Kyung Wha Chung plays Bach violin sonata No1 BWV1001(Presto)

[noerobbins24]

This video went viral on Dushanbe

[Violinfanatic]

I love this Romantic interpretation. I doubt composers from the old days would want us to be stuck in one style forever, never growing and adjusting their works to the current time period. It would be a shame if we always played every piece in a traditional way. I am sure Bach, Mozart and Beethoven would agree who were themselves creators of new sounds and harmonies in their time.

[saltlakecity2002]

I can only dream of playing that well.

[rubenmsk]

she is a very romantic violinist that's why this rendition sounds little bit different, but anyway i love her

[mohammadvarzaldoust]

bravo, bravo, wonderful, very beautiful, THANKS, THANKS

[Wishrachi]

I prefer a slower version /watch?v=057Xiaigeqs&feature=r­elated

[Ianthe22]

Her teacher also thought after she chose to get family and children she might lose some of her play.

[hmloughin]

Very nice interpretation. I am playing this for an audition for university this year and decided to watch as many violinists play this so I could hear various interpretations of the piece. My only comment is that I feel she took it a little fast. I know the movement is presto, but I couldn't hear all of the chords written in the music. My favourite interpretations were the ones that let the chords sing and let me hear individual notes as well as the piece as a whole.

[violinfred]

Her violin needs some adjustment at the time of this performance. She is trying very hard to play fast, but the violin just does not want to go. The tone sounds forced and lacks tonal beauty. She is a great player though.

[rebecsound]

Just dosent flow! a little chopy but it was nice to hear this music again!

[chezcakefactory]

I loved this video!! great playing!! and xyz271251, eat shit 

[EricDillard2520]

I am thoroughly impressed with her performance. She is a remarkable muscian, I just hope some day I can see her play.

[IlEtaitUneForet]

calisse po aussi vite c'est meme pas beau

[RIPLEYvsALIENS]

I have a great admiration for Kyung-Wha Chung, and I agree with 2finedays replies

to the outrageous comments posted on this video.

2finedays,

Thank You for posting this video.

It is always a pleasure to see a performance by Chung, who was, is, and always will be one of the finest Master Violinist's of this day and age.

[xyz271251]

The comments in the posts should be about ones response to the music played, not to other people's comments. This is a post about Chung's performance of Bach's presto from bwv 1001. Listen to it again. She plays too fast for her own skill. I bet even she would agree with me on this point. Cheers fellow musicians.

Paul.

ps: maybe she DID have an off day :).

[vdmsarah]

Was she ill that day?

[xyz271251]

It's her playing of Bach that I think is unmusical in the true meaning of 'musical'. Her performances of Beethoven and Mozart and others are wonderful; they 'sing'. Her Bach playing is really poor for me, she kills the song in the sound. By the way, I have listened to all her recordings of solo Bach on CD and have heard them on the radio also. I have also heard her live in the 1980s. I'm sure she will be amused at our dialog. Cheers, Paul.

[xyz271251]

This is not music, it is just notes played really fast and aggressively. This woman is highly skilled but she has forgotten what music is. Shame on you Kyung Wha Chung. You have a gift but do not use it. You should take your recordings of Bach off the market and reflect on your approach and perhaps try again. Or else stay with Beethoven or Prokofiev. Cheers. Paul.

[twofinedays]

Well, I'm speechless. I just wonder how people dare to criticise a performer's whole character and career based on single performance they've watched. You're absolutely free to like or dislike this performance, but how dare you conclude Ms Chung's musicality like that. Have you cared to watch her other videos, her Bach concertos? Her Vivaldi? Her Mozart? Or her recording of Bach Partita and Sonat from early 70's? She's had career that spans good 40 years, which can me only matched by few.

[twofinedays]

She knows what she does, and a kind of artist who would take time with music. I don't mind if people disliked her certain performance or her style, but I'm just annoyed with your kind of reaction, sort of waving away somebody's life-time's work and career. I don't want you to come back or leave comment on my video again.

