Gregor Piatigorsky plays Bach Bourees

[Opalfairy11]

I'm learning to play the first Bourée (until 1:05) as a homework. And I can't seem to get control of the trill in the very beginning, my fingers keep squiggling around like disobediant worms...

[Dogaradodia]

Certified Intergalactic! The Piatigorsky Star!

[farfenheimer]

Thanks so much for this. Piatigorsky was just a name before, now I can see why he has remained so famous.

btw he is not playing the Batta. That cello has a distinct discoloration on the left shoulder and this does not.

Also this is not from the movie "Carnegie Hall". He only plays "The Swan" in that film.

[aimson]

@farfenheimer Ahhh, you are correct. This clip was not from "Carnegie Hall." I've been doing some research and can't actually find out where this footage is originally from. I've searched for movies with Piatigorsky and a discography of his work and still am stumped. Anybody able to find this information out for me? Also, for the record, Piatigorsky is Ukrainian, not Russian, as some sources have stated.

[carrottoponcrak]

@aimson its from "Heifetz and Piatigorsky." I have the DVD. its good, the video of Heifetz in his studio with a narrator talking is from the DVD as well.

[192837465140]

@farfenheimer

Piatigorsky played only one year, between 1946 and 1947, on the “Lord Aylesford”.

He possessed the Batta between 1955 and 1976 and the “Baudiot” from 1948 until 1976

[omgtkseth]

To tons of string players, bach is the master and definite composer.

[MikeDrewYT]

Is this a movie? What in the heck is this? I love it!

[MikeDrewYT]

The man is a giant!

[hoppako]

tarari tarara

[Napris]

Was that really a Stradivarius, or ... just the movie? e_e;

[DHcello]

In fact, That Stradivari is real! i will search what it is!

[Dozor666]

Batta Stradivarius?

[DHcello]

I think so !

[JanaCello]

as i don't want to talk about Bach,etudes,accompaniment.....­i just want to say that Piatigorsky is a great cellist, i think this is a point that you will all agree on! :)

[2934703]

O.K. So don't take lessons with me. I would advise you, however, if you studied with Heifetz you would play it his way or not at all. I still say, "fine!!! Play anything you want the way you want to play it." As an afterthought, if Bach felt the unaccompanied Shites for violin and cello were performance pieces, why didn't he write an accompsaniment? It is plain dumb for two grown men to argue about what to call thee pieces.

[xXLeafXNinjaXx]

i thought that before the bach cello suites became the actual suites that people thought they were etudes that were for practice and not actual performance pieces :|

but im a violinist so i dont know for shure but thats what i heard

[owenhsmith]

what you said doesn't make sense.

[xXLeafXNinjaXx]

i read somewhere that before the bach cello suites were performed as concert pieces, that people thought they were just some random etudes

[Jangof3tt]

A lot of people play them as encore pieces. Granted that the audience wants an encore.

[dogtransport]

From what I understand, the Bach Suites weren't seen as being very musical until Pablo Casals cane along. Some (I think Gruetzmacher) wrote piano accompaniments to them to try to make them more presentable.

[AbsoluteZ3R0]

Man these are my favorite bourrees. You didn't specify which ones in the title so I wasn't sure which ones they would be but I got lucky

[TomBarrister]

I believe this is the Montagnana that he's playing. Piatigorsky didn't acquire the Batta until 1956.

[aimson]

ty for comments

[192837465140]

@TomBarrister Piatigorsky possessed three Stradivari cello’s : the “Lord Aylesford” from 1946 until 1947 (the cello was to big for him), from 1955 until 1976 the “Batta” and the “Baudiot” between 1948 and 1976.

[192837465140]

Piatigorsky possessed three Stradivari cello’s : the “Lord Aylesford” from 1946 until 1947 (the cello was to big for him), from 1955 until 1976 the “Batta” and the “Baudiot” between 1948 and 1976.

[welltuned24]

This footage is from the movie "Carnegie Hall"(47) directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, it spotlights many great classical artists including Piatigorsky.

Does anyone know if he is he playing on the "Batta" or the "Baudiot"? I know he owned both, and started wondering after his comment about the Strads.

[2934703]

I heard Bach didn't write these things at all. It was Losrd Byron. He had a lot ot time after he wrote all those playes

[Sayaira]

Not being a musical genious (I've only been playing, and studying music for about a year and a bit), please bare with me as I state what I think on that issue..

How could you say that bach didnt write them? He was a musical master, from what I have heard and seen.

However, if he DID 'steal' music from this Lord Byron person, wouldnt he have been called out?

[Cellorubik]

Bach was the original composer of these suites, however the original manuscripts are yet to be discovered. The suites that we play today are from a secondary source. Once the primary source representation of these wonderful suites is found, a composer can be confirmed. In the mean time however, Bach lived from around 1685 to 1750 and was a classical composer, Gregory "Lord" Byron was a poet who lived from 1788 to 1824. Now, explain how a poet can even measure up to Bach's work.

[munkybrain]

I suggest, if you're suspicious that bach didn't write them, and perhaps his wife or byron did, then look for writings on the matter. I'm sure people have put forward good arguments.

[2934703]

There is a great difference between playing piece well with good tone and interpretation and playing it as if to stimulate an orgasm. Would you play Mozart the same way you play Debussy?

[2934703]

So nice to hear Bach played straight without so many romantic gesticulations inserted into what Bach was writing as an etude.

[aimson]

This recording is anything but "straight." Don't forget that Piatigorsky played at the height of the romantic movement. By your logic, should we all play etudes as boring finger exercises merely designed to improve technique? How about we play etudes (scales even) as peices of music and art to be played with as much beauty as possible? Stop trying to guess what Bach might possibly could have almost sort of wanted 300 years ago and just play the music.

[2934703]

You play Bach your way and I'll play Bach my way. I wouldn't tell you how to play Bach any quicker than I would tell you how to vote. Unless you employed me as a teacher...then you would play it my way or get a different teacher.

[cellodude1]

I think you would be a very awful teacher in that case limiting your students to what you believe to be the consumate interpretation while it really is only mediocre.

[cellodude1]

Bach did not write Six Etudes. He wrote Suites. I find it amazing that you would say that because it is not true. Bach never wrote an etude. These pieces are the cello equivelant of his violin partitas or Kody Sonata. Neither Etudes.

[AbsoluteZ3R0]

Although I agree with you that these suites should be played like great pieces of music (which they are), they are in fact etudes (and so are his violin partitas and sonatas). Of course Bach, being one of the greatest composers of all time, couldn't help but make great music out of everything he ever wrote and therefore, we have the greatest etudes ever written.

[celloman79]

Etudes? Why would an ORGANIST write a bunch of etudes for CELLO? In case you are unfamiliar with cello literature, Popper, Duport, ETC. were all great CELLISTS writing etudes for their own instruments. You don't write etudes for someone else's instrument.

[LiuMarina]

Is this part of a movie? He's really a great cellist!

[aimson]

I think it was part of a variety show, not exactly a movie. To be honest, I don't think it was explicit on the DVD I have. Oh well...

[Apalexpe]

outstanding performance

[youskodjetube]

What an inspiration!

[RIHARRIS32]

Wonderful! Is he using an extra long bow?

Thank you, aimson. You have brought enormous pleasure to thousands of

music lovers.

[classicalbunny]

What a gem! Thanks so much!

[aimson]

You're welcome, glad you enjoyed it!

[cello4ever]

His sound is so clear, warm and noble...

[kaikobird]

This is the one of the only recordings of Piatigorsky playing Bach, correct? We are so lucky to have it.

[jakaput]

pretty good