Nathan Milstein Plays Bach Partita #3, Part 1

[Phobia017]

Wow!

[Woody263]

Am i the only person that is really not a fan of Gould? hmmm

[aimson]

@Woody263 You can do what I do when an artist of incredible caliber appears overblown: I listen again and again until I can hear what it is I was missing before. When I first listened to Elman or Enescu, I was not terribly impressed. In fact, I disliked them because they went contrary to what my ears and mind were used to. However, after considerable effort, I now see where I erred and have acted to correct my previous mistake. Gould is, without a doubt, worth that effort.

[Woody263]

@aimson Im not saying that hes bad because i know he has exceptional talent, that said however, he's not who i would choose to listen to but then again i wouldnt knock him straight away :)

[Kuhrvenal]

Bravo,Maestro.

[zanmaria1]

verry nice sound.I remember this.

[Eorhen]

Playing 1st movement is really painful for me :C But when it sounds like it should, its beautiful.

[aboelshee7]

Perfect speed

[kristinadundjerski]

brilliant!



[pyroasians]

HE IS AMAZING!!! this song is very well expressed!!!

[aimson]

@GawdOFVIOLINZ Pardon me, but this is an insulting comment and I am going to erase it. Sorry.

[GawdOFVIOLINZ]

@aimson sorry to offend you in any way

i was just giving my honest oppinion

besides i dont even remember what i wrote in my comment

if u would put it back on then i would probably tell you why i wrote it in the first place

[rumpranger65]

Milstein or Szeryng?

[ElliotJohnNovak]

Does anybody else hear him breathing on this track? I think it's an incredibly intimate and subtle, no doubt unintended, addition. check around 4:14!

[khira07]

I don't know if it's my ear playing with me or my favorite violinist's intonation is bad here.

[karlapellicano]

Belo!! Chega até a alma!!!

[schutzstaffelSS88]

Maestro!

[Bulldonkeynonsense]

Who the hell was the one person who disliked this? Are you serious?

[LilSilverstone]

@Bulldonkeynonsense hahahah

[Karlcarl]

The thing about Milstein is that over time, his interpretation of a piece keeps changing. He was always looking and finding something new in the music. Absolutely one of the greatest performers of all time. He sounded as well live as he did on recordings. Imagine my shock when I turned around during one of my lessons with Mischakof and saw Milstein sitting on the steps listenning.

[platimontif]

What is written on the front of the CD? Is that Milstein's handwriting? What is the story behind the note?

[evening1022]

Another excellent version of the Partita No. 3 would be the one by Arthur Grumiaux. I cannot compare these men at all. Such amazing talents...

[astrogeek15]

if nothing else I think that Nathan Milstein shows that there is beauty in the world.... there is hope, and wonder, and something that cannot be explained. Music is the essence of the soul, and the mediator of god.

[vivace60]

Definitely my favourite interpretation

[violinistcomposer]

He sounds brilliant compared to another one who has a flat and overdone tone...

[outoftunefiddler]

Sounds to me like Milstein's violin has a more bell-like sound........Truly lovely. I do prefer this recording to Heifetz's, in this case..

Thank you!

[TheKutscher]

he plays very clean, and in the perfect tempo I think

[Minimelliie]

Actually EMI has just released a Milstein boxed set, in their "Icon" series, with several (but not all) of his recordings for Capitol, and these include his first Bach S&P...And everything else in the set (8 cds) is of the same musical and artistic level

[moob744]

Bellisimo!

[C0urante]

Just listening to the man's fingers thump on the fingerboard is mesmerizing.

[triBond151]

where do i get the earlier recording

??????????

[voxhunden]

I'm not a follower of Plato's teachings, but I'm sure that if there exists such thing as the Idea of violin playing, it sounds like this.

[triBond151]

my teaher says that Milstein is "like" the best at bach-I agree-totally-I don't like any one better!!

[triBond151]

sorry-T-E-A-C-H-E-R

[triBond151]

thank you soooo much-I wanted Milstein playing the whole thing so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wakeuptired1]

I love it and I agree with you goodcommentguy. Pokedragonmoat, the speed it stotally different, if they played the same, it would sound a lot better.