[manitate]

you're are an idiot !!!!! and please don't reply... cause ... foolish words, deaf ears ...

[StradAmatiViolin]

@xyz271251 What the hell she is playing the song are you listening to each note? It's not an adagio or allegro of course not lento that is how it's supposed to be played if you knew music it's called presto learn italian which is used in music your ignorance isn't needed here I would love to meet her and I would love to have her skill.

[chezcakefactory]

@xyz271251 eat shit

[Exmoss]

@xyz271251 You are a musical IDIOT.

[plougerne]

@xyz271251 I read an article from a magazine that Ms. Chung always wanted to play Bach's Sonatas and Partitias in churchs which have rather a longer reverberation time. And she wanted to deliver the reverberation of sound to her listeners especially when she played the monody such as Presto in Sonata #1 and Gigue in Partita #2. That is why she chose speed instead of preciseness, I guess. Is there anyone who watched her performance of Bach in a church for Prince Charles?Please tell me how it is.

[1XxQsULTIMATUMxX]

@xyz271251 .....I think someone is pretty jeaous ^^^^^^^^....but im not pointing fingers...

[cozmocon]

@xyz271251 Um, Im pretty sure this isn't just notes thrown together and played real fast, Back sat and composed this carefully considering dissonant notes etc...so not everyone can just play a violin fast and agressive and sound amazing as she does

[NimbleTurtle13]

@xyz271251 What an idiot. She plays it however she wants to. If you don't like it that's fine but don't act like you know something she doesn't because even if you do, there is a reason why she is a world performer and you are just a youtuber who only knows how to criticize hard working people.

[temporaryparisian]

...

[death0personified]

alot of you like Hilary Hahns interpretation of this song but that might be solely based on technique but also thnk is musicality solely based on technique kyuung has better emotion than hilary has but that could also have something to do with the age difference ; /

[annasche93]

where can i get the notes?

[new9876xxxx]

Nice try, but I wouldn't buy it.

[FIENAPPELSIENx]

wow ö that's really fast I think I will have to exercise a lot :P

[Aristophane]

Pas mal, sans le violon pérave et le côte trop ajusté de l'interprète ce serait mieux !

[violinmusicfan]

It is defintely not as precise as Hilary Hahn but in my honest opinion, her playing is always musical (Kyung Wha Chung).

[HahnPotterishFowlnut]

I prefer Hilary Hahn's interpretation, but Hahn's and Chung's interpretations are so different so it just depends on the person. When will some people on youtube understand that?

[elodieimatriculeuse]

Je n'aime pas du tout le son de son Violon...

Bref ...je n'aime pas du tout...

Je préfère Hilary Hahn, qui à un bon instrument,et qui met de la sensibilité lorsqu'elle joue...^^

[violinmusicfan]

c'est l'enregistrement pauvre quality' ; défaut de s, pas le violon ou le jeu

[Alfierosdream]

Outstanding!!!! Simply splendid!!!

[death79624]

she llooks better in the bruch Violin Concerto #1 mvt.1

in this one she looks crazy but good as always

[patcalisura]

Although I like Kyung a lot..... I would go for Hilary Hahns interpretation during her promenade debut.... I strongly believe this piece indeed need more clarity than emotional execution and Hilary is almost perfectly refined and has simple accurate but very execution!!!

[violinmusicfan]

In my opinion, emotion comes first even before perfect technique. However, technique should already be at a high level.

[mophoplz]

as clear and precise as it gets? are you kidding me?

[violinsrockdude]

Chung's interpretation and passion of the piece is very great, but Hahn plays it with more clarity and accuracy.

[KazKylheku]

Both players have a similar tendency to wreck the tempo by extending certain notes far beyond their time value. This piece is hypnotically rhythmic and requires much more rigid timing than this.

[reinux]

Agreed. Occasionally is fine, but the arbitrary mini-fermata trick gets old quick.

