@Dansback21 Care to share which university and who you studied with? If you know so much about the violin, you would understand that there are countless schools of thought on the violin and technique regarding the bow arm. Having a stiff bow arm is part of the French school, which having a loose bow arm is part of the Hungarian School.
@tlcooper93 Sure, the American school, a state University in Utah.., I've also studied in the Russian School system with professionals of the Russian School of thought for 10 years, so I have to very good areas in my background
@Dansback21 You may have good areas in your background, but I went to see you play on your Youtube channel and I commented. Any reason why you deleted all your videos? I also have good areas in my background. A lot of us do.
I think he played this very well; if anyone has any objections to this, they should post up a video of themselves playing it better before criticizing his style with your comments. thank you.
go look at mintz playing Paganini 3 in you profile and tell me if his wrist looks stiff. hes doing the same thing ferras is with regards to hand movement except ferras is using a lot more arm so it looks like its stiff, but its not. and uhh, still cant hear the bite you are talking about.
@gnatural I see your point with the arm looking like it's stiff but isn't and I thank you for relieving my ignorance of that. Now it's my turn, listen the the very first chord at the end; the bottom two notes are not clear as it should be played. They're in tune, just not clear.
Actually Ferras teached his students not to copy him, his style in terms of position of the violin and the bow were very uncommon..... nonetheless he is a great violinist and is a real pity that he commited suicide..... his rendition of the sibelius is one of the most beautiful i evere heard.....
i'm definitely not one to criticize because it's not like im better, but his bowing just looks weird. the notes are very clear and articulated, though...eh. not my favorite version. just my opinion.
it's interesting that he mainly uses the upper 1/4 of the bow. his shit is always off the chain. i just listened to the second movement of his sibelius and it had me crying like a little bitch.
I like the beginning but as a Prelude it should flow. I find this rendition difficult to listen to in the beginning. It is very good none the less and gets easier to listen too throughout the piece. I've played this, I've gone to STATE with it I know how it's played. He is very stiff, I have the same problem and nearly jacked up my wrists and couldn't play for a bit. Dansback21 is partially correct in his criticisms. But perhaps Ferras had an injury in his shoulder at some point in time?
@ViolinistTB i think that before you make a post. you should take time and realize who you are criticizing...this is Christian Ferras? he is not stiff at all, his bowing styling is probably something you are not used to seeing, there are many different bowing style some which involve more use of the arm and other, the wrist. his style i similar to Menuhin.
@gnatural I see your point with the different style of bowing. I may be 16 but I actually play the violin and have even gone to state with this piece. In this performance there are multiple notes out of tune (I have perfect pitch, you may not hear it but I do). His bow hand should be loose while playing this piece to give it a flowing tone rather than a stiff hand and a sharp-biting tone. The rest of Dansback21's criticisms are gibberish. He was a wonderful player, but this is not his best.
@ViolinistTB That is one of the problems with perfect pitch, you hear everything in one tuning. where as with relative pitch even if his tuning were 439 we would be able to adjust. Its not that Ferras is out of tune, it is the tuning of his violin. I think the A was tuned lower.Also, i would disagree with you that his tone is biting, I think that his bow usage is very fluid. maybe your teacher is telling you to use more movement in the fingers and that is fine. (continued)
@gnatural You can tell that his bow hand is stiff by his wrist having minimum movement, you only see but do not observe. Relatively to the other notes, there are notes out of tune. The tone is coarse; there are scratchy notes especially in the beginning. On my State score sheets the adjudicators were able to see that my bow hand was stiff fyi. There are a couple notes out of tune such as in some of the transitions, etc. Check out the last chord, it's very "bitey"
@Dansback21 - Everyone has their own way of playing this piece. that's what makes music universal, something that all can enjoy and not just specific people.
@Dansback21 i promise you, any violinist at that level, especially ferras, knew very well how to play the instrument to the best of their body's ability. it's different for everyone because we are all structured differently.
I like it but I used to do vibrato really fast like that not anymore I used to do arm vibrato now it is wrist I used to very fast vibrato but it made me tired but I kept my bow arm very loose not all strained but he makes what I thought would make it sound bad very extremely nice his vibrato is actually very nice I would think Sophie mutter but his seems fast and clean. I like it :D
I have to play this as an audition for All State Orchestra next year. I like this version because he's not playing the piece at a thousand miles an hour XD He's capturing the beauty of the song instead of trying to speed through it like a lot of players do.
@Dansback21 Holy cow! I guess this is what's so great and sad about youtube, having to listen to a dunce comment on probably the most unique violinist ever.
i'm sure ferras would thank you for your expert advice on one of the most interesting and provocative bow techniques in the history of the instrument. this guy was a singular artist. poor guy...when you die we hacks can say what we want about you. i hope he was buried with this violin. no one else should get to play it.
@poseuresque i'm replying to myself...this new youtube format's effing with me. that was to the expert who's been routinely put in his place by ferras fans. probably better not to fill up the person's mailbox at this point...
He holds the note to long giving him time to vibrato basically each note which makes it sound kind of weird in my opinion... oh and also he should play a little bit faster.. but great intonation
@ericgable I think he played it slower in the hope that people WILL notice that his intonation is so perfect, and iterates this each time he held a note longer, unfortunately, today's violinists and even listeners are educated with the "tempered" pitch and therefore unable to appreciate this kind of intonation which is unique only to the violin.
