To any listener not interested in virtuoso display mechanistic rendering of Bach's wonders, this approach will always comes as a breath of fresh air. For that I have to say thank you so much.
Subtle, nuanced, thoughtful: the antipodes of Bach-grinders who race through his works as if they were Czerny exercises. Even Glenn Gould is usually guilty of being a Bach-grinder, unless he is really interested in the music, in which case he can even be too slow! Congratulations to Wim Winters on his absolutely convincing interpretation.
You can listen on Glenn Gould's commentary of his last ever recording (the digital recording of the Goldberg Variations) he admitted that he was a speed demon when he was younger. Even then I notice he plays the WTK Prelude in C minor much slower than most.
I find this a great company for my home office job. I live with my dog and even though he is a very smart German Shepherd, he doesn't provide much in the musical department.
Wonderful! I loved the unrushed, delicately articulated, sensitivity of your rendition of this. So many keyboardists wants to play Bach as ridiculously fast as Glenn Gould without any sensitivity or musicality. This is true and authentic.
Such a beautiful and soulful rendition! I’ve come back so many times. I’m beginning to get addicted to the clavichord sound. Would love these recordings on a streaming service. Also, I personally love the Glenn Gould interpretation too, I just noticed a lot of Glenn hate in the comments. To each their own I suppose.
Thank you David, you have good ears! I adjusted one microphone slightly and ... it was recorded on tape first. That changes (opens) the whole stereo-image in a way you only can believe after hearing it!
Thank you so much for playing this so beautifully and putting it here on RUclips for people to listen. Like many works of Bach, I have listened to this Partita many times, and you know, after a while, there comes a sad time that your brain gets so used to it that you don't "get high" on it anymore. But the way you play this, with the rhythm and the articulations so precise (perhaps somewhat exagerated), it feels like discovering a completely new piece by Bach. I particularly appreciate the Gavotte. Thanks again!
Caro Wim, complimenti per l'eccellente e profonda interpretazione, ma, soprattutto, per l'idea di valorizzare in modo così sensibile il clavicordo. Ad meliora!
Great to read! Pachelbel Hexachordum is the first album to come out early June, it will be send to the pressing plant Monday! Partitas will be ready August 1st , Mozart Munchen sonatas Christmas.
i stumbled upon your channel some 10 days ago. Always having had a special liking for the clavichord, your channel and all the comments and info serve as a magnificent connection of ancient music with modern, yet intimate means of music communication. I play a guitar like instrument, i dubbed Norpharion which has roughly the same range as a clavichord and i can't agree more with the philosophy of playing as a modern musician, in our times, but as informed as possible, then let our instrument teach us their ways, shortcomings and strengths. Hoe u goed gezagt hebt, leben om Bach zo spelen, een heel goed Leben is!
Hier kann man auschaulich wie selten die Struckturen der einzelnen Sätze nachfollziehn. Besonders faszinirend ist, wie die Themaneb zwischen rechter und linker Hand werchseln.
I've now listened several times to your recordings of the six Partitas, with wonder and awe. It takes a little time to get used to the wavering pitch of a clavichord on the higher notes as the string is stretched and relaxed, but after that it wins against piano and even harpsichord in the great clarity of the sound, so that the listener can fully appreciate Bach's marvellous writing for the left hand, unmatched by any other composer. Your analytical playing goes to the heart of the music in all of the Partitas, but you must have recorded this one on a very wild day, as you really go for it and this is the only one of the set where the total length is the same as anyone else's recording instead of five minutes longer. The Courante is especially carefree. I appreciate your reasons for playing the Gigue in the traditional as-written style, but if you ever felt like making a separate recording of it in the French-influenced triplet rhythm, it would be very interesting as a comparison. It seems quite possible that Bach meant it to be played thus, since the Partitas are strongly French-influenced and it seems strange to have a Gigue that is not in triple time. Maybe he wrote it down as he did because he was old and impatient and it was simpler to write that way, and he expected the performer to undertand what he meant. Lastly, I really hope that when you have finished your excursion into Beethoven you will come back to Bach and record the five other English Suites and the French Suites. Thank you very much for all your splendid work, which has given great pleasure.
