Kyung Wha Chung plays Bach violin sonata No.1 BWV1001 (Fuga)

[Twinkleh]

it's often performances like this, which interpret music beyond the sheet music, that get the purist, snobby classical music fan leaving snide comments about how it doesn't match up to some other great violinist's interpretation. i agree with you on nigel kennedy - though i don't, people love his music and his style. and if they love it more than heifetz, whose to say that's wrong?

[iloveholidayss87]

I liked it! I think she played with a lot of character! Why do some people say it's not up to standard?? :O

[leoncioviolin]

Bravo.

[kamijo89]

I guess most of the commentators here have never heard the expression, " Nothing can substitute for a live performance." The quality of the audio doesn't do Miss Kyung-Wha Chung justice. If you play the violin and you play Bach, you will come to understand that between your private teacher, your professors and your colleagues, you have to interpret the music the way that is most true to yourself. I think this violinist does just that. Thank you for posting, twofinedays.

[pipebillys]

the bitrate killed it. 

[XeroK00L]

Beautifully played. Too bad it's marred by the horribly compressed audio. She deserves better a much better bitrate.

[wanimusician]

OMG...why is it so fast? for me, playing it too fast kills the beauty of this such wonderfully written movement by Bach. It's Baroque piece for goodness sake!!

[bernhardlanger]

ouch

[mahlerman101]

It sounds like she's just trying to get through it alive. It doesn't breathe. I love everything else she plays. Her Grieg third sonata, which I believe is from this recital program (maybe wrong), is great!

[thegoddescomposer]

women should never understand the holy spirit of a man also never in the music of a man

[nuttkeg2009]

Utilizing a violin for musical interpretation is not an exact science because it is an art and every flaw one might notice in a discerning stand of someone's rendition of program music is one good reminder that the player is a human being and not artificial intelligence.Kung-Wah Chung had the liberty to interpret this music and she deserves the chance to let everyone hear it thru her one of a kind performance.

[s2p3r]

lalalalalalala....just listen friends....

[kminkyu]

vote one for poseuresque.

[toosmarttoocuteforu]

shes totaly killing the violin if u wanna hear it played good look up Henryk Szerynk hes amazing

[VikingII]

I really like the violin, but people look so ridiculous when they play it.

[u9010533]

She sounds so angry!

[violinmusicfan]

Miss Chung herself one said whenever a performing venue was poor in acoustics, she would get very depressed. But then, she said she made it a personal challenge to play expressively in such places which involved training her expressive playing so that she won't have to work so hard to create emotions later on.

[JUANCHOBIG]

Lucia Luque version

[Matd8e2]

komplestna chłosta

[poseuresque]

this is pretty unfocused, dirty playing. and tacky interpretation..."i'm a play these notes faster....then jerk these around...then speed up...then, for no apparent reason, play these two REALLY slow...and all at pretty much the same volume!" pretty bad performance. szeryng's is the finest, in my opinion. obviously the talent discrepancy is huge here, but one might expect a pro to study the greats. not fart out bach

[twofinedays]

"talent discrepacy is huge"... I just laugh at your recklessly assured tone. Szeryng's a great violinist, and I often listen to his Bach in particular, but Ms Chung is an artist of her own class. I don't even need to argue about it because her years of career and achivement proves itself. Just my little word for you is 'do not jump into judgement about an artist just because you liked or disliked a certain performance of his or hers'; it's often misleading.

[twofinedays]

And by the way, over the time I cannot but notice Bach is the one composer about whom people tend to have huge conception of their own; they would think Bach should be this or that, and feel offended when it's not. Personally I think music should never be like that (or any form of art for that matter). I even admire Kennedy though I dislike his Bach interpretation; he seems to say "Fuck you people, Bach is music not a scripture!".

[violinmusicfan]

Accenting notes and speeding up and slowing down certain parts in the music is what you call MUSICAL PLAYING. She is a master at creating expression and exaggerating dynamics so that the soul of the music still transmits even in a concert hall with bad acoustics.

[MyWinterFireflyLove1]

@poseuresque your the one that stupid ... thats the beauty of music



[PromienDrzewa]

makabr.......

[jasin95]

do any musicians know why some jerk around when they play music, ie piano, violin. it gives me a bit of a headache.

[dv019]

music is an art and by moving with the music it becomes an even greater form of self expresson

[idashuruar]

It seems to me a bit too fast played.

[sijas]

then u should listen to menuhin play it lol.

