Bach - Cello Suite No.1 iv-Sarabande

[nickantonmusic]

the more and more i learn about music, the more i feel from this performance

[willGarLu]

8)

[MisterDubelina]

very good

[RyanKaufman]

It just me or does this guy look like he was with Bach himself?

[Parti0San]

@RyanKaufman it seems: it's just you. anyways: don't talk. listen!

[cafejulia]

cello= why i <3 who i <3

[ihategeorgedubyabush]

this piece isn't hard, but what makes Mischa an amazing cellist is he plays it in such a way that we (the listeners) can feel the full effect of the music

[roobje1]

it's because of his expression of emotion through music that he even was áble to get those skills

[payunghijau]

my favorite part of this vid is first 50 seconds..so calm and easy listening.

[praize100]

Transported. Utterly!:)

[doobersmanster]

If I decide to be an idiot, then I'll be an idiot on my own accord.

Johannes Sebastian Bach

It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.

Johannes Sebastian Bach

Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul.

Johannes Sebastian Bach

[adimarcan]

my first love..Cello!

[SifuNataru]

THANKS!

[chrisseher]

that way it was written by Bach, should be very happy ..

[derrickpacheco711]

idk how people dont like this its so peaceful

[Sebastian910628]

el que no le gusta ¡para qué mondá lo ven!

[nanita1282]

¡Me encanta! Además de ser Bach uno de mis compositores favoritos, la interpretación de Mischa Maisky es fabulosa...

[Rankpenguin]

Hey, who cares about the tempo, this is pretty damn good.

[jessicahackerd]

I just learned how to play this piece :)))

[hoockaloo]

i can't think straight when i listen to this, nor can i speak fluidly

[EpicUltraKingSmizzy]

@stratect Ageism is even more segregating than racism. Because you're no longer insulting a group but everyone at one point during their lifetime, including young classical musicians. Whether or not a gaming console was in production during my youth doesn't mean I cannot enjoy musical pieces such as this one.

[stratect]

@EpicUltraKingSmizzy Wow! now youv'e associated me with racism! ....way to go. Has it occured to you that I have a right to make generalizing statements on this forum? There is no question that today's youth (in general)are much more "spastic" when it comes to music than they were in Bach's time. You may be the exception and I admire that because it gives me some hope in humanity.

[DrummerDude40]

Just sit back and enjoy-I sure did!

[DrummerDude40]

Just sit back and enjoyI sure am!

[joyceellen1]

é afinado, mas ele toca sem expressão.

[joyceellen1]

é legal, mas ele não toca com expressão.

[UncleTito72]

His intonation is as good as it can get.

[tinahugs]

I've been working on this piece and the true challenge is the slow tempo. My temptation from the start was to speed through it because it was not all that technically challenging, then I tried the correct tempo and found a sound like Mischa's was nearly impossible for me to achieve at that speed. In practice, I've learned to relax much much more and feel the slow movement patiently, but this goes to show that what he is doing is NOT easy!

[hanc11]

This is such a beautiful rendition of this movement and if anything I think he is playing it a tad fast. I would never speed this up. To me it sounds best when its played slow, with nice full sound, and with LOTS of vibrato. Mischa plays this perfectly and I think speeding it up would take away the beauty of the music. Music is ment to be an expression of emotion, NOT skill!

[stratect]

@hanc11 "...Music is meant to be an expression of emotion, NOT skill!

hanc11 2 weeks ago..." SO TRUE!!

:)

[TheTimeTraveler100]

@stratect Agreed. But then of course, you can't express great emotion in music without having any skill...

[stratect]

@TheTimeTraveler100 I would disgree. Even the simplest of conga drummers in Africa expresses emotion!

[mishization]

@stratect expression of emotion through skill*

[BlitzMoonlight09]

For me the best movement in the piece...

[TheTimeTraveler100]

@BlitzMoonlight09 Agreed.

Also what really moves me is Mischa's expression - who, I shall say, I rank with Mstislav's level. ;-)

I don't think this is a rather slow performance. It suites it very well.

Very enchanting and lovely performance! Touche!

[BlitzMoonlight09]

@TheTimeTraveler100 I am wondering why some people think that his performance is "slow". I love the way he plays the piece very... it is quite funny though, I have been listening to this movement a couple of times already...

[MusicCloud1]

Question for all of you classical music people out there. Do YOU prefer Bach with vibrato or without?