That's because you don't listen closely enough. His elbow is stiff so he makes whistle sound at fast string crossing. But his vibrato at the end is impressive. He might be great at some other peaces, but not this. Check out Hilary Hahn's version and you will know what is clearness.
great video, shows closes in his hands, and he plays in a secure speed... this is a very difficult piece, even for experts to play every note in tune.
It seems very clear to me that security considerations did not play any role for this great violinist in this recording. The true reason for the slow tempo? He wanted to sing every single note and articulate as clearly as possible. And he succeeded. Of course he would have been able to play at double speed with good intonation, no doubt. Intonation in this piece somehow gets rather easier with faster tempo as there is not so much time to listen.
There are many schools of thought on bowing, some believe you should use wrist and fingers liberally, others, like, a dude named Milstein, believed it should be all arm. Anyway, Ferras was one of the greats, who, tragically, committed suicide.
you incorporated too many things about him in one short sentence and on top of that you ended it with the most tragic part of this guy's life.
did you know that his father forced him to make a better sound than a stradivarius on a 5-dollar violin? And only after he learned how to make a bad violin sing, was he allowed to touch a better violin. He struggled growing up and for this man he used music to let his emotions flow out and reach others around him.
Anyone attempting to correct a player as fine as Christian Ferras is, unfortunately, in need of a re-evaluation. The playing of an instrument allows you a bit of room, though it's not large, to reposition things so that it feels better. If you don't feel right playing the instrument, you might as well not play it. It's that uncomfortable feeling that will restrict you in playing things like fast passages, not a slight variation in your bow hold or instrument position, when you've been able to
For Ferras, I'm sure there's nothing more difficult about the way he's playing than someone else using the 'proper' technique that was taught to them in the modern school of violin playin, i.e, Suzuki. When learning how to play an instrument, ANY instrument, you start with basics and then you figure out what to do that makes it more comfortable for you. Everyone's going to have some slight variation in how they hold the instrument, at what angle the clarinet sits in coordination to their body.
He can still play, although it is more difficult the way he does it. It is like reading in English, you do it from left to right, simple as that. Sure, you can still play the way you would like, it will just cause problems later on, like in fast pace, that would not be there if the technique were different.
Are you seriously criticizing one of the best violinists that ever lived? Wow.....You must be a youngster that hasn't lived very long yet. Humility...humble...
I didn't realize there was only one way to play the violin...By your logic Heifetz, too, had an incorrect bow grip which would cause him problems. Learning what plays best for the individual is, oft times, more important than what any one school or another says. Ferras was a great violinist regardless of whether his style is your preference. However, I blame the mdoern school of violin for your critique. Many people "correct" the greats because it's not how their teacher taught them.
@violistarevirtuoso Can I have directions to fid him playing sibelius? I will try to find it I never hear sibelius but I might like it love it with him playing the pieces.
@violistarevirtuoso Never mind found it I LOVE it I listened to these pieces before but never like this. Thank You for letting me have the idea of finding these pieces. I love it I had it on a cd I used to listen to it all the time now I know I will again.
I always like to read the comments! Some times I learn from those comments. This time...yes it is clear that his right hand looks stiff, but he sounds great! So no matter how it looks important in this professson is how we sound!!! Now who can say for sure that faster or slower is better As long as the performance is covincing i think that we shoud not discuss the tempo! When we comment we shldn't be influence by our own taste!
So we will have helpful and more constructive comments !
@aimaim22 I think he could use a lesson from a lot of us on using the bow arm...look at it. If you don't see anything wrong with it, you are crazy. I don't know how he has control when using that much arm.
@atchicago1 I'm a violist and violinist who knows how to control my bow arm. I didn't say he wasn't good. I say I don't know how he HAS control. He DOES have control. It's just amazing how his technique is so horrible yet he plays as awesome as he does.
@gec1994 Yes, I know exactly what you mean. I didn't mean to offend. I'm a violinist too. But what can I say, every arm, every wrist is made different anyway. Interesting to note that some of the greatest had something that could be catalogued as "incorrect". Can anyone explain genius anyway? Think of Huberman, Rinardy, Elman, etc. Their idiosincracies made them unique. We are lucky we had them.
You can definitely hear similarities between him and menuhin in this video. I heard that there is a recording Christian Ferras playing all the Bach Sonatas and Partitas, but it hasn't been released because it was towards the end of his life and his playing was considerable weaker than it is here. Anyway, nice video.
Don't laugh! And you wonder why he committed suicide? It's only the beginning. It's really a challenge to perk yourself up to begin playing this piece. But play the video again and again at the start and you'll get used to it. Ferras played with a distinct beauty. He was the only one on YT that played this piece without lookin', not Heifetz and Milstein who looked over the fingerboard.
good observation..some pieces are not difficult to play without looking. After reading your post I went and picked up my violin and gave this piece a spin--with its 4 sharps--I don't know why looking helps since one should easily feel that finger placement but I will admit, I LOOK.