[animemangalover5]

very well played; beautiful lines and great expression...and I believe she played it like that for a reason~ she is giving you her interpretation of this song and I did truly enjoy it, thank you :]

[ezev8logos]

Very awsome but i agree that it is too fast

[neephgook]

according to my violin instructor, this is the hardest song on the violin...he always shows off w/ it

[dv019]

not even close to the hardest

[jasonform]

wow your violin instructor must suck,besides bein ignorant

[SimonCU]

She plays with a lot of accents...which sounds a bit like a March. Also little bit too fast for my taste.

[huangyanxi]

Technically wise, I think that she performs very well. However, it seems to be too romantic and does not fit into the Baroque style. She should use a little less vibrato.

[shmankersox]

She was definitely of the generation that played baroque music very romantically. The idea of "period style" performance practice is actually a relatively new one.

[violinmusicfan]

I love how her playing is always so structured.

[superhyperkiwi]

some of her bowing and tempo was messed up but well played lol

[soond1456]

what do you mean "messed up"?

I bet u r one of those idiotic, nerdy violin player who thinks u r all good when u can play a crap! shut up if u dont know anything about violin n dont even talk about what u would prefer or ur taste is

[DHcello]

i know his teacher is J.Szigeti, so sound like Szigeti!

[danieldesposito]

I'm not a better musician than her (have to say this first) I agree she is super romantic but I think there's an excess of rubatto and excess of speed. I dont think this could be valuable, she knows lot of tecnics (?) she have to stop her van and play music. I wish this to her

[guildwarswallpaper]

That was cool

[cellyguy4000]

I like the faster tempo, but she's too rough on the double stops.

[operaticxingenue]

She's not my favourite when it comes to Bach but she's helluva lot better than Chang. I can't STAND Chang.

[escaelis]

Do you mean "Sarah Chang"? I wish Sarah Chang would stay out of Baroque Business.. and go to Beethoven or something.

[operaticxingenue]

Yes, I mean Sarah Chang. She makes me want to rip my hair out when it comes to baroque music. Style-wise, she plays EVERYTHING like Beethoven. :(

[Violinfanatic]

Sarah Chang plays everything super romantic which would mean she even plays Beethoven stylistically wrong.  She needs to stick to Sarasate, Lalo, Paganini, composers like that. Or, if she's an idealist like me, she can continue to play whatever she wants with a new spin to it. I mean, it's not supposed to be played the same way forever.

[milstein91]

Keep playing paganini and wieniawsky but not bach!

[twofinedays]

Funny, Ms Chung rarely played both Paganini and Wieniawsky. Actually she has never quite been a showing off type of violinist through out her career.

And please, I love Bach very very much myself, but don't make him sound like some saint living in unreachable distance.

[milstein91]

I am saying Paganini and Wieniawsky because she has great technique but in my opinion Bach's music is higher in a symbolic way in the way of what it represents;this movement for example is about destination something above humanity!I don t think she is thinking in that,,,however it is only my opinion.

[escaelis]

"This movement for example is about destination something above humanity!"

Hmm... I don't think Bach ever wrote personally about his fugues. Although I agree with you (I think all of Bach's fugues search for something that is missing in humanity) I don't think it is a strict fact. She is entitled to her own interpretation, and I personally think Kyung Wha Chung is searching for something in the music and is putting her soul into it - something very valuable in a musician.

[cageynerd]

She messed up on a weird line... hmmm

[violinmusicfan]

Yes, that's strange. I haven't seen her play pieces like the Paganini 24 caprices, Carmen Fantasy etc. I've always had the suspicion that she felt that they were too difficult for her to perform. However, she has played difficult pieces too like the Walton, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky and Brahms violin concertos which are considered some of the most difficult works in the violin repertoire.

[vlhere]

Some people play Paganini , Sarasate , weiniewski very well but when it comes to Brahms or Tchaikovsky or somthing they may not play it very well....It all depends upon the person. Some may play Bach very well and some might play Beethoven very well. Thats why I feel one can never have one favourite violinist ever...hehehe

[searay32]

the grit and roughness is not due to the recording quality. the recording quality these days is very good. It is due to the pressure of her bow hair on the string. This fugue is very hard to play. She is using too much power in my opinion because I used to play this way but do not like it anymore.

[Fr3derick]

It is mentioned in the description of this video that the sound quality is poor due to the "limit of the original streaming file" and I am saying that this might have caused her playing to sound even more rough than her usual as I know what her tone normally sounds like. However, I am not saying that Kyung Wha Chung does not have a tendency to bow harder on the strings.

[Fr3derick]

I think much of the grit and roughness that we are hearing is due to the poor recording quality, although Kyung is also well known for her percussive style.

[h4x3dby1337]

Bach isn't played enough anymore. I don't know if this is as true for violin as it is for piano, but it seems that music of true depth like Bach is fading away from concerts in favor of showoffy stuff. As fun as playing or listening to showoffy stuff is, one's musicality isn't determined how well he can play this kind of showoff "music," but how well he can play stuff like unaccompanied Bach.

