J. S. Bach: Organ Fugue in G minor "The Little" BWV 578 (Matthew Ming Li, piano)

[@anchemusica]

The piano transcription gives a great clarity to the polyphony. Very remarkable the player. Many thanks for the unusual performance.

[@MatthewMingLi]

Thank you for listening!

[@ohnoitsjoe]

Also the piano itself adds clarity! Even tho the full might of this fuga comes to live with an organ, also because you can't play the bass and the trill in the "soprano" at the same time. Great performance tho!

[@alexandrodiova8386]

Your performance is amazing the best on KZbin so far, you can hear every voice very clear, no need to over exaggerate them. Magnificent!

[@MatthewMingLi]

Thank you for listening! Please check out my latest videos on my channel if you are interested!

[@michaelmiller1215]

I agree!

[@lardyify]

Bravo! An amazing rendition and by far the best piano transcription of this work I have heard. Wonderful playing!

[@gabircik]

So beautiful. I never thought that I’d like a piano interpretation of a Bach fugue more than the organ version. Very well played.

[@michaelkaplan22b]

Nice performance! I played this as a student about 60 years ago, so it was wonderful hearing this.

[@citri3849]

Absolutely amazing! Whenever I hear this song I can only think of "MAN AND MACHINE AND NOTHING THERE IN BETWEEN"

[@chopindabrahms8659]

The entire performance is overwhelming, and the "romanticized" chords in the end is fun and I loved it!

[@MatthewMingLi]

Thank you for listening! Please subscribe for more upcoming videos!

[@mrgrinch8540]

2:15 AHHHH THIS PHRASING IS TOO MUCH TO HANDLE MY HEART JUST LIFTED Bach is like a wizard, he controls each voice and maintains the genius put into them while continuing adding new ones. That probably makes no sense but its my mind.

[@MatthewMingLi]

Glad you enjoyed it so much! Bach is a genius indeed! Please subscribe for more upcoming videos!

[@Sim882]

One of my fav works ever . Great performance !

[@Pulsial]

Its.... beautifull. Its the first piano transcription i have heard for this fugue is my favorite bach piece.... so thanks!

[@MatthewMingLi]

Glad you like it! Feel free to subscribe to my channel for more videos!

[@shan1231]

Absolutely breathtaking performance!

[@craigshaw141]

A very musical performance with lots of appropriate dynamics and not too fast!!! Well done.

[@MatthewMingLi]

Thank you for your kind words! Feel free to subscribe for more videos!

[@andrearodgers5879]

Seductive in its simplicity and clarity of interpretation. Hypnotic in a way that his performance takes you to a place of Oneness. Bach is in heaven smiling.

[@blondellemarie-jeanne3845]

Pianiste extraordinaire. Un grand respect de la pensée du compositeur et une sublime interprétation. Cette transcription doit être très difficile à jouer car l orgue comporte plusieurs claviers plus le pédalier…

[@tonynathanson7843]

I'm working on this piece now. Absolutely the finest performance of this piece I've ever heard! I could almost see Bach smiling. I'll be delighted to play it HALF as well!!

[@ilovebach1010]

Thank you for sharing! I love how clear and beautiful you bring out the different voices! 🙏🏼 I want to learn this song and this will be my ultimate benchmark!

[@MatthewMingLi]

Thank you for listening! Have fun learning this magnificent fugue! Stay tuned for more videos!

[@stuartmclaren2402]

Bach transcribed music of other composers so to transcribe play in a Chopin style gives a fresh outlook on this timeless piece. But I would still like to hear it played as written for the organ on a traditional pedal piano.

[@rlunger1]

BRAVO!

[@tequila3344]

The best chinese player on bwv578

[@bluemoon6579]

Beautiful 3D playing

[@woodworth82]

Magnificent! Played with brilliant clarity and a true sense of pace and development. The glorious, radiant playing at 2:17, full of soul and with slight slowing of the tempo, is a revelation, simply never heard the music this way.

[@MatthewMingLi]

Thank you for your kind comment!

