For the unique 4-note 1st subject, some critics say it is meant to represent the cross. By starting in the bass, it signifies the heavy weight of the cross. The unending nature of 2nd subject is meant to depict the crown of thorns. The 3rd subject I forgot what it was. So all in all, this fugue is said to describe Jesus' crucifixion.
Just superlatives: Most easy but most beautiful prelude and most difficult and most catching fuge meets the most tastefully interpretation on the most delicate sounding harpsichord I've ever listened to 😊 Perfect!
I thought that I can't stand the sound of harpsichord for more than 3 minutes, and this performance proved me wrong. What a beautiful and colourful interpretation of one of the most sublime pieces of music ever written. This fugue is a masterpiece.
Esta obra, demuestra que el Sr. Bach tenia superpoderes. Tenia el poder de dominar a La Musica, esa diosa veleidosa cuyos secretos los reparte a pequeños pedazos pero nunca los entrega todos. Solo Bach conocio todo. Nadie mas.
Esecuzione straordinaria che, pur perfetta nell'esecuzione tecnica e virtuosistica, fa emergere dal brano il massimo del suo contenuto sentimentale e mistico, facendo al tempo stesso gustare, uno dopo l'altro, tutti i magistrali passaggi della singolare composizione del grandioso Maestro tedesco 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍💘🕊️
Bach's counterpoint sounds wonderful on this instrument played by this performer. Too many recordings of Bach's music are done with horrid sounding harpsichords and are recorded poorly to boot. What we hear here is digestible and more pleasant to the modern ear.
For the unique 4-note 1st subject, some critics say it is meant to represent the cross. By starting in the bass, it signifies the heavy weight of the cross. The unending nature of 2nd subject is meant to depict the crown of thorns. The 3rd subject I forgot what it was. So all in all, this fugue is said to describe Jesus' crucifixion.
The artist’s intention isn’t everything. If Bach intended for his piece to represent A but a listener thinks it better represents B or doesn’t represent anything at all, I don’t think the listener is wrong.
This is truly the best interpretation of the Csharp minor I have heard. Totally in line with my own idea of what Bach wanted from this. Beautiful recording! (Where are the microphones though? No close mic’ing? Only room mics?)
It hasn't been transposed, it's the harpsichord that's tuned lower! The pitch standards for baroque instruments are often lower than the modern scientific pitch a=440, same way that many orchestras tune higher than the pitch standard. Baroque pitch standard varied greatly depending on time and place, but it is believed, as supported by research, that it was in general around a=425, and since we assume that's what Bach and other greats had in mind when writing, we take it into account. It just so happens that 425 Hz sounds roughly like a modern A flat, not an A, hence the recording sounds C minor and not C sharp minor. Fascinating, isn't it? And that doesn't even take into consideration different temperaments used.
Sorry for my inadequate English. A very common mistake among keyboard players - they don't play the bassnote on the very last chord. Because of the organ point, the bass is dead long before the final chord. And the result? The compositions ends with a fifth or a third in the "bass". Bach never NEVER finish his compositions on a fifth or a third in the bass. "You idiot! Bach wrote the organ point!" I know, but the organ point shall only be playing on the organs.
Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel: Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen. Bd.1. 2.Aufl. Berlin, 1753. #121 Titel:Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen : mit Exempeln und achtzehn Probe-Stücken in sechs Sonaten erläutert Teil: Erster Theil (1 von 2) Autor/in: Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Auflage: 2. Auflage Erschienen: Berlin : Selbstverlag; Winter : 1759 Klassifikation:Wissenschaft :: Musik Umfang: 127 Scans Physisches Exemplar:Bibliothek:SUB Göttingen Signatur: SUB Göttingen, 8 MUS IV, 4750:1 Umfang:[4] Bl., 118 S.=>> Bey langen Aushaltungen hat man die Freyheit, die lange gebundene Note dann und wann wieder anzuschlagen Fig.X.
