harmonic surprises.