My Favorite Youtube Video...Ever
Spoiler: It's Bach's Chaconne, but not for solo violin!
Well, here we are. Happy 2024 my lovely readers. I hope we’ve all had a solid and wonderful start to the year. Fingers crossed that this year will be our collective year, right? I feel like we’ve been saying that since 2020, and we know how that went 0_0…
I figured today would be on the short and sweet side. I’m currently hellishly busy teaching, and slowly and surely studying and preparing for my comprehensive exams in February. Oh, and practicing whenever I can in addition to kind of writing my big bad paper. There are some personal things coming up that are keeping my brain running at high capacity, thinking about things that really shouldn’t be priority. Hence, today will be about something I truly cherish, and find myself returning to quite often. It is Bach, and it is the Chaconne. (in case you’d like to skip my thoughts, which is valid, scroll down and listen to my fav version of the chaconne. still worth every second of your time).
Now, for those of us who have no idea what I’m talking about, the Chaconne is considered one of Bach’s masterpieces, written for solo violin, sweetly nuzzled in as the final movement of Partita No. 2, BWV 1004. The entire partita is phenomenal, but the chaconne has become a standout, stand-alone work that is one of his most well known compositions…ever. Many people have made transcriptions for other instruments, such as cello, viola, flute, organ, piano, and so on. It’s that kind of piece that everyone wants for their instrument. Just and FYI, I won’t link any violin recordings, mostly because if you sneeze in one direction of youtube, you’re bound to hit a myriad of recordings, so I’m sure you’ll find a recording to your liking.
Now, I won’t bore you with historical facts, structural nuances, or the significance of the piece. What I will say is this: my favorite recording of this piece is not for solo violin, but string trio, specifically two violins and cello. There, I said it. Don’t come at me, especially after you take a listen to it. The reason why I love this recording so much is that it reveals and clarifies many voices in the chaconne. Bach was a master composer when it came to polyphony (many voices) and boxing it up to one instrument. For solo violin, one can hear the implied lines, and voices. Hell, even for solo piano, one can hear the lines and ideas even clearer. BUT, for three string instruments, you can hear it all. There’s no question, there is no debate. Now, what elevates this even more so is that it is a transcription done by Jeanne Lamon, former leader of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra in Canada. She knew, and I mean SHE KNEW what she was doing when she made her transcription, because it is bomb. Played beautifully on baroque instruments, the depth, clarity, resonance, lines, harmony, and dynamic contrast makes this recording superb. I remember the first I listened to the recording. I was mind blown. Literal perfection was the first thought that came into my mind after another five listens (maybe more honestly; at the writing of this post, I’ve probably listened to it more than a 100 times). For the discovery of the video, I have to thank Edward Li, a wonderful baroque violinist, recording engineer, and dear friend. I can’t recall why he shared it with me, but I’m glad he did. It made such a huge impact on me and my relationship with Bach (which I’m sure I’ll bring up at one point).
Of course, there are many ways to play Bach. Overly romantic, overly baroque, a hybrid, overtly stylized, completely barren, etc…I believe everyone can agree that the lines within Bach’s music do not lie, regardless of whether you use gut or steel, endpin or not. This video has it all, and exemplifies Bach’s genius. I’m wholly certain that if more Baroque music was recorded to this kind of caliber, the fandom would be many times larger than it is now. Anyways, that’s all I got. Here’s the video, linked below. Enjoy, share with friends, family, everyone. It really deserves so many more views. Let me know your thoughts. Always happy to discuss and politely argue, if need be. The next post may or may not be about chamber music, but I have yet to find the time to develop my thoughts in a succinct way that won’t make me sound like an ass. Or, it’ll be about another piece of music, or strings, or cellos…stay tuned, right? Either way, enjoy some Bach, masterfully played by Jeanne Lamon, Chloe Kim, and Christina Mahler.