It's absolutely amazing to see his style of playing become more emotional throughout learning how to put real feeling into it. Like his movement with the music and all, it's so beautiful to see! I have never seen someone teach how to feel playing the music as well as Mr. Zander. Thanks so much for these videos, this is what youtube is for!
@Cold German Beer I think what he does is giving context (often it's bringing some history of the composer, the piece or the background) and giving vision (when a musician doesn't have a full picture of the piece and the audience even doesn't know the piece, doesn't know what is expected, what is good and what is bad - it's dull, but when he shows a path everybody is amused following the performer on this path). And those two are flaws of modern day classical music performing and listening practice (better say: today's format and background (which is none)). In 18th and 19th century the context and background was perfectly known (everybody understood at the time in Vienna what does "Grande Sonate Pathetique" (in French!) mean and now you need to give a 1-hour lecture to briefly describe it) and the audience knew what is expected - in those times a very short (comparatively to nowadays) span of music was played - it's unheard of when you can have Bach, Haydn, Schubert, Chopin and Rachmaninoff in one concerto. What Zander does is essentially lecture-concert and I'm perfectly fine with it.
To many words, not enough structure. He can do it better, I saw it. It is a matter of concentration. First point is, what are we aiming at? It is the audience. He knows it.@Cold German Beer
This is quite the piece to do an interpretation class for. That first chord could be one whole class. This is beautiful. This is why I'm proud of being a classical musician.
"Don't take yourself so seriously," is such great advice for a young musician. If they can manage that they will free themselves up to start really understanding the music and being able to touch an audience.
I do think that he got it spot on. This is a classic Baroque toccata or fantasia, with the intervening notes acting as bridges, or sort of like strings of lights, connecting the main architectural chords. Alex was doing a beautiful rendition of a piece by Brahms, emphasizing long melodic lines. This might be a peculiarly American thing- Sir Raymond Leppard once said, in response to a Elgar run-through: “You Yanks play everything like its bloody Brahms”. The architecture of the piece began to really shine through. And BZ is excellent at presenting ideas in a compelling way.
I skipped the playing, cus all i heard was a classical violin playing notes. But this teacher is really interesting to listen to... tough it is to some degree a basic or childish approach, it's a very healthy way to look at the music. So many today either doesn't have the knowledge to understand the music and it's harmony, or doesn't understand enough to appreciate it. His appreciation for the music is motivating, but also takes away overthinking, which in most cases makes us play better in my opinion
where is now the "cosmic pulse of bach"? the chords are the base, but also the small notes have a tempo and are part of the poliphony. The manuscript is perfectly organised, not just "full of improvised notes". Its first lesson that I can disapoint in some things
I agree but I think that in this situation mr Zander wanted to put some perspective and clearance in this boy, who didn’t really know how to phrase the piece
Disagree, baroque music is always very improvisatory especially in this sort of writing for solo instrument with chords as pillars. The notes in between are Bach’s improvisation which should never be metronomic imo
Everybody uses a bit of vibrato in Bach.. even the most important world class soloists (see Hilary Hahn, Perlman, Heifetz..). Could you tell me an interpreter who doesn’t use vibrato? I don’t find any..
It's absolutely amazing to see his style of playing become more emotional throughout learning how to put real feeling into it. Like his movement with the music and all, it's so beautiful to see! I have never seen someone teach how to feel playing the music as well as Mr. Zander. Thanks so much for these videos, this is what youtube is for!
@Cold German Beer I think what he does is giving context (often it's bringing some history of the composer, the piece or the background) and giving vision (when a musician doesn't have a full picture of the piece and the audience even doesn't know the piece, doesn't know what is expected, what is good and what is bad - it's dull, but when he shows a path everybody is amused following the performer on this path). And those two are flaws of modern day classical music performing and listening practice (better say: today's format and background (which is none)). In 18th and 19th century the context and background was perfectly known (everybody understood at the time in Vienna what does "Grande Sonate Pathetique" (in French!) mean and now you need to give a 1-hour lecture to briefly describe it) and the audience knew what is expected - in those times a very short (comparatively to nowadays) span of music was played - it's unheard of when you can have Bach, Haydn, Schubert, Chopin and Rachmaninoff in one concerto.
What Zander does is essentially lecture-concert and I'm perfectly fine with it.
To many words, not enough structure. He can do it better, I saw it. It is a matter of concentration. First point is, what are we aiming at? It is the audience. He knows it.@Cold German Beer
This is quite the piece to do an interpretation class for. That first chord could be one whole class. This is beautiful. This is why I'm proud of being a classical musician.
Eyy! Alex is back!
He looks like H.Hahn
Damn
🤣🤣🤣😭😭
😆😆😆😆😆
Lol
"Don't take yourself so seriously," is such great advice for a young musician. If they can manage that they will free themselves up to start really understanding the music and being able to touch an audience.
Absolutely love these interpretation classes. Ben is just magnificent. Thank you for posting 😊
4:49 that dudes face though xD
I do think that he got it spot on.
This is a classic Baroque toccata or fantasia, with the intervening notes acting as bridges, or sort of like strings of lights, connecting the main architectural chords.
Alex was doing a beautiful rendition of a piece by Brahms, emphasizing long melodic lines.
This might be a peculiarly American thing- Sir Raymond Leppard once said, in response to a Elgar run-through: “You Yanks play everything like its bloody Brahms”.
The architecture of the piece began to really shine through.
And BZ is excellent at presenting ideas in a compelling way.
High school?!? OMD... Marvellous.
Number of J.S.Bach children, according to Benjamin Zander: I've heard variously twenty, twenty-one and twenty-three. I love it!
I skipped the playing, cus all i heard was a classical violin playing notes. But this teacher is really interesting to listen to... tough it is to some degree a basic or childish approach, it's a very healthy way to look at the music. So many today either doesn't have the knowledge to understand the music and it's harmony, or doesn't understand enough to appreciate it. His appreciation for the music is motivating, but also takes away overthinking, which in most cases makes us play better in my opinion
Mr. Zander, you nailed it! Wonderful teacher, so inspirational! But this guy is soo young and it don´t think he really understands what you mean.
Zander is my teacher platónico
Very illuminating way in understanding Bach. Beautiful and inspiring!
where is now the "cosmic pulse of bach"? the chords are the base, but also the small notes have a tempo and are part of the poliphony. The manuscript is perfectly organised, not just "full of improvised notes". Its first lesson that I can disapoint in some things
I agree but I think that in this situation mr Zander wanted to put some perspective and clearance in this boy, who didn’t really know how to phrase the piece
Disagree, baroque music is always very improvisatory especially in this sort of writing for solo instrument with chords as pillars. The notes in between are Bach’s improvisation which should never be metronomic imo
Only me though I was Hilary Hahn ? Najajaja
Alex needs a girlfriend
Brockton symphony throwback, keep up that amazing work Alex
un son magique,le sens de Bach à son plus haut niveau,admiration
Oh Zander.
Vibrato on bach! Blasphemy!
Nothing wrong with vibrato if it's not overdone. Contemporary norms adding to preexisting pieces does indeed bring out more to the music itself.
Everybody uses a bit of vibrato in Bach.. even the most important world class soloists (see Hilary Hahn, Perlman, Heifetz..). Could you tell me an interpreter who doesn’t use vibrato? I don’t find any..
It is not overdone. Bach would approve I think.