Thank you so much for the so nice words you've sent me! The great thing here on YOuTube is, I can easily make another recording, another option, another day. I did rerecord all the six partitas last year for release in 2018 on CD/vinyl, and honestly, I do not know how that 6th one relates to this, much will be the same I guess, but the music developed, and some of the fast tempi here I remember having taken a bit more relaxed. Don't worry about Bach: he'll be always on the foreground, with Beethoven (and Mozart). And from time to time other composers as well. Working now on the full recording of WTC 1 after which I'll be rerecording it again for the same reason as the partitas. Looking forward to reading you more!
Dear Mr. Winters: Many thanks! A wonderful discovery for me. I never expected your instrument to be so...well "convincing" (for lack of a better word, I am just a music lover). Best regards.
Thank you so much, Alfred so happy to read this. One of the major "problems" with clavichords is, that, despite of its simple appearance, it is one of the most difficult instruments to built and the result is often not as one would expect an instrument to be for music of Bach or Mozart. That was also the case in the 18th c, the best clavichords were very expensive and really sought after. Mozart even tried to buy a Silbermann at the end of his life (in vain). Thanks for listening ! best wishes, Wim
I hated this partita before, many pianist played it way too fast and I didn't feel counterpoint, and I saw Glenn Gould playing at this tempo and i fell in love with this piece. Everything is subjective, I know, but this rendition is by no means ugly or boring, I love it. Thank you !
I'm wondering if the Gigue movement should actually be played with the 8th notes "swung" to give the rhythm more of a triplet feel common to the gigue dance. I've tried it that way on the piano and it feels right to me.
Yes, there is some debate on whether this Gigue should be played ternary or binary. I prefer ternary. Search the web for The Baffling Binary Gigue. Good example of ternary is ruclips.net/video/x4wxg27PHC0/видео.html
Well before this my favorite recording of this piece was by James Weaver from the Smithsonian, but I think this one might be the new favorite, and I've listened to many.
Thank you for the kind words! In return, here are the complete partitas that I recorded for YT a few years ago: ruclips.net/video/gE-0Ux1PYiU/видео.html :) This winter, I'll be releasing a new recording of the Partitas!
Thanks for your latest offering, Wim. Always a pleasure to hear you play. A random technical question, but with regard to touch does the clavichord ever call for the use of over legato, as often used on the harpsichord?
Hi Chris, and thank you for your nice words! Yes, it is the same, I am not thinking on that, doing it fully by ear. I could address this in a Q&A, it's an interesting topic!
Best performance of this partita that I've ever heard. That sarabande is heavenly. I would be interested in your views on the controversial gigue; should it be played as written on changed into a triple rythm or maybe something in-between? The way you play it sounds perfect, but I'm sure if you played it with triplets it would also sound perfect?
Thank you so much for the wonderful words, it so nice to read that this platforms indeed is able to share moments of beauty! And that sarabande... as the others... To be open on the gigue: I was playing that for a while like that before I crossed some topics about the fact there would be two ways to play this. That sounds weird, I know, but it is how I operate, I do like to read original sources, from time to time very intense, but I'm far from the one who is keeping up with all there is published around this music (I should though...). Anyway: I even did not know (now I'm very open :-) ) which version I actually played, so I learned that I was at the 'as written-side'. I am 'tripletting' e.g. the dotted ritme in the courante of the first partita and some other movements, but not here. One of the reasons I would stick to this is the fact that the clavichord is capable of giving that 16th such a power rapidity that it enhances the affect of this piece much. On a harpsichord that doesn't work the same, since the 'machinery' needs more time to produce tone. The directness of a good clavichord ties unbelievably well into this music. Hope that gives you some insight in my process here . best wishes, Wim
I would very much like to know your opinion on the triple time theory on how the gigue should be played. Let me state outright that I consider it utter nonsense: comparing the two versions of it we notice that Bach made changes that rendered the rhythmic patterns more complex in the published version - it would be absolute nonsense to do it if it were to be played as some harpsichordists do it (reducing the rhythmic irregularities to simple triplets). Also, the Anna-Magdalena version is squarely quadruple time. But I would dearly like to know your opinion.
I will, thank you for suggesting. The clavichord (as far has been researched) is an instrument firmly linked to the German areas, but in our times, some crossovers, at least try outs, won't hurt anybody! I let you know.
