Johann Sebastian Bach CONCERTO ITALIANO BWV 971 Marco Mencoboni

Recorded on July 2019 inside the The Manoel Theatre in Malta the Italian Concerto is one of the most important and known compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach. The performance of Marco Mencoboni is on a copy fd a Mietke instrument built by Bruce Kennedy in 2018.

[@ssnmar]

0:18 Allegro 4:33 Andante 8:30 Presto

[@Vivianthepivian]

Marco Mencoboni is a magician. Very impressive performance.

[@guillotjeanpierre9962]

Brilliant rendition and with eyes wide shut.

[@gabiciobanu9123]

One of the best interpretation of Bach on harpsichord. Like Glenn Gould at the piano. Left hand has a perfect power and clearmm

[@daboukir]

La comparaison n'est vraiment pas flatteuse.

[@ninaninidis2656]

Johann Sebastian Bach .и его музыка ГЕНИАЛЬНА . но в исполнении Marco Mencoboni . она звучит возвышенно .и гениально .Великолепный исполнитель .Гениальной Музыки ...БРАВО !

[@loetvanvreumingen]

Thank you for this reaction. Bach and Mencoboni gave us hope in these difficult times.

[@colinhodgetts5476]

1. (0:19) Allegro 2. (4:33) Andante 3. (8:30) Presto

[@youexx]

Articulation and phrasing absolutely beautiful and expressive to the max! Passionate - and knowledgeable! - interpretation by Marco. Note the impeccably clear left hand, supporting the right hand with brilliance!

[@unagondolaunremo]

un vero concerto italiano! bravissimo

[@rosemaryoleary9536]

I think this is the best performance of this work I have ever heard The directness of this superlative performance was so beautiful and the slow movement..sublime.I kept thinking Bach would like this..I know I did who could not!!!Thank you maestro!!!

[@leeclinkscales2584]

Best slow movement performance ever. Alive and musical, not ponderous.

[@wealthbringer]

I friggen love the way he does this. Pinnock will always be my childhood favorite but I'm really digging all of Mencoboni's interpretations. His structure is impeccable, his flow so natural.

[@marika-haruno]

Merci beaucoup pour ce magnifique concert « on line »! Quelle belle interprétation !

[@philipgregorysougles1744]

Performance, video, recording, hall, instrument, clothing all perfect!

[@AloneWithNature4K]

So beatifull unusual sound and nice musicant! Thanks!

[@patriciarodriguezmartinez3233]

Clarísimo fraseo y articulación, como nunca he escuchado Mil gracias

[@Ipsifendis]

i just discovered your videos today, sir, and i LOVE your interpretation and manner of playing. you bring a sort of ease and style to your performance that is unlike any other.

[@OutbackBoy]

A supreme interpretation and performance

[@VideoFunForAll]

Convincing!

[@Francisco-tm2gk]

A wonderful, masterful performance

[@n7275]

So much energy!

[@mauriziobartolotti8671]

Bravissimo : unisce perfetto fraseggio e rispetto del tempo alla capacità di esprimere la bellezza della musica.

[@fourquartets7900]

What a wonderful passionate sound, particularly the second movement, on a beautifully colourful harpsichord. Thank you.

[@johnhernlund539]

Incredible. Beautiful performance, compelling visuals. Thank you.

[@davidklein5007]

Glorious.

[@prof.vicentecasanova]

Thank you Marco! Wonderful and inspiring interpretation.

[@christinecorbillon332]

Marco, thank you!

[@organopleno2000]

Superbe !!!

[@biberfan]

Always think you are so fun to watch; expression of face and body in concert with your music always seems honest. Enjoyed this performance a lot; great sound mastering as well.

[@luuktorn]

Wow! That is a very nice performance, piece and instrument!

[@flanniusfox]

When being played on the piano, I prefer András Schiff's rendition of the Italian Concerto, but this is by far my new favorite harpsichord version of this piece. Bravo to Mencoboni for this great Bach interpretation, full of life and soulful articulations!

[@JWtheGardener]

Mi piace questa interpretazione! È così bello e fresco!

[@eldanizalakbarzade883]

Wonderful👏👏👏

[@jsb7975]

This man HAS GOT IT ALL

[@Geopholus]

Marco Mencoboni is a very capable and articulate player. It is rare to find someone who can hit each note with complete control and makes not a single mistake. ..But , I am surprised that no one notices, or if so, no one objects to, the extra little pauses, Marco puts at the end of phrases in many places. for instance around sec 30, 31, 32. In fact there are quite a few '16th' note ,"rests" , at the end of many inferred, and "important" phrases, that Marco seems to feel we must be informed are small complete thoughts to be separated, from the rest of the running lines of counterpoint, as though they are important dramatic passages in an opera. but this is not a free form cadenza. The beauty of this type of music is the organic form and balance of the composition, that seems perfect, and almost inevitable in Bach. Bach would have written in rests if they needed to be there. One ends up with unmetrical measures!. And then for instance Marco plays the piece with perfect continuity from around 1:48 to 3:05 or so , even managing to make a registration change without dropping a beat. One wonders how other people hear this music? Here, in the comment section, we have the usual complaints about rubato, which one rarely if ever hears, in Bach performances, any more, and yet this pretty free interpretation of phrasing by adding extra pauses, no one seems to notice.

[@domenicoharpsichordmaker1121]

Geopholus Of course many of us do notice what you call “little pauses”. I for one do not complain because those “pauses” are the sign of a very competent playing. And that are not “pauses”, they are tiny silences which separate one musical phrase from another. “Phrasing” is just that: tying what is to be tied and separating what is to be separated. And why - oh, why - should be Bach devoid of rubato? Luckily, you’ll hear a lot of rubato in up-to-date Bach performers. Just listen to Christine Schornsheim, Jean Rondeau, Pieter-Jan Belder and dozens of others.

[@jsb7975]

It all has to do with streaming and breazing , with energy and timing. Also playing baroque-music on a historic instrument. Mr Mencobini is for me the greatest of all harpsichord players. He clearly is an historicly informed musician and a great artist at the same time. Always it's an adventure to hear him play whether it be French, Italian, English or northern polyphonic, all early as well as late......

[@annettea6402]

Are his eyes really closed the whole time? Amazing!

[@patrizialauraf]

Maestro!

[@MickCorgi]

I love this performance. Somehow too much ruberto makes me sea sick for Bach which quite a few players do.

[@jsb7975]

*GREAT GREAT GREAT!!* 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@MostlyIC]

WOW!!!, there are way too many piano versions of this out there (and most are too fast), this is exceptional in every way.

[@vindemac]

They dont care about musicality

[@joangarcia-alsina2932]

This is a masterpiece that is prefereable to listen as here, at harsphicord. Sometimes I like Bach's klavier compositions played at piano. Nevertheless the Italian Concert gains its faithful origin of a Vivaldi's concert when played at harpshicord. I would have prefered a bit more rapid tempo in the initial movement (which, by the way, had no indication of tempo). The Italian Concert was specifically designