The only formal music training I ever received was as a violinist in school . So hearing this was very nostalgic and beautiful Ruoshi. Almost feels violinistic in part. Truly remarkable. Such confident playing. Very difficult to maintain flow and rythm in this piece.
I appreciate your thoughts about the chaconne. With its sweeping chords and virtuosic flourishes, it would be easy to think to play it on the organ, with as many pipes as possible, or with smashing chords on the piano. I had always though that solo violin was a strange choice for this music. But this piece should not be played as if shouting. Piano can satisfy both the rolling chords, and the soft tenderness of the major section. Bravo.
As I sit here enjoying my McDonald's Double-Quarter Pounder and fries, and a sugar free iced coffee, I am thankful to be given the opportunity to hear this music. My wife's favorite composer is Strauss II, and while I have very little insight into this wider world of "classic music," partitas, concertos, et al., I appreciate the skill involved. As I get older, I find that my interest in "new" music of any genre is dwindling to the point of finding pretty much all of the things I hear on the radio to be absurd and vulgar (in multiple senses). I was initially drawn to this specific piece, though not necessarily to this specific video, through the testimonial of a 13 year old young man from Calgary, Alberta. He mentioned listening to "JS Bach's 2nd violin partita". It was that music I was initially searching for when I found this. The young man makes mention of this piece in a video you can see from this link (if anyone is curious): facebook.com/fairviewbaptistchurchcalgary/videos/862177837755820 I thank the video creator for uploading this excellent work. I have no skill with instruments, but I sure am thankful for the opportunity to hear someone who is. Even if it's while I eat McDonald's. May many more people -- from all walks of life -- develop and appreciation of quality and precision regarding beautiful things. If anyone reading this comment is willing, please link me to other great musical pieces that I can enjoy and learn to better listen to. Thank you!
Thank you! If you'd like to listen to the original violin version, I highly recommend Perlman's performance: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qtyTaE7LvVs.html
The Busoni feels very romanticized for Bach - which I guess is ok but misses the space and spaciousness between notes that your playing highlights. And that last final single note D -- ahhhhhhhh!! ❤️
Great work! I really like this version. Though I also like Busoni's and other versions. Yes, Busoni's Chaconne is very thick and romanticized, less intimate, but more intense. I strongly think that we can have multiple viable answers or solutions to the chaconne on the piano, it doesn't need to be "either or". Bach himself (re-)arranged pieces for different instruments. There are violin concerto versions of the harpsichord concertos for example. And I believe in this case the harpsichord versions came first, but let's assume the violin versions were first, then Bach probably wouldn't have mostly kept the solo part the same as the violin version without adding many notes. The instruments have different characteristics and strengths and weaknesses. The chaconne has a lot of long sustained notes which inevitably decrease in volume on the piano, and though you may play it the same on the violin, you can even crescendo on a sustained note on the violin. The piano also doesn't have vibrato (whatever your take on vibrato in Bach may be, I think it can be a sparingly used ornament). I'm sure you're aware of this, though I myself started playing violin and viola around 9 years ago and only then really felt the weaknesses and differences of the piano in certain areas compared to string instruments, and that sometimes you would play things differently on each instrument. The closer you stay to the original version on a different instrument, the more these differences might be felt. (though I think your uses of staccato and pedal, as well as sparing additional bass notes do a great job of livening up the sparse score) Just some spontaneous thoughts here, I really really like this more restrained version as well as I said, though I do believe we are allowed some freedoms when "arranging" for another instrument, as the sound will inevitably be different anyways. But I tend to agree with your point on the Picardy third. All that being said, the more I listen to this, the more I think this might become my favorite version of the Chaconne on the piano!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I might've sounded like it's me against the world in the description, but I can see the merits of existing transcriptions. The one by Brahms is my favorite as it is very much in line with my interpretation. Sustained notes are indeed a big issue - e.g. there's probably no satisfactory way to play the opening bar of Air on the G String on the piano.
@@RuoshiSun Hah, I'm glad you don't mind my comment, and yes, maybe I read your description a bit more dramatically than intended, haha. - yes, the first melody note of the Air in G would be quite sad on the piano indeed. You'd have to play it much louder than the other notes.
Hello, fellow violinist (not professional only by hobbie), I wanted to ask why in the eleventh bar the top note is an F, but in all the recordings of violin I found they play an E. Why was that difference, by the way I played in my violin watching that PDF and I also was confused why it was a different version in that part.
This is what I'm looking for, something a beginner can get hands on, something that puts musicality beyond technicality. To master this "easy" transcription, it still takes proper practice and training though. Thank you Ruoshi for presenting your idea and your transcription! Any chance you have a sheet for the actual version you played?
Thank you! I will seriously consider typing it up some time. I'll reply here again when it's done. Meanwhile, since most of my transcription is exactly identical to the original score, you can start practicing from that!
This interpretation might mean a strong desire to emerge from the darkness along with the continuing influence of Busoni's works. But still hmm... lack of intensity of the piece. thank you for a new viewpoint tough.
"Refined gold does not need to be gilded." How true! In fact, excessive virtuosity and tempo is often detrimental to the charisma of great music. For example, Ton Koopman and many other modern organists play the organ works of J.S. Bach so monkey fast so that they lose all their poetry. By the way, a piano transcription of Biber's music-historically comparably important solo violin passacaglia from the Rosary Sonatas would fit very well with this interpretation of Bach's Chaconne from BWV1004.
I have not forgotten about your suggestion! I did play through it a few times, but I haven't finalized on my strategy. I have in mind a conventional strategy versus a more surprising strategy. No more spoilers!
@@RuoshiSun Great! Consequently, I am already quite curious about your ideas and look forward to the upcoming results. Many Thanks in advance and best regards!