Thank you for considering it. I did not know that it was uncommon to use a clavichord in France; the gravity of the French style would seem such a good fit for it. I would imagine some Rameau, some Marchand, could sound very interesting on your instrument. While you are at it, you could try Spanish keyboard music, Antonio de Cabezon, for example.
Spain knew the clavichord, but in Cabezon's time that was a fretted instrument, and the difference with a larger unfretted one like me is really big (generally speaking). I plan since long to do a Q&A on this, demonstrating that this old music on my clavichord sounds , well.. hard to say how. But some French music must be possible, not all, it would be good as well do demonstrate that.
I always think when I watch your performance videos. You always conduct yourself with your free side hand, don't you? That behavior looks so interesting and curious.
This is a bit unrelated, but have you heard the music of Leopold Kozeluch? It's really great stuff, I don't know if you've thought about recording it or not. Some of his sonatas equal Mozart's in my opinion.
Hi John, yes, I actually have one sonata by Kozeluch on the list for recording, but it never 'hits' the list because of other music. It sounds really good on my clavichord!
What Sebastian? forgot to tell you(he does looks like me, a little)is that classical music have no vocal in it so it have to make it up and so the "emotion/psychology" pieces or whatever the hell they called it: part, song, cant, prelude. It is not so bad for some of these pieces, could be "VeChai" for modern usage as it copyright have expired? Yes, make it and donate $ to classical music school, somewhere in the neck of the woods of medieval Europe. Some faraway fairy land.
To any listener not interested in virtuoso display mechanistic rendering of Bach's wonders, this approach will always comes as a breath of fresh air. For that I have to say thank you so much.
This is how Bach should be played and listen to....you have to concentrate on each note and each phase .....intimate and profound ...bravo.
Thank you
Subtle, nuanced, thoughtful: the antipodes of Bach-grinders who race through his works as if they were Czerny exercises. Even Glenn Gould is usually guilty of being a Bach-grinder, unless he is really interested in the music, in which case he can even be too slow! Congratulations to Wim Winters on his absolutely convincing interpretation.
Thank you Lee!
Totally agree!!
You can listen on Glenn Gould's commentary of his last ever recording (the digital recording of the Goldberg Variations) he admitted that he was a speed demon when he was younger. Even then I notice he plays the WTK Prelude in C minor much slower than most.
I realize Im kinda randomly asking but do anyone know of a good website to stream new tv shows online ?
@Dallas Chandler flixportal :P
0:07 Toccata / 8:30 Allemande / 11:50 Courante / 15:44 Air
17:39 Sarabande / 24:15 Gavotte / 26:18 Gigue
I find this a great company for my home office job. I live with my dog and even though he is a very smart German Shepherd, he doesn't provide much in the musical department.
I love all your movements' interpretation, but at the Sarabande I've almost cried. Too much beauty...
On a Wim & a prayer! Super stuff.
Sie spielen so schön! Und dieses Instrument hört man auch nicht alle Tage. Thank you for sharing!
Vielen Dank !! It was different in the 18th century in the German areas, there you would have "heard" the clavichord in every street.
Wonderful! I loved the unrushed, delicately articulated, sensitivity of your rendition of this. So many keyboardists wants to play Bach as ridiculously fast as Glenn Gould without any sensitivity or musicality. This is true and authentic.
Such a beautiful and soulful rendition! I’ve come back so many times. I’m beginning to get addicted to the clavichord sound. Would love these recordings on a streaming service. Also, I personally love the Glenn Gould interpretation too, I just noticed a lot of Glenn hate in the comments. To each their own I suppose.
Wish there were more clavichord recordings on bach pieces…
Very pleasant to listen and look at your finger movement. How free and elegant!
Wow! One of the best versions I have ever heard. I definitely do feel Bach did intend this piece for clavichord now. Bravo!
Thank you so much !!
w.
Almost every Sunday I listen to you play the harpsichord. Johann Sebastian Bach is only a Harpsichord. This is his philosophy.
Absolutely magnificent!
This partita sounded perfectly on Clavichord! More than Harpsichords and Pianos.
Thank Ian !!
best wishes,
Wim
This clavichord sounds so beautifully rich - superb.
Thank you!
