Bach: Flute Sonata in E minor - Adagio ma non tanto (Benjamin Zander - Interpretation Class)

For more classes like this one, please visit the Benjamin Zander Center - www.benjaminza...
Hunter O'Brien, flute Amanda Chi, cello Tracy Tang, piano
Dave Jamrog Audio/Video
Recorded September 28, 2019 in Rabb Hall, Boston Public Library

[@basstian]

For a couple of years now, I've been happily addicted to these masterclasses. They're sublime!

[@helenpanshin5589]

"We all are in the learning process. Nobody knows what we should do, but we're having fun finding out." -Benjamin Zander

[@ronstarkronstark500]

I’ve been in and out of classical music all my life but listening Ben Zander teach is a treat par excellence. Brilliant.

[@gabrielleo4902]

Chanta

[@briananderson8428]

I remember listening to all 7 Bach Flute Sonatas with Elaine Shaffer as an 8-year-old. It changed my life. This is a quite different style, and this interpretation class is gorgeous.

[@PuffinEasy]

Zander: can you be in love with this cello? Me: YES!!!

[@ruzz6430]

Absolutely I could

[@poplife123]

That second flute sent shivers down my spine ...... Beautiful tone ...... Great masterclass ...

[@Jenifer.flute20]

The tuning was a little funky, but it was absolutely glorious.

[@banzobeans]

@@Jenifer.flute20🕺indeed

[@David-il9xw]

The music, sublime; the students, inspiring; the teacher, superlative. Bravi, bravi, bravissimi.

[@leonardniamh]

💗

[@ingridriedel9656]

I am fascinated with the way Mr. Zander accomplishes amazing transformations with his enthusiasm.

[@urshandschin5108]

Nice that Benjamin Zander points out to the flutist that he could and should LISTEN to the cello part!

[@mdandrews44]

Maestro Zander has an almost unique ability of constantly encouraging the young artists while he mentors them into a higher plain of musical understanding and performance. It's a delight to watch him at work.

Para tocar Bach precisamos quebrar o paradigma do metrônomo. Precisamos achar o ritmo orgânico da natureza e não das máquinas. Isso é liberdade.

[@nightingalehollow]

I am laughing my b*** off here. It is so funny but also inspiring! Thank you for this gem.

[@leonardniamh]

I love that you have music in your soul Benjamin

[@francesschaefer]

So wonderful~the cellist adapted SO WELL and adjusted--it's a shame though that these students get put on the spot: that is not an easy bass line to shape and approach, and she was SIGHT reading it~I play this on piano with a flautist I work with~and I was impressed at how well she adjusted. The young man has a lovely sound and is a great player. Felt a bit bad for the pianist, because she was left out of the conversation. As a pianist I appreciated her so much!! Great adjusting and being on film, on stage and B. Zander is lovely and great. Zander has a great sense of humor and is never NASTY the way these clinicians can be.

[@leonardniamh]

Agreed beautiful piano

[@fluteteatime]

i am currently practicing this piece and the insight from maestro...just so wonderfu!

[@kpunkt.klaviermusik]

It's always fascinating how different the pieces sound after Mr.Zanders suggestions. What an improvement in only 15 minutes! Practising 40 hours a day? Probably not the ultimate strategy ^^.

[@zaiderPhoenix23]

I love this piece so much

[@LuBre]

09:35 you can see the lady at the piano ready to leave the seat for the director. A huge sense of respect clearly fills the room.

[@albertmoore4445]

The second flute touches your consciousness where only a flute-family instrument can. It harkens back to ancient cultures, such as Native-American flutes or Indonesian bamboo flutes. Combining the sound of nature with Bach would could be wondrous.

[@lynnrixson1094]

Another amazing session ! Thank you 😁

[@leonardniamh]

What a lovely student & teacher

[@fluteteatime]

traverso sounds very fit baroque, as it should be, but the next flute (maybe schwedler flute?) made the piece romantic instantly...😆 great presentation❤

[@MrKraguevski]

BRAAAAVOOOOO BENJAMIN ! ! ! !

[@CarlosCampos-lp9io]

What a beautiful class…

[@Naucano]

If I might suggest something to Mr.Zander about music of this era, Bach, Telemann, Haendel I would suggest the idea of to play some notes, not all of them off course, "too late on time". Especially the last notes of sentences, and certainly the last note of the parts. Do not slow down , keep the pace going especially the very last note(s), place those as you would put a baby in his cradle. Just something to think about ... it makes an opportunity to open up cages, which if I may say so, our pour cello here is more trapped in than the flute.

[@howardcohen6817]

When you get married find a clean shirt - one of your truly great lines, Ben. Love, h.

[@jasearon4532]

Wow he played it beautifully 😊

[@ruzz6430]

Amanda is an awesome cellist!!

[@10stephenrose]

These seem so intense!

[@titusandronicvs3720]

Barockmusik ist wie eine Perle, die wunderschön ist aber unsymmetrisch und Herr Zander versteht das.

[@Jenifer.flute20]

I was confused when he started talking. I didn't read the description, didn't realize this was an interpretation class type thing. I thought it was just a recital.

[@archangecamilien1879]

Haha!!..."boring is a technical term"...he says that with a straight face...