Sorry if that was really badly written, hopefully you get my general idea.

[klaverfar]

Depressingly true, h4. Bach is indeed forgotten today.

[cgd147]

Just listen szeryng

[jessmford]

so that's her stradivarius?

[xErindx]

Asians play more Bach because Bach adhered very strictly to the "traditional" rules about not having any accidentals. More experimental music is considered to be very Western for which they have much disdain.

[AzNsAnTaGiN]

Quite to the contrary; Bach's music is filled with accidentals.

[waxenwings89]

What an ignorant comment.

[amazinglazedonut]

I think Asians playing more Bach than Westerners is due to the emphasis of Baroque music in the Suzuki method (which originated in Japan in the mid 20th century) combined with the fact that most Asian children receive at least basic classical music training. You are a hick from Nashville, which leads me to believe that the "more experimental music" you speak of must be country or of the Miley Cyrus type, in which case they have every right to have "much disdain" for it.

[Respectthewilderness]

I am wondering why the asians play more Bach...

[chulesq]

Do they really?

[kwcfan]

One pianist guy I know made this statement about the violin being a 'soft instrument', to which I totally disagree; he obviously didn't know better.

I am glad that Kyung Wha made the violin sound huge and powerful, almost like an Organ if I may say so.

[klaverfar]

Music began and ended with Bach.

[superdave2112]

You said it!!! Bach is/was the Alpha and Omega!

If I could play even remotely close to half as well as Kyung, I'd feel like a rock star!

[waxenwings89]

Agreed.

[liosama]

@klaverfar whatever.



[liosama]

@klaverfar whatever.

[evermorefire]

She is fantastic! I've never fully appreciated classical music until now! The expression that she puts into her music is riveting and astounding, and the extent to which she uses her bow is incredible. Her movement is amazingly fluid and clear, and each note sounds as though it has a life of its own. She can even use finger vibrato! Of the three kinds of vibrato, finger vibrato takes the most time and effort to learn. This violinist is the most fantastic player I have heard in my entire life!

[rushofmusic]

she gets a great sound on that violin but i think she attacks the front of each note too much which leads to that uneasy cruching sound everyone is probably hearing

[RhythmANing]

IMO she butchered Bach lol

good violinist though

[musicStoneD]

she's bach performance is very.. special

she's interpretation about pieces are distinguished.

[Fr3derick]

I think it is because she is playing too loudly through the speakers. Try turning down the volume to be able to appreciate it more.

[500AirDrive]

Kyung Wha Chung: beautiful sound and tecnique!

Youtube: horrible audio-video quality :(

[g6949]

simply, worst performance.

she never feel Bach and audience..

no meaning to hear

[twofinedays]

simply, the worst comment I've got so far.

Mere reproach with no proper argument. You may dislike the performance, but who gave you any right or what-so-ever to name a certain performance as 'worst'?

[g6949]

absolutely you are right.

i apologize my childish comment.

and delete it, if you want.

[cozmocon]

@twofinedays I absolutely love that you defend the videos even though they are not of you =] It really gives me hope that more people care about classical music

[autumnlights]

...lol.

okay then.

[nimbunimbu]

Watching her play made me feel a bit uneasy and scared.

Still, an astounding performance!

[graceluvsnaruto]

kyung wha chung is a hard worker and very skilled at the violin. However, I feel that in this performance, she could do better and make the music flow a little better, like Henryk Szeryng. Overall, it was good,

[happpiday]

nice sound!! She always has her own personal style.

[woll2502]

this is not nice sound! this sound is crap. this is not good recording! she did puts lot of passion into it, but missed spiritual part of Bach!!! Please don't be fooled by her fame!!!

[Milky111wtf]

You're right. She does miss the spiritual part of Bach, and therefore takes my favorite composer ever and turns him into just a bunch of notes. If she went a bit slower and really explored the voices speaking, this would be much better.

[sonata1992]

"Spiritual" means too little to really be understood.

In my understanding of it, she did put a lot of "spirit" into it. Her faster tempo made it much more interesting to me; it's always the same tempo in most "interpretations."

[sonata1992]

Source of my confusion: "puts lot of passion into it, but missed spiritual part of Bach!!!"

What exactly is the difference between those words in the context of music?

[Milky111wtf]

Bach's music has a mysterious aspect to it that transcends mere notes- the voices work together so perfecly, and to me, seem to create a sort of deeper feeling. It's like it answers some deeper question within me when I listen to it. The reason I don't think this woman captures this is because her added flavor doesn't complement with the things Bach's saying. She turns a meaningful piece into a showy one.

[woll2502]

Totally agree!!!