I love the tempo..the vibrato is a matter of his taste but there is so much this man played well and ardently.
i prefer this tempo to the faster one; i think this is the best paced version on YT right now (Heifetz- and Milstein-fans don't scream please) because it lets the piece breathe :-p
You are right - his vibrato IS amazing. But I question his decision to vibrate throughout this piece. Why would he want to do that? To make it more expressive? Expressive of what? This is Bach, not Sibelius. In my view, the vibrato draws way too much attention to each single note, and Ferras loses the forest for the trees. Milstein's rendition is the perfect antidote because it lets the music speak for itself.
yeah, I would tend to agree that such embellishments are excessive in this style piece, but the fact that he CAN vibrate on so many consecutive notes at that speed is really astonishing.
You are absolutely right. And most remarkably (to me at least), his intonation remains extremely accurate. He has a unique way of handling the instrument.
He vibrates throughout the piece because it was in vogue to play Bach like Brahms back in the day. Now we fancy ourselves a little wiser even though we don't really have a clue.
haha yeah, I was trying to practice this with Heifetz's recording and I saw this version was 23 seconds longer. Pretty slow, I should have been practicing with this.
Gosh! So beautiful. I have listened to so many violinists of the past. And no matter whether you think Heifetz, Milestein, Menhuin, Ricci, Rosand or Ferras is better, we can all agree that they all had their individualality. Unlike today.
guys its some 1 plaiyng violin if he play for 15 years almost every time he sure wil understand his style but the truf is that his not a great violonist menuhin or heifez they are good and gill shaham its good you shood try to listen
To play with vibrato, at this speed, it's a very hard thing to realize. I think it's better this way. It warms up a bit the sound. I don't think it has anything to do with the romanticism, it has to do eith a very warm and powerful sound.
omg. that's horrible, vibrato on nearly every note. Why??? IO think, even in his lifetime he could have played mor simple, even without bärenreiter!!!
He's a good violinist, but his interpretation of the rhythms of the piece and the interplay between the two "parts" is pretty poor, in my opinion. The style of the time period (the warbling, saccharine vibrato etc.) is all wrong for this piece. The speed isn't bad, but the rest of it doesn't work.
"He's a good violinist, but his interpretation of the rhythms of the piece and the interplay between the two "parts" is pretty poor, in my opinion. The style of the time period (the warbling, saccharine vibrato etc.) is all wrong for this piece. The speed isn't bad, but the rest of it doesn't work."
great performance but why so much vibrato on each note?I love it but it doesn't have baroque mood in it. but he is still amazing. i love the way he makes the melody notes stand out.
thanks for your response.I am aware about the function of the vibrato.What I meant was that in Baroque era, vibrato was not used the way we use it nowadays.The whole style was different.
Yes, I understand, in my Music Appreciation class, our teacher told us that Baroque music is characterized by its huge emphasis on the bass parts, on the very low pitches of the piano, hence Bach's Toccata and Fugue. Even though Vivaldi was a contemporary of Bach, I prefer Vivaldi, because his 4 Seasons are much more cheerful and sound more uplifting.
yes,you´re both right but in this piece shouldn´t be put that much vibrato,except when playing on cello (sorry my bad english,i´m from slovakia) and i also played this song..well..tried:P but i like it more played by cello..violin doesn´t have the depth for this piece..
C'est l'interprétation que je préfère. Celles de Heifetz, Mislstein, Menuhin ont pour mes oreilles un tempo trop rapide, tandis que je resens toutes les subtilités dans celle de Ferras.
!intenso y con gran musicalidad!
torresrosariof 1 month ago
Absolutely gorgeous playing. Thanks for posting. Made my day!
rheumer 2 months ago
Comment removed
1122KLAUS1 3 months ago
im a cellist. i cant even hold a violin properly. brava, dead guy!
grigorijoe 7 months ago
@Dansback21 I love how you think you know the violin.
tlcooper93 7 months ago
@tlcooper93 I do. I have played for 15 years and have a degree in violin from a University, so I have say on matters of technique and musicality
Dansback21 5 months ago
Comment removed
tlcooper93 5 months ago
@Dansback21 Care to share which university and who you studied with? If you know so much about the violin, you would understand that there are countless schools of thought on the violin and technique regarding the bow arm. Having a stiff bow arm is part of the French school, which having a loose bow arm is part of the Hungarian School.
tlcooper93 5 months ago
@tlcooper93 Sure, the American school, a state University in Utah.., I've also studied in the Russian School system with professionals of the Russian School of thought for 10 years, so I have to very good areas in my background
Dansback21 4 months ago
@Dansback21 You may have good areas in your background, but I went to see you play on your Youtube channel and I commented. Any reason why you deleted all your videos? I also have good areas in my background. A lot of us do.
tlcooper93 4 months ago
@tlcooper93 yep, cause those were practice videos and I'm not currently doing anything with the violin so I took them down.
Dansback21 1 month ago
ohhh. i feal my twears coming up...
stuarnig 9 months ago
bravoooo
leoncioviolin 9 months ago
@Dansback21 god you're dumb
CrockSkinTesticles 10 months ago
@CrockSkinTesticles why?
Dansback21 5 months ago
I think this an analogical record but despite of that, the evidence of the quality of this artist is great and give us an idea of his virtuosism!!.