I tend not to like recordings that are more violinist than composer, even though if anything I'm more violinist myself.

[dhrupadfan]

Somehow i have seen everyone do that with this piece. I would love to see this played tightly...

[violinsrockdude]

Listen to Hilary Hahn playing it.

[zach12012]

my guitar teacher gave me this piece of music, but to get it up to this speed... holy shit

[OriginalMoonbeam]

She is not "so old", though she looks older than she is; at least here. This lady has had an amazing career. I don't always favor her interpretations but I know she is a fine violinist that demonstrated a great bow technique that I have admired. Observe her Bruch Violin Concerto and some of her other work

[guildwarswallpaper]

Amazing!

[lejtmangabriel]

muy tremendo

[scarycalendargirl]

She looks so old!

How old is she?

Uhmm, anyway shes amazing!

[srtaferlust]

:O que perfecto

[dksanrk]

I love this!!!!

[moohoo08]

not perfect enough. leave it!

[krazykeys88]

Fantastic

[violinmusicfan]

I love her playing

[Silkmeister]

because of a shoulder problem, she is not playing like she could

[takhirviolinest]

Articulation. Excuse-moi but i can not accept this playing. It was not Bach.

[guangheo]

I saw your version. It's slower than Allegro. This woman plays according to how she interprets the song to be played and at the right tempo, not the way the composer necessarily intended for it to be played. that does not mean she played it wrong.

[takhirviolinest]

You are right, I play slower than she but Do you know that "Quality of saund and Rigt hand application's" If you know that you will understand th different. Listen Menuhin's, Szeryng's playing maybe after that you will understnad I not say she play bed, But I not like this playing because I think it was not in Bach style, Because in his time no any car's, Airplain's. The maximum speed was Hour's speed.

[sfegely]

Gee, I just think this was a bad day for her! She's a lot better than this.

[greybeardd]

What an absolutely disgraceful performance. Bad intonation, uncoordinated bowing and dreadful technique. I can't believe she gets paid for playing this poorly. I've heard 16 year old students play this piece better.

[bbiguy]

Shoulder problem, do reasearch, playing with a bad should is hard for even masters.

[estherxhia]

everyone has their own comfortable way of playing. as long as it doesn't hurt and affect the music, it should be fine.. as a "master," i think she holds more credit on how she plays with her shoulder form. i mean, it's HER shoulder, isn't it?

[violinmusicfan]

Please do not be so rude. I doubt you will be able to hear 16 year old students play as well as her even at her old age here. Although her technique is not good as it once was when she was young, she still has a secure technique.

[noonescrying]

Why amm... oriental people make a special sound, of course Heifetz, Milstein, Menuhin... are grate interpreters... or that... amm... That my quet

[AmateurViolinist]

When I can play this, I will ask no more of myself.

[Jaesango]

great playing, i'm pretty sure she sounds better than on this video since it said the sound quality is poor

i don't like her articulation that much though...i like bach when it's rhythmic instead of legato. (don't start arguing with me on this one, i'm tired of seeing people bash someone else for what they think)

[takhirviolinest]

articulation. and detose played in the end of bow.

[violindad63]

She is one of unique violinists out there, and unlike some who have been schooled in the cookie cutter school of violin, she has her own voice.

If she doesn't smile in this recording, it is probably because like most violinists she is lost in the music, and the emotion comes through the music.

As far as her playing of Bach not being "authentic",keep in mind that Baroque music was not rigid, it was meant to be played by a variety of instruments and in different ways.

[HootyToledo]

If you want to see people smile then watch pop videos. If you want to hear good music then listen to bach, but don`t expect to see smiling.

[sasia888]

Shes VERY talented, but she could have smiled or someting..

[timeforanewword]

She smiles when she plays the Winter movement of the Four Seasons by Vivaldi and is accompanied by the students she trained =)

[ctohnofuugshetds]

this isn't really a happy smiley piece. she'd look ridiculous and completely stupid b/c it would show ignorance of the music.

