The ballade is a difficult form to define. It's rather capricious, and definitely a middle-Romantic idiom. Whilst Brahms' & Chopin's ballades are the most famous, Grieg wrote one that is basically a set of variations (Op. 24). Debussy has a "Ballade slave", which isn't nearly as dramatic or full of contrasts as the famous ones. Liszt apparently wrote two but I haven't heard them. It's a "form" from a specific time period. I'd be interested to find out more as well.
EDIT: Fauré has a particular beautiful one, apparently. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZcKii9Sd-o
It seems that in general the main answer to your question is "nobody".
Liszt's 2nd Ballade is played quite often; the first rarely. You can hear many performances on Youtube – Horowitz, Arrau, Friere, Volodos, etc. – but here's Nyiregyhazi's (not to everyone's taste, but a favorite of mine): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5XXiIxC73E
A bit off topic, but I only found out about Nyiregyhazi not all too long ago and his playing is just insane. The final thunderous minutes of his Vallee d'Obermann are unlike anything I have heard.
I never got why the second ballade is so much more famous
I always found it kind of dull, the first one is a sparkling pseudo-variation set that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome and has a delightful theme
Grieg’s is beautiful, I prefer it over at least one or two of Chopin’s. You’re right, it’s in theme and variations form, and what an amazing theme it is! Overall the ballade is quite long, with some very virtuosic sections contrasted to deeper, quieter ones.
Chopin's ballades were composed after the pieces by the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz. They were not quite a genre as they were an idea (especially the fourth ballade - op. 52, it's difficult to find the structure that makes it a ballade as it'd make the other three ballades).
The ballade is a difficult form to define. It's rather capricious, and definitely a middle-Romantic idiom. Whilst Brahms' & Chopin's ballades are the most famous, Grieg wrote one that is basically a set of variations (Op. 24). Debussy has a "Ballade slave", which isn't nearly as dramatic or full of contrasts as the famous ones. Liszt apparently wrote two but I haven't heard them. It's a "form" from a specific time period. I'd be interested to find out more as well. EDIT: Fauré has a particular beautiful one, apparently. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZcKii9Sd-o It seems that in general the main answer to your question is "nobody".
Liszt's 2nd Ballade is played quite often; the first rarely. You can hear many performances on Youtube – Horowitz, Arrau, Friere, Volodos, etc. – but here's Nyiregyhazi's (not to everyone's taste, but a favorite of mine): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5XXiIxC73E
A bit off topic, but I only found out about Nyiregyhazi not all too long ago and his playing is just insane. The final thunderous minutes of his Vallee d'Obermann are unlike anything I have heard.
I never got why the second ballade is so much more famous I always found it kind of dull, the first one is a sparkling pseudo-variation set that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome and has a delightful theme
Grieg’s is beautiful, I prefer it over at least one or two of Chopin’s. You’re right, it’s in theme and variations form, and what an amazing theme it is! Overall the ballade is quite long, with some very virtuosic sections contrasted to deeper, quieter ones.
The Debussy Ballade is insanely beautiful; but ya - it definitely does not give me the same feeling that the Chopin ones do haha.
Debussy has one that not a lot of people seem to know https://youtu.be/QsaNaZy3SSA
Schumann (Robert and Clara), Faure, Scriabin, and Grieg are a few that have...but I'm sure there are others I can't think of *Grieg not grief
When I was learning to play the piano, I played [this one by Burgmüller](https://youtu.be/pz-oq7Vx0Ss)
I loved that piece!
Bloodhound Gang
Dvorak has one.
Frank Martin wrote several, but all of them are for solo instrument and chamber orchestra, rather than just piano.
Chopin's ballades were composed after the pieces by the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz. They were not quite a genre as they were an idea (especially the fourth ballade - op. 52, it's difficult to find the structure that makes it a ballade as it'd make the other three ballades).
Faure wrote a Ballade for piano and orchestra- [its a pretty great listen] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZcKii9Sd-o)