Sicamor1 10 months ago
@Dansback21 are you kidding?
fvkfce 1 year ago
Out of tune!!
esther8495 1 year ago
I'm used to hearing this with the "usual" bowing. But this new style of playing Bach is beautiful too.
khira07 1 year ago
I think he played this very well; if anyone has any objections to this, they should post up a video of themselves playing it better before criticizing his style with your comments. thank you.
goodcommentguy 1 year ago
@goodcommentguy Can I borrow a camera? :]
ViolinistTB 1 year ago
If you want to see perfection with great elegance, see the Milstein version here. It is just incredible......
outoftunefiddler 1 year ago
@outoftunefiddler for the Milstein performance elegance is the perfect word ---and absolute ease---not a single break in the architecture.
mccpesh 1 year ago
Sorry, I have to disagree.My old ears tell me some of the notes are out of tune.
outoftunefiddler 1 year ago
go look at mintz playing Paganini 3 in you profile and tell me if his wrist looks stiff. hes doing the same thing ferras is with regards to hand movement except ferras is using a lot more arm so it looks like its stiff, but its not. and uhh, still cant hear the bite you are talking about.
gnatural 1 year ago
@gnatural I see your point with the arm looking like it's stiff but isn't and I thank you for relieving my ignorance of that. Now it's my turn, listen the the very first chord at the end; the bottom two notes are not clear as it should be played. They're in tune, just not clear.
ViolinistTB 1 year ago
@Dansback21 You should'nt even try to correct a legend like him.
ericgable 1 year ago
Actually Ferras teached his students not to copy him, his style in terms of position of the violin and the bow were very uncommon..... nonetheless he is a great violinist and is a real pity that he commited suicide..... his rendition of the sibelius is one of the most beautiful i evere heard.....
supremok 1 year ago 3
i'm definitely not one to criticize because it's not like im better, but his bowing just looks weird. the notes are very clear and articulated, though...eh. not my favorite version. just my opinion.
violinmandarin710 1 year ago
it's interesting that he mainly uses the upper 1/4 of the bow. his shit is always off the chain. i just listened to the second movement of his sibelius and it had me crying like a little bitch.
helloviolindonna 1 year ago
I like the beginning but as a Prelude it should flow. I find this rendition difficult to listen to in the beginning. It is very good none the less and gets easier to listen too throughout the piece. I've played this, I've gone to STATE with it I know how it's played. He is very stiff, I have the same problem and nearly jacked up my wrists and couldn't play for a bit. Dansback21 is partially correct in his criticisms. But perhaps Ferras had an injury in his shoulder at some point in time?
ViolinistTB 1 year ago
@ViolinistTB i think that before you make a post. you should take time and realize who you are criticizing...this is Christian Ferras? he is not stiff at all, his bowing styling is probably something you are not used to seeing, there are many different bowing style some which involve more use of the arm and other, the wrist. his style i similar to Menuhin.
gnatural 1 year ago
Comment removed
ViolinistTB 1 year ago
@gnatural I see your point with the different style of bowing. I may be 16 but I actually play the violin and have even gone to state with this piece. In this performance there are multiple notes out of tune (I have perfect pitch, you may not hear it but I do). His bow hand should be loose while playing this piece to give it a flowing tone rather than a stiff hand and a sharp-biting tone. The rest of Dansback21's criticisms are gibberish. He was a wonderful player, but this is not his best.
ViolinistTB 1 year ago
@ViolinistTB That is one of the problems with perfect pitch, you hear everything in one tuning. where as with relative pitch even if his tuning were 439 we would be able to adjust. Its not that Ferras is out of tune, it is the tuning of his violin. I think the A was tuned lower.Also, i would disagree with you that his tone is biting, I think that his bow usage is very fluid. maybe your teacher is telling you to use more movement in the fingers and that is fine. (continued)
gnatural 1 year ago
@ViolinistTB That does not mean that his bow hand is stiff or tight. you cant know that because you are not in his body. you can only observe.
gnatural 1 year ago
@gnatural You can tell that his bow hand is stiff by his wrist having minimum movement, you only see but do not observe. Relatively to the other notes, there are notes out of tune. The tone is coarse; there are scratchy notes especially in the beginning. On my State score sheets the adjudicators were able to see that my bow hand was stiff fyi. There are a couple notes out of tune such as in some of the transitions, etc. Check out the last chord, it's very "bitey"
ViolinistTB 1 year ago
@Dansback21 - Everyone has their own way of playing this piece. that's what makes music universal, something that all can enjoy and not just specific people.
goodcommentguy 1 year ago
This playing sounds troubled. It is a bit slow and sometimes out of tune. See the Milstein,,,,
outoftunefiddler 1 year ago
@outoftunefiddler YES! Finally someone other than me notices the out of tune notes!
