Henryk Szeryng plays Bach Fuga from Sonata No. 1

[MomSaysImCool]

Master violinist, war hero, great humanitarian. Szeryng is caring.

[penny8va82]

What a beautiful and clear tone! This is how music should be. Pure and straight from the soul.

[Tr0jan1337]

wow what incredible bow it seems very responsive also bigger than I am used to see.

[itti1398]

14 deaf people...

[frajam54]

New generations should listen the old masters...

[warandcheese]

@frajam54 yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[warandcheese]

@frajam54 to whom else!

[ArhkXi]

God Loves music, it's because of musicians like this I've never had to question why.

~

[lefthandovRA]

@ArhkXi who??

[ThyrmBloodaxe]

@ArhkXi which one? there are only a few million. that is, assuming ANY of them exist. i am sure the christian god is superior to all the others though. oh shit, hope he doesn't point a magnifying glass on my little ant house now.

[ArhkXi]

@ThyrmBloodaxe God isn't a genie, that grants wishes on request. Alot of the times we don't get the "things" we ask for, but we get challenges which can make us better. The physical of this Earth IS going to fade away from existence both by scientific analysis and Biblical proclamation. Whether a moment or countless eons, that time will pass, and when it passes as it shall it doesn't matter there after how long this realm existed for it'll be gone, a moment is as an eon.

[rain2da1mental]

@ArhkXi absolutely wonderful huh! This wouldn't be such a difficult piece to play the notes to, but to make your notes sound that beautiful and clean... he is special person in the 'timeline' (as is Bach).

[codyHddican]

this is THE video that made me take up the violin this and presto are my 2 favorite pieces.

[221Dw]

Rubbsh (only joking)

[GuyDevlin]

so fun to play but takes so long to memorise all the chords D:

[thrillseeker70]

trancendent.

[ElliotJohnNovak]

Is this live action or is he "violin-syncing"?

[proud2believe]

playing this now...FML

[93Mrmusic]

@proud2believe same here , but on Mandolin

[NYCroxmysocks]

@hgchjk its not that bad, bach has muuuuch worse

[paulostroff99]

Superb.TY SamLee for posting.

[GenerationKill001]

Best recording of the Bach Partitas and Sonatas, bar none!!!!

[violinharp]

perfect grade

[peachfuzz0523]

His playing is thoughtful, deliberate, and patient. A truly mature rendition =)

[Nattyduck]

"A Bach fugue is the road to an enchanted world with many different voices, with much trickery. It is the main subject, which always emerges safe and sound in spite of conflicts or - more often than not - even dissonant sounds. Bach's harmonies are incredibly courageous, very much ahead of his time" Henryk Szeryng

[mtv565]

@Nattyduck But sometimes the main subject is distorted into a "tonal answer".

[crose58]

Simply wonderful. I find that Szeryng somehow expresses pathos in a most captivating way, a most beautiful and longing expression.

[GraniteQuarrier]

amazing

[speedyoncp]

I'm not into classical music much, even though I play the violin & piano. But I've gotta say: THIS IS BEAUTIFUL!!! :)

[OutrunCitizen]

@speedyoncp What on eearth do you play on the violin then?

[speedyoncp]

@OutrunCitizen Classical music, but I don't like listening to it

[donesixfour]

@OutrunCitizen rotfl, ok im not the only one who caught that lol

[xerotolerant]

This is literally the best thing i have ever heard out of a violin.EVER.

[seheepark351]

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!

[IvanTheCat]

Molto cantabile.

[Omnichronicles]

12/628 people pressed dislike, a representative sampling of the musically challenged portion of the population

[AbsoluteZ3R0]

@Omnichronicles Or maybe 12 people have Alzheimers

[NOProdigyDJ]

@AbsoluteZ3R0 obvious

[AbsoluteZ3R0]

@NOProdigyDJ To be honest I don't even get why I said "12 people have Alzheimers". I swear I don't even remember writing that comment.

[TheBeethovenlove]

Would you happen to have the mp3 file to this? Just too beautiful...

