Niecks wrote that “None of Chopin’s compositions surpass in masterliness of form and beauty and poetry of contents his ballades.” Shoma’s account of the third, in A-flat, Op. 47, shows how much of that form a pianist can make audible.
The opening is gentle and unhurried: the introductory bars stay well below the performance’s later dynamics, honouring the soft start Chopin asks for. When the theme marked mezza voce arrives (1:54), Shoma keeps it quieter than the music before it, so the new idea enters like a confidence rather than an announcement.
What impresses most is the long-range planning. From that point on, each section moves a little faster and, for the most part, a little fuller than the last, so the piece gathers momentum gradually instead of in sudden spurts. The late crescendos are given room to grow, and the strongest moment overall comes in the final pages, around 7:08, where Chopin’s fortissimo climax belongs. Nothing is spent too early.
The film, made on a Yamaha grand in a bright living room, dissolves gently between a side view and a close view of the hands.
Huneker observed that the A-flat Ballade is “beloved of the public”, and listeners under this video have responded warmly, one calling it a great interpretation. This is a patient, beautifully shaped performance that trusts the music’s architecture.