ViolinistTB 1 year ago
He plays a Stradivarius (The President) He is enigmatic and wonderful!
fanniandwads 1 year ago
wow! A little bit robotic, but it is a fantastic interpretation!
mkGarf 1 year ago
@Dansback21 i promise you, any violinist at that level, especially ferras, knew very well how to play the instrument to the best of their body's ability. it's different for everyone because we are all structured differently.
sijas 1 year ago
I like it but I used to do vibrato really fast like that not anymore I used to do arm vibrato now it is wrist I used to very fast vibrato but it made me tired but I kept my bow arm very loose not all strained but he makes what I thought would make it sound bad very extremely nice his vibrato is actually very nice I would think Sophie mutter but his seems fast and clean. I like it :D
StradAmatiViolin 1 year ago
@Dansback21 Maybe his arm appears stiff because he is altering the up/down bow sequence for musical effects, which makes this music sound so pretty.
Violinissimo 1 year ago
I have to play this as an audition for All State Orchestra next year. I like this version because he's not playing the piece at a thousand miles an hour XD He's capturing the beauty of the song instead of trying to speed through it like a lot of players do.
malfoyphantom 1 year ago
@Dansback21 Holy cow! I guess this is what's so great and sad about youtube, having to listen to a dunce comment on probably the most unique violinist ever.
Very funny, and very sad at the same time.
jko314 1 year ago
interesting to hear a performance that is totally dry (ie no reverb at all)...
jcfbell3001 1 year ago
lol, I cannot believe some comments I'm reading. Hilarious. Wonderful musician.
NickyRamone77 1 year ago
@Dansback21
Your head has grown incredibly stiff and in the wrong position, buddy =D
quite a weird interpretation of this piece a have to admit. looks more like a practicing session which it could well be.
assa123assa123 1 year ago
Dansback21 is right !
paulcatalin 1 year ago
I hope one day I can play this piece. I study violin, and already know to play happy birthday to you (Kidding).
dosergiobr 1 year ago
i'm sure ferras would thank you for your expert advice on one of the most interesting and provocative bow techniques in the history of the instrument. this guy was a singular artist. poor guy...when you die we hacks can say what we want about you. i hope he was buried with this violin. no one else should get to play it.
poseuresque 1 year ago
@poseuresque i'm replying to myself...this new youtube format's effing with me. that was to the expert who's been routinely put in his place by ferras fans. probably better not to fill up the person's mailbox at this point...
i feel....excessive
poseuresque 1 year ago
He holds the note to long giving him time to vibrato basically each note which makes it sound kind of weird in my opinion... oh and also he should play a little bit faster.. but great intonation
ericgable 1 year ago
@ericgable I think he played it slower in the hope that people WILL notice that his intonation is so perfect, and iterates this each time he held a note longer, unfortunately, today's violinists and even listeners are educated with the "tempered" pitch and therefore unable to appreciate this kind of intonation which is unique only to the violin.
Violinissimo 1 year ago
Excelente arco...
quetzalandino 1 year ago
The accenting in the barriolage is spot on.
Great.
gcviolin2 2 years ago 3
Comment removed
violin144000 2 years ago
i love his style. you can actually hear every note that is being played clearly, and i love the way he accentuates the right notes
slychihuahua 2 years ago 8
@slychihuahua
That's because you don't listen closely enough. His elbow is stiff so he makes whistle sound at fast string crossing. But his vibrato at the end is impressive. He might be great at some other peaces, but not this. Check out Hilary Hahn's version and you will know what is clearness.
eugenew0521 1 year ago
What a wild, pent-up spirit this man had. Such intensity that it's frightening.
A miraculous violinist.
ipmoic 2 years ago 5
great video, shows closes in his hands, and he plays in a secure speed... this is a very difficult piece, even for experts to play every note in tune.
dosergiobr 2 years ago
It seems very clear to me that security considerations did not play any role for this great violinist in this recording. The true reason for the slow tempo? He wanted to sing every single note and articulate as clearly as possible. And he succeeded. Of course he would have been able to play at double speed with good intonation, no doubt. Intonation in this piece somehow gets rather easier with faster tempo as there is not so much time to listen.
kitchenfiddle 2 years ago
double speed would be about 208+ bpm (some parts he was 104 some parts 112) thats kinda fast =\
CornDoctor 2 years ago
There are many schools of thought on bowing, some believe you should use wrist and fingers liberally, others, like, a dude named Milstein, believed it should be all arm. Anyway, Ferras was one of the greats, who, tragically, committed suicide.
Jarudn 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
fucking horrible post
Silkmeister 2 years ago
What's so fucking horrible about it, assholel!!!!
Jarudn 2 years ago
you incorporated too many things about him in one short sentence and on top of that you ended it with the most tragic part of this guy's life.
did you know that his father forced him to make a better sound than a stradivarius on a 5-dollar violin? And only after he learned how to make a bad violin sing, was he allowed to touch a better violin. He struggled growing up and for this man he used music to let his emotions flow out and reach others around him.
Silkmeister 2 years ago
Yea and how does that relate to Jarudn's post?
goodcommentguy 2 years ago
hahahha a dude named Milstein.
CornDoctor 2 years ago
Sadly after receiving a bottle of his favorite alcohol before a concert when he was trying hard to stop drinking.
vincedodozzz 2 years ago
Master it like Ferras has.