[@archangecamilien1879]

This is a little funny, because I often have that thought for some of Bach...maybe not the word "boring", but more like: "neat, many voices intertwining, but I don't see the point, it doesn't move me"...

[@archangecamilien1879]

I mean...a lot of Bach moves me, but even more I would have a reaction like that to...

[@archangecamilien1879]

...but I know he's going to tell them it's in the interpretation, etc...

[@archangecamilien1879]

...though I'm not sure this is one of the pieces I would say that about, haha...I mean...but there is plenty from Bach I would say that about...

[@archangecamilien1879]

...or maybe it's his interpretation of the piece that is shaping the way I see it so, haha...

[@jasonahbh4880]

🤣 he's great teacher but he made me piss in my pants.

[@coltrane7737]

What kind of flute is that? Sounds beautiful

[@jmathesonjr]

Brannen Brothers, Powell, Sakyo, and Yamaha all make wooden flutes. Not sure which model he is playing here. Since these masterclasses take part in Boston and Brannen Brothers is located out there, I would guess that he is playing a Brannen Brothers flute. The Yamaha wooden flute model has a lip plate and this flute does not.

[@thoregulden4545]

I think he is playing an Abell wooden flute as the Boehm flute.

[@markmingard6882]

It's an Abell from what I can see with the head joint and the tenon joints

[@markmingard6882]

@@jmathesonjr Yes it's interesting, I think Abell makes a range of foot joints. For some reason wooden flutes sound better when slightly shorter, I own a Yamaha 894W with a c foot and it plays better than the same model but with a b foot.

[@markmingard6882]

@@jmathesonjr From what I've worked out metal has a more constant vibration than wood. With wood there will be some impurities. Wood and metal are really different materials so the vibration is more even over the shorter distance that is a c foot compared to the b foot. My Yamaha has much better projection and control with the c foot but of course it depends upon personal preference. Whatever Yamaha did to my flute its gorgeous, has just as much projection as my silver flute and the headjoint is just a dream to play on with how its been cut. Lucky to have the inline g with a split e mechanism too. I would go and try a Yamaha if you're interested. The quality is on my opinion just as good as the likes of Sankyo, Powell, Abell etc. and Yamaha's are cheaper.

[@MaijaBurns]

9:51 bro just used the force to get her up 😂

[@petershapiro4247]

to continue, the cello's is a masculine line singing to the feminine flute who responds

[@flavianofloris4459]

When soloist have to said thank you at the piano

[@leonardniamh]

Well we know what the high note was 😊

[@leonardniamh]

Creeps into your soul and makes love to you

19:10

[@damongeo840]

He plays awfully the cello but I love it (20:52); he always brings what's needed to work!

[@lukasdon0007]

Haha his cello playing is ridiculous! I love it. It made me smile, and feel less self-confident about my own flaws as a musician. Too bad he didn't keep up with cello though.

[@damongeo840]

@@lukasdon0007 You would like to say "more self-confident" I guess from the context.

[@fluteteatime]

musicians have to solve a problem...the problem is called "boring" not all the notes are equal.

[@pablomc8339]

Here, in my opinion, the problem is to play this sonata with modern piano. The sound is too much bigger than cello and flute, and the pianist is just doing the continuo

[@francesschaefer]

It's tough~I listen to a lot of Glenn Gould's recordings to get the idea. Did you know he had a special piano ie adjusted to make the action very much lighter and such, to address that very issue!

[@RochestersGotTalentbyPaulRefic]

did Ben retire

[@petershapiro4247]

good as far as it goes, but benjamin does not yet understand that bach's music is NOThorizontal, going from here to there, but -vertical- harmonic progression in which, to quote casals,, 'every note is important'...

[@fluteteatime]

i think he meant to say that every note is important but in different way. it is like saying you love your cat and dog but they are "not equal", being different. so perhaps he was trying to convey that strong notes should be strong and soft notes should be soft, to make the musical flow alive. avoid simple mechanical repetition, make the musical flow more interesting and out of anticipation, so to say. that way, every note becomes alive in its own way.

[@joejoejoe532]

I will also add that the "inequality" is built into not just the music, but the instrument for which it was written. 18th century 1-key Traversos physically could not play all notes with the same color: notes outside of the D-major scale used cross fingerings and therefore by nature are veiled/softer. For example I cannot play a forte 1st octave G# on my traverso even if I gave it everything I got. Bach would have accounted for the inequality of color in a Traverso in his writing. He WANTS certain harmonic progressions played unequally in strength and temperament and wrote the notes for the flute that are correspondingly strong/weak to match that intent.

[@YaketyYakDontTalkBack]

Now the students can complain about social distancing when they come back.

[@SpaghettiToaster]

This was recorded half a year ago.

[@giovannibuonanno5659]

Giustissimo ma ancora meglio sarebbe con un tempo meno veloce

[@mohammadwardah677]

freak

[@WinrichNaujoks]

?

[@percyvolnar8010]

For starters, they're playing this way way way too fast. Seriously. I did it this fast in front of memebers of the berlin philharmonic and .... well.... they weren't having any of it. lol

[@melcrose]

Boring to Brilliant.