A few movements from Bach's English Suite in G minor

[davidz]

Recorded in Allentown, PA, in my friend's living room , on a Charles Walter grand piano.

[cygnusdei]

Davidz, I enjoy these a lot. You play with meticulous articulation, a remarkable sense of rhythm, and authority. I hope you post more of your recordings. One thing that I find unusual, though, is pedaled trills, which seem out of character with your general portato/detached articulation.

[pianistimo]

you make that charles walter piano sound good.  agreed witht he above comments about your articulation being really great - and the need to sustain it when you reach those 'thick' passages.  i like your forward momentum.

about the number of D's in that first measure and first beat of second measure - is there some miscount?  i think there are only supposed to be two - unless you have an autograph that proves that it's not. 

i would be inclined to say that it is probably written correctly in the modern score because the very next voice has a similar pattern (two note start)  = G G F# F# F#  and similarly the third 'voice' = D D  Bb Bb Bb etc.

[davidz]

Thanks much for the comments...

Pianistimo:  Yes, the third D in the prelude should be a Bb.  I was wondering why the first statement of the motif sounded different from all the rest 

About pedalling, ironically my recording engineer friend says the sound is too dry and wants to add reverbs via software.  I guess I'm trying for an organ-like effect in some parts.

It does seem to me that passages with trills are different from those without.  In a passage without trills, I can play exactly the same way each time.  I can also practice as slowly as I want, and when I speed back up the notes are all in the same relationship, just faster.  With trills I can't do that as the trill notes can land in different places each time.  So it seems to me there is a qualitative difference.  Does that make sense?

[pianistimo]

i used to have a bummer time with trills too.  i think what helped is some teacher suggested taking them in different rhythms (accenting - but not stopping).  the triplet rhythm helps the most because you are accenting the higher note and then lower - alternately.  finally, when you want to perform - you don't accent at all - but just think in your head how you want it even.  trills are always tricky if you approach them from too high or the hand placement is bad.  for instance, when you have a load of black notes and then suddenly a trill with two white notes - you can pull your hand back so that the pads of your fingers are centered in the white keys instead of way up the key.  leverage!