Really beautifully performed and recorded. I particularly like the acoustics/reverb on this recording. Feels ethereal
Thank you David, you have good ears! I adjusted one microphone slightly and ... it was recorded on tape first. That changes (opens) the whole stereo-image in a way you only can believe after hearing it!
Thank you so much for playing this so beautifully and putting it here on RUclips for people to listen. Like many works of Bach, I have listened to this Partita many times, and you know, after a while, there comes a sad time that your brain gets so used to it that you don't "get high" on it anymore. But the way you play this, with the rhythm and the articulations so precise (perhaps somewhat exagerated), it feels like discovering a completely new piece by Bach. I particularly appreciate the Gavotte. Thanks again!
Thanks ! the partitas (a new recording) will be released in December!
How is it going to be published?
on cd and flac certainly, Vinyl as well as the Pachelbel, but we're still thinking on how to prefinance that production (4 discs!)
'Very difficult to play like this and hold it all together. Well done!
So beautiful! Thank you for sharing!☀️🌻
Thank you too
You put so much emotion into this one work! I think this shows just how great Bach truly was! Great job!
thanks Dylan
Exactly what I was looking for, such a moving music😉
Stunning!
Thank you! 😊
What a window this opens on this historic instrument, particularly for those of us who might otherwise not be able to experience it.
Thank you
One of my favorite pieces of Bach ! Beautifully done !!
Most beautifully played. Thank you so much
Caro Wim, complimenti per l'eccellente e profonda interpretazione, ma, soprattutto, per l'idea di valorizzare in modo così sensibile il clavicordo. Ad meliora!
Many thanks to You for bringing such deep experience to us. I did enjoy it a lot and learned much along the way. Bravi
Can't wait for the vinyl release.
Great to read! Pachelbel Hexachordum is the first album to come out early June, it will be send to the pressing plant Monday! Partitas will be ready August 1st , Mozart Munchen sonatas Christmas.
i stumbled upon your channel some 10 days ago. Always having had a special liking for the clavichord, your channel and all the comments and info serve as a magnificent connection of ancient music with modern, yet intimate means of music communication. I play a guitar like instrument, i dubbed Norpharion which has roughly the same range as a clavichord and i can't agree more with the philosophy of playing as a modern musician, in our times, but as informed as possible, then let our instrument teach us their ways, shortcomings and strengths. Hoe u goed gezagt hebt, leben om Bach zo spelen, een heel goed Leben is!
Thank you so much Ricardo and great to have you here!
such a description! You've earned a new viewer. Im so amazed by your work and dedication.
Thank you!
Very nice playing, thx for uploading!
This week I gained exposure to the lute, the lyre, and now this. This is a new instrument to me
Beautiful! Thanks for posting!
And thank you for listening, really glad you like it !
Changed my mind about the clavichord
Hier kann man auschaulich wie selten die Struckturen der einzelnen Sätze nachfollziehn. Besonders faszinirend ist, wie die Themaneb zwischen rechter und linker Hand werchseln.
Amazing playing. Great sound!
Bach's soul!! That's it!!!
Dear Wim, chapeau. Great step to complete all the partitas! Good luck with partitas 2.0 - I am strongly looking forward to them! Best, Jan
Thanks Jan !
WOOOOOW!!!! FELICIDADES!!!
I've now listened several times to your recordings of the six Partitas, with wonder and awe. It takes a little time to get used to the wavering pitch of a clavichord on the higher notes as the string is stretched and relaxed, but after that it wins against piano and even harpsichord in the great clarity of the sound, so that the listener can fully appreciate Bach's marvellous writing for the left hand, unmatched by any other composer.
Your analytical playing goes to the heart of the music in all of the Partitas, but you must have recorded this one on a very wild day, as you really go for it and this is the only one of the set where the total length is the same as anyone else's recording instead of five minutes longer. The Courante is especially carefree.
I appreciate your reasons for playing the Gigue in the traditional as-written style, but if you ever felt like making a separate recording of it in the French-influenced triplet rhythm, it would be very interesting as a comparison. It seems quite possible that Bach meant it to be played thus, since the Partitas are strongly French-influenced and it seems strange to have a Gigue that is not in triple time. Maybe he wrote it down as he did because he was old and impatient and it was simpler to write that way, and he expected the performer to undertand what he meant.
