Coming out of obscurity just to share this unbelievably tear-jerking performance. Hilary Hahn performs Adagio from Sonata No. 1 for Solo Violin by J.S. Bach. Enjoy!
When she plays the violin becomes part of her. Her bow control is incredible. Even when she's playing loud notes, there's never a harsh sound. You can hear her personality in her playing, the softness and gentleness at work as she plays. She speaks the same way, with the same inner quality. She's expressing sound with the instrument rather than just playing it. It's very difficult to describe actually. It's just simply, breathtakingly beautiful.
I was in that concert in Frankfurt and heard those unbelievably concentrated and dense three Bach movements after the Prokofieff violin concerto. People forgot to breathe, I guess. We were all in another world for those encores.
Thanks to RU-vid, past, present and many promising future superstar violinists are accessible for us to enjoy. Among them, I enjoy Hahn the most for Bach. In the first videos I enjoyed her virtuosity, she was but a precocious kid with extraordinary talent. Now the greys are starting to fill in and she seems to me have attained the level of mastery that only a select few of the very best will attain. Hahn also seems more graceful and elegant than ever. We’re all so lucky to be her contemporaries. I hope to one day see her live performing Bach.
Such clarity and purity of sound. Listening to her playing, time and space don’t exist anymore. We stay as if hung still in between two spaces. Her playing is such a grace to Bach music. Thank you
This composition by JS Bach and a musician like Hillary Hahn really highlight what the greatest achievements of the human race are. Absolutely stunning, time and space stopped during this triumph of emotion. Also love the gray hair that Hillary is rocking.
Really? And you know this because you have heard and compared all virtuosos in the history of the violin playing AND you can see J.S. Bach smiling? How is the old man doing these days?
I have listen to these sonatas and partitas since the late 50s, to Hilary for as long as she’s been recording. Even so, I couldn’t breathe, my throat closed and I welled up with tears I was so taken by Hilary’s performance of this adagio. Sublime, transcendent beauty, deep passionate playing are but starters. There are no substitutes for listening to this clip again. Like a exquisite wine, I sip, savor and save it for only the finest occasions. Not to waste it. Savor it. Magnificent ❤
It is indeed! I was pleasantly surprised. She used to be cold and robotic. But now she has achieved a great human depth. Almost reaching Milstein or Menuhin levels.
She is a goddess to the violin. Two things stand out to me in this performance, the fact that her violin's sound filled that concert hall for such an intimate piece, and I loved loved loved her finger vibrato, which seemed to make the notes quaver in the legato phrases, which added this haunting quality I had not heard before.
It's just the way she eases out that octave D at 1:44 to finish the section and you can feel the orchestra exhale with her as she goes into the next section - the violin leader's face says it all. It's sublime playing. I could listen to this all day..
She looks lovely. I was first aware of her when she was only a teenager and now she has grey hair - that makes me feel old! She always had a natural affinity for Bach but her playing is even better now I think.
She's become so much more expressive both in her playing and her facial expressions. As a younger woman she almost never showed anything on her face except every once in a while a slight lift of her left eyebrow while perfectly navigating a mindbogglingly difficult passage. (I love watching that) The frown of concentration and even grimace almost of agony (4:11) is telling, I think, of an even deeper connection to the music. Listening to her earlier recordings I would think, "how could this possibly be played better". Question answered.
@@mahlonrhoades4509 There are plenty of great recordings of this Adagio from the Netherlands Bach Society, Rachel Barton Pine, Rachel Podger, just to name a few. Here are some links if you need them: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MRKy3kX8XUM.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PG0Gmpk40HQ.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-H2e3eoOXeNs.html
Her playing is unbelievable. How can play with such perfection? The color of sound, technology, style of sound execution on string, every note is played with such perfection... If I can be vulgarly shameless until other interpreters, Bach would be satisfied only with her from all others. And equal applies to her interpretation of Bach's Chaconne. Astonishingly unbelievable. For me is the best violinist of all time. Thank you, Hilary.