[goodcommentguy]

Although I must admit that Heifetz is a bit rough on this piece he still possess the same fire when he plays as Milstein and others do too. I suppose Milstein also plays a bit slower, but that doesn't mean that Heifetz is worse.

[pokedragonmoat]

Personally I prefer Henric Shering, but Milstein's a genius so... They're both awesome I suppose. The biggest difference is probly speed, but both are pleasing to hear.

[cosecha963]

como describir los sentimientos?..los aromas? sentir que esta musica me lleva mas alla?.saboreando acordes, increiblemente bella...

Gracias.....

[Woody263]

You lot should be glad someone younger found this because of a game - Its a good thing. :(

[Leopardsand]

Wow, this guy's amazing. I'm learning this piece! I hope I can do it justice!

-l

[Woody263]

I descovered this thanks to Fallout 3 - love this so much its so beautiful

[triBond151]

where did you get this recording???????????whats it called

[Overlapse1000]

24 for the paganini, wilhelm cost um i think 12, they cost more to carry around though, i hear

[cheryLSC]

love love love this!!! thanks, dude. :)

[greekoid42]

Bach is the GOD of Music

[Orianitta]

sorry, i didnt want to dislike. i COMPLETELY agree with you.

[ReignOfPraine]

No way, Brahms is.

[moustatache]

I play it on guitar but I can't found a good quality video

[chuqutty]

milstein's quality of tone is impeccable! you can hear every single note and yet they are still very well connected! bravo :)

[musicdevotee4life]

beautiful :D

[sebi19871987]

propably the best interpretiation i have ever heard. thanks for the post

[chingading]

Must not have heard Heifetz

[chingading]

Oppsy. That was supposed to be a reply to sebi19871987

[jasonform]

Heifetz plays it like a robot,like an etude Milstein plays like a real musician.

[oldgoat5]

you have to listen to heifetz carefully though, he has tons of nuances, but you only hear them if you really listen. they aren't as big as others do them, but they are there and if you can hear it, you hear it in every note.

[AbsoluteZ3R0]

Heifetz has never played like a robot. Calling Heifetz robotic is such an ignorant comment. How is it that Milstein is a "real musician" but Heifetz is not? They are both excellent musicians in their owns ways. Just because you don't like Heifetz's playing doesn't mean it's robotic, because many other people love his playing. If his playing were truly robotic, he wouldn't be the most popular/best selling classical violinist.

[BalthasarMA]

Hehehe.

[caroardila85]

Terrific post. Thank you very much! :)

[europrg09]

wow...perfect interpretation

[FAHayek89]

One of my favorite recordings of the partitas and sonatas if not the favorite.

[BalthasarMA]

Now this I know. It was a joke.

[BalthasarMA]

I just bought a Stradivarius, and if it isn´t a stradivarius I´ve been robbed of a hundred a ten dollars.

[quartzyegghead]

a stradivarius most definitely would not cost $110.

[sinharvivetempt]

over a million :P

[BoeingB17FF]

@quartzyegghead Unless, of course, the seller had no idea what was being sold. :p

[katastrofen6]

you have been robbed then.

[musicdevotee4life]

wow.

even my violin is expensive than that.

[byakuganmaggot]

a stradavirius cost 3 mil just to borrow

[violinluis]

Sencillamente PERFECTO!!!cuando el arte de un gran maestro supera el el entendimiento de los mortales comunes...no hay calificativo que lo pueda describir...GRACIAS J.S.BACH,GRACIAS NATHAN MILSTEIN

[WhiteRoseMusic]

Bach Played Bach!!!

[wmccoy1960]

Incredible performance. Milstein had an incredible sense of musicality and phrasing enveloped by pristine technique. I have been playing the violin for 40 years and realize that it is an ongoing journey. My current instructor stresses making one more note speak each time it is played. Very humbling.

[classicalaficionada8]

Thanks so much for posting this! I am currently working on the third partita and this is such a great reference. Milstein is just brilliant!