[woll2502]

The difference is she tried very hard but used passion in wrong way. Can't you hear she attacked strings too hard, played too fast then those voice been crushed and lost resonance, so sounds like screaming and not singing, what kind of 'fugue' is that for listener??? Bach spent most of his life to the service of God, this is where the Spiritual came from. This piece should be presented more in 'operatic' way , not 'rock n roll'!!! Hope you understand now.

[woll2502]

To sonata1992:The difference is she tried very hard but used passion in wrong way. Can't you hear she attacked strings too hard, played too fast then those voice been crushed and lost resonance, so sounds like screaming and not singing. Bach spent most of his life to the service of God, this is where the spiritual came from. This piece should be played more in 'operatic' way, not a 'rock n roll'!!! Hope you understand now. (PS: my 11years old child knows difference of 'passion'and 'spiritual'!

[evermorefire]

To woll2502. Direct quote: "my 11years old child knows difference of 'passion'and 'spiritual'"

You ACT like an 11 year old. Do you see anyone else sliding in churlish comments on the intelligence of other people? I'm okay with your above comment, but this is just ridiculous! You do not have to degrade the feelings of others to make a point. I hope in the future your comments will not be ones that ATTACK others. Classical music is not about making yourself feel better than everyone else.

[kwcfan]

Kyung Wha Chung is a modern violinist. She produces her own distinctive sound and applies her own interpretation. She does not need to imitate Heifetz, or Henryk Scheryng, or Menuhin (all dead anyway). Do you suppose she has to be a believer in God to play this piece in a "spiritual" manner?

[kwcfan]

I have watched Henry Scheryng's performance of this piece on Youtube and while it sounds good, it is laid back sounding. Not to mention that Scheryng performed this in a studio so the mike is close to him.. Under such circumstances one has to play it softly to avoid scratching. In contrast, Chung played in a hall and has to project a big sound without the aid of a mike... Go figure.

[woll2502]

You have just approved my initial point,all I said is:the sound is crap, it's not good recording, perhaps she was trying to hard to project big sound to satisfy some dumb audience.(ps:I like her other pieces posted at youtube, but it doesn't make me say she played well in this occasion)

[kwcfan]

HOw do you know she is playing to a dumb audience?

[woll2502]

You don't really understand what I stated there, then keep asking dumb questions.I feel shamed KWC got FAN like you!!!

[kwcfan]

You just assume that everyone of his fans are dumb...

[woll2502]

Go read what I wrote there again, please don't reply if you have no fresh idea.

[evermorefire]

To woll2502. Honestly, I'm more disappointed that KWC must be subject to such petty arguments. Just because someone asks a question that you might not think is important doesn't give you the right to be rude and snappish. Also, even thought you may be upset over something doesn't mean other people are necessarily the 'wrong' ones or the 'dumb' ones. People are entitled to their own opinions and that doesn't mean you can just assume that you are right and smarter than everyone else.

[kwcfan]

Neither do you understand what I stated here LOL.

[trejo567]

Bach is one of the most demanding composers of the era, but she makes it seem like a picnic. Again, every note has it distinct character, as a nrmal fugue would be, but this particular musician adds depth and character to the simplest of of chords. She has her place of honor in the vast world of music.

[jannokas85]

How does she do it? I'm just mesmerized at the thought that she only has 1 bow and 4 strings, but it sounds like 4 bows sawing away on 16 strings at loeast...it must be rare what she's doing!

[DrMontague]

Its good but see on youtube see Henryk Szeryng playing Bach Fuga from Sonata No. 1.

It amazing.

[ItzhakRoxMySox]

Agreed, like Bach is supposed to be played, so crisp and distinct, all in tune as well, no notes sticking out, and he keeps the rhythm as well as puts feeling into it. It's pretty much flawless

[escaelis]

Nothing beats the beginning contrapunctal entrance of subject in this fugue! Such firey passion! I thought Gidon Kremer was going to break his violin when he was playing this, but nothing compard to this!

[JargarForte]

Mrs. Wha Chung comes from Korea.

I love her and she was the one who -when I was 8 years old, 35 years ago - made me cry instantly with her performance of the Brahms concert.

So, 35 years later I earn my bucks as a prof. violinist too.

With all respect, Asia has another view on Bach than the western part of the world.

I know this because I was a violinteacher there

[cottonshrinks]

skilled... but i dont like it

[VanessaMaeFan18]

i love bach's sonatas and partitas!!!!!!!!!!! i like her rendition of it. i wonder if she played them all.

[gawgul]

I tried the a minor with high hopes, like I had for the g minor.

[scottbos68]

why does everyone play the g minor fugue?

i wish more people would play the a minor fugue, its the only fugue for violin im interested in really