Ballade No. 1 G minor, op. 23

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“What is music? An expression of thought. What is music? An expression of feelings. What is music? An expression of impressions” – this way Chopin began his unfinished piano book. Chopin’s music tells a story, it is a narrative of thoughts, feelings and impressions. The four Ballads are a direct embodiment of this idea (No. 1, published in 1836); they owe their name to fantastic ballads by Romantic poets. The essence here is to involve listeners in the story which the pianist needs to recite or sing, rather than play.