Maria Yudina plays Bach Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (4/8)

[GBADCD]

Maria Yudina, the shadow of Glenn.

[truecrypt]

@GBADCD

Regarding "shadow" I'd refer you to these words by Thomas Hardy:

"There is a condition worse than blindness, and that is, seeing something that isn't there."

[GBADCD]

@truecrypt No, not this shadow. It is the shadow of quality, approaching that of Glenn Gould to play the music of Eisenach man. 

[truecrypt]

@GBADCD

With all due respect to superhuman quality of Glenn Gould playing, Maria Yudina offers her own (and very high quality) performance. Many of us (you and myself included) may be somewhat *blinded* by laser-like GG's playing... but Bach's music can be heard/seen in full spectrum of light. "Shadow" might be not as dark as it seems to you... It's just temporary blindness after "laser"...

[Noshirm]

@truecrypt It's almost akin to Yudina's being thought of as a mere precursor to Gould. I wonder what GBADCD would have to say about the likes of Friskin, Tureck, Feinberg, and a host of other pianists who reveled in playing Bach's works.

[uhartchristian]

when I see all these stupid comments here concerning Maria Yudinas play I am sad that so many people just don t have the understanding of music and the understanding of the possibilities a good piano offers concerning sound.

They are not able to listen carefully. Of course its possible to play different. Bach did compose for orchestra. Those who tell us about what is allowed to do or not on a piano with Bach don t understand that Bach had an orchestra and organ in mind when composing

[Kobzar3374]

I adore this music, and some episodes I know about Yudina make her deserve my respect and a deep interest for knowing more about her as a person and as a musician. Sometimes, however, it seems to me that something is not completely OK in these performances; sometimes they sound a bit blurred, as if she were in such a hurry that even bad notes seem to crawl in. Anyway I could not play better than Yudina, so I have no right to judge her.

[diemen10]

Bach didn't have a piano in this time, so why play Bach on piano. It is good teaching material in private, when you study the piano. But I think Bach only should be played on organ en clavecimbel, Or on orginal or replica's. SOrry

[ohrenbrausen]

Thank you for putting up this divine music!

[BachScholar]

God, var. 15 is like she's clobbering you over the head with a hammer. Absolutely zero inflection and intimacy in this. After listening now to half the variations, I must proclaim that Yudina WAS NOT MUSICAL AT ALL. She was just another Soviet pianist who chisels out notes like granite.

[truecrypt]

Dear Cory (BachScholar);

Don't you find your "proclamation" re Yudina and generalizations re "Soviet pianists" a bit immature?

[BachScholar]

OK, I guess I was typecasting a little, but it's something I've just noticed over the years. Even Richter (dare I say) often chiseled out his Bach (WTC) in a mechanical sort of way. But I think Yudina gets the prize for being the most insensitive.

[truecrypt]

Not only Richter, Youdina and other "Soviet pianists chiseled out" Bach... One can say the same about Gould, Busoni, Fisher, Arrau and practically all famous Bach performers. Sometimes music demands "chisel out" in granite which could sound "mechanical".

As for your opinion about Yudina - you may change it in a while.

[BachScholar]

For some pieces it's almost unavoidable, mostly the faster virtuosic ones. But for the moderate to slower ones (about half the Goldbergs) a cantabile approach is better (i.e., vars. 9-10-21-22). Most pianists overlook the fact that Bach himself desired a cantabile style above everything else. I just don't get any of that from Yudina, at least in the Goldbergs.

[truecrypt]

Let's leave alone what "most pianists" do or don't...

Yudina is not one of those "most pianists". She bends the rules and creates her own. Her performance may not fit your vision, but again, let's leave it to History to decide who is right - Yudina or you.

[BachScholar]

It's not a matter of being "right", but a matter of sound. She has a pretty ugly tone. We'll let history decide whether her sound and tone are pleasing or not.

[truecrypt]

"Pleasing sound" is not the only quality she (or any of us) will be judged by the history.

[goldberg72]

similar on rosalyn tureck? secondo me e' cosi

[chad410]

thankyou TC for this experience. It s as if she is speaking

[antoinezygfryd]

C'est cela,exactement cela,Maria Yudina parle avec des sonorités qu'elle articule comme un langage parallèle à la musique elle-même.