[3NUNS]

... good phrasing ... 

[tachuman]

Absolutely magnificent!

[carrottoponcrak]

if this was a tad bit faster it's be my favorite version.

[spdlight7]

fucking unbelievable!!

[3NUNS]

@spdlight7 : And, so is your common comment !

[smwebster2]

Beautiful peace. Arthur Grumiaux's interpretation is by far one of the absolute best. He somehow knew exactly what mozart wanted out of his concertos, and could deliver the complex sonatas and fugas of bach effortlessly.

Although the coldness in which Heiftz delivered this particular piece as well as the ciaconne still gives me chills.

[smwebster2]

Beautiful peace. Arthur Grumiaux's interpretation is by far one of the absolute best. He somehow knew exactly what mozart wanted out of his concertos, and could deliver the complex sonatas and fugas of bach effortlessly.

[WilipichinXD]

one of the best version of sonatas bach are making by henryk szeryng

[wanimusician]

It is so beautiful!!

[alienalienss]

Follow this link to hear Szeryng play what is probably BACH'S LONGEST FUGUE, the Fuga from the Sonata No. 3: /watch?v=BFsue56Fn_0

It is in two parts. 

[Amarynthine]

my exam piece.. and Im struggling to make it robust.... this guy has some strong fingers he can do vibrato with such short notes

[voncarmelo]

Il suo Bach!!! Musa per tutti noi violinisti.... Grandissimo ed unico Szeryng.

[assa123assa123]

heavenly music and heavenly playing. I really like it that way and feel like having found a beautiful treasure of violin playing.

[HeifetzRanew]

Every body should listen to Franco Gulli's interpretation of this!

It is sensational!

[HeifetzRanew]

I find it very interesting that so many people here on Youtube think they know how Bach intended his music to be played.I mean,no offence,but I really think it is imposible to determine something like that,since he died centuries ago and left no written account on the matter.I think the artist can interpret the work the way he sees fit,and honestly,do you think that virtuosi like Heifetz,Menuhin and the others can get something as important as interpreting Bach wrong?

[Violinater]

I appreciate how he doesn't contort his face. He is genuine

[Lapez13]

@hgchjk yes. yes it is.

[debaser1927]

Шеринг очень даже ничего

[KosteckiAdam]

unmatched!

[TheGaetano62]

szeryng bach, the same thing

[KosteckiAdam]

SO spielt man BACH!!!

[richstout]

Bach was the Jaco of this time.

[my666vs777]

OMG it's BEAUTIFUL!!!! JUST BEAUTIFUL!! WORDLESS!! in this interpretation of fuga fron sonata N°1 Szeryng is even better then my idol for ever - N.Milstein

[3NUNS]

@my666vs777 there will be plenty of ´OMG´s at the precipice of Hell. Reserve your cries for theh babes.

[anthonymezzapelle]

i feel ya buddy, this speaks to my soul

[MrMimmex]

BACH n. 1! this melody is very very difficult!

[death0personified]

this song is really difficult too, in my opinion of every movement in bachs first sonata this one takes the cake, but it sounds so cool ill master it one day

[3NUNS]

@death0personified Composition and NOT song.

[backdooruser]

it appears to be a little too violent for baroque...

[gojunhogo5]

ive noticed that people from this time period like to play with a very robust tone. my teacher also wants me to play this way since hes also been playing in this time period. at first i was skeptical but it actually works out.. haha

[crazy77town]

well, this is baroque!! FULLSTOP

[c1HuK]

It's the best version I've ever heard...

[xodrumminjules]

I don't think his articulations and intonation could be any more perfect!  amazinggggggggg

[dabeatdurand]

i wish i had all my fingers so i culd play te violin

[Max0Inq]

@dabeatdurand Django Reinhardt managed to play guitar with only two fingers (with a little help of the remaining 3 he wasn't able to move).

There is a Polish cellist, Dominik Połoński, who lost his entire arm and performed a concerto where he played only open strings.