=>> Bey langen Aushaltungen hat man die Freyheit, die lange gebundene Note - dann und wann - wieder anzuschlagen Fig.X. (Bach, C.Ph.E: Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen. Bd.1)
Jeanpierre Carabas, thank you for your reply. I got the book in English, but I struggling to understand it all. I tried to find the sentence in my book, I need to read the sentence in context. As you know there are organpoints also to be find long before the end of a composition. Organpoints in the middle of the piece don't need any repeat of the bassnote, but to finish a composition without the keynote in the bass sounds unsatisfactory.
Jeanpierre, I understood the german sentence, but In my English version I can only find "Figure 10" pages 50, about fingering. I need to know the sentence in context. As I mentioned before - organ points in the middle of a piece is something else than organ points in the very end of a composition.
The fugue not beautiful? Huh? It is a triple fugue (if you are willing to concede that a fugue is not a form but a compositional technique) and is one of the most complex fugues ever written.
@@john3260 Read my comment again: I know the fugue is very complex, but IN MY OPINION not that beautiful (maybe because it is very long and becomes a bit boring)
@@antonioluismourato4486 You didn't put that it was your opinion in the original comment and you implied it wasn't beautiful objectively. I also disagree that this is a ricercar because the second and third subject has short note values. Therefore, it is a triple fugue. There is a video on the analysis of it here: th-cam.com/video/lP-8C1UF1mE/w-d-xo.html
Not sure I understand the obsession with period imstriments and Bach's music. Not a single great composer composed on a keyboard remotely like the modern piano yet no one questions perfirming on them..yet somehow the most abstract of them requires a period inststument..there is NO logic
There is logic, given you consider more than only superficial facts. Even if there was no "composer intent" per se in the baroque, certainly they had something in mind when they wrote their pieces, that "something" is a result and conditioned by their cultural environment. First of all, don't you think the greatest composer of all times deserves special treatment? Secondly, the difference is that from the end of the baroque onwards the fortepiano was around, there is a big chasm between the fortepiano and a harpsichord, namely, that the harpsichord's strings are plucked instead of struck by a hammer. This results in a crisp and exact sound, perfect for fugues. In the piano, the sounds and harmonies tend to muddle together and become impure, especially in the hands of the unexperienced interpreter. Contemporary sources, such as Scheibe tells us that Bach's music tended to make little or no difference between the different voices, the subject, and the filler material. Thirdly, it just sounds better. Additionally, it's not only Bach, if you haven't noticed historically accurate interpretations have been in vogue for quite some time now, as early as the 19th century and as late as 1960s. In short, the closer we get to the source, the better we can understand them. The better we can appreciate the nuances, and unveil, if only a tiny fraction, of what they had in their mind.
Sounds nice but a little to elitists, exquisite, too rich for my taste. But I immensely enjoy Bach's cantata's as they have a real human element that affects me very much.
0:07 Prelude
03:01 Fugue
0:07 Prelude*
03:01 Fugue*
A great performance of one of the greatest fugues ever written...
That fugue is such an achievement..
For the unique 4-note 1st subject, some critics say it is meant to represent the cross. By starting in the bass, it signifies the heavy weight of the cross. The unending nature of 2nd subject is meant to depict the crown of thorns. The 3rd subject I forgot what it was. So all in all, this fugue is said to describe Jesus' crucifixion.
@@mtv565 it's a five note subject though isn't it?
@@rayancharafeddine4982 -- Andras Schiff CD stated it's 4 note, I'm sticking to this.
@@mtv565 yeah you are right haha I looked at the score again. At first you can think its five, but he often omits the "fifth note".
@@mtv565 That's beautiful
This fugue drives me to tears so heavily every Time i listen to It, few works do that. It's so sad, In the full extent of the word
Just superlatives:
Most easy but most beautiful prelude and most difficult and most catching fuge meets the most tastefully interpretation on the most delicate sounding harpsichord I've ever listened to 😊 Perfect!