Lastly, I really hope that when you have finished your excursion into Beethoven you will come back to Bach and record the five other English Suites and the French Suites.
Thank you very much for all your splendid work, which has given great pleasure.
Thank you so much for the so nice words you've sent me! The great thing here on YOuTube is, I can easily make another recording, another option, another day. I did rerecord all the six partitas last year for release in 2018 on CD/vinyl, and honestly, I do not know how that 6th one relates to this, much will be the same I guess, but the music developed, and some of the fast tempi here I remember having taken a bit more relaxed. Don't worry about Bach: he'll be always on the foreground, with Beethoven (and Mozart). And from time to time other composers as well. Working now on the full recording of WTC 1 after which I'll be rerecording it again for the same reason as the partitas. Looking forward to reading you more!
I much look forward to hearing your recording of WTC 1 (and indeed 2 when you feel like it).
Great interpretation
Dear Mr. Winters: Many thanks! A wonderful discovery for me. I never expected your instrument to be so...well "convincing" (for lack of a better word, I am just a music lover). Best regards.
Thank you so much, Alfred so happy to read this. One of the major "problems" with clavichords is, that, despite of its simple appearance, it is one of the most difficult instruments to built and the result is often not as one would expect an instrument to be for music of Bach or Mozart. That was also the case in the 18th c, the best clavichords were very expensive and really sought after. Mozart even tried to buy a Silbermann at the end of his life (in vain). Thanks for listening !
best wishes,
Wim
Wonderful performance 🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
So beautiful ly ! Thans Wim !
Dank je Rita!
legal
you are amazing!
SIMPLY AMAZING!❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you!
Love this!
Special moment. The recording was live on youtube. I think the result is beautiful.
thanks to you... as always!
Thanks!
Thank you!
My favorite of all time, thank you!
Thank you too!
This sound is great! I listen to it aways I can.
Great to know Ian, and nice to read you again !
Thank YOU my friend. I am now officially in the Piano School in USP - São Paulo University (Universidade de São Paulo)! :-)
GREAT
I hated this partita before, many pianist played it way too fast and I didn't feel counterpoint, and I saw Glenn Gould playing at this tempo and i fell in love with this piece. Everything is subjective, I know, but this rendition is by no means ugly or boring, I love it. Thank you !
I'm wondering if the Gigue movement should actually be played with the 8th notes "swung" to give the rhythm more of a triplet feel common to the gigue dance. I've tried it that way on the piano and it feels right to me.
Yes, there is some debate on whether this Gigue should be played ternary or binary. I prefer ternary. Search the web for The Baffling Binary Gigue. Good example of ternary is
ruclips.net/video/x4wxg27PHC0/видео.html
schöne Musik
Bravo!!
Nice to see you read the comments. Love your interpretation; absolutely better than Gould's interpretation (not that Gould's was any good).
Thanks! I try to keep up with all comments, and at least give a little 'heart' or thumbs up.
Well before this my favorite recording of this piece was by James Weaver from the Smithsonian, but I think this one might be the new favorite, and I've listened to many.
that is a hell of a compliment :-)
A most rewarding 33:36. Totally captivating. Many many thanks and keep it up!
Thank you for the kind words! In return, here are the complete partitas that I recorded for YT a few years ago: ruclips.net/video/gE-0Ux1PYiU/видео.html :)
This winter, I'll be releasing a new recording of the Partitas!
Thanks for your latest offering, Wim. Always a pleasure to hear you play. A random technical question, but with regard to touch does the clavichord ever call for the use of over legato, as often used on the harpsichord?
Hi Chris, and thank you for your nice words! Yes, it is the same, I am not thinking on that, doing it fully by ear. I could address this in a Q&A, it's an interesting topic!
Beautiful.
Best performance of this partita that I've ever heard. That sarabande is heavenly.
I would be interested in your views on the controversial gigue; should it be played as written on changed into a triple rythm or maybe something in-between? The way you play it sounds perfect, but I'm sure if you played it with triplets it would also sound perfect?
Thank you so much for the wonderful words, it so nice to read that this platforms indeed is able to share moments of beauty!
And that sarabande... as the others...
