Stephen Hung is a pianist based in Hong Kong with a keen interest in the music of J. S. Bach. He is also adept on the harpsichord and the organ, and spends some of his free time making various transcriptions and arrangements.
I do, but it's still under editing. Might take a few more months. I plan to upload that to imslp and my website sites.google.com/site/shungbach once its done.
Moments that stand out to me as being particularly exceptional: 1:04 to 1:22 - the voicing and sensitivity of your playing is exquisite. 6:10 to 6:25 - the way you began that section is very strange - but I like it very much because it creates a distinct character. 15:50 to 16:03 - the crescendo and increase in urgency and tension was great. 26:49 to 27:08 - The voicing of the chorale and your attentiveness to the trills (which you achieve throughout this entire recording) 1:02:57 - 1:03:25 something strange happens here again - the tempo is unstable and unsure of itself. However, it works very well. The music lulls. Rises and falls almost naturally. 1:04:37 - masterful pedal control. I must also point at the perfect tone of your piano. It is perfect for this particular genre - owing to your recording set up and of course, the piano itself. Overall, you have displayed such incredible stamina to perform these works all in one go. Having said that, I am reluctant to say that it was very clear that your energy waned towards the end. This was especially noticeable with the final Organ Toccata which could have been a little faster with more vitality. It was a weighty and began to drag with a loss of musical direction which is contrary to the character of a toccata. I think you have a natural aptitude for taking risks with your interpretations. When you play the piano, you give the impression of someone who is liberated. I think you can push it even further. I look forward to hearing more of your recordings.
Thank you for taking the time to listen through and for your detailed and thoughtful feedback! Indeed my energy waned towards the end of the programme and I’m working to build my stamina.
Indeed. This is just an exercise I made up for practising tremolo, but the inspiration behind the musical idea seems to stem from Bruckner, as nothing else from my musical exposure (mostly Bach, some Brahms and Rachmaninoff) sound anything like this.
