One of my go-to Bach pieces on piano (multiple arrangements available) is the chorale 'Ich Ruf Zu Dir' which is heard in Tarkovsky's version of Solaris.
If I want something to be swept up in more monumental - yet sighing with humanity - then Respighi's orchestral arrangement of the C minor Passacaglia is perfect.
This was such an interesting article! I'm a fan of Bach (how could I not be) but I've never researched anything more than just listening to his music. But this was an eye opener for me in many ways. Many thanks for this!
My current Bach favourite is Nigel Kennedy's rendition of Erbame Dich, Mein Gott - St Mathew Passion in Leipzig. The arrangement is for violin and oboe. It's on Youtube and is so pure and lovely.
Also on Youtube, is a traditional arrangement of this piece with Delphine Galou (contralto) singing. Stunning.
Yes - I saw one quite recently! I love Beato's videos — he did a great one on Oscar Peterson recently, too — his enthusiasm for all forms of (good) music is so infectious.
There is work being done now to figure out why people don’t like certain songs. My personal thoughts are that the brain waves and the harmonics of music need to be in synchronicity. Otherwise it quite literally hurts the brain! Playing music to plants does actually work. They respond to it, and if I sing to mine they get a nice warm dose of carbon dioxide as well;)
I know the Argerich, and that Grimaud SO nearly made it onto this list :-)
It's funny, over recent years I've wound up at a point where (for some reason) almost all of my favorite Bach musicians are women... Don't know if you've heard the Evelyn Crochet version of WTC 1& 2 but that's my go-to now. I'll check out the others — thank you!
Bach is indeed as a deity. And. A lot of baroque music literally nauseates me. Yanno how music creates physical reaction? Ayup. And of course I don't KNOW if it's going to make me woozy until TOO LATE because who deprives themselves of magic no risk no reward etc.
I adore Glenn Gould. He did a little Toronto walkabout tour program that might still exist somewhere. I will never forget that a reviewer described him humming "like a demented bee". Another god amongst us.
One of my still prized but out-dated possessions is a CD box set of the entire world of Bach. It's packed away at the moment but I'll have to dig it out. It's got a little book of his history and stories about his compositions.
I'm a particular fan of his cello works as I've a soft spot for the cello.
Listen to Brandenburg Stomp by Kishi Bashi. It's the song I start my dog walks with and he goes nuts when he hears it!
I love the pop culture reference to him in Mortal Instruments claiming he was a Shadowhunter!
:-) I'll go check out the Stomp... isn't it astonishing we live in a world where we can just go to YouTube and type in any old thing and it'll likely be there... but good to have the CDs too, for when the apocalypse comes.
It's why I've still got all our DVDs packed away! When digital goes AWOL and the end of the world comes, I'll be the overlord of entertainment. It'll be Mad Max with showtunes!
One of the most humbling experiences you can have as a musician is to play Bach. The contrast appears between the exquisite simplicity of note and line on the page, the thrill of knowing exactly what will happen next, the inevitability of each chord… and your fumbling ass-backward attempts to get the internal parts to sound any good while you plod along tonelessly wondering why you’re making this dreadful noise.
That's SO true. So much of it sounds so inevitable, so a part of you assumes your hands will inevitably be able to do it... but then you find it's so, so much harder than it sounds... especially to do well.
Aha — Dinnerstein's Goldbergs are up there for me, too... not sure I know Tipo, I'll go check :-) Thank you... and isn't it fabulous that there are so many different recordings to explore...
There's so much I could say, but I will only say that many years ago I had dinner with Hilary Hahn. She was delightful. (She was a student of French with my ex.) I then got to see her at the Disney concert hall, second row I think. She played something by Brahms that was stunning. I'm not a Brahms fan, so that's really saying some thing.
That portrait you dug up of Bach in California explains why he had such great manual dexterity. When he wasn't rehearsing the parish choir, he was fastening and unfastening a blistering number of buttons. That would keep anyone dextrous. No wonder he composed pieces that allowed him to show it off. I would too.
All the pieces and performers have been carefully chosen.
Amatissimo Glenn Gould and great space you dedicated to most significant piece “Goldberg VariationsIt. Was work of all his life. He rehearsed, studied, and changed “Variations” for all life. Incredible, virtuoso and genius.
It's true, then, in the video we see that he not only helps himself with his voice, but also directs himself with hand.
And so, with your little advice “then distribute the music, one a day or something – there are seven pieces here, enough for a whole week” , I preferred to do it all in one nice evening.
I had a wonderful evening. Thank you.
P. S. l’m not religious. “Bach is as close to God as we'll ever get.” -- Bello.
One of my go-to Bach pieces on piano (multiple arrangements available) is the chorale 'Ich Ruf Zu Dir' which is heard in Tarkovsky's version of Solaris.
If I want something to be swept up in more monumental - yet sighing with humanity - then Respighi's orchestral arrangement of the C minor Passacaglia is perfect.
'Ich Ruf Zu Dir' was on my original and longer list — absolutely stunning :-)
This was such an interesting article! I'm a fan of Bach (how could I not be) but I've never researched anything more than just listening to his music. But this was an eye opener for me in many ways. Many thanks for this!
Excellent - really glad you enjoyed it!
My current Bach favourite is Nigel Kennedy's rendition of Erbame Dich, Mein Gott - St Mathew Passion in Leipzig. The arrangement is for violin and oboe. It's on Youtube and is so pure and lovely.
Also on Youtube, is a traditional arrangement of this piece with Delphine Galou (contralto) singing. Stunning.
Ooh, I'll go check those out — thank you!
Bach is incredible, his music is timeless. It is little wonder that so many composers and musicians of all eras and genres hold him above all others.
Rick Beato often talks about Bach because so many of his guests bring him up.
