[HQ] Pierre Hantai Plays Goldberg Variations (Aria, Var.1 - 8)

[gillette1985]

Johann Gottlieb Goldberg  was born in Gdansk (Danzig).

[aeromech84]

I don't know who could possibly dislike this piece of beauty. God bless Bach and all baroque composers.

[ploschad]

Does anyone know what temperament is being used here?

[chikechild]

@ploschad I think it's equal (I have perfect pitch)

[fiandrhi]

I never understand why some performers don't take the repeats. Why ignore repeats?

[Bachlives2]

@fiandrhi My guess is because it was on TV and it would only fit into a half-hour slot. With the repeats this whole set lasts easily over 45 minutes...

[CalebGrey]

It tells you in the title that it is -8, as in going from A=400 to A=392

[chikechild]

@CalebGrey You're wrong...

[leapingthrutime]

Beautiful! Once i head it, it wont go away 4:00 !

[RonHoward2008]

hes name is hentai

[Rickriquinho]

Perfect, reflects the composition how it is. Glenn is interesting but whimsical.

[RobinTeenTitansGO1]

We all love you, Dr. Lecter. 

[MyPapapitufo]

Thanks¡¡¡¡

[handsomechuck1]

Who knows or has a good ear: is this a bit flatter than our modern standardized A = 440 hz?

[LaPopliniere]

@handsomechuck1 The harpsichord is a French Harpsichord of the end of the 17th century. The baroque French pitch is A = 392 Hz, that is to say one tone under the modern pitch. Anyway this harpsichord is tuned in A = 392 Hz, but it's good to know the explanation. I hope that my answer suits you.

[ulquiorra051597]

This is wonderfuk. This song is suposedly in an anime

[DamagedF0X]

His playing makes me feel like my hearts slowing, but when I feel my chest, it's racing.

[virginiaorganbuilder]

Perfect. Sometimes he looks a little like a young Jerry Lewis, and watching his hands they sometimes seem a bit awkward, and if you told me that J. S. Bach himself was playing, I would believe you!

[JGBaroque]

I simply don't understand that Bach said his keyboard works sounded better on the pianoforte... This is a treasure - thanks for uploading!

[aceenigmax]

I shit bricks at 6:00!!!!!!!!!!!

[sijag68]

A setting truly worthy of such a fine musician, Villa Medici in Rome. A wonderful rendition of Bach's variations, a real pleasure to listen to. Thank you for posting these magnificent works.

[SuhmMusic]

So light fingers on those trills. I'm used to Glenn Gould's version, though Gould's and Hantai's can't be compared cause they are on 2 different instruments, both of them are delightful!

[MrGuitarcat]

Now i cannot heard this pieces with a piano !

[hymntonight]

It's great to see Hantai perform, though I find his Goldberg less exciting than his Scarlatti performances.

[pickymoon]

@hymntonight wow, his scarlatti interpretations must be out of this world!

[hymntonight]

@pickymoon They are! I'm pretty sure you can find a few of his Scarlatti recordings on youtube.

[danielbillingsley]

Hantai is one of the best harpsichord players out there.

[srbiruga]

i love the transcriptions, specially for the brass quintet... but none can reach the original version, cause that piece was meant for the harpischord, we can't deny

[musicaorganum]

Absolutely magnificent!

[MinorityMans]

Thank you for posting this.

[MrBilobaba]

Je trouve que c'est la plus belle interprétation...

[VONHIMMELBACH]

Beautiful!!! I like this version as much as I would like the impecable version of Gould!!!

[Doutrisor]

Prodigieux !!



[LacktionJackson]

Who the hell disliked this? Oh, and I love the "hammer-like" sound of harpsichords.

[sciprio1]

I prefer this harpsichord version rather than the piano version that I have.

[zjbeast]

I remember I was at a concert and I heard a harpsichord off of a piano. I nearly died. Nowhere near the rich quality. It was the 5th brandenberg concerto. Every time a note was played my hair stood on end. This sounds just so beautiful. Flawless bliss!

[MUSAKOSU]

can't stop watching!

[steve40004]

I love this.

[Manu404]

Enfin une interprétation digne de ce nom sur youtube.

Après l'hérésie pianotesque de Glenn Gould, son sentimalisme et romantisme mal placé, ses frasques musicales hors de propos, une vrai et belle interprétation de cette œuvre sublime...

[vdmerwe]

@Manu404 bah tais toi, snob.

[Manu404]

@vdmerwe Ha bon ? et en quoi mon post est "snob" ?

[sonogashira44]

Quand j'aurai un enfant, j'aimerais tellement mettre en place une berceuse avec cet Aria au clavecin, au dessus du berceau. Magnifique initiation à cette musique !