[stradivari87]

To me that the interpretation by Milstein Bach is the best stamp, sound, dynamic and velocity.All others interpretation are fine, but often too fast ...Bach is not Mozart or Paganini.(I apologize for my English eheh).

[minidude09]

The performer is Nathan Milstein, the composer is J.S.Bach.

[BaRToLoMaSi]

hey... i know yall are comparing heifetz with milstein... but honestly... i think they both are pretty good.. but i prefer perlman's version... in fact... for ME [i wanna let it clear... its MY PERSONAL OPNION] perlman is the bestest bach's interpreter [on violin... of course]

[psychoticpervert]

I'm just glad you slotted in the words 'personal opinion', or I'd have had to flame you silly :D

[violatione]

Look for Ilya Gringolts Bach

[Rabauwds]

Thank you for sharing the music. I like it very much.

[Medicae]

If you want to listen to another fantastic interpretator of Bach then listen to Glenn Goulds performances. Brilliance, tenderness and perfect clarity. Beauty beyond........

[aimson]

Just a note about this. Glenn Gould is the GREATEST performer of Bach to ever be recorded on any instrument. I am not a pianist and don't particularly like listening to the piano but Gould is simply the most brilliant, honest, and passionate interpreter of Bach. He transcends the rest of the playing field on any instrument - he is the God of Bach.

[Medicae]

Dear Aimson. You are absolutely accurate about Gould. I couldn´t have articulated it better myself. I adore Goulds playing of Bach.

Thankyou!

[CrowbarUpsideTheHead]

Thanks for this info! How do you know so much about classical music? Just a dedicated listener? studied it? I listened to Gould and, as you said, he's fantastic. There's one of him playing Bach's Concerto No.1 watch?v=OFuUrUWfo5Q which I liked a lot!

[aimson]

I have Gould's recording of the Bach Concertos at home and I have literally listened to #1 over 50 times in the past 2 months, front to back. I have it on repeat in my car and I pretty much haven't stopped listening. I am also on page 8 of the sheet music (I've never played the piano before), that is how obsessed I am.

I've been playing the violin for a long time, though I was never serious about being a professional at a young age. I still play and listen listen listen all the time.

[CrowbarUpsideTheHead]

How's that sheet coming Mr Aimson? :D

[CrowbarUpsideTheHead]

Uh, should have been, 'How's that sheet music coming? :D'

[pordzio]

@aimson Glenn Gould was good because he liked and felt what he played. If You would listen to some of his recordings, even on YT, You would sometimes hear him humming the tune he is playing. This gived audio engineers much of a problem, because it was sometimes impossible to filter out his humming.

[sheepbird]

i really love this version mistein isnt my favorite violinist but i do agree this is probably the best version of this piece ive heard. very clean sounding very nice

[Dogaradodia]

Unequalled! I agree with BlueNote84. :-)

While this video is playing, click the same video on another page, so you'll have two same videos playing simultaneously, one a little bit late than the other. You'll see the effect. :-)

[BlueNote84]

No no. Milstein is the best interpretator of Bach´s sonatas and partitas. It´s crystal clear.Beautiful and brilliant.

[nafets9876]

I agree with you, phrasing and articulating is lovely.

[grandcarriage]

I think Heifetz is technically more brilliant, but I much perfer Milstein's timbre and phrasing. This has more emotion than the Heifetz.

[AECSRQ]

exactly, Heifetz machine-guns it; Milstein brings out all sorts of colorations, nuances, and feelings... this version moved me to tears whereas the Heifetz rendition did not move me at all.

[lordnifield]

lol @ "Heifetz machine-guns it", well said. It is fascinating how the choice of phrasing when playing Bach can make the difference between it sounding like an exercise and a spiritual experience.

[AECSRQ]

excellent point: that sums up the key difficulty in playing Bach.

[outarc]

*Heifetz rendition did not move me at all*

it moved me to

move on

(Milstein will remain the touchstone if it comes to Bach)

[hersheyrulez]

i think heifetz did a lill better job on this piece!

