Bach - Goldberg Varations: Aria [Video Performance]

[philiphotchkiss]

Hello everyone:

I recorded this performance a couple of days ago. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback. I'm always looking to learn and improve

Thanks and I hope you all have a great weekend,

Phil

[birba]

A little bit too slow and too romantic for me.  PLEASE don't get offended!!!  I'm always amazed at how different EVERYONE plays this aria.  I've never heard it the same twice.  The embellishments are a personal matter, as well as a philological one, and I like what you did. 
When are we going to hear the rest?

[arielpiano]

I like it. I don't think it's too slow. (It's faster than Gould II.) What do you mean by "philological" birba?

[birba]

Philological means researching the history and authenticity of something.  In this case the embellishments. For example, looking at the realizations of the embellishments in Anna Maddalena's "notebook".  Or seeing how contemporary composers realized the same embellishments, etc.  Musicology, in a way...

[arielpiano]

Cool...

[philiphotchkiss]

Thanks for the additional comments.

Great to learn what philological means - on the embellishments, I was working from an Urtext score and there is no question that in this performance, I took a couple of liberties.

I did research what the literal markings, stayed true to most, but added 1 unmarked trill AND did not play two left hand trills that should have been 6 note trills, instead played 4 notes.

Here are the notes my very accomplished teacher sent me after viewing the video:

"1.  It sounded a little too much.  Maybe you can be a little bit more selective about what you do.  I think it is hard to explain in email.  Can I show you at our lesson?
 
2.  I would try to layer the voices a little bit more, so one can hear the horizontal lines of each voice a little bit better.
 
Great work!  Thanks or sharing this with me."

My teacher is right, in sections it is a bit too much - perhaps that was because I had to wrestle a bit with the Steinway D I was playing and time constraints-but those are lame excuses. I just need to bring in a bit more control and stay truer to the period.

I also agree on the horizontal voicing, I need to be more conscious of this and no be so focused on the RH melody.

I will be performing this live on May 24th in recital, and I will post a video of that performance for all of you.

Thank you so much for the feedback, please keep it coming. I have so much to learn.

Phil