Johlies 2 years ago
Anyone attempting to correct a player as fine as Christian Ferras is, unfortunately, in need of a re-evaluation. The playing of an instrument allows you a bit of room, though it's not large, to reposition things so that it feels better. If you don't feel right playing the instrument, you might as well not play it. It's that uncomfortable feeling that will restrict you in playing things like fast passages, not a slight variation in your bow hold or instrument position, when you've been able to
Johlies 2 years ago 2
For Ferras, I'm sure there's nothing more difficult about the way he's playing than someone else using the 'proper' technique that was taught to them in the modern school of violin playin, i.e, Suzuki. When learning how to play an instrument, ANY instrument, you start with basics and then you figure out what to do that makes it more comfortable for you. Everyone's going to have some slight variation in how they hold the instrument, at what angle the clarinet sits in coordination to their body.
Johlies 2 years ago 2
He can still play, although it is more difficult the way he does it. It is like reading in English, you do it from left to right, simple as that. Sure, you can still play the way you would like, it will just cause problems later on, like in fast pace, that would not be there if the technique were different.
Dansback21 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
regardless of what he does, people can compensate for improper positions, but it makes it more difficult later on. Wrong is wrong
Dansback21 2 years ago
Are you seriously criticizing one of the best violinists that ever lived? Wow.....You must be a youngster that hasn't lived very long yet. Humility...humble...
ddviolinist 2 years ago
I didn't realize there was only one way to play the violin...By your logic Heifetz, too, had an incorrect bow grip which would cause him problems. Learning what plays best for the individual is, oft times, more important than what any one school or another says. Ferras was a great violinist regardless of whether his style is your preference. However, I blame the mdoern school of violin for your critique. Many people "correct" the greats because it's not how their teacher taught them.
masael255 2 years ago 4
Oh come on brother, like you can play better than that!
aimaim22 2 years ago
es una bola de nervios!!!11
NDARM 2 years ago
Nervios? Es una técnica que se llama vibrato. A propósito, ese palo que frota contra las cuerdas se llama a-r-c-o.
aimaim22 2 years ago
i prefer menhiliun and milstein's interpretation
senesceesh 2 years ago
Man, haven´t you heard Ferras play Sibelius? I think he knew quite well how to handle his body and the bow.
violistarevirtuoso 2 years ago 24
@violistarevirtuoso Can I have directions to fid him playing sibelius? I will try to find it I never hear sibelius but I might like it love it with him playing the pieces.
StradAmatiViolin 1 year ago
@violistarevirtuoso Never mind found it I LOVE it I listened to these pieces before but never like this. Thank You for letting me have the idea of finding these pieces. I love it I had it on a cd I used to listen to it all the time now I know I will again.
StradAmatiViolin 1 year ago
Comment removed
paloc12 8 months ago
well it clearly works for him.
DualThunder 2 years ago 2
I always like to read the comments! Some times I learn from those comments. This time...yes it is clear that his right hand looks stiff, but he sounds great! So no matter how it looks important in this professson is how we sound!!! Now who can say for sure that faster or slower is better As long as the performance is covincing i think that we shoud not discuss the tempo! When we comment we shldn't be influence by our own taste!
So we will have helpful and more constructive comments !
clasicgypsy 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
esta es la sinfonia de la cantanta 152 creo, nada que ver con las partitas
vengatalagante 2 years ago
AAAAAAAAJAJAJAJJAJJAJAJAJJAJAJAJAJAAJAJAJAJ
JAJAJAJJAJAJAJAJAJJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJA
AJAJAJAJJAJAJAJAJJJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJA
AJAJAJAJAJAJAA...JAJA..JAJAJ...JA..JA.......JA.........
Sí era broma ¿verdad?
¿no? ¬¬
Pide disculpas y lárgate...
duendemacabron 2 years ago 3
he owned that
radicaledward40 2 years ago
ESTA TENSO NO ESTA RELAJADO
arreolacarlos92 2 years ago
a little bit too much vibrato..
but a beautiful intonation
ninastokje 2 years ago
That is the first thing I noticed. I don't play violin and sometimes poor intonation bothers me. This guy played it very well.
BFGUITAR 2 years ago
Please don't even think of giving lessons to one of the greatest violinists ever!
aimaim22 2 years ago 40
@aimaim22 I think he could use a lesson from a lot of us on using the bow arm...look at it. If you don't see anything wrong with it, you are crazy. I don't know how he has control when using that much arm.
gec1994 7 months ago
@gec1994 With all due respect, this is Ferras, an acknowledged master of the violin. Who are you anyway?
atchicago1 7 months ago
@atchicago1 I'm a violist and violinist who knows how to control my bow arm. I didn't say he wasn't good. I say I don't know how he HAS control. He DOES have control. It's just amazing how his technique is so horrible yet he plays as awesome as he does.
gec1994 7 months ago
@gec1994 Yes, I know exactly what you mean. I didn't mean to offend. I'm a violinist too. But what can I say, every arm, every wrist is made different anyway. Interesting to note that some of the greatest had something that could be catalogued as "incorrect". Can anyone explain genius anyway? Think of Huberman, Rinardy, Elman, etc. Their idiosincracies made them unique. We are lucky we had them.
atchicago1 7 months ago
a little bit too romantic for Bach, no?
chuqutty 2 years ago
that was standard for 20th century interpretation.
most 20th century schools of playing played and taught bach as well as baroque music in a romantic style.