[pawbard]

What an amazing resonant harpsichord. Beautiful flowing sound losing none of the crispness. How does it produce that effect? Lovely rendition too.

[ahern112]

I love this recording, but after a while the constant displacement of the right hand downbeats until AFTER the left hand has played becomes somewhat affected in the aria.

[templeH81]

@ahern112 it is necessary to play that way to create the dynamics in the piece. with the unequal playing the ear is drawn to the melody, which is quickly lost when the notes are played at the same time. It is a very Baroque mannerism

[DeHeld8]

very nice indeed.

I know I'm hopelessly old-fashioned. But I prefer this played on the Harpsichord played indeed.

[Zumbruk]

Hear, hear. May as well play it on a steel band as the piano; nasty clanky things.

[Nuker1337]

Yes, the harpsichord is a wonderful instrument.

[mrharpsi]

Such a beautiful performing. Pierre really got my whole soul with this performing. It's so stylish and emotional, with great handeling of instrument. This is the best performing i've ever heard!!

P.S.: I think he has the same idea of playing this work like i do.

[Helkaluin]

Just look at his fingering! Mar Mantai makes it almost effortless to play with historical fingerings. /me envies

[paulusvii97]

@Helkaluin Thanks for pointing that out, that's so interesting... I remember a long time ago my grandmother mentioned that they used to not use thumbs. lol, I think she said they were insane.

[mf2101]

This doesn't sound like it's in G (?).

[payrollz1234]

That's probably because period instruments are not tuned to concert pitch; I memory serves me correct, I *think* baroque tuning is supposed to be a semitone off from modern tuning. I could be mistaken, though.

[mf2101]

Yes - but doesn't it sound like way more than a semi-tone to you? Anyways, I loved it regardless!

[Toweley22992]

@payrollz1234 Yep, you're correct: A = 440 Hz for modern standard pitch vs A = 415 Hz for Baroque pitch, which sounds half a step lower

[cutefidgety]

i love how you can actually hear the mechanism on the harpsichord moving when he releases the keys.

i tried playing with harpsichord voice on yamaha's clavinova before and i can say that that's probably the best synthesised version.

but the original instrument is simply beyond this world... i feel so lucky to have been able to just try out the instrument... i think i'd just die if i owned the instrument itself =p

[morgulddt]

¿Por qué suena en otro tono?

[joluqui]

yo la escucho bien, la comparé con la versión de Richard Egarr

[morgulddt]

Si,es la afinación del La  como se dice más abajo. Pero prefiero la versión de Glenn Gould.

[dantebulsara]

en youtub e es la unica version que encuentro que le puede hacer el peso a glenn

[Mantis06]

Great, I love to hear these variations on harpsichord. I think it's a shame Gould's recordings mean everything else gets overshadow.

[jor1199]

These recordings are great, but don't undervalue Glenn Gould's playing; he was unbelievably talented.

[mrharpsi]

Gould was very talented, but he didn't played baroque music like it should be played. He just didn't have the right knowledge about that music, like all other pianists that do not have it.

[hmaren]

There's not much merit in your statement. Any performances of these pieces that make a claim towards stylistic accuracy, or as you put it, "should be played," are only educated guesses and conjecture based on people writing about performance practice at the time.

[hmaren]

While Gould is a very quirky product of a time in performance history that is colored by Romantic adaptations and habits that are certainly inconsistent with what we know about Baroque performance practice, his performances are nuanced, well-phrased, and highly conscientious about emphasizing voice-leading. Perahia's recording perhaps splits the difference, capitalizing on the wider timbral palette of the piano, while being much less romanticized than Gould.

[templeH81]

@Mantis06 I KNOW! Gould is rot, IMHO

[suninmoon4601]

@Mantis06 anyone who understands these works doesn't take sides :))

[knoxy7777]

Thank you marsvltor2, A harpsichord Goldberg Varaiations. Mant thanks for posting. I still love Glenn Goulds piano version, if at the wrong tempo, but at least bringing it to peoples attention!

[willowthebored]

I don't think it's appropriate to establish a 'right' tempo for the variations...I think we can all agree that if Bach had a modern piano and a Cavaille-Coll organ at his disposal that his compositions would sound markedly different. That said, it's a great change of pace to hear it on a harpsichord.

[fontanax]

pour qui joue-t-il ?

[Invisus944]

if this is a=440 then my name is mickey mouse

[Helkaluin]

There really is no need to nag about pitches, Donald Duck.

[Totennebel]

Why should it be a=440 ?

[marsvltor2]

Finally - the Holy Grail on YouTube: an original harpsichord...and played by a performer truly worthy of it. Wonderful posting (and the rest of the set).

[shaind]

What reference pitch is this harpsichord tuned to? I suppose A=395Hz