[mymusicmuse]

@MusicCloud1 When I play the Bach Suites, I use less vibrato than I normally use. I do use vibrato, but not as much as Mischa does. I know some people are all strongly on one side or the other -- use lush vibrato, or use none -- but there is a middle ground. I will play this particular Sarabande very slowly and gently at weddings when the couple are exchanging their vows. It's very powerful in a hush with a narrow, minimal vibrato

[TheTimeTraveler100]

@MusicCloud1 Vibrato! More vibrato!

[crunklecakes]

@TheTimeTraveler100 are you an idiot? there is vibrato on nearly every note!!!!

[TheTimeTraveler100]

@crunklecakes

If you have read MusicCloud's comment, he was asking if Bach's works are better with more vibrato or less...

I guess you shouldn't call people that harsh term when you don't know the whole story.

*Shrugs*

[crunklecakes]

@TheTimeTraveler100 then i would definitely like to apologize. I obviously read it wrong (understandably @ three in the morning). thank you for making me look like less of an idiot *blushes*

[TheTimeTraveler100]

@crunklecakes Nah. Don't worry about it. ;-)

[Trioptio]

@MusicCloud1 I've heard sometimes that baroque music should be played with minimum or even without vibrato... but in some pieces (like this one) it may be essencial... it would be interesting to hear a completely un-vibrated approach...

[destron0]

to think a man may learn ths and when he plays the music seems to rise from within him and take control.

By man I mean the species.

[CBsvufan]

Are these sessions recorded on a cd somewhere? I think his version is the best I've ever heard!

[fcgfgcfg]

Loneliness should be as beautiful as this. This song is for solitude, everything sad yet beautiful

[lightbulbsmile]

@fcgfgcfg your comment moves me.

[magicalhats15]

3:35-40 with the d and g string double stops is so difficult to tune. When I play this piece I play to that part and then watch the whole thing crash and burn because the tuning is so bad.

[my4seasons1]

The English Language has to invent a new word, that expresses perfectly the feeling of pure Divinty one gets when listening to you play!

[stratect]

Fiddler,

I like making absurd statements. I was referring to only that piece and was comparing music then to music today. I didn't think I was enrolled in a Juliard music class either.... This is YouTube commentary for Pete's sake, don't try and mathematize people's statements...have a martini, chill out...I like generalizing, it helps me get concepts across that I would otherwise have to spend hours qualifying with verbose and useless dialogue....I'm a simple but practical person.

[magnanimous12]

It's kinda weird. Even though I don't get the melody of this piece very much, I feel like I'm magnetized to his cello-playing.

[joebear25]

He can see on his face, him feel every note he plays...and you can hear that feeling in his rendition of the piece...magnificient

[MusicCloud1]

Truly amazing and utterly captivating. I tried playing it at this speed, and it is ridiculously difficult to not get even a little faster.

[Djohnjohn]

one of the most romantic pieces i've heard for cello

[XxRockxTomxX]

Anyone know where he's playing?

[MusicCloud1]

@XxRockxTomxX You could scroll through most of the earlier comments, I think it was the Cathedral of St. Peter? or maybe that was where Rostropovich was playing. I truly don't know, although the uploader might know if you send him a message.

[moggy10]

@MusicCloud1 @XxRockxTomxX

Rostropovich's Bach Suites were filmed in the Basilique Sainte Madeleine, in France if that's any help...

[MusicCloud1]

@moggy10 he wants to know where mischa maisky played lol

[moggy10]

@MusicCloud1 ok sorry

[daGhostRO]

When i listen to this part i see green fields with horses running wildly, i see forests and rivers. Blue sky..... It makes me shiver...

[goodluckboy72]

Thank you. I am grateful for all you musicians who bring us this beauty and have the brevity to pursue your heart. It makes no difference weather or not you learn by ear or from theory to start with. Just realize that your interest alone is a gift to be relished. Thank you! :D

[SpencerSymington]

you can still bend to get semi tones on a fretted instrument

[quieroiero1031]

i personally feel he could have played this more rubato, to allow for more expression, some easy tempo slows or accelerations.

i really like his dynamics though, they are great!

[hasegawamiki]

I think that if he would have added more rubato it would have sounded toooooo exagerated... it would become a gimmick

[MrPsychoCellist]

this piece is nice and soothing

[Mary90jx]

nicht in worte zu fassen....

[CharlotteJpa]

l i use to play cello but i never could read music. i heard it and played it. for me it was as simple as that

[watxdoxuxdoxallxday]

playing something this skillfully is far from simple

[regaldrifter]

@watxdoxuxdoxallxday you cant generalize it that simply, dont mix up skill and feeling.

[VayneTheUndying]

One question... I have just recently gotten into Classical music, and am sort of new to the instruments.