[@liljs4189]

Glorious, radiant, full of soul? What are you a thesaurus? The playing there sounded so off especially considering the original piece doesn’t have that slowing pace there to we’re it sounds almost like as if he’d hit a wrong note

[@rosamoonlight6382]

​@@liljs4189 the "original" fugue is written for the church organ. people who plays it on the piano, plays the rearranged version. maybe that's why you heard that so "off". no need to be so strict, it is music.

[@ChesterMcVee]

Fantastic play! Thanks ❤️

[@orianamandi]

It sounds sooo beautiful on the piano as well 😍😍😍😍 Congratulations!!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@joseph.r1122]

Bravo!

[@mengkaotseng8105]

1:40 exquisite emergence, change of colors without soft pedal ! awesome ! mxncb

[@MatthewMingLi]

Thank you! Feel free to subscribe to my channel for more videos!

[@atuttopiano3209]

Very well done! I played this about one year ago and I perfectly know the struggle! I like this performance :)

[@bercaferca4554]

I think there’s always an asian better than you and he sorrily doesn’t know your struggle you had

[@ExtremeBassBoosted]

Wow amazing! I hope to learn this song one day!

[@jamesa901]

What I love about your performance is that you do not feel the need to beat the crap out of the piano at the bass voices. It is still counterpoint, it should be subtle and distinct and sing like the voices of angels. You do a wonderful job with that. Question - why did you choose Samaroff arrangement? There are several out there and would be interested in knowing why you chose this one....?

[@MatthewMingLi]

Thanks for your kind comments! This may sound biased but Samaroff's transcription of this fugue was the very first one I heard, and the subsequent ones I heard just ended up being compared to it. What I liked about her arrangement is the clarity of the lines and minimal changes in register to accommodate impossible to reach parts. I would rather sacrifice a few notes over sudden octave jumps in the middle of a phrase. This reduction feels just right for me as it fits the two hands well without sacrificing too much counterpoint, or ended up being too thick and unintelligible by trying to include every note. I did end up adding a few high notes at 0:55 that Samaroff skipped, because I simply couldn't let those go...

[@jamesa901]

Thank you, I appreciate your comments. It's not a trivial amount of work for me to learn a substantial Bach piece, and for a transcription I want one that's most faithful to Bach's intent. As for added high notes, I think they're right on! It's pounding away at low-register octaves and smearing with the pedal that just makes me cringe! I will definitely look into Samaroff's transcription.

[@genesisoriginal4106]

Hi Matthew, great performance! Subscribed!

[@youngpaderewski3668]

Nicely done

[@abandoomed7968]

love!

[@lordlufas4347]

Bach: el Padre de la Música.

[@MrDeanGr]

Perfect

[@schulgin10]

Великолепно!

[@ru99414]

Having listened to all of Bach's organ works it's a shame keyboard versions is usually limited to the harpsichord. I enjoyed this really good performance, it's transparent, simple and convincingly in style and important there's no pppppppp. Never hesitate playing Bach on piano, it's all about what you do with it and Gadamer would agree

[@anahicp]

GRANDEE

[@oliviamarina6575]

I like how he spins his head and looks like he feels the music=) I do the same when i play the piano and my sister thinks it's weird

[@MatthewMingLi]

Nothing wrong with expressing what you feel :) I try to cut physical movements to the minimum, but I can't help it sometimes...

[@stuartmclaren2402]

Shows what a great and flexible composer Bach was. I would like to hear this work played ona pedal Kano

[@kayukthebruh5601]

why is 2:36 the most replayed? it couldnt be the mistake because it happened way later. This is quite weird

[@anamariaalegre3020]

Hermoso

[@MatthewMingLi]

Gracias!

[@11starlight11]

Brutal

[@dongyangchen3340]

2:37 is this the most replayed part of the video because we are double checking did he really make a mistake there?

[@MatthewMingLi]

Nothing gets more clicks than a random wrong note hidden somewhere for people to find.

[@renservice1725]

Молодец!

[@mark-eliasfuentes5043]

The best piano version on KZbin! Where did you get the sheet music for this piece? I want to absolutely learn it!

[@MatthewMingLi]

Thank you for listening! The sheet music is available for free at www.imslp.org

[@fattymusic7274]

There are several dynamic changes and rubato. In purpose?

