Marc-Andre Hamelin plays Bach-Busoni Chaconne Part 2 of 2

[edjhennessy]

If medicine ever comes up with a cure for death, I want this guy to get one of the first few doses. I don't want to lose him.

[lisilisin]

Another great version of this piece is the one played by Alicia de Larrocha. I strongly recomend it

[Carlosrenti]

he ended the piece on minor cord. y?

[physphilmusic]

@Carlosrenti I actually like the option Busoni gave us (F or F#); you don't have to do the tierce de picardi (in the violin version it's just a D I think). You can choose major or minor depending on the mood you want the piece to end in.

[vza77]

1:32-1:53...he runs!!!!!!

..busoni wrote (1:32) 'poco a poco sempre più crescendo ed animando il tempo'...

[32932800]

@vza77 oohh shut the fuck up

[vza77]

@32932800 there's an interpretation problem. he runs in so much parts, listen petri michelangli (all the 3 recordings) and many others.

'marc, hurry up...the dinner is getting cold'

'oh dear, I'll be there in a second'

[madlovba2]

I've uploaded the HQ audio version of this! Please comment and rate :D

[iplongnin]

A pity he did not play the ossia in 5:40 to 5:56, which I think is musically more intact and technically more exciting than the non-ossia part.

[jojobanjo]

@iplongnin Agreed...I love the ossia. :)

[marcohorowitz8]

"tierce de picardi" was called, the ending of a minor piece in the Major tonic. examples in Bach are plenty, 2nd prelude from the 1st book of Weltempered, Toccata and Fugue in D minor etc...

[morvensky]

He puts the sharp (the F-sharp that makes the final chord in D major) in parenthesis so you can make it in D minor or D major. It is not really going against the score.

[felix0911176727]

It seems very easy for him.

[felipilloo1984]

astonishing performance. But I prefer Brahm's transcription of the Chaconne. Less sounds but more insight into the original piece

[bibalozhok]

The best performance I have ever heard. Chapeau!

[TheVieuxchat]

Did you listen to Busoni's and Egon Petri's performances ?

[TuUtur78]

Absolument Extraordinaire cette inteprétation !!! la plus belle qui existe pour moi

[Hellspire]

Busoni is an upstart for daring to transcribe a work of Bach. *pitchforks and rage* K jokes aside, this is a wonderful transcription, and while Hamelin is known for having relatively weak live v. studio performances they are both nonetheless quite amazing. Bravo.

[Hellspire]

Oh, I also have to state that saying baroque music is without emotion is such a folly when attempting to compare it to the classical/romantic trend. The two are like apples and oranges people. Take them for what they are they both taste good geez.

[formenlehre]

quite reminiscent of michelangeli's pacing.

[pastymorant]

Anyone heard Ferruccio (Busoni) himself playing this? superb... also in this line, Busoni (acoustic recording) playing "Nun freut Euch" - along with one of his major pupils, Egon Petri playing other Bach transcriptions for solo piano - paragons of transparency and clear, sober expression. Exquisite.

As for M. Hamelin - I respect his ability tremendously, and am frequently less than enthusiastic about his interpretive approaches. His tone here, however, is often gorgeous. Nice.

[JupiterIV]

Would you be able to post a recording of Busoni's interpretation of the Ciaconna? I think that many of us would be up to hearing it as well.

[pastymorant]

I'll see what I can do.

[PercivalDumbledore]

this was truly amazing - one doesn't need to say more, because words are not enough.

[P0L0K0P]

i think hamelin is the greatest vituoso of this time

[Lucithen]

beautiful rendition. How can people say its mechanical? Its filled with emotion and spirituality. This one is my favourite so far, although I like Grimaud's and Michelangeli's versions too. :)

[parazsdavid]

Usually I don't like Hamelin's playing, but this one is surely exquisite and touching.

[sexandthesuburbs]

whoa he ends on a minor chord im too used to ending on a major chord already. what do you guys think of that???

[ichiromo]

i think a minor chord's more fitting for the piece. does the original version for the violin end with a tierce de picardie?

[Lucithen]

No, the original ends in minor. but, a lot of Bach's works end with a tierce de picardie, like in the WTC. My teacher told me a minor ending is more appropriate bcs its like the original, but many play the minor bcs its commonplace in Bach's music.

[Lucithen]

i meant, *many play the major.

[duhhh86]

hmmm, actually on the violin original, it ends on simply D-D (open string D and G-string D). the final note is not a chord. thus whether the original ends in major or minor is ambiguous.

[markus777]

Bach already writes the tierce de picardie somewhere in the middle of piece (ie, start of this "part 2") already so maybe that's why. As for it sounding mechanical to some, well it's not romantic era music. Typically, what held those long baroque era pieces together was a rock steady tempo.

[Lucithen]

perhaps, and the original only ends on a D, I checked, so its open to interpretation really. About the rock steady tempo, the thing is though that this is an interpretation by busoni, and that gives the pianist more freedom to add more romanticism to it. And I think Hammelin does that very well. :-)

[brotighan]

When I played it, I ended in a minor chord. I think it fits much more to the power and general mood of the piece, wich is rather dramatical and even tragical. I just enjoyed the minor chord :))

[taiwan886]

Hi....it's a nice idea...but are you questioning the intentions of Bach in his own masterpiece by doing this? ...