How exactly does the Cello work? Since it has no frets, how are the notes located? If this is a stupid question, I apologize. XD

[MordekaiTwin]

Not at all...I don't understand the whole fret thing on guitars. Maybe frets were invented so that anybody could try to learn them, I don't know. String musicians learn basic fingerings in the first [hand] position and from there memorize the fingerings based on higher [hand] positions.

[VayneTheUndying]

That's interesting. Seems like a challenge! :D

[InBuddhaiTrust]

yea its true, once you start playing for awhile you just know where they are

[cellomama92]

yeah its all muscle memory cello is actually quite hard with shifts lower on the finger board. it hurts especially if you dont have long arms cause the cello digs into your chest. I hate the fact that i love this instrument but ill never give it up

[kriox]

Hi, I play classical guitar. Frets serve two main purposes: they make complicated chords possible and they gratly increase sustain (especially on higher strings). I think that they also make it easier on the beginner is minor in their development

[BlackDrakma]

guese thats why its kinda wierd for me switching from classical cello to classical guitar =P

frets are definitly helpful for those realy complex chords which is probly why i never really found anything so complex on cello (at least in the 6 years i played)

[Sugarboxproductions]

not to put you down and i think they are very useful but i think that frets were inented to make complicated yet possible chords easier; sustain that is better than a fret can be achieved with a strong push on the string... lastly it also hugely limits your note range for example no demi semi tones!

[jude4312]

frets were invented so that you wouldn't have to have 20 differently tuned lyres to play a tune. notes on all stringed instruments work the same mechanically. it's dividing the ratio between the nut and bridge. as you finger down on a string, your finger becomes the nut.

[appel2326]

when i started the cello my teacher put little stickers where my index(1) , ring (3) and pinky (4) went , and you get used to the finger positions relative to eachother, beforebeing able to move your hand down to other positions along the fingerboard . hope that made sense =)

i know someone who can't stand the frets on guitars because with the cello, if you get a note wrong, it's a simple matter of sliding your finger up or down till it's right .

[RichardKAHL]

ammm....ur not sop'd to slide till u get it correct otherwise u'll never learn where the note is :

[carrottoponcrak]

true, but it is said that its not about hitting the note correctly, its about who can fix it faster.

[triviumlambofgod]

@carrottoponcrak its not about hitting the note correctly.... who ever told u that.... is well... wrong

[hasegawamiki]

I think people should always learn by ear

I DIDN'T learn by ear, I play electric bass, but I wish I would have been taught by ear, and not only positions [when I first started of course... now I know all this stuff, lol]

[then00best]

I know what you mean. I wish i had started out using my ear more than my eyes.

[Ken2234]

I don't know, I learned by ear and when it came to certain pieces; knowledge of theory can make the peace easier to learn the music. Its best to be good at both and not one or the other :)

[hasegawamiki]

hah, you got me wrong.

we are not talking about theory, we're talking about the notes

some people learn notes exclusively by position and then hardly ever learn the sounds of the scales... it's all mechanical

so they are like Positions+MaybeTheory

I was talking about having both good Theory and Ear

[carrottoponcrak]

no son, i learned to play by ear and i wish i hadn't. you can't play impromptu with other people without being able to keep proper time and read music

[hasegawamiki]

dude, I agree, but I mean, you are NOT understanding what I said!!!

I wasn't talking about reading music or knowing theory, I was talking about learning the sound of the notes vs learning POSITIONS

whatever XD I don't care if people doesn't get it

[99Mandalore]

Thats true. Learning cello (reading music) can get rough when you have the song by ear. I have been playing for a month, roughly, and I was reading suite no 1 prelude, but as I was reading, the notes in my head were getting in the way. Of course, the notes in my head were speeding up, compared to my reading. But nevertheless, I learned it 99%. that 1% goes to the bowing technique...

[Sugarboxproductions]

hopefully they did middle finger stickers for d and a strings?

[Sabbathforfree]

johann sebastian bach einer der größten wenn nicht sogar der größte komponist den diese erde erblickt hat und der herr maisky hat eine wunderschöne interpretation mein abschließndes wort für diese komposita ist unfassbar! unfassbar!

[bmagem]

Esta Cancion La Cosa Mas Bella

[Cardien18]

...ah...that was so peaceful...It was played perfectly, and beautifully.

[tonhomm]

O cara toca MUITO...I este MOVIMENTO é MUITO LINDO

[jesemus33]

heyyyy nice notes hairy man!!!!