[kschiavo]

@dabeatdurand l can't see how is that a problem... it's totally possible for someone with two fingers, easier with three. It's only pretty damn harder. This fuga can't be played, though, with beauty. Why don't you play the trumpet?

[goodha2]

@dabeatdurand you dont need them all. I only have two fingers and i can play passages like this. You just try and eventually you can.

[NOProdigyDJ]

@goodha2, impossible. im studying this sonata now, and, not to be rude or nothing, but it's impossible to play with only two fingers. this is piece, has got chords of 3 or actually 4 strings played together. well, anyway maybe you really can, if it's true that you've got only 2 fingers and you can really do this, your great. ;)

[crose58]

Simply wonderful. I find that Szeryng somehow expresses pathos in a most .captivating way, a most beautiful and longing expression. thumbs way up on this.

[ThyrmBloodaxe]

@dabeatdurand you will someday.

[canuckslou0101]

man i wish i could play like that.... :x

[crazy77town]

the best interpreter EVER of bach!!!

EVER!! great szeryng, grande violonista e grande uomo

[joryu39]

thank you very much for the upload

bless you

[irockurworld2013]

my really good friend whos a senior in high school just did this for our orchestra class. hes amazing and so is this guy :)

[hvaskerderfordig]

I was 13 when i first was introduced to szeryng (im born 1994) Since then i have only been trying to play like him! His is, for me to say, the biggest artist of violin playng, ever!

[mike13651]

wow

[pbpeex]

amazing.... nobody plays bach like he does.

[Tordexin]

He was my teacher's teacher, and by far this is the hardest Bach out there, harder then Ciaconne.

Absolutely Perfect, Bravo.

[MattyOBrian1]

Definitely a difficult piece, but harder than the Chaconne? And what about the C major fugue? It's all subjective, but I'd say these two are more difficult.

Also, my God, what a great performance this is.

[CornDoctor]

no, i would hold that the Chaconne is more difficult. but yes it is subjective.. one may think that paganini is harder than bach and in some ways it is but it depends on from what standpoint you are speaking.

[cornel999]

GOAT - Greatest Of All Time

[tico7895]

Ohh!!...He is very good,very well,excelent.

Is absolutly Incrive!!!

[milstein91]

Nobody can play this fuga like him.There are no words to describe this.

[JosephHassid]

just 2? XD

[DragnSly]

amazing how he makes it sound like two violins playing at once...

[sijas]

i hear 3-4 violins :)

[TheAzianInvazion]

Bach Sonatas and Partitas are all unaccompanied pieces. Most of them sound like two violins, especially the chaconne

[malindamai]

GRANDE!

[musique55]

incredible

[maxhansendk]

As good as it gets!! 10 points out of ten!

[ericgable]

@HerbertRTarlekJr um.. Nathan Milstein duh. I cant believ you actually singled out Seryng saying he "only" did this..but Milsteinw as way more better on improving the tone of a piece..and that is why Milstein was called the Master of Articulation. But anyways Nice performance..to slow for my taste.

[ericgable]

@HerbertRTarlekJr How could you even leave out Milstein when your talking about "Searching and finding more beauty in Bach works?

[4LX1M1K]

where can I download this?

[3NUNS]

you mean the text ?

[4LX1M1K]

No, I mean HQ video of this performance

[gojunhogo5]

i like the way he gives each note its deserved emphasis

[mihaivioara]

i need to practis to play like that!!!

[kitchenfiddle]

May take you 300 years.

[mihaivioara]

I bet you will need more than 300 years to play like that

[kitchenfiddle]

For sure.

[HinataWarheart]

true, true... damn :-(

[mihaivioara]

he is amaizing!!!

[fiddlinmatt]

I really like how he presents the fugal subject regardless of the voice. Many voices come out at this tempo, and the ear is able to ponder and feel the shapes of the harmonies and lines as a result. Great rendition to study

[davidjb100]

So clear and precise, yet so passionate. Too many performers "mechanize" Bach, making him into the stuff of algorithms. Sure, Bach's music is mathematical, but what Szeryng reminds us is that Bach's music is just that... music.