[sasia888]

I know :) I just think that she looks really angry or sad.

[WeDealxoxCamisado]

...

I have to play this movement for an exam next week

0_0

I'm 15 and like punk and metal music..fucekd much?

[CelloFiend]

People gave this thumbs down but I found your comment cute xD

[PrettyDoctor]

Well heavy metal stems from classical guitar... check out Ana Vidovic playing this on guitar

[xyzizzle]

she is ridiculous!! absolutely beautiful ;)

[squallfinalheaven]

is that violin she's playing or a viola?

[brian777999]

She is playing a violin. She is a famous violinist...not a viola player.

[squallfinalheaven]

*sigh* Agressive much? I was just asking. What difference does it make if she were a violist? It kind of seems to me that you're making it come out that violist is second best when compared to the violin.

[iplehguitar]

it says "presto" on it. fast means aggressive. its suppose to be like that

[plthp]

Dude shut the fuck up. You know NOTHING about violin. Ugly piece of work? What can you play? NOTHING. If you don't know, do not criticize. You just wrote.. like one line.. saying this is ugly or w/e, which makes you look like a retard. Good thing that woman is not going to waste her time checking out Youtube to read what people says about her.

[ConcertoInEminor]

I'm so effing sick of people criticizing people playing... seriously! If you think you can play better then why don't you post of a video of yourself? I'm sure you would suck balls compared to someone who has been playing their entire life... Not only that, but it's people like you who fuck up music for everyone else. What's pretty to you? Rap? I mean seriously, listen to actual music that requires THOUGHT to understand. I reject your ignorance.

[ddviolinist]

Are you speaking of the composition or the playing? Doesn't matter, either way, your reply is ugly.

[spystyle]

Amazing!

So that's what 50 years of practice yields :)

[ibrahimxsgn]

bach and others

[klaverfar]

Yes: Bach and the others... Depressingly true, nobody even gets close to Bach.

[DanyNMacF]

well done and thanks for putting this on youtube - this is my favorite of the bach violin sonatas.

god bless

Danny MacFarlane

[Violinist0222]

--- Violin Machine ! ---

[musique55]

I like Kyung Wha a lot, but I should say I didn't like this performance of hers :-(

[paganacho]

muy buen sonido.

si eso es "sonido pobre" cómo sonaría de cerca

[trejo567]

she knows how to work dat violin!

[lubluVsex]

Good technical!But!She has problems with tempo!Bach MUST play in ONE tempo

[ChrisHaspeck]

Outstanding !! but I'd have to disagree I've played Bach for years ... and YES I suppose if JS was teaching me one of his pieces you'd want to play with one strickt tempo ... but remember it is music and it's very much open to interpretation. Besides , if you get stuck playing in one tempo for the whole piece, it can sound like to mechanical and loses the human feel.

[yengzzz]

she doesn't even look at her left hand...

she closes her eyes while playing such a fast piece....

wow

[klaverfar]

With all due respect, yengzzz: you don't play with your eyes, you play with your ears and fingers - if you can't play a piece without looking, you can't play it at all. That goes for everybody, even pianists.

[yengzzz]

oh yeah i know that...

i play the piano... and i could play my pieces without looking at them...

but what i meant was...

she doesn't make mistakes even without looking... and that's like a very fast one...

i'm just awed with how she played the violin..

i can't play it you know...and i wish i could

^_^

[klaverfar]

And so do I, yengzzz! Perhaps it's because I have this discussion with my 7 yo daughter's Suzuki teacher, who says: look at your fingers! And I say: no, close your eyes and listen, you can hear it, when it's right -- seeing will never help you; it will only grow into a bad inhibiting habit. You don't look at your vocal cords while singing! Look a others playing, and imitate, but don't look at your fingers!

[ConcertoInEminor]

Muscle memory is just as important! If you can't memorize where your fingers go, playing that fast, it won't help you hear the pitch. It's to fast to hear and adjust, you're muscles have to be trained, especially for shifts from second to third.