[stratect]

To those who think Mischa is playing this too slow, you must be of the spastic "Nintendo" generation! In Bach's time life was a lot calmer and musical notes carried a lot more "soul". This is a beautiful rendition we can all learn from. It's the best interpreation I have ever heard, with the popssible exception of Tanya's Sarabande played on the antique cello (check it on YouTube. Mischa, you have my full admiration for actually playing this slower and with such great great feeling, Bravo!

[movieperson1]

@stratect: way to generalize on an entire generation. other than that i agree with you 100%

[Erikk91]

@stratect He is not playing too slow. Sarabande is the typical slow movement in a Baroque Suite. It's a central moment of reflection.

[stratect]

@Erikk91

Thank you. I guess I didnt know what I was talking about.

:)

[Erikk91]

@stratect Not at all :)

[metalhead326]

@stratect good point brother. not to mention that they had to use organs which needed air that was pumped with the feet. meaning that everything on the organ had to be played slower than it is played today...and since bach mainly composed on an organ/harpsichord. it is a fit explanation of why a slower tempo better fits the music.

[frozenfx]

@stratect I agree with you but everyone has their own interpretation of music. Most people hang on to the first version they heard of a song and assume that's somehow "right" lol.

[derbubz]

@stratect As part of the "Spastic Nintendo Generation" I would like to thank you for generalizing. It really shows your commitment to enlightenment and critical thinking.

[stratect]

@derbubz "Generalization" is part of language and communication. It actually allows us to be more efficient in bringing our thoughts across to others. Classical musicians develop a deep sense of sound appreciation that has an uplifting quality to the human spirit (there I go again, generalizing). Now tell me....to avoid this generalizing business, should I have added that there are also those few musicians who never develop anything uplifting beyond picking their noses?

:)

[derbubz]

@stratect Clearly you missed the point of what I said. Abrasive language such as yours when directed at an entire group (in this case a generation) is akin to elitism, which in my opinion is rather abhorrent. I agree, generalizations can be an efficient way of communicating, but be aware of your words when they are both negative and targeted at any group in particular. It comes off as wanton and thoughtless.

[stratect]

@derbubz Wow! Now I am abrasive, elitist, abhorrent, wanton, thoughtless, negative, and "targeting" a group of innocent kids. Wow!......anything else? I am truly crushed! My self esteem has been severely damaged. You know what? would you "kindly" go fly a kite? .. I believe you are one step from being the "thought police" and curtailing my freedom of speech. Lighten up derbubz!

:)

[cantwhistleforshit]

@stratect @derbubz for the record, you're both idiots. Derbubz for thinking his big words mean anything worthwhile. It's like you're writing an essay and filling the awkward silences with "scholarly" language so people don't realize you have nothing in the words. Just a bunch of water. And Stratect for romanticizing the past because it's a problem that happens in every generation, but to your credit, that was two years ago.

[stratect]

@cantwhistleforshit Thanks....once in a while I need to be reminded that sometimes I act like a total romantic idiot (LOL) Question: why can't you whistle? I might be able to help!

:)

[cantwhistleforshit]

@stratect I can get one note sometimes, but that comes and goes and I have no real control over how it sounds. I think my lips are a little stupid.

[stratect]

@cantwhistleforshit Not stupid, but a reminder of what it takes to play a classical instrument (like the cello). You go over the process a thousand times if you have to, you will eventually get it. The younger you are the quicker it will come. The scientific term is "Perceptual Learning". Some people like to call it "muscle memory". Perceptual learning involves automaticity and repetition and no cognitive processes at all. Scientist still don't know exactly how it happens, but it does. Try it.

[Johnsen2012]

@derbubz so what you're saying is... it's wrong to disagree with a group of people?

[JGAN96]

@stratect haha i thought he did it kinda fast actually! but yea superb interpretation :)

[LorenzoLassek]

@stratect

Beside the question if you like the slow tempo or not (I do), referring to Bachs time is a bad argument for the slow tempo. Originally its a baroque dance movement (a slow dance, but a dance!) and in this recording you cant feel the beats of the 3quarter bar at all (I dont care). Giving the piece the depth of a slow tempo is a more romantic manner beginning about 100 years later than it was composed!

[vuxta1]

i play it much more ad lib....

great preformance. thanks

[Firestrer]

Very very very -ii- good... =)

[bamatommy]

What does "sarabande" mean?

[Elcativo06]

sarabande is a kind of dance u should look it up at wikipedia

[trejo567]

sarabande is an extremely old dance, but when Mischa plays it it seems to revive the whole audience

[dudesuite]

one of my favorite bach movements! played with so much passion and musicianship; absolutely wonderful.

[tisaacso3625]

I'm sorry everyone is being so negative. You are right.