[germaxco]

fantastic violin !!!!!!

[billythekid20]

very good. I wish he could play a bit faster.

[imhungrygivemeurkidz]

I wish that people these days would realize that it's not all about how fast you play Bach. Bach is beautiful because of all the tones that are present and if you go faster you pass over them.

[billythekid20]

The reason i watch this video is i love Bach (especially his violin compositions) and Szeryng. In my first comment i said "very good" which means he played it very well. The only thing , which is a matter of taste, i sort of did not like very much was the tempo - i prefer Heifetz version-. However, on the other hand i don't like Heifetz version of Sarabande as much as Szeryng's. SO IT IS NOT THAT I LIKE SAY A COMPETITION WHO PLAYS BACH VIOLIN PIECES FASTEST. are you capable of getting my point?

[Arkhimedes]

Szeryng played this piece at the tempo that matched his tastes and views. He didn't play the violin for you so you shouldn't go about like the other annoying complainers that the piece isn't played to the listeners' tastes. If you like Heifetz' version better, comment positively in Heifetz' video and please do not be disrespectful to this one - although I do receive your point that Szerying is a very good violinist indeed and that we aren't comparing.

[oldgoat5]

Also, going too slow can separate each voice too much. like in the presto if you go way too slow you dont hear the different voices.

[billythekid20]

What is your problem? Do you lack the attribute of understanding remarks? It is just my taste of this movements speed, and i prefer Heifetz, if it was played faster than his version then i would say i don't like it's tempo. Just like i don't prefer Heifetz's interpretation of Mendelssohn's violin concerto's first movement. Did you get me NOW?

[toosmarttoocuteforu]

@imhungrygivemeurkidz you re right bach is all about ringing tones but most of the people dont even know what that is and this is the right speed if they want something fast they should listen to presto

[AbsoluteZ3R0]

@imhungrygivemeurkidz I think Szeryng is the only one who can pull of this movement slowly. If it were anybody else, it would be boring.

[StradAmatiViolin]

@imhungrygivemeurkidz I never thought about that it's really beautiful.

[HeifetzRanew]

@imhungrygivemeurkidz I disagree!

I see where you're coming from,but I think that "fast" doesn't always mean "rushed".Tempo is not an issue,really,interpretation can be meaningful at all speeds!For instance,Heifetz plays almost every piece of music he interprets faster than everybody else,yet he still gives every note its due clarity and meaning,and more so than the others who play it a lot slower.

Cheers!

Tempo is not an issue,really,interpretation can be meaningfull at all speeds!

[Kippy2000xoxo]

@imhungrygivemeurkidz I agree completely, very true.

[AsSomedayItMayHappen]

@imhungrygivemeurkidz I wish that people these days would realize that playing something "slowly" doesnt neccesarily make it more beautiful.

[gregogr]

@AsSomedayItMayHappen I wish some ppl understood about music before saying shit :)

[Calinoma]

why the hell was this down voted so much???

[ptrefftz]

Some of the classical music listeners on YouTube feel the need to condone two things: When music is played quickly, and when people call pieces songs. I think they just see people critiquing posts for this so they play along.

[11bien]

Viva Szeryng!

[voncarmelo]

Il più grande interprete di Bach. Le sue sonate per violino solo sono la bibbia, per noi violinisti. Grazie, maestro!!!!

[danielliviu]

Bowing in front of our father! What a genius!

[Violinater]

Why is his elbow so high? Doesn't that cause injury?

[bastianloewe]

you idiot, this man played this beautiful until his 70, dont you think you are saying bad staffs from agenius??

heifetz also played with a high elbow and so did it menuhin

the position is something extremely individual it depends of so many factors tht you cant talk about low ore high l bow

specially if the guy in quiestion plays like this!!

[MRDRWWILLIAMS]

It's just personal choice. You play in the position you find is best for you.

As a violinist, I can tell you that I play with a high elbow too.