Yes - I saw one quite recently! I love Beato's videos — he did a great one on Oscar Peterson recently, too — his enthusiasm for all forms of (good) music is so infectious.
Genius. I’m not arguing. Music of the spheres.
There is work being done now to figure out why people don’t like certain songs. My personal thoughts are that the brain waves and the harmonics of music need to be in synchronicity. Otherwise it quite literally hurts the brain! Playing music to plants does actually work. They respond to it, and if I sing to mine they get a nice warm dose of carbon dioxide as well;)
Your plants sound very well looked after ;-) And yes, it's an interesting question why some sounds simply don't work for some people...
Bach keyboard recordings I cannot recommend highly enough:
Beatrice Rana - Goldbergs, Partita 2 (profound, original interpretation)
Martha Argerich - English Suite 2
Maria Joao Pires - English Suite 3
Tatiana Nikolayeva - Chromatic Fantasy & Fugues
Hélène Grimaud - Chaconne in d minor
I know the Argerich, and that Grimaud SO nearly made it onto this list :-)
It's funny, over recent years I've wound up at a point where (for some reason) almost all of my favorite Bach musicians are women... Don't know if you've heard the Evelyn Crochet version of WTC 1& 2 but that's my go-to now. I'll check out the others — thank you!
Bach is indeed as a deity. And. A lot of baroque music literally nauseates me. Yanno how music creates physical reaction? Ayup. And of course I don't KNOW if it's going to make me woozy until TOO LATE because who deprives themselves of magic no risk no reward etc.
I adore Glenn Gould. He did a little Toronto walkabout tour program that might still exist somewhere. I will never forget that a reviewer described him humming "like a demented bee". Another god amongst us.
Three weeks of tax season left light a candle.
I shall ;-) And "like a demented bee: is FANTASTIC.
My dogs was terrible today. Barking, tearing up the carpet, chasing each other and the cat around the house, and then...
I started playing some of the music from your piece.
They both laid down on the floor, and haven't moved for about 3 hours.
I have now the magic wand: J. S. Bach.
Thank you.
That makes me very, very happy indeed :-)
Bach plus Gould: genius.
Yeah :)
YES!
One of my still prized but out-dated possessions is a CD box set of the entire world of Bach. It's packed away at the moment but I'll have to dig it out. It's got a little book of his history and stories about his compositions.
I'm a particular fan of his cello works as I've a soft spot for the cello.
Listen to Brandenburg Stomp by Kishi Bashi. It's the song I start my dog walks with and he goes nuts when he hears it!
I love the pop culture reference to him in Mortal Instruments claiming he was a Shadowhunter!
Alright dear, I'll stop being a pompous twat...
:-) I'll go check out the Stomp... isn't it astonishing we live in a world where we can just go to YouTube and type in any old thing and it'll likely be there... but good to have the CDs too, for when the apocalypse comes.
It's why I've still got all our DVDs packed away! When digital goes AWOL and the end of the world comes, I'll be the overlord of entertainment. It'll be Mad Max with showtunes!
"Two men enter. One man sings".
One of the most humbling experiences you can have as a musician is to play Bach. The contrast appears between the exquisite simplicity of note and line on the page, the thrill of knowing exactly what will happen next, the inevitability of each chord… and your fumbling ass-backward attempts to get the internal parts to sound any good while you plod along tonelessly wondering why you’re making this dreadful noise.
That's SO true. So much of it sounds so inevitable, so a part of you assumes your hands will inevitably be able to do it... but then you find it's so, so much harder than it sounds... especially to do well.
Thanks for the recommendation re: Evelyn Crochet. I hadn't heard of her. Will listen!
As you can see, I feel the same way about the women.
Adding to that list:
Simone Dinnerstein's two & three-part Inventions
Roslyn Turek's Italian Concerto (on a piano - she is usually on harpsichord or organ) and all the WTC
Mario Tipo - any and everything, if you can track down her recordings
Aha — Dinnerstein's Goldbergs are up there for me, too... not sure I know Tipo, I'll go check :-) Thank you... and isn't it fabulous that there are so many different recordings to explore...
Indeed.
I am such a nerd on all things piano, especially Bach. I could talk about this all day.
Fun that we share this interest:)
It somehow doesn't surprised me that we do :-) Hope all's well with you and yours.
OMG you went full Bach.
There's so much I could say, but I will only say that many years ago I had dinner with Hilary Hahn. She was delightful. (She was a student of French with my ex.) I then got to see her at the Disney concert hall, second row I think. She played something by Brahms that was stunning. I'm not a Brahms fan, so that's really saying some thing.
OMG that's full bragging rights. Wow :-)
That portrait you dug up of Bach in California explains why he had such great manual dexterity. When he wasn't rehearsing the parish choir, he was fastening and unfastening a blistering number of buttons. That would keep anyone dextrous. No wonder he composed pieces that allowed him to show it off. I would too.
Which came first, that buttons of the fugues? Not sure anyone's ever looked into that properly.
It's surely a topic of merit for the right music historian.
All the pieces and performers have been carefully chosen.
Amatissimo Glenn Gould and great space you dedicated to most significant piece “Goldberg VariationsIt. Was work of all his life. He rehearsed, studied, and changed “Variations” for all life. Incredible, virtuoso and genius.
It's true, then, in the video we see that he not only helps himself with his voice, but also directs himself with hand.
And so, with your little advice “then distribute the music, one a day or something – there are seven pieces here, enough for a whole week” , I preferred to do it all in one nice evening.
I had a wonderful evening. Thank you.
P. S. l’m not religious. “Bach is as close to God as we'll ever get.” -- Bello.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it :-) And that's so true about Glen Gould's hand... I'd never really noticed that!
conducted himself