14/07/2016

Relating analysis and interpretation in Bach's trio sonata in d minor (1) - new possibilities

Next year I'll have a very interesting new mission at Codarts (Rotterdam Conservatoire): to gap the bridge between the regular courses of analysis that each student has to follow and interpretation (all instruments). We'll start with Bach —as a pivot of Western classical music— and continue with among other things contemporary music. "Blended learning" with the help of digital tools will be a keyword in this innovative process, also as a possible link to MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses already offered by top universities).

The following video (trio sonata BWV 527, third movement, third section) is my first try. I'm not yet satisfied with it because the annotated score is hard to read, in particular on small screens. On this blog that is compensated by a inserting a picture of the score, but there should be a better way of including it in the video itself. As the process is interactive by nature, I appreciate good suggestions on the issue.

The video mentions fluctuations in tempo without loosing the typical steady pulse of baroque music. Of course, I might have used the terms accelerando and ritenuto, but that is exactly what I want to avoid, because it makes it look like 19th century-based editions of Bach. If you are interested in this you can find more information on J.S. Bach played by Willem Tanke/A Different Kind of Authenticity