DualThunder 2 years ago
You can definitely hear similarities between him and menuhin in this video. I heard that there is a recording Christian Ferras playing all the Bach Sonatas and Partitas, but it hasn't been released because it was towards the end of his life and his playing was considerable weaker than it is here. Anyway, nice video.
JPizzle1490 2 years ago
Yeah I agree about the similarities between him and Menuhin.
Bushy162 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I hate this interpretation..,to much vibrato this is not Paganini
jasonform 3 years ago
amazing!
musicdevotee4life 3 years ago 3
Poor man. Fantastic violinist, but why did he have to commit suicide? It is such a shame :-(
amati2009 3 years ago 3
haha, the beginning of this recording almost made me sick, but of course, its a matter of tast:P very romantic
jentoft 3 years ago
Don't laugh! And you wonder why he committed suicide? It's only the beginning. It's really a challenge to perk yourself up to begin playing this piece. But play the video again and again at the start and you'll get used to it. Ferras played with a distinct beauty. He was the only one on YT that played this piece without lookin', not Heifetz and Milstein who looked over the fingerboard.
Dogaradodia 3 years ago 4
good observation..some pieces are not difficult to play without looking. After reading your post I went and picked up my violin and gave this piece a spin--with its 4 sharps--I don't know why looking helps since one should easily feel that finger placement but I will admit, I LOOK.
I love the tempo..the vibrato is a matter of his taste but there is so much this man played well and ardently.
OriginalMoonbeam 3 years ago
i prefer this tempo to the faster one; i think this is the best paced version on YT right now (Heifetz- and Milstein-fans don't scream please) because it lets the piece breathe :-p
AECSRQ 3 years ago 3
Scream!!!
hildagrim 3 years ago
Wow! He plays really nice, but whats wrong with his right hand? That bowing looks so... wierd and.. wrong somehow. Yeah, anyway, love the piece^^
Madangang 3 years ago
Wow! Hi plays really nice, but whats wrong with his right hand? That bowing looks so... wierd and wrong:P Yeah.. anyway, love the piece^^
Madangang 3 years ago
Not exactly Milstein.
psychoticpervert 3 years ago
Good right hand and originale bow
takhirviolinest 3 years ago
his vibrato is amazing!
zoeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 3 years ago 2
You are right - his vibrato IS amazing. But I question his decision to vibrate throughout this piece. Why would he want to do that? To make it more expressive? Expressive of what? This is Bach, not Sibelius. In my view, the vibrato draws way too much attention to each single note, and Ferras loses the forest for the trees. Milstein's rendition is the perfect antidote because it lets the music speak for itself.
Mortimer123 3 years ago
yeah, I would tend to agree that such embellishments are excessive in this style piece, but the fact that he CAN vibrate on so many consecutive notes at that speed is really astonishing.
zoeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 3 years ago
You are absolutely right. And most remarkably (to me at least), his intonation remains extremely accurate. He has a unique way of handling the instrument.
Mortimer123 3 years ago
Hmmm... this is questionable.
theViolinDreamer 3 years ago
He vibrates throughout the piece because it was in vogue to play Bach like Brahms back in the day. Now we fancy ourselves a little wiser even though we don't really have a clue.
violatione 3 years ago 4
I'm currently working on this, and this is the speed at which I'm currently playing it.
However, Milstein and Perlman's versions are MUCH better, and at the intended tempos.
relientk74 3 years ago
haha yeah, I was trying to practice this with Heifetz's recording and I saw this version was 23 seconds longer. Pretty slow, I should have been practicing with this.
ubergossen 3 years ago
Perhaps he liked to use the four Kriesler roads to their full extent.
singinginachurch 3 years ago
ah, he was so handsome.
and his vibrato is acutally very nice,
i didn't like it at first, but it grew on me ^_^
utsux3 3 years ago
Firstly vibrato wasn't done in bach's time and secondly Christian's type of vibrato isn't to my liking. He played well apart from that.
Bushy162 3 years ago
I love Christian's Hora Staccatto even more.
freeyourcrt 3 years ago
Gosh! So beautiful. I have listened to so many violinists of the past. And no matter whether you think Heifetz, Milestein, Menhuin, Ricci, Rosand or Ferras is better, we can all agree that they all had their individualality. Unlike today.
Violinfanatic 3 years ago 4
his bow hand looks really... awkward
i've never seen anything like it before
nikrepka 3 years ago
Awesome
freeyourcrt 3 years ago
His sound is so pure, I love it.
areneth 3 years ago 2
guys its some 1 plaiyng violin if he play for 15 years almost every time he sure wil understand his style but the truf is that his not a great violonist menuhin or heifez they are good and gill shaham its good you shood try to listen
perjaromana 3 years ago
menuhin wasn't very good. Tempo was always uneven. Had to return to Galamian to completely re-learn his bow arm. He was not a master.
PaperGrape 3 years ago
Milstein one's is muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch more better!!!!!
