The Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 is a ballade for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin. Completed in 1835, it is one of Chopin’s greatest and most popular works. The ballade dates to sketches Chopin made in 1831, during his eight-month stay in Vienna. It was completed in 1835 after his move to Paris, where he dedicated it to Baron Nathaniel von Stockhausen, the Hanoverian ambassador to France.

The Ballade No. 3 in A♭ major, Op. 47, is the third of Chopin’s ballades for solo piano. It was composed in 1841. It is the only ballade by Chopin that does not end in a minor key. The inspiration for it is usually claimed to be Adam Mickiewicz’s poem Undine, also known as Świtezianka. There are structural similarities with the “Raindrop Prelude” which was inspired by the weather in Mallorca during Chopin’s disastrous vacation with George Sand. These include a repetitive A♭ which modulates into a G♯ during the C♯ minor section.

A compositional masterpiece, completed in Paris, in 1842. It is the last piece in a set of four and considered the most technically challenging. Chopin effectively combines the use of sonata and variation form. The piece starts with a tranquil bell like opening, before the waltz begins with a lyrical melody. Further variations exhibit embellishment, counter-melodies, counterpoint, and a nocturne-like fioritura. At the turbulent coda, the music takes off at a fast tempo and tensions heighten. The music ends with four strong chords. As pianist John Ogdon states: ‘the most exalted, intense and sublimely powerful of all Chopin’s compositions… It is unbelievable that it lasts only twelve minutes, for it contains the experience of a lifetime.’