[brotighan]

Oh, come on. Pathetic, isn't it? :) you have to end the main theme in minor almost each time it occures in the piece - that is how it is written. It means Bach knew what it is like to end in minor, didn't he? Will it contradict Bach's intentions? the last chord is not the main problem you will encounter playing Chaconne... there's so many questions about Bach's intentions you will have to ask yourself and the last question would be about the minor or the major in the end, I believe

[brotighan]

sorry, there ARE many questions

[brotighan]

and that's where it would have been better to start from: this piece is not something that Bach actually wtote. It is a transcription. Had Busoni questioned Bach's intentions when he wrote it?

[LisztianGR]

Minor ALL the way.

[ffurgy]

The sound was quite poorly recorded, but it certainly gave it the feeling of an organ performance.

[CalistratBibescu]

I like it

[pgtramont]

...I'm awe-struck. This is pure ecstasy.

[ilovescarlatti]

Dear Tompik i totally agree... Mr Hamelin is a fantastic pianist as well as a great musician !!! I like him a lot. Wishes from italy, Como Lake

[GeorgeMaxwellDuPre]

I've listened to this again, and while it is a worthy interpretation I didn't care for the excessive slowness of the theme introducing the d major section.

[cziffra1980]

To be honest I largely agree with him. I like some of Hamelin's playing, but this is extremely mechanical and uninteresting. I don't think a pianist should go crazy about trying to copy the violin original, but this simply doesn't have enough musical ideas going on. The original is a good place to start as any. Hamelin really skims the surface here.

[evolve749]

I agree. While the playing technically sound, there is no sense of urgency. Dynamically, I think it is rather lacking gas well.

[FrankieSprs]

The piano's just great!!!

[GeorgeMaxwellDuPre]

This is an excellent performance and I greatly respect Marc-Andre Hamelin, but this didn't move me as much as some of the "amateur" ones here on YOUTUBE. But that is a matter of taste more than artistic critique.

[killersax]

Too bad the sound is so distorted and compressed. Hard to tell what the performance really sounded like. I think he makes it sound too easy. I miss the sense of struggle with intractable material that sets up the triumphant ending.

[Enerkhan]

Great performance! Passionate and with an inner fire, love it!

[jiolsmolimassunemo]

i don't always enjoy hamelin and as a general rule i'm wary of some of his stuff... i mean "more notes + speed = good musicianship" doesn't work, especially once you get by the difficulty of the pieces he often plays and try to enjoy them as you would more simple yet equally challenging (musically) pieces... but all of that aside, this performance does quite a bit to redeem him, so bravo, and thanks for posting it.

[RuroJiruries]

Shamefully, this is the first time I have heard this piece, but oh my WORD, I am blown away O_O Such a powerful piece, commanded very well by one of the finest Pianists about today - Stunning! Absolutely Beautiful! Thank you Tompilk for posting it.

[pvonberg]

The geatest performance of this piece is by Michelangeli.

[jiolsmolimassunemo]

also - jorge bolet's carnegie hall recording of this piece is likely the best i've heard... but i am always interested in hearing more...

[maxscriptguru]

Personally, I prefer the Kissin Recording above all others. I once listened to the Michalengeli recording but I was unimpressed. Perhaps my attitude would change if I listened to it again. It's been a long time, nearly 7 years now since I last played this monumental piece.

[donjuan9012]

thanks for sharing, tom!

I think I prefer Kun Woo Paik's interpretation more though.

[orpheus63]

for me interpretation is boring

[filthysoap]

have you studied the piece?

[maxscriptguru]

The whole point in the entire piece is right before the last page, with the arpeggios going up the keyboard, and the left hand going down. (After the tocotta section). Many pianists miss that point, and as a result the piece comes off less successfully.

If you haven't ever learned or played this piece, drop everything you are playing, and play this piece. It is terribly difficult, but in the end the effort is worth it. Playing this piece was some of the most fabulous experiences of my life.

[brianCIM]

you are so right about the last couple pages. michelangeli's playing of these last two pages is super-human. the way he builds to the climax and the explosion on those upward arpeggios is some of the greatest piano playing i have ever heard in my life. there are many good recordings(including this) but i am always dissapointed because no one quite matches michelangeli in that section. a true testing ground for this piece. and it IS rewarding to study. i agree with you 100%.

[terryregnar]

to be expected from the best living pianist!!!

[Bordcla]

Great performance! Both precise and profound. Hamelin is really doing this masterpiece justice! This was actually the first piece ever played in concert on that particular piano, which Hamelin himself picked at the Hamburg Steinway factory for this concert hall. Can't think of a better way to set the tone for the instrument's life.

[tompilk]

were you there at the concert? or do you know him?

I agree - it's stupendous performance. and a stupendous piece.

[Bordcla]

No. Unfortunately, I was not there, but this was well documented in the local papers here in Quebec (the Canadian province M-A Hamelin originates from). I did see him in concert four of five times though. Always supremely good!

[daeviydt]

this performance is absolutely tremendous!!!