Hi to everyone!

Here it comes: Bach Toccata E minor BWV 914. E-minor Toccata is one of the three (c-minor, e-minor, G-major) most popular and most performed Toccatas´.
Have a nice time while listening & of course, welcome to make the comments.

Leonald


J.S.Bach_ Toccata_e-moll_BWV914

Okay, I know I'm going to get the "evil eye" for saying this (probably be called nasty names too) but I don't know any of these toccatas. (I'm only admitting this because nobody knows where I live)
I listened to this, which sounds like three separate pieces, and couldn't hear anything bad and you play with enthusiasm and passion so to me this sounded very good.

By the way, you sure travel a lot. I visited your website.

Don't listen to pianolady - she does not like Bach

I must admit to only knowing the last two Toccatas, which I think are great and struggle with intermittently (these are amazingly difficult even for Bach).

These Toccates are more in the old German style of keyboard playing and reminiscent of Handel's suites (something else you would be great at Leonald !) and do not show the full mature Bach. I am not convinced of the improvisatory parts (I never like Bach much when he freewheels or improvises). The 4-voice fugue is great though. The concluding 3-voice fugue is not the best Bach and actually sounds like it could be spurious (which it probably isn't).

Nothing to bitch about your playing. It is extremely good as usual. I like your energetic playing of the 3-voice which lifts it above its meagre musical content. I will put this up the site asap.

Are there more Toccatas to come ?

Excellent. This is my big Bach piece ( need more I know) and I enjoyed your interpretation, your phrasing is excellent, elastic so that the music breathes. You play some rythyms in the fugue dotted, guess you have a different edition (I use Henle) and a note in the 4 vox fugue you play g natural, I play g#, but we all know about me and accidentals...

I like more variety of tone color in my piano Bach but that's just my personal preference. Your articulation is very clean and precise and differentiates the phrases that way, which is more Bachian than using dynamics, which were limited for Bach's keyboard music. I particularly enjoyed the 3rd mvt., it's very difficult to play on the piano and you did it great! Think I'll go listen to your d minor Toccata, that one's not played so much.

Thanks for all the comments. There will be no toccatas following. I still plan Toccata G-major, but this will be left for spring. The work on these pieces was very interesting for me. Playing Bach is very developing both technically and musically-logically. I hope the piano teacher of pianolady will definitely ask her to play Bach!

Yes I hope so too
No musical education is complete without Bach.

Once you no longer have a teacher, playing Bach is the best teacher that one can have.