To be open on the gigue: I was playing that for a while like that before I crossed some topics about the fact there would be two ways to play this. That sounds weird, I know, but it is how I operate, I do like to read original sources, from time to time very intense, but I'm far from the one who is keeping up with all there is published around this music (I should though...). Anyway: I even did not know (now I'm very open :-) ) which version I actually played, so I learned that I was at the 'as written-side'. I am 'tripletting' e.g. the dotted ritme in the courante of the first partita and some other movements, but not here. One of the reasons I would stick to this is the fact that the clavichord is capable of giving that 16th such a power rapidity that it enhances the affect of this piece much. On a harpsichord that doesn't work the same, since the 'machinery' needs more time to produce tone. The directness of a good clavichord ties unbelievably well into this music. Hope that gives you some insight in my process here .
best wishes,
Wim
Love your Bach. Nothing more to say. I'm also fan of first tape (analog) the digital. The acoustics are so much better!
Thanks! O yes, that is such a difference... I know today 99% is first digital, but it is worth the challenge for me.
I would very much like to know your opinion on the triple time theory on how the gigue should be played. Let me state outright that I consider it utter nonsense: comparing the two versions of it we notice that Bach made changes that rendered the rhythmic patterns more complex in the published version - it would be absolute nonsense to do it if it were to be played as some harpsichordists do it (reducing the rhythmic irregularities to simple triplets). Also, the Anna-Magdalena version is squarely quadruple time. But I would dearly like to know your opinion.
MAESTRO
thanks !
Sounds great, congrats. To which temperament is your clavichord tuned?
Thank you! Werckmeister 1707, you'll fine a playlist on my channel with videos on tuning the clavichord in case you'd love to see the details
@@AuthenticSound Thank you as well! Keep up the good work and regards.
@@AuthenticSound Fantastic. Thank you!
I would really enjoy hearing some Francois Couperin with this sound set up (La Tenebreuse, La Superbe). Please do consider it.
I will, thank you for suggesting. The clavichord (as far has been researched) is an instrument firmly linked to the German areas, but in our times, some crossovers, at least try outs, won't hurt anybody! I let you know.
Thank you for considering it. I did not know that it was uncommon to use a clavichord in France; the gravity of the French style would seem such a good fit for it. I would imagine some Rameau, some Marchand, could sound very interesting on your instrument. While you are at it, you could try Spanish keyboard music, Antonio de Cabezon, for example.
Spain knew the clavichord, but in Cabezon's time that was a fretted instrument, and the difference with a larger unfretted one like me is really big (generally speaking). I plan since long to do a Q&A on this, demonstrating that this old music on my clavichord sounds , well.. hard to say how. But some French music must be possible, not all, it would be good as well do demonstrate that.
great
thank you!
great performed Really like old times
thank you so much!
Dear Wim, I'd like to know why performers play the first bars as arpeggiated chords (sustaining the notes), when it's written as melodic chords.
it was an 18th century keyboard practice, you can do it ... or not!
I always think when I watch your performance videos.
You always conduct yourself with your free side hand, don't you?
That behavior looks so interesting and curious.
Hello, can you tell us more about your clavichord? It's far better than others, who made it?
Hi Rita, it is built by the Belgian builder Joris Potvlieghe, you'll find him easy on internet.
This is a bit unrelated, but have you heard the music of Leopold Kozeluch? It's really great stuff, I don't know if you've thought about recording it or not. Some of his sonatas equal Mozart's in my opinion.
Hi John, yes, I actually have one sonata by Kozeluch on the list for recording, but it never 'hits' the list because of other music. It sounds really good on my clavichord!
Wim, Do you speak French?
I understand it very well, speaking is harder since I don't have lot of practice
Yall know if Dumpson play these early keyboards?
What is your clavichord tuned to ?
ca 404-408
Weird rhythm in the Gigue. There is a reason it uses the tempus perfectum marking.
thank you for the recording Wim! You're welcome!! (just restoring some normalcy here 🌹)
@@AuthenticSound You're right I forgot.
What Sebastian? forgot to tell you(he does looks like me, a little)is that classical music have no vocal in it so it have to make it up and so the "emotion/psychology" pieces or whatever the hell they called it: part, song, cant, prelude. It is not so bad for some of these pieces, could be "VeChai" for modern usage as it copyright have expired? Yes, make it and donate $ to classical music school, somewhere in the neck of the woods of medieval Europe. Some faraway fairy land.