[VIDEO] Bach English Suite No. 2 (Complete)

[jlh]

Comments/Suggestions?  I'm playing this for a recital February 20th.

Prelude:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9083656603674237456&hl=en

Allemande:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4542416267742983013&hl=en

Courante:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8884755615529303306&hl=en

Sarabande:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2332958402875763969&hl=en

Bourree I and II:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5633651446792491074&hl=en

Gigue:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1301222109029903595&hl=en

The digital camera doesn't record dynamics very well... 

[buebo]

Amazing.. sorry I can't give any useful input, just loved it! such clarity!

[Mozartian]

Ooooh nice, Josh! Sounds great!

[jlh]

I just played this in my lesson today -- and got a load of other stuff to work on with this suite now...  it was the first lesson I had with this suite in 2 months.  It's good though. I've been in 'practice' mode for so long I need to practice performing it more. 

[thaicheow]

Hi,

I personally think that it is a fine work. You must have put in alot of effort.

I just go through the prelude, and Bourree, and just portion of each part.

I like the clarity of each note you manage to project. I feel that you may can slow down a bit in the prelude, as this will help each note to blossom better. Take note of your left hand part, though I feel you can put more character to this part.

I just wonder your speed in Bourree I and II. You slow down a lot in Bouree II. For me, I would view the I and II as one integrated part, and play them in ternery form. I personally prefer one to maintain the speed throughout, and no stop in between. Same thing on you left hand part too. More character can be put in this part.

Anyway, just my personal opinion. I think you have done a great job. Keep up good work.

[moi69]

Im working on the prelude. I think u play it too fast and ther's a lack of emotions.
Here is my version; it's not perfect, but it's a beginning.

[counterpoint]

Wow, what great Bach players do we have here in piano street - bravo, wonderful !!!

Josh, your playing is wonderful, very clear, you play the slower movements with much feeling, flexible dynamics and tempo. That's how I like to hear the music of Bach 

For the Prelude, I have to admit that  I prefer moi69's slower version. It's only a little  slower, but the melodic motives and phrases are more shaped, it doesn't has this sort of mechanical appearance of the extreme fast Prelude of Josh.

[jlh]

I think you're right about the Prelude tempo... I've been practicing it at 120 and this is a bit faster than that (guess I was feeling a bit energetic that day...) and if I'm not careful I'll end up rushing through it in the recital.  As for lack of emotions... duly noted, however in my defense I must at least partially fault the small room, the loud piano and a bad microphone (digital point&shoot camera) for the stagnant dynamic levels.    If by emotions you mean playing it with more rubato, I don't know how much of that is warranted... I've heard 1 professional recording with much rubato and it pretty much ruined the performance by breaking up the rhythm.

Thanks for the comment, and moi69... you play the prelude very well!  Thanks for sharing your recording!!

[moi69]

Thanks. But i play only the prelude.

[pianistimo]

dear jlh,

wow.  you are really good at bach.  the only thing i wouldn't do in the prelude so much  (too much of anything is bad, right?!) is play the rh dynamically ALWAYS over the left hand.  you do bring out voicing  - but never to the disadvantage of the top line.  this =boring to some people who want to hear more of the voicing sometimes in the middle sections.

you have a good feel, otherwise, to me of the 'whole' of the piece.  i actually like your tempo (can't really say why - other than it sounds really energetic and who's going to want to listen to hours of sixteenth notes.  get it done.  do it well.)  you have really nice trills, too. 

ok on to listen to the rest of it.  i really like the 'sweetness' of the allemande.  the only thing i would change is how you approach the keyboard to start.  look at your hands while you are playing (on the video) - blend in with this as you start by starting ON the keys or very close.  it's just distracting to have this slow motion wrist stuff before you start.  that was the VERY FIRST thing my teacher caught me on when i restarted taking lessons.  i'm so glad he made fun of it.  you don't realize what it looks like until you really watch yourself.  it's unnecessary movement.  eliminate every movement that has nothing to do with making sound at the piano.

[pianistimo]

i think you need something to make the allemande and courante more different from each other.  i need to study these dances more myself - because i really have forgotten what makes them different from each other in the first place.  i'd sort of like to hear the courante much lighter sounding - but perhaps i am way off.  it just sounds 'heavy' to me.  what does your teacher say.  what does he/she say about making them individual sounding - so when you move from one dance to the other - people take note and say - wow - i hear the difference between these two dances.

[pianistimo]

is the sarabande supposed to be THAT slow?  forgive me.  i just don't know.  it sounds kinda like a car attempting to make it to the gas station on fumes.  i heard that you should hear them in three instead of six - but that is entirely up to you.  rostropovich used to take sarabandes in extremely slow fashion and they were beautiful - but the thing is - you have to put a lot of effort into doing this with a somewhat static instrument.  you don't have a bow (like with violin) and you can't quaver notes and such.  so you're stuck with a hammer that once it's struck, you're just trying to hold out the note and make connections with what's coming and what went.

i would emphasize the second beat - and give the pulse just a bit more energy by speeding up a little bit.  hardly any thought to the first beats.

[pianistimo]

the bouree's are my favorites.  they aren't too 'heavy' and they are pleasing excepting sometimes speeding up here.  i hear a hummingbird going around just 'doing it's thing.'  the second one is the gardener lady over in her garden throwing weeds over her shoulder and paying no attention to the fire in her kitchen. 

[pianistimo]

the gigue - do you think a little more crescendo on the runs? not necessarily played louder - per se - but just a little more 'umph' each run.  if you have several runs in a row - the first one crescendos to a peak just a bit softer than the next run.  same for going down the keyboard - getting softer and softer each time going down.