Vilinsky: Ballade in the form of variations, Op. 4 -- a comeback

Mykola Vilinsky (1888-1956) was a Ukrainian composer and educator who wrote piano pieces and orchestral suites based on folk music. This "Ballade in the form of variations" was composed when he was in his twenties (ca1914). Using a Ukrainian folk song as the theme, he used the techniques of predecessors including Tchaikovsky and Lyadov in the 6 variations. The piece is filled with the spark, fragility, and boldness of the young composer . We can also hear influences from Rachmaninov and Scriabin. I have never heard it played in concerts, but the mythical air throughout and strong finale should attracts many (hobby) pianists.

I found this fascinating Ballade when I was studying Chopin's Ballade #4. I googled with keywords of "variations" and "Ballade" and those by Grieg, Blumenfeld, Vilinsky, Bartok came up among others. Ballades by Grieg and Bartok are popular, but what about the others? They turned out to be powerful pieces. (I found another in "Music for the piano" by Friskin and Freundlich. I might try it sometime.)

I thought I was ready for Vilinsky's Ballade after studying Tchaikovsky (Op. 19-6) and Lyadov (Glinka Var.), but I had difficulties in Var1 and Finale, where influence from Rachmaninov are felt. I sought advice from the piano teacher and learned quite much from an online lesson. It took about one month and a half to digest and make use of what I learned. ... Still I cannot do half of them.

- Theme: His advise on pedaling, including silent pressing of the keys when changing to keep the melody line, was difficult. I am not sure my version was effective enough, but I practiced it anyway.

- Var1: He used the word "texture" and taught how to adjust the tone balance by playing the arpeggio repeatedly. He also advised me to use dirty / coarse tone when needed.

- Var2: He showed a way to practice in the real tempo, with poses as if time has stopped. (This was similar to the rhythm practice I often do, but my version was slow.)

- Var3: We discussed the importance of "feeling" the rest.

- Var4: More-less repeats in 6/4 allow one to grasp the triple beat. I was surprised to find I was doing the opposite even though I was paying attention (till today!). Unfortunately I forgot the exact tempo we agreed on during the lesson. Maybe the current version is too slow.

- Var5: How to keep the broad arpeggios "in time". I can somehow treat this problem with pedaling at the home piano, but it was difficult at the studio piano.

- Var6: Lesson time was running out, and he pointed out that my feel for the beat of triple time was lacking in the coda (Actually this was the very first thing he pointed out upon the beginning of the lesson). We also discussed the phrasing of the main part. Later I found a convincing use of pedal which does not spoil the sense of speed (here I neglect the original articulation).

I read a book by Thomas Mark and try to do the "remapping" of the relevant body parts. It helped me to stabilize the technique. Also I reviewed my technique reading Shinji Ono's book on Russian pianism. I hope my play has gained more colors. To me my performance lacks accuracy, but sounds optimistic in a favorable way. I hope this clip earns some popularity. Maybe this Ballade is as interesting as Blumenfeld's Ballade.

Before I finished the youtube clip, I played in a concert in a circle of hobby pianists. The venue was a large hall which could accommodate 300 people. I could manage to play through, and that was already quite an accomplishment to me because this was a comeback after an long absence of 13 years... Still, I was pleasantly surprised there were several mature performances from younger pianists, so that mine might sound rather childish. Good pianists played straight forward with clear voicing and without useless bodily movements -- like professionals. (I do not know they enjoy their own music as much as I do, but surely they know how to play effectively.)

instrument: Yamaha C6X

I feared a kind of lockdown or new restrictions in the activities starting from the new year and hurried to the studio although I was away from the grand piano for a week. The condition of the piano keys were not good and it took some time to get used to the rounded black keys.