VIDEO: Bach - Prelude & Fugue no.22 WTK II - BWV 891

[andreslr6]

Hi, this is my first post in the Audition Room.

An apology for the bad quality of the audio (the lower register sounds too low in volume compared to the higher notes because of the placement of the camera), and my piano's malfunctioning (that's why the lid is off, I have to constantly return one of the pieces inside to its place) and its metallic sound .

I know there are a lot of points of view regarding how to interpret Bach, and I consider all of them valid, but if you want to comment about my choices, feel free to do it. I first heard this prelude and fugue with GG and I liked the tempo, so I decided to try it out at a similar tempo and I think it works, although a teacher from my school said it was wrong, but anyways, I believe it's a matter of taste, there's no tempo indication, right? (he said the same thing about the articulation)

I had to do a separate take for the fugue because I had unexpected memory problems in one spot, you'll notice it because I got scared by the time I got there and unconsciously slowed down a bit in 4:06, that damn spot.... Anyways, the fugue has not convinced me yet, the beginning also has some details that need some polishing, some exaggerated-out-of-context accents, like the Db-Eb from the theme on the first voice (the 3rd and 4th notes) and some accents that I do want to make but ended up sounding a little bit too harsh , but I'll try to make another recording during the week and update this post. Seems that there has to be more contrasts in the dynamics, or maybe not more but rather more noticeable.

Anyways, I'll be playing this in a recital the 25th, so please, post any comment, suggestion and/or critic you may want to add, good or bad, I don't care, but anything is good . I'll post the other pieces as well, during the week.

[49410enrique]

you sir....have my like.


i would only add that you work to see if you can 'quiet' things down a bit at times in the fugue to make a separation of the voices a little more prounced (you this well, i just wanted a bit more - or 'less' actually'' 

do keep us posted on your progress and the performance, try and post a recording of the performance if possible!

great work.

[andhow04]

this prelude and fugue has gotten a lot of airtime here recently, that's great. i find it the most difficult of all the 48. it's hard in terms of the character, the delicate and brusque rhythmic balance, the imposing intellect that went into the fugue which so thoroughly explores the theme and its derivations.

in many ways i like the prelude, i can distinguish the voices clearly.  i also came to bach through GG originally and always go back to it, though my enthusiasm now is more tempered. for one thing, he wrote that he considered many of the Preludes to be "perfunctory," and i thikn you can hear this in his playing... in this prelude, his interpretation is basically just to prove his own point.

the thing that usually saves him, and causes a lot of his defenders to overlook his sometimes willfully cavalier attitude, is the purity of his touch and his philosophical approach. he doesn't allow himself a single sentimental, romantic, or otherwise dreamy moment, and that makes it what it is.   if you're going to play the prelude in the way gould did, you have to commit to it 100%.  none of what he does in his recording would work with a slower tempo with the exception of the last 4 beats or whatever.

you are sort of in between - you want his tempo, but tempo and character are fundamentally entwined.  if that kind of tempo is going to be effective, i think it has to go along with a new kind of character. a lot of what you do, can be heard more beautifully in a slower tempo. that in itself makes the listener, at least this one, wish for more space to hear the details.  i thinkt hat's a contradiction you have to work out, personally.

i'm less crazy about the tempo of the fugue, and i think i feel that way partly because of a similar complaint.  all in all, i feel the fugue is a bit on the plain side, by which i mean, i just don't hear a full story there.  it's short on drama.  the fast tempo just adds to that perception. each new harmony, each new entrance, each episode, sounds basically the same. 

the virtuoso double thirds at the end, which in my opinion are clear evidence that bach was composing with a dramatic structure in mind, sound like nothing to my ear, when they should really be akin to a wall of sound.  of course on teh harpsichord they would have produced an infernal jangling, they would have been a sound effect.

but on the plus side, i think you have great control over the complex physical aspect of playing this fugue, and the wherewithal to make the voicing clear and logical.

by the way, that piano sounds like some bizarre landowska-harpsichord-piano hybrid.  are you sure you didn't do anything to the insides???

i recently recorded the entire WTC and posted it one at a time on here, here's my link to b-flat minor book II if you're interested:
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=48725.0

[andreslr6]

Thanks guys. Every time I hear myself, or this recording, I feel more the need of polishing everything, and that's a good thing I suppose .

andhow

I also think it's one of the hardest, I can't say the hardest because I haven't played them all, but it's definitely the hardest I played. I actually wanted to pick another one when I found that out, but my teacher didn't let me, I had to deal with the consequences , but it's my favorite too..

I actually don't want to sound GG, but rather just take what I've learned from him, I love how he uses the articulation to differentiate the voices, like giving different "formulas" for each voice in a fugue, or when a voice reappears it's now legato instead of staccato, and viceversa, etc. so I try to make as much contrasts as possible with that resource.

The tempo I chose was precisely because of the character, tempo gives character, and I believe it needs to sound with energy, specially the fugue. Although I do feel some cadences need more space, I constantly play it very slow to get that sensation of "sostenuto" really inside of me, so that by the time I play them fast you can hear them but in a subtle way that doesn't slow it down too much (like in 1:28), but giving more space doesn't hurt, in fact it helps. I'll take that suggestion, the slower tempo.

The fugue.. I also think I need more exploration, although I don't want to lower the tempo too much, I think I can find one where I can exploit every little detail and still play it fast and with energy. And also work with the storytelling more.

But yeah, my aim goes more towards the "in between", but I have to find the point were it's 100% effective, not just 99%.. or 70%.. or 50%. I think they can both work, maybe more inclined towards the Gouldian philosophy, but with a good balance between the two. Thanks!

BTW, I was looking for your recording yesterday, but I only found one of a suite I think, or another prelude, but thanks for the link! I was really curious to hear your version, and now that I know you recorded it complete, I have a lot of hearing to do.

by the way, that piano sounds like some bizarre landowska-harpsichord-piano hybrid.  are you sure you didn't do anything to the insides??

Yeah haha, actually it's because I NEVER did anything.. the sound is the result of not giving the hammers proper maintenance, it sounds even worse with microphones (even with pedal everything sounds metallic staccatissisisisisisisimo). I go to school out of state, this piano is the one in my hometown so I only use it in school breaks, so I kind of abandoned it for the other one. The pieces inside that constantly get out of place need a replacement now, they're all old now, natural deterioration from use and time. Probably after the recital I'll fix it, but I'm not sure.. the technician said it would cost like 800-900 dlls to get it everything back to what it needs to be.

enrique

Thanks

Actually, at the end I got the feeling that EVERYTHING was too loud and I thought it was because I just got tired of playing it over and over again. But "making a separation of the voices a little more pronounced" can always get better . Thanks!

[costicina]

Bravo Andres! This P&F is insidious and very difficult. Of course there are various things  you can refine and  improve (but it's true of every piece), nonetheless, you did really a good job!!!!!!

[andreslr6]

Bravo Andres! This P&F is insidious and very difficult. Of course there are various things  you can refine and  improve (but it's true of every piece), nonetheless, you did really a good job!!!!!!

Thanks for your comment, I'll post an improved version most probably after the recital, I recorded another one yesterday but I think it's a little bit of a distraction to record now. I think it's better if I record very little during these days.