The easiest prelude is the 1° for sure...
I thought that I can't stand the sound of harpsichord for more than 3 minutes, and this performance proved me wrong. What a beautiful and colourful interpretation of one of the most sublime pieces of music ever written. This fugue is a masterpiece.
My favorite of the WTC books; The fugue is haunting. Thanks to the NBS
Saul Goodman playing Bach's Prelude and Fugue is absolutely epic
🤣🤣
My #1 favourite fugue of the first book of the Well-Tempered Clavier.
Thank you for this gift on Christmas Eve.
One of the most profound compositions Bach ever wrote.
Why Bach makes me cry?😥
The broken cadency at the end of the fugue is a new level
Thank you very much. Monsieur Cuiller, quel musicien exceptionnel vous êtes
This is an outstanding production of this WTC pair. True artistry.
Half of the views so far must have been from me.
Bravo! Hoping you can hear me shout it from San Francisco. And thank you kindly, Sir.
Me encanta el fraseo del Preludio.
Maravilloso
Such melancholic tune.
You really either hate or love the harpsichord. For me, it’s love. Beautiful interpretation!
I found no reason to hate the harpsichord! Such an elegant but concrete sound to enjoy
this is such emotional music.
Even though he is baroque period musician, I sometimes find him more romantic than some romantic period composers
This is a fantastic rendition of one of the greatest fugues ever written.
Esta obra, demuestra que el Sr. Bach tenia superpoderes. Tenia el poder de dominar a La Musica, esa diosa veleidosa cuyos secretos los reparte a pequeños pedazos pero nunca los entrega todos. Solo Bach conocio todo. Nadie mas.
Wunderbare Version. Dankeschön fürs teilen.
Well done > For me , this is a most suitable tempo that you took. Many pianists take it too slow or too fast. I really enjoyed it. Thank you
I do hope Joseph grows up to appreciate Bach. :)
and maybe the next Alain Prost!
Who's Joseph?
How's Joseph?
Wonderful sounding Italian Harpsichord.
I liked the domestic views of his music room !
Bellísima interpretación Ejecutante extraordinario.
Gracias Cuiller Feliz Navidad. desde México
Beautifully played. One of my favorites. Merci et bravo.
Thank you for the wonderful rendition!
Sublime. Bravo. One could almost say...." bye bye pianoforte" after listening...
Non essere così radicale, il pianoforte ti svela altri segreti se riesci a suonarlo bene 😊😊😊
Absolutely captivating performance
Prelude मुझे कुछ अतीत के स्वर्णिम पलों की याद दिलाता है 😌
cannot wait until book 2
Can someone explain how a video like this is filmed? The process? How many takes? How many cameras?
Thanks for this wonderful Christmas gift!!! Excellent rendition of this wonderful prelude and fugue!
Esecuzione straordinaria che, pur perfetta nell'esecuzione tecnica e virtuosistica, fa emergere dal brano il massimo del suo contenuto sentimentale e mistico, facendo al tempo stesso gustare, uno dopo l'altro, tutti i magistrali passaggi della singolare composizione del grandioso Maestro tedesco 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍💘🕊️
NO , HE IS NOT UN TEDESCO, HE IS FRENCH.
@@ronwalker4849 Io parlavo di Bach.
Lo so che lei è francese, e dev'essere onorato di esserlo!
So beautiful.
Thank you for such a touching and beautiful music!
I truly enjoyed your performance, bravo !
Bach's counterpoint sounds wonderful on this instrument played by this performer. Too many recordings of Bach's music are done with horrid sounding harpsichords and are recorded poorly to boot. What we hear here is digestible and more pleasant to the modern ear.
Beautiful
What a pleasure - thank you!
