Bach Prelude&Fugue B-flat minor Bokk 1

[pianoman53]

I've worked with this highly symbolical prelude for around 2 weeks, or so... The prelude feels a bit like Jesus' walk to the crucifixion, and the fugue is the Judgement of God.

Anyway, I would change some things if I could re-record it right now... but I can't.. cause I don't have an instrument in my apartment...

The last uber-stretto in the end of the fugue is still somewhat of a problem... All voices has the theme, a beat after each other... I don't know, maybe Bach didn't understand that it would be difficult for normal people.

As always, say what you think

[chopin2015]

It's beautiful...

[costicina]

Really inspired: bravo!!!!

[the89thkey]

Must get quite annoying not having a piano in your apartment. I like your touch when you play. Try to think a bit more about what Bach was doing/thinking during writing this (he probably did it in one afternoon).

[birba]

I like the title you gave to this prelude and fugue.  I definitely see it.
And you play it very well.  Don't worry so much about bringing out the voices.  You already make them heard.  Remember that on Bach's instrument, it was virtually impossible to make them heard.  It comes out by itself if you've studied it thoroughly, composition-wise.
I would play the fugue a bit faster.  Especially on the instrument you're using.

[pianoman53]

Ooh, thanks for all the nice comments!

Yeah, it's quite annoying to not have a piano.. But usually I'm in school, from 9 to 9, so I get my practicing. But right now, I'm sick, and can't go to school.. That's kind of killing...
How do you mean with "Try to think a bit more about what Bach was doing/thinking during writing this"?

Actually, my teacher told me to bring out the theme more I have a "problem" with playing very introvert. Sometimes it works, but he didn't agree that this was a case of that, and I can agree with him.
I've been thinking about the tempo, but right now I need this tempo. I couldn't play faster while being able to listen. Though, I probably wont play it much faster in the end

Again, thanks for the comments

[andhow04]

i think there are really nice moments in here, but notice that your chords are not always together.. you should work on your vertical touch to get a cleaner attack on chords.

with the prelude, i just feel you can go much deeper. there are hints of it, like in m.16 which is very nice, but overall, i think you're just a little below the surface of the potential. this is one of those meditative and ruminative preludes, like e-flat minor in the same book, that can sound monotonous if they don't have some kind of subtle variety.

the way i solved the problem is at measures 5-7 (till the thrd beat), and 13 (from the third beat) to 15 (till the second beat), is to play slightly slower, then move ahead afterwards.  i'm not saying this is the right thing to do, it's my own subjective approach, but i'm saying you need to find something to organize the prelude as a whole, so the long lines come out. 

i think you can do more with voicing, as in measures 3-4 in the left hand, and measure 8-9 in the right hand, though in measures 8-9 i can hear the inner voice so good job, i just think it can be more. that's probably also personal.

the fugue on the other hand i like better, esp. the tempo, and admirable voicing! the legato should be more perfect, but that's true with practically everyone. somehow i think there is deeper emotions here than i felt in the prelude. 

even though this fugue moves in steady quarter notes in practically every bar, i actually think in your case it needs more vertical approach, by which i mean, more variety in the harmony from the combination of voices. the hard part for me in this, is to get the coloration of all the vertical harmony, but not plod along, and not lose the feeling of cut time.  i think the passage at 67, the super-stretto, really tends to play itself, in the sense that it's really impossible to point out that the second half note of each entrance is both the ending and the beginning. so each half note entrance, is a beginning, and you can make each one a bit stronger than the previous, taking us all the way down.

if you're interested here is the recording ip osted of this:
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=47671.0