András Schiff Plays Bach: Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903

Pianist András Schiff continues his remarkable Bach year with a visit to The Greene Space.

In what promises to be a brilliant and profound exploration of a composer who has long been central to Schiff's artistry, the pianist performed music by Bach and others, demonstrating the originality and impact of this singular creative genius. Expect a riveting mixture of analysis, passion and wit. Hosted by WQXR's Jeff Spurgeon.

Executive Producer: Indira Etwaroo
Video Producer: David Mc Lean
Production Managers: Ricardo Fernandez - Nikki Johnson
Live Event Producer: Jennifer Sendrow
Video Engineer: Marika Hacking
Audio Engineer: Chase Culpon - Gaines Legare

[coolmuso]

Please, for those of you complaining that his rhythm's not good and his use of 'rubato' please remember this is a FANTASY - something associated with freedom and having no exact form. This whole cliché about Baroque music always being in a dead strict tempo where the metronome is always ticking annoys me a lot. Metronome's don't make music!

[amiralibozorgpour]

I can feel Bach's presence in the room watching Schiff and saying: "finally someone got it right!"

[nicholasrees]

Bach - the greatest miracle in all music!

[Ultrazone]

The voicing in the fugue! What a miracle! A true master, as always.

[pavelham]

It is a pleasure to watch Mr. Schiff's economy of motion and quiet passion. He brings us Bach in all his majesty... 

[AndrewRudin]

How is is possible that BACH manages in his music to sum up virtually all that went before him, and.... in a piece like this... look all the way to our time? As a composer contemplating such imagination and fertility of invention, it just sort of makes you feel like.... why even try? Astonishing. AS IS THIS PERFORMANCE. Fabulous. Can you believe there are 45 "thumbs down" on this? And complaining about lack of pulse in a Fantasia is absurd.

[Schrodinger_]

This song has a romantic era feel to it. And it was written two eras before the romantic era.

[kilroy]

The most amazing piece of music ever . Nobody ever came close to Bach .

[davidhertzberg]

I've always regarded Mr. Schiff as one of the premier exponents of Bach's music. I think that this performance is testimony to same.

[casualcadaver]

Bach touched on things that wouldn't be common and explored untill like a hundred years after he died. If someone told me this was a piece from 1845 I would believe it.

[merlindavids]

The most realistic Fantasy a I've ever heard. Clear as hell. Great exercise of playing without pedal Maestro Schiff!

[akbarkazimakis]

Bach is timeless! The reason we play his music is because it’s just so good and it will always be!

[Altair]

What always amazed me about Schiff's playing is how his hands seems to glide across the keyboard so effortlessly. For me personally, my hands always feel so clumsy. I don't know how he's reached such a superb level of mastery and comfort in playing, but I hope one day to get even mildly close to that level of skill

[geigenatelierbrusch]

Wunderbar, wie entspannt er sich im mittleren bis unterem dynamischen Bereich er sich bewegt. Nicht aufdringlich zum Zuhören zwingend, sondern einladend.

[mayday]

The more you listen to Bach, the more interesting he becomes.

[altareggo]

WHOA!!! Where has this insanely imaginative piece been all my life???? Been listening to Bach for the past 50+ years but this one has simply never popped up in front of me before now. FANTASTIC stuff - and the piano player is pretty cool too, lol!! THANKS for putting this on YouTube!!!!

[timotot]

What a masterpiece! Bach was such an incredible composer and only in recent years have i truly began to appreciate his extraordinary works

[raphtx]

Probably the best piano interpretation of this piece I have heard over the years, Maestro Schiff never disappoints.
... even though, also over the years, I have come to view this piece as one of the very few pieces by Bach that actually sound better on a harpsichord than on a piano. As much as I appreciate Schiff's work here, he did not change my mind :)

[johannsebastianbach]

I like the way Mr. Schiff interpreted the arpeggios in the fantasia part. Well played !

[viserius]

00:00 - первый раздел Фантазии;
1:24 - 2 раздел Фантазии;
5:01 - кода Фантазии;
5:57 - Тема Фуги.