[plemax]

Not he is not. We have written Bach music with accurate notes. This is why it's called performance and not composition. You play somebody also music and your task to deliver it in style and from your innovative point of view. So if you dumpass who plays banjo in garage you won't be able to do that.

[pabloelloquito]

I accidently opened 2 windows on this page with Mischa Maisky playing Sarabande, one window has a few seconds delayed about 4 bars, and it just sound INCREDIBLE, put the 2 windows side by side so you see Maiskys playing in BOTH windows as if in a duet! Try it you'll love it! the sound will melt your heart, almost made me cry!!!!

[uxnosidda]

That's so cool!

I did it and it sounds awesome! haha

[mrn93]

it sounds really cool

[tido1493]

I play this faster... slow or fast, this peice is gourgous

[3dimensionalreality]

Did you mean Bach?

How much do they go for in the U.S.?

[thedinnerfork]

i thought it was good musically as well as technically, very expressive, very nice

[five6eight3]

Wow, I've been playing this WAY too fast.

[nukedaddy7778]

Very nice. Prefer less vibrato on such a piece and also feel Janos Starker's versions actually rhythmically sound like dances.

But this is good and it's nice to watch as well as hear.

[barnadine]

I've just now realised I've always played this piece MUCH to fast. On guitar, mind you, but still... So THAT'S how you get the feeling in. Thanks for posting this!

[nancyrodz1985]

i'm agree ...too much vibrato

[nrlinebacker]

too much vibrato..r u kidding!?!?...thats what makes that piece his...it's his interpretation and style of playing..and he's amazing..dont be critical, if there was no vibrato..it would be too straight forward..any good musician knows that

[eldeniel]

:S, what the hell are you talking about "too much vibrato :S" god what's hapening to the world.. ITS A SARABANDE IT'S A BEAUTIFULL DANCE!

[silla20]

bach is watching us from the heaven

[mrn93]

it dosnt matter what bach wanted this is his interpretation not bachs (plus this song was written to be interpreted)

[retaker]

I can play this on my saxophone the counting is the hardest part but it is an interpretive piece

[lindaconchita]

bach wrote this music to be played freely.

he's an interpreter therefore, he is expressing his own ideas about the music

[eldeniel]

Sure, you have to play interprete this at the way you want but you CAN'T BRAKE THE TIME, you can change a note but then you have to add that taken time to other note and that... changing time and that at the right way in bach cello suites it's just a fantasie; it appears that you change it, but truly you don't.

[fajats]

I personally enjoyed it, I also think that if someone doesn't like it, She/he can express his opinion, we can learn from each other and respect freedom of speech. Thank you for this clip.

[zeguitarman]

great musician and ...nice moustache and beard

[skarmient0]

Very well interpretation... I prefer it a little faster, but it was good, For that person who said that bach is not alive anymore, i think is wrong because there was no indication of the dynamic, so the musician had to known very well the music to play the pianos and the fortes correctly.

[oeppevnvpeb]

i think i'll post my version of this on the musical saw, the way bach intended!

[francobelgianschool]

i love it to be fast

[michaelloved]

it was perfect for him

[cassandra5322]

vibrato was very emphisized very very emphisized...

[limmi]

every one should be aloud to play music the way they want, I personally like it...

[DeafCellist]

It's interesting what people come up with - their own individual sound.

I'm curious as to why he didn't phrase off the end of the second repeat of the first section, and immediately continued to the second section.

Oh, yes, and the vibrato? I remember a quote somewhere that says "Take each and every individual note on a journey". Maisky has done that very well.

[andreigocan]

It's so convincing, and so mastertful!!! Although I don't love this style of playing Bach, it's so well played I cannot say anything. I quite like it. And the sound control and bow speed variety are amazing. The phrasing is very polished. And the vibrato is very nice, not disturbing at all. I don't know how faithful he actually is to Bach's articulations, I'm a violinist myself, not a cellist. BUt, hey, what an amazing artist!!! Hats off!

[faithtimtoby]

But the vibrato adds to the musicality of the piece. It'd be quite boring without it.  Excellent!

[firebreathone]

Bach would not have wanted him to use so much vibrato

[faithtimtoby]

Tastes change - Bach's not alive anymore. Real, modern pianos also wouldn't have been used in his music, or any baroque music, for that matter, but today they are.

[aljian]

ThIs iS nOt ThE ElGaR CeLlo ConCeRtO, you do not have to vibrato on EVERY note.

[rudi24]

awful!

[cassandra5322]

rudi24 is probobly some wannabe that cant apreciate REAL music. if it was bad dont watch it or tell it to some people who thinks the same way!

[mistersomebody99]

i agree

[thedbassist]

simply amazing.