Thank you so much N. B. S❤️
とても美しい演奏でした。有難う御座いました。
For the unique 4-note 1st subject, some critics say it is meant to represent the cross. By starting in the bass, it signifies the heavy weight of the cross. The unending nature of 2nd subject is meant to depict the crown of thorns. The 3rd subject I forgot what it was. So all in all, this fugue is said to describe Jesus' crucifixion.
Personally I think these kinds of connections are a bit spurious, but everyone’s free to have their own interpretation.
@@alexshih3747 : What if Bach really intended these hidden symbolisms?
The artist’s intention isn’t everything. If Bach intended for his piece to represent A but a listener thinks it better represents B or doesn’t represent anything at all, I don’t think the listener is wrong.
I've heard the third subject with its repeated notes could symbolize the striking of nails into Jesus' wrist.
This is truly the best interpretation of the Csharp minor I have heard. Totally in line with my own idea of what Bach wanted from this.
Beautiful recording! (Where are the microphones though? No close mic’ing? Only room mics?)
6:35 that's some of the spiciest chords bach ever wrote in the WTC
¡ Excelente!
Wonderful!
Whether the fuge represents the crucifixion or not, it is probably the darkest subject of all the WTC
James reply
Sus
amazing
It is literally necronomicon of all existing fugues
Meravigliosa sinfonia
I wish there had been closer focus of the camera on his hands, especially during th more elaborate parts of the fugue.
Dank u wel Nederlansche Bachvereeniging. Helemaal uit het hoofd?
Wow!!!! ❤️
Nice present for Christmas. Thank you!
Skøn musik i hjemmet. Smukt og lige til.....
4:55. I've heard that moment in many different baroque pieces
Can you give examples? I'm curious as I i like this piece.
@@sereitan5967 Of course. Tbh, only two come to my mid rn:
th-cam.com/video/MRKy3kX8XUM/w-d-xo.html 5:00
th-cam.com/video/snGGbbCluNw/w-d-xo.html 0:11
It is like that the pianist has two brains: one for the right hand, another for the left.
So, he is playing in C minor, not C# minor. Can somebody tell me why this is? The entire score has been transposed down...
It hasn't been transposed, it's the harpsichord that's tuned lower! The pitch standards for baroque instruments are often lower than the modern scientific pitch a=440, same way that many orchestras tune higher than the pitch standard. Baroque pitch standard varied greatly depending on time and place, but it is believed, as supported by research, that it was in general around a=425, and since we assume that's what Bach and other greats had in mind when writing, we take it into account. It just so happens that 425 Hz sounds roughly like a modern A flat, not an A, hence the recording sounds C minor and not C sharp minor. Fascinating, isn't it? And that doesn't even take into consideration different temperaments used.
He's playing in the baroque tuning which is A = 415hz. Baroque tuning is about a semitone lower than modern tuning.
Grande Zizek
Who else has perfect pitch and hears this in C minor 🙃
Me, but I got used to the baroque tuning.
Saul Goodman is a great pianist.
He is playing a harpsichord! (It's not Saul Goodman, it's Kevin Costner)
Dieu und J.S.Bach .
Sorry for my inadequate English. A very common mistake among keyboard players - they don't play the bassnote on the very last chord. Because of the organ point, the bass is dead long before the final chord. And the result? The compositions ends with a fifth or a third in the "bass". Bach never NEVER finish his compositions on a fifth or a third in the bass. "You idiot! Bach wrote the organ point!" I know, but the organ point shall only be playing on the organs.
Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel: Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen. Bd.1. 2.Aufl. Berlin, 1753. #121 Titel:Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen : mit Exempeln und achtzehn Probe-Stücken in sechs Sonaten erläutert Teil: Erster Theil (1 von 2) Autor/in: Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Auflage: 2. Auflage Erschienen: Berlin : Selbstverlag; Winter : 1759 Klassifikation:Wissenschaft :: Musik Umfang: 127 Scans Physisches Exemplar:Bibliothek:SUB Göttingen Signatur: SUB Göttingen, 8 MUS IV, 4750:1 Umfang:[4] Bl., 118 S.=>> Bey langen Aushaltungen hat man die Freyheit, die lange gebundene Note dann und wann wieder anzuschlagen Fig.X.