It can lead to some extre stress being placed on the elbow, but as long as you curl and straighten your arm a few times before and after playing, you don't tend to notice.

Put it like this; It hasn't done ME any harm.

:)

[CosimoStory]

They were taught to play like that same as hefietz and menuhin because that was how their school taught it like that. Different school had different styles and so on. Now we focus on what is more natural and more comfortable positioning.

[LegionMCR]

also note that, as one is supposed to, he adjusts his elbow to match his hand and bow with the string(s) he is playing on at the time. the piece starts off on a lower string so the elbow is high, but later on, when he is on e and a strings, its much more natural looking by modern standards.

[Phreakshow91]

g minor

[cpo23]

What key is this in?

[dmontaej]

i've fallen in love with him once again!!

[rage702]

Beautiful

[curlyman217]

he makes it sound so easy! it's really quite the opposite.

[cchamp27]

Sooooooo true

[yyhohin]

Awesome!A thorough and refresing interpretation of Bach's work!

[lakesidemourning]

Awesome!

Personally, I like Grumiaux's interpretation better, but I'm only a student, so what do I know? hehe. Regardless, this is really cool and different from the way I'm used to hearing it heard.

Though, from 2:03 to 2:26, I like it played as it was written in the international eddition. Even though this is the way Bach intended it, I guess...I just think it sounds more interesting the way Grumiaux played that specific section.

I'm SUPPOSED to be working on this soon...

BRAVO!!!!

[jenhorne]

This is very helpful since I am studying this fugue right now as well. I love his interpretation! None of it is boring and and it sounds effortless! I wish I could play it like this!!!!

[cbradac]

a true performance of the famous fugue! outstanding. Bach's music at his finest

[OnAMushkin73]

An old classmate of mine, Matt Williams, played this on his viola when we were in the Seventh Grade orchestra in 1997. LOL... He pretty much distroyed it like I've never seen before, and I've yet to hear anyone play it better since. He's was offered a seat to study at Julliard from Eighth Grade on, and I haven't seen him since.

[olympian1980]

everytime i hear this performance i find another tiny detail szeryng did that gives to this fugue even more soul and meaning.

this performance... i just cant find the words to describe what feelings it can create...

[musicbringsmagic136]

His technique is amazing, I've never heard anyone play this piece so well. I agree with Doggy240, I don't think he was drunk in this one.

[LuckyStar948]

I'm really sad.

Henryk Szeryng as the teacher of my teacher

who died last week.

I played this at his funeral.........

[milstein91]

Yeah sure Szeryng died in 1988..

[musicbringsmagic136]

Uh, yeah sure. ;-) Henryk Szeryng died 30 years ago. ;-P

[musicbringsmagic136]

Uh..hello? Szeryng died a long time ago. 20 years ago.

[stomentendo]

He was talking about his teacher.

[LuckyStar948]

I ment that Szeryngs pupil(MY THEACHER!!!!!)

I can't belive stomentendo was the only one who got that!

[stomentendo]

Well, you know, I'm very smart :D

[musicbringsmagic136]

If Szeryng's pupil was your teacher, then you must be very talented at violin, right? =D

I would love if you put up a violin video of your self! :D

[LuckyStar948]

R U mad?

Even tought I've played for 11 years I'm not even remotly as good as my teacher:(

[supremok]

I love it!!!! he is the man!!!

[underwatershooping]

Wow. Extremely different compared to Milstein - I personally like the fugue better when it's at this speed or a little but faster, but that's just me. It's great to hear different interpretations - it enhacnes my own.

[milstein91]

incredible,best fuga ever.

[Trippingtimmy]

I think he's sober ! LOL Do you guys agree ?

[Violincrazy]

I wonder which violin he is playing....strad???? He makes it sound incredible

[Doggy240]

he must have NOT been drunk in this one. its amazing. and perfect. and amazing. ive never heard a fugue this good.

[JonArcher1113]

his technique is a bit unusual but I love the sound he's producing

[stradrools]

I LOVE HIS BACH!