[klaverfar]

Important point that with muscle memory, of course. But why are shifts precisely from second to third positions important to train?

[ConcertoInEminor]

well.. for Bach, each shift is important, but it's difficult to shift between second and third because they're so close... at least that's a problem I see a lot...

[violaplayer1995]

true, i think the key to his partitas are, knowing when to shift and when to shift back.

bach puts some challeging string crossing

[ConcertoInEminor]

Personally I prefer the Sonatas to the Partitas... but both are so amazing! Bach is one of my favorite composer's with Debussy in a close second. I really like Come Sweet Death by Bach too, but for a brass ensemble, it just sends the chills right down my spine. Did you think music can save the world, or am I the only one who thinks that?

[violaplayer1995]

you're not the only one i tihnk the same thing. i think if people put away the rap and hip hop and replace with bach or paganini or debussy or just classical,and they all took up an instrument and learnt to read music. this would be a much better world!!! i love bach! my 2 favs are paganini and bach. i love both of there music to death.

[ConcertoInEminor]

Paganini is good.. but I think too many composers try to imitate him! The song I would vote most likely to save the world is Waltz of the Flowers, I was watching a video of the BPO playing them.. my gosh.. that song really could save the world!!

[violaplayer1995]

yes! i think so too. but think about it, if people heard paganini's music and his stories they would try to imitate him and take up a violin. so anyways. i meant music in general can change it

[ConcertoInEminor]

Yeah.. I know what you mean... I just wish more people realized that classical music is the best! (woot for Johann)

[violaplayer1995]

lol

[brian777999]

I have heard that she no longer performs due to an injury to her hands. Does anybody know what happened ? Was it an accident or an RSI problem ?

[Tarenthilus]

Chung Kyung Wha suffered a sudden injury to her fingers and had to cancel a performance. No details were released but it could be a repetitive stress injury. Given her increasing age and the phenomenal demand placed on her truly gifted hands it would not be a surprise. She will teach at Julliard this year. I think she is perhaps one of (if not the most) gifted violinists alive today.

[electricvee]

oh no! i just found out who and how wonderful she is ! i was hoping i'd be able to see a concert some time...

[ddviolinist]

careful, this is how rumors get started. And, btw, 50 isn't old to be playing. Most of the greats played until they were dead.

[brian777999]

Unfortunately, she does not perform in public anymore. She injured the first finger of her left hand during a rehearsal a few years ago. She teaches at Juilliard now.

[ilovemylife14]

ahhmazingg performance! :D

quite speedy, but very well expressed.

[crschang1985]

very very different than most of other hearings

very personal style

kool

[Legocky]

she plays on michael rabins violin, my favorit violinist, viva Rabin forever

[paolojacm]

Great, fantastica.

And her violin has a divine dark sound

[amateurmisanthrope]

too fast, but I think I prefer this version than Milstein's. Brava, Chung Wha! Milstein's has the tendency to make me sad... is it because of the sound-personality of his violin?

[twofinedays]

Just a comment on Korean names; 'Kyung-Wha' together is her first name, and 'Chung' is her family name. So it is all wrong, as the case may be, to address her as 'Kyung' or 'Chung Wha'. Korean names are usually consisted with two to four syllables including (usually) one-syllabled family name, and when written down in English, it can be a bit confusing for thoes with no knowledge about that.

[setyabud2210]

solo organ

[cageynerd]

a lot of breaks, patchy, but interpretive... good stuff.

[ellegin88]

her left hand is really efficient

[SvenTwelve]

she rocks

[twofinedays]

She actually never recorded Sonata No.1. Only Partita No.2 and Sonata No.3 did she in 1974.

[scottbos68]

re: what i meant to say is i enjoyed it more than the bach disk she put out

thanks for the wonderful sounds ^ _ ^

[scottbos68]

loved it much better than her recording