=>> Bey langen Aushaltungen hat man die Freyheit,
die lange gebundene Note - dann und wann - wieder anzuschlagen Fig.X.
(Bach, C.Ph.E: Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen. Bd.1)
Jeanpierre Carabas, thank you for your reply. I got the book in English, but I struggling to understand it all. I tried to find the sentence in my book, I need to read the sentence in context. As you know there are organpoints also to be find long before the end of a composition. Organpoints in the middle of the piece don't need any repeat of the bassnote, but to finish a composition without the keynote in the bass sounds unsatisfactory.
With long holdings you have the freedom to hit the long-bound note - now and then - again Fig.X. .....
Jeanpierre, I understood the german sentence, but In my English version I can only find "Figure 10" pages 50, about fingering. I need to know the sentence in context. As I mentioned before - organ points in the middle of a piece is something else than organ points in the very end of a composition.
Chingon
Pretty good performance but he overdid it with the mordents and trills
I disagree
The prelude is wonderful and very "aria" like. The fugue is one of the longest and more complex, with 5 voices (parts), but not that beautiful.
The fugue not beautiful? Huh? It is a triple fugue (if you are willing to concede that a fugue is not a form but a compositional technique) and is one of the most complex fugues ever written.
@@john3260 Read my comment again: I know the fugue is very complex, but IN MY OPINION not that beautiful (maybe because it is very long and becomes a bit boring)
@@john3260 This fugue is actually more a Ricercar, due to the long notes and pesant character
@@antonioluismourato4486 Well, complexity can be beautiful. Fugues aren't exactly known for their emotional beauty but intellectual beauty.
@@antonioluismourato4486 You didn't put that it was your opinion in the original comment and you implied it wasn't beautiful objectively. I also disagree that this is a ricercar because the second and third subject has short note values. Therefore, it is a triple fugue. There is a video on the analysis of it here: th-cam.com/video/lP-8C1UF1mE/w-d-xo.html
There is nothing noble in this atmosphere, it is rather very very sleepy.
Not sure I understand the obsession with period imstriments and Bach's music. Not a single great composer composed on a keyboard remotely like the modern piano yet no one questions perfirming on them..yet somehow the most abstract of them requires a period inststument..there is NO logic
There is logic, given you consider more than only superficial facts. Even if there was no "composer intent" per se in the baroque, certainly they had something in mind when they wrote their pieces, that "something" is a result and conditioned by their cultural environment. First of all, don't you think the greatest composer of all times deserves special treatment? Secondly, the difference is that from the end of the baroque onwards the fortepiano was around, there is a big chasm between the fortepiano and a harpsichord, namely, that the harpsichord's strings are plucked instead of struck by a hammer. This results in a crisp and exact sound, perfect for fugues. In the piano, the sounds and harmonies tend to muddle together and become impure, especially in the hands of the unexperienced interpreter. Contemporary sources, such as Scheibe tells us that Bach's music tended to make little or no difference between the different voices, the subject, and the filler material. Thirdly, it just sounds better.
Additionally, it's not only Bach, if you haven't noticed historically accurate interpretations have been in vogue for quite some time now, as early as the 19th century and as late as 1960s.
In short, the closer we get to the source, the better we can understand them. The better we can appreciate the nuances, and unveil, if only a tiny fraction, of what they had in their mind.
Sounds nice but a little to elitists, exquisite, too rich for my taste. But I immensely enjoy Bach's cantata's as they have a real human element that affects me very much.
Questa é una fuga incredibile! Magnifica interpretazione, grazie
*è
Ништяк
Exquisitely done.
Fabulous. Stirring. Thank you.
Здорово!
Beautiful!!!