Why vibrato all the time? Let it sound naturally!!!!
astrolabi18 3 years ago
because he was a romantic player
nagysebestyen 3 years ago
To play with vibrato, at this speed, it's a very hard thing to realize. I think it's better this way. It warms up a bit the sound. I don't think it has anything to do with the romanticism, it has to do eith a very warm and powerful sound.
terrycaineleluismire 3 years ago 2
I still haven't found a video of this that is better than Heifetz's.
chingading 3 years ago
You're not going to.
frankzappas1guitar 3 years ago
I absolutly agree.
wonybunyeats 3 years ago
hmmmm... must not have seen Milstein's?
PaperGrape 3 years ago
I have. It's great, but his RIGHT hand doesn't compare to Heifetz's.
chingading 3 years ago
he always looks like hes having a hard time...
nice playing, but so unrelaxed
deadakos00 3 years ago 2
omg. that's horrible, vibrato on nearly every note. Why??? IO think, even in his lifetime he could have played mor simple, even without bärenreiter!!!
jghamm 3 years ago
its not horrible its his style
prayformercy4 3 years ago
Goodness, this sounds labored. Sorry.
violinista53 3 years ago
He's a good violinist, but his interpretation of the rhythms of the piece and the interplay between the two "parts" is pretty poor, in my opinion. The style of the time period (the warbling, saccharine vibrato etc.) is all wrong for this piece. The speed isn't bad, but the rest of it doesn't work.
miikoashida 3 years ago
i love it at this speed!!
violaplayer1995 3 years ago
Didn't like it. Milstein's version is much more impulsive and colorful.
issagele 4 years ago
Milstein's version is like a fast (but mind you a good) jerk off. A bit slower would make it a lot more "colorful": :->
Seriously, Ferras is unique: with colors that your eyes can't see.
jko314 3 years ago
I bet you're jerking off to Ferras right now
issagele 3 years ago
I think milkoashida summarized it best
"He's a good violinist, but his interpretation of the rhythms of the piece and the interplay between the two "parts" is pretty poor, in my opinion. The style of the time period (the warbling, saccharine vibrato etc.) is all wrong for this piece. The speed isn't bad, but the rest of it doesn't work."
issagele 3 years ago
omg sorry,i :D sorry..i wanted to say that i played this but the thing with cello should be for bach´s cello suite..SORRY:D lol..sorry
mrakoplasa 4 years ago
great performance but why so much vibrato on each note?I love it but it doesn't have baroque mood in it. but he is still amazing. i love the way he makes the melody notes stand out.
musique55 4 years ago
Well, vibratos add more feeling to the music, it makes it more emotive. I agree, as a violinist myself, I admire this guy.
zucchini2007 4 years ago 2
thanks for your response.I am aware about the function of the vibrato.What I meant was that in Baroque era, vibrato was not used the way we use it nowadays.The whole style was different.
musique55 4 years ago
Yes, I understand, in my Music Appreciation class, our teacher told us that Baroque music is characterized by its huge emphasis on the bass parts, on the very low pitches of the piano, hence Bach's Toccata and Fugue. Even though Vivaldi was a contemporary of Bach, I prefer Vivaldi, because his 4 Seasons are much more cheerful and sound more uplifting.
zucchini2007 4 years ago
yes,you´re both right but in this piece shouldn´t be put that much vibrato,except when playing on cello (sorry my bad english,i´m from slovakia) and i also played this song..well..tried:P but i like it more played by cello..violin doesn´t have the depth for this piece..
mrakoplasa 4 years ago
As a cellist as well I am with you :) Although I do generally enjoy the violin as well, my heart is with the cello.
cellomind 3 years ago
Im speechless
saintelmoe 4 years ago
what a talent!
jyn731 4 years ago
what an awesome performance!
rob333c 4 years ago 2
What an amazing talent he was... Its a shame he was so tortured, but with out his issues, he probably wouldnt have been as gifted...
saintelmoe 4 years ago
Aint it always the way :(
saintelmoe 4 years ago
I'm agree.This is not heavy metal it's baroque.Music must be feeled.This is not a competition
dcwetern 4 years ago
mm..i think hes playing a tad slower than what is considered the norm
ilovehualy 4 years ago 2
Do you think Bach wanted it to be plaid so fast ? What does a norm mean ? You mean fashion.
5sens 4 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
yeah fuck u u know shit about music... its not how fast.... it is how good is played
josfrodo 4 years ago
C'est l'interprétation que je préfère. Celles de Heifetz, Mislstein, Menuhin ont pour mes oreilles un tempo trop rapide, tandis que je resens toutes les subtilités dans celle de Ferras.
5sens 4 years ago
His playing here sounds and looks very Menuhinesque... I never noticed this before.
msiu 4 years ago 2
why did the man commit suicide ?
if anyone knows plz tell me
arubian06 4 years ago
prolonged depression
TH1213 4 years ago
Alcohol also.
sstutter 4 years ago
Because they can't play this way.
dcwetern 4 years ago
i also like milstein's better. somehow, not sure if it is because of the recording, or a heavier treatment with the bow, the notes lack resonance.
unclePTM 4 years ago
I like this rendition better than Milstein's
AbsoluteZ3R0 4 years ago
I agree its a much happier lively rendition
trtnx 4 years ago
I much prefer Milstein's for this... Milstein plays this piece with a certain charm that Ferras doesn't...
abburidotakaria 4 years ago