Long tone,double stop and grace note just in time are so beautiful and clear.I would feel as if I listen to some valuable and important story through your waving graceful articulation, especially in the sequence of 32 notes! I hear that's "Agony?" splendid,splendid,splendid. occasionally I would love to listen to Heifetz Adagio.his long note which is concerned with 32 note articulation is so grace and beautiful. (90yrs.Japanese)sorry strange English.
It not about aging is bottle of wone - if you do not know some wine get bad as they age -it is about the virtude you have in your inner soul, and the way you think and handle your instrument. Excuse me but your statement is a very naïve comment - but this site is about expressing freely, so I'll respect that . Can you tell me how old was Jacqueline du Pre when she was already playing under Barenboim? She must had been not older that 30 and already was better than him. Hillary doesn't get better with age, she is the top violinist today
Perfection! This is THE BEST rendition of this incredible piece I have ever heard. Simply superb! BRAVA, Hilary Hahn, and thank you for giving the world this stunningly beautiful interpretation.
I remember first being taught this piece with the instructor Emily Austin describing how important the value of the 16th note was to be kept as evenly as possible to keep the beat as honest as possible; with that in mind the interpretation of the piece would be close to honoring the composer. To hear Hillary Hahn so masterfully play this is breath taking! Thank you Hillary!
This is probably the most exquisite piece of solo violin I've ever heard. Totally captivating and involving. Even the orchestra members seemed to be mesmerised. So lucky to be able to experience this. Hilary Hahn is a gift from the Gods.
I am transfixed.....wow. I have always had a great curiosity to know all the bowings, position changes, and fingering used by HH on this. It is so impressive to watch the mastery she has over the violin and the seamless interpretations of these suites and partitas that's unique absolutely a soulful expression of Bach's voice through the solo violin. He couldn't play them like that. But He knew someone, someday would.
Reading the comments, I have nothing to add. I didn't think she could get better but this performance was quite literally stunning. I had tears running down my face from the first notes. The emotional depth of her playing is now beyond anything I've heard in the 60 or so years I've been listening to music.
She played it perfect but she was putting her front row (highest paying audience) to sleep. Few of them was about to walk out near the end. At end end it's about playing to your audience as a musician.
Anyone who could fall asleep or walk out during a performance like that has ZERO appreciation of music. They should spend their money on an Andre Rieu concert. @@estranged12
Everything Hillary plays becomes a masterpiece! Her playing is simply sublime! I look forward to the day when she returns to Toronto for a performance. The only time I’ve seen her performance was several years ago. I had a brief chat with her while she was signing my program for that night. I told her I had just taken up learning violin as an adult and she was truly an inspiration to all musicians. She encouraged me to keep playing and not to get fixated on the bad days. I took that to heart and I’m playing again five years after a major shoulder injury. She is truly a once in a generation caliber of musician. 😀
Wow... what at amazing rendition. The tone, the expressiveness, the musicality, the just intonation, the polyphonies... humanity at its best. Thank you so much.
Sir Colin Davis said it in his interview piece in Hilary's 4 part documentary, "she is as gifted as anyone". For me she is the greatest violinist that has ever lived!!!
Безупречное владение своим инструментом и понимание этого величайшего произведения! Восторг, мурашки по коже, скрипка звучит как нечто неземное, приближенное к богу… огромное спасибо миссис Хилари за бесподобную атмосферу единения человека и бога!🙏🙏🙏
You know those special moments that are so powerful and so beautiful you get that lump in your chest that feels like it's going to explode with emotion... Emotion that is impossible to translate...
What we are witnessing is the brilliance of a man and his soul traverse time and allowing us to share the passion that he had for music with humanity.Yes we are the fortunate ones...hoping that we understand to some degree what important role music plays in our lives...cherish his music and learn from it.I believe that's what he wanted...don't you agree....
It is very hard to find words. It is just fantastic, magic. If there is anything that could be more than perfect it is Hilary Hahn's violin performance. Striking, charming, bezaubernd
Eu tento estudar ou trabalhar quando Hilary começa a tocar os primeiros acordes, mas é impossível não parar tudo o que se está fazendo e prestar atenção em cada nota. Simplesmente perfeita.
I remember watching her blow everyone away when she was 14 or 15 in Baltimore, about 1994. My prof from Peabody took our music class. I see things haven't changed much. She's still amazing!