[pianofolle]

great to slow it down like this!! the slower the more ur 'canto' comes out for what it really is, deep feeling and wide range of colours in the case of Milstein. i love every single note ever played by him

[CrowbarUpsideTheHead]

Can someone explain pianofolle's technical term to a non-violinist? When he says the 'canto' comes out more, what does he mean? Which part is he referring to? Sorry for such a noobish question!

[pianofolle]

Dear Crowbar 'canto' means the pure singing/playing of the melody, it's an italian word -easy to me coz im italian. And,as other italian words, is -i believe- also internationally used in the music language

ps-im not a violinist either

[CrowbarUpsideTheHead]

Thanks! :D

[CrowbarUpsideTheHead]

aimson, is the video a clean portrayal of the actual recording? I mean at 00:18 (esp. after 00:24) thru 00:32 is vintage Milstein, simply beautiful. But then you hit 00:34 - and what the hell?

[CrowbarUpsideTheHead]

Is this Milstein? Slower than I'd expected and completely obvious mistakes, not to mention nowhere near as fluid as I've heard elsewhere...

[VegliaBorletti]

Its Milstein. From his complete recording of the sonatas and partias made in 1973. He was quite old when he played this. But I think its the best recording ever made of the partitas. The d moll partita is just pure magic..

[CrowbarUpsideTheHead]

I stand corrected, my apologies to all. I respect your opinion, my favourite though is when he played the Partita 3 prelude when he was younger. There's a recording of him it posted by a user called sissy, which is unbeatable (in my opinion). Thanks for the correction, apologies to aimson.

[CopyrightWatermark]

Affirmative.

[hiddensensitivities]

Milstein was the best interpretator of Bach´s sonatas and partitas.

[hiddensensitivities]

Faaaaantastic intonation.

[anisometropie]

harmonically the preludio is huge, great as the whole universe

[anisometropie]

harmonically this preludio is huge, great as the whole universe

[wiccalite]

Noone, not even the incomparable Mr Heifetz, could be a winner in every department. Bach wasn't heifetz's winning department. I think it was Milstein's though. Jascha Heifetz had great respect for Milstein's playing. So much so that he even levied a fine on those of his pupils who failed to turn up for a Milstein concert that was put on near his teaching department.

[DrMontague]

Don't worry about vids. Thanks for the great posts. Keep them coming. Much appreciated.

[paiclant]

He plays this peace with admirable cleaness. I like it.

[joryu39]

not too much of a perfect intonation i think

[tabysa]

although his intonation isn't perfect all the time, the style/ his interpretation of Bach is great

[zucchini2007]

I have the sheet music for this piece, and am learning to play it myself. Intonation is all about getting all of those sharps and flats just right, and I can say with great confidence that Milstein has PERFECT intonation.

[thecandyman86]

haha i know, i hate how every note has a # or b sign

well ok, maybe 1 or two notes don't.

and the phrasing is killing me.

[gxshere]

Though I don't judge a performance for mechanical perfection, Milstein is amazing, but I did note a rare imperfect pitch.

[abctozster]

Great ^_^ Milstein's best interpretations, if anybody has more videos of him please post :):)

[mimfri]

Much richer, more inspiring, and touching upon the musical essence of the piece than the Heifetz.

[ztefieh]

Do you have Heifetz playing the whole Partita?

[aimson]

Yeah, not sure I want to post it though. Unless you can convince me otherwise :)

[ztefieh]

Please?

[baroque2]

PLEAAAAAAAAASE

[Hopfensperger]

What could possibly be someone's motivation to withhold such a significant cultural document? Let lose the Heifetz, I say!

[HeifetzRanew]

@aimson Why in the world not?!!!

I mean,we are talking about Heifetz here,it couldn't possibly be anything less than sublime,could it?!!

If it is,then please post it anyway,I'm really interested to hear his interpretation!

[baroque2]

Wow, thanks for posting. The guitar transcription of this piece is one of my favorite Bach pieces. It is surely incredible to hear it on the violin.

[scottbos68]

best bach ever recorded

[mimfri]

Thanks aimson. This is truly inspiring!

[violin245]

WOW.

thats good stuff