Rock & Bach

Vladimir Ashkenazy announced his retirement from live performance earlier this year citing arthritis; he’ll continue to conduct and make recordings. In an interview he said that the one regret he has about his performing career is that he never got the chance to play the Liszt sonata - his hands are too small.

If that’s the case I really don’t know how he manages the horribly awkward stretches in this etude. I’m learning this piece right now and I like it because it makes no bones about its reason for being: it says plainly: yes, I’m a technical study on arpeggios, that’s why I exist; but I can offer you these gorgeous iridescent harmonies to keep you from getting bored or discouraged. Now practice!

Bach was a very religious man and dedicated every note he wrote to the glory of God. Somehow Bach’s music has developed a reputation for being cerebral and recondite, when actually it’s very accessible and completely shot through with emotion. The chaconne from the D minor violin partita is one of my favorite pieces. The chaconne is a slow dance with a repeating bass harmony that’s implied but never actually stated - it’s a bit like a theme and variations with the theme being the harmony. The cascade of double stops at the end of the major section (about 13 seconds into the second video) I think is one of the most beautiful passages in all of music. My favorite recording of this piece is actually the one Hilary Hahn made when she was 17(!) but Milstein is certainly no slouch himself.

My goodness the Janacek Piano Sonata is really something else. Whenever I come across something this great for the first time I really hate myself for being so lazy about seeking out unfamiliar music.

Jonathan Biss plays Janacek on Performance Today

The Janacek starts around 17 minutes, but if you listen all the way through he also plays two movements of the Pathetique (as a kid I used to cry bucketfuls over the slow movement) and there’s some interesting discussion in there also.