F. Chopin – Ballade n. 4 op. 52 (1842)
 
Composed between 1831 and 1842, Chopin’s 4 ballades are one of his most notable heritages, as well as some of the most challenging pieces in the standard piano repertoire. Disputedly inspired by Chopin’s friend’s Adam Mickiewicz poems, the ballades share some structural elements with the sonata form, which however they interpret in a freer way, with sudden alternations of calm and turbulent themes and a 6/4 or 6/8 meter that sets the “ballade” time signature. The fourth ballade is the most complex and mature from the structural, technical and expressive points of view. In over 10 minutes of restless tension, it unfolds a summation of all Chopin’s mastery in presenting, developing, and recalling 2 simple themes in a dramatic and unpredictable sequence of turbulent passages, reflective moments, and passages of sheer brilliance.