[@MatthewMingLi]

Thanks for listening! Yes some liberties like dynamic changes and rubato were taken. This is a piano transcription written at the beginning of 20th century after all, so there is a bit of romanticism involved. Unlike the harpsichord, the organ itself is actually capable of dynamic changes. Rubato is also not strictly a 19th century phenomenon born out of a vacuum. It was just used a bit differently in Baroque times.

[@Guilhermedetiuki]

Awesome performance! These version reminds me a bit of Chopin. Do you like Chopin?

[@MatthewMingLi]

Thank you for tuning in! Yes my interpretation of this fugue is a bit on the romantic side, so there is a bit more flexibility in tempo. This is similar, but not as exaggerated, to Chopin's music.

[@JuniorTheTortoise]

Whose arrangement are you using? I want to learn that version.

[@MatthewMingLi]

This is a transcription by the American pianist, Olga Samaroff.

[@JuniorTheTortoise]

Yes! Thank you.

[@anahicp]

esta loco el tipo, no me sorprenderia que toque hasta mas voces con los pies jakksksj

[@horizons3844]

improvised for a Sunday Mass, btw.

[@canisius04]

Toll gespielt! An manchen Stellen hört man aber doch, dass es einfacher ist, auf der Orgel die Bassstimme im Pedal, den Tenor mit der linken Hand und Alt und Sopran mit der rechten Hand zu spielen als auf dem Klavier alle Stimmen in beiden Händen vereinen zu müssen.

[@salasikas.nattaya1990]

I thought I need 3 hands and 15 fingers to play this.

[@MatthewMingLi]

It's all about economizing your movement and learn the choreography properly. This is similar to the sleight of hand that illusionists do in their performances.

[@THESLEEPINGDRAG0N]

2:46 hit me hard... However, he recovered well.

[@gnuddi]

There are several places where the note played is not only wrong but false i.e. not in the chord, hurting the ear. A professional player would have made another, less faulty recording before posting on KZbin.

[@MatthewMingLi]

@@gnuddi And I did make another. Read the description of the video. There’s a link that will take you to an online concert that includes this piece!

[@mylittleelectron6606]

How did Bach, a mortal man, write this music? Im an atheist, but this fact is still the best argument for God's existence.

[@raydanofficial]

2:17

[@Baroquiem]

You played this perfectly, to the sheet music. That said, despite your facial expressions, you play soullessly. The only liberty you took was with the syncopation at the end. Why is that? Why play what is arguably Bach's most effusive piece if you don't feel it? Play pieces in a way that takes liberties like you did at the end, because you killed it with the originality there.

[@MatthewMingLi]

Thanks for your comment! It's interesting because I have gotten criticisms of being too free with rubato and making this sound too "Romantic" and Chopin-like. Being too strict with the sheet music and thus being "soulless" is actually a first! From what I understand about Baroque fugues is that the expression comes from the complexity of polyphony itself and any liberties you take must not disturb the structural integrity of the counterpoint, otherwise the structure of the music falls apart. This genre is fundamentally different than let say, dance music, where the rhythm and swing of the beat is the main focus and one can play around with that as long as the momentum and character of the dance is not lost. The added difficulty for this transcription is that the original music was not written for the piano, but for the pipe organ with additional foot pedal keys. The transcription must somehow cram everything for just 10 fingers. This means that some sacrifices must be made in order to both give justice to the music and be physically playable at the same time. The jumps at the end are those sacrifices, where it would have been nice to play the final cadence in full with all the bass notes, but it's physically impossible without breaking them.

[@examinator-7]

Red Baron intensifies

[@czechglory5915]

you have to feel it slower 02.17

[@joseflienhart9769]

Thanks for the Chopin 🙄

[@Fluure908]

I'm here after listening to Sabaton's Red Baron 😂🤘🏻

[@manjacovus5342]

I'm here after listening to Snoopy vs The Red Baron

[@brandzha2644]

Glass onion

[@mikematics]

No pedal for Bach on the piano!

[@MatthewMingLi]

If this is a keyboard piece meant for the harpsichord or clavichord, then yes, you would be mostly right. This piece, however, is originally for the pipe organ. It's supposed to have a lot more reverberation that mimics the echo from the cathedral acoustics. There is a reason why this type of music is considered a transcription, and not an authentic keyboard piece by Bach.

[@andrealucibello8417]

It' s Bach! You played Chopin!

[@MatthewMingLi]

Thanks for your feedback! I’m assuming that you mean I’m using too much pedal? This is a transcription after all...the sustain pedal is there to mimic the reverberations of the pipe organ. If this is an original keyboard piece for the harpsichord, then I would absolutely agree with you!

[@andrealucibello8417]

@@MatthewMingLi i think u usef too much rubato time. Too much romantic style...that's barock

[@MatthewMingLi]

@@andrealucibello8417 Yes I did take some liberties when it comes to rubato. I think it’s a misconception that rubato is only for 19th century romantic style. It didn’t suddenly appear out of nowhere. Baroque music also has rubato, it was just used differently. After all, lots of rubato decisions were tied to phrasing, and phrasing itself is related to breathing in vocal music. We all have to breath after all!

[@MontCessna]

i see heavy artifacts making me doubt this is you playing, and the timing is absolutely perfect, which is another lie

[@MatthewMingLi]

What do you mean? Are you implying that I’m using another person’s recording and superimposed it with my video? I can assure that all of this is 100% genuine. The video and audio were recorded simultaneously on two devices, all I did was putting the video and audio together.

[@MontCessna]

@@MatthewMingLi the video artifacts/lighting make your hand movements look fake, like that part was recorded separately, and spliced in. and I have only heard this played this perfectly for timing (ok I did hear a few missed beats/notes listening again, but they didn't sound very natural) on actual professional recordings from the library. Maybe it's the camera and video compression lol. If this is really you playing, I am jealous as this is my favorite song. but the audio is also off by over 10 milliseconds, as well, making me think it's spliced together, not word clocked. Maybe it's recording gear, mixed with youtube compression.

[@MatthewMingLi]

@@MontCessna The audio and video was recorded on separate devices as I said before. I only do this to get the best possible sound and have the camera filming in a proper angle. There is no way to do both on a single device. There is absolutely zero splicing and editing apart from putting audio and video together. I am not a professional videographer, so there are some imperfections at lining them up. I have another recording of the same piece from a full concert in my channel. Feel free to check that out and you will see that this is indeed genuine.

[@MontCessna]

Matt, is the background/lighting faked/greenscreened? I think it is. that's causing the artifacts and throwing me off. you're not on a stage, or a Steinway Grand. the piano, stage, lighting, etc. are superimposed. I have no doubt you are an excellent pianist, but all the lighting, timing and even finger movements are slightly off. also, if you were on a steinway grand, you'd play all three pedals. which would start earlier in the song. I now believe it's you playing, and very, very well. But this isn't real, and if you had that piano you'd have it multi-miced.

[@MatthewMingLi]

@@MontCessna Are you for real? I'm happy to answer your questions if you are genuinely curious how this is filmed, but if you are trolling then I'm afraid I'll have to block you. Why would I fake being on stage? Figuring out how to do that is much harder than learning to play this piece well, and I'd rather spend the time practicing instead! I did use the middle sostenuto pedal if you are wondering and there were 2 mics inside the piano. I only needed the middle for one part because I didn't have to at the beginning.

[@31PianoGal]

He moves around too much which is distracting. A better volume balancing between the hands could bring out more clarity.

[@michaelmarsten4019]

Matthew, you're obviously a capable pianist, but you apply your ability inconsistently, all too often confusing the French idea of "notes inegales" with 19th century exaggerated rubato and letting slip rather embarrassing wrong notes. Bach's "Little" Fugue in g minor is anything but "Little" in its richness of melodic ideas and diversity of expression, but that richness is no excuse for extra-baroque melodrama. Greater attention to detail and to baroque styles of expressivity is called for.

[@marasinlee1862]

你动作太恶心了 受不了了

[@MMLI-ov8cz]

mediocre perfomance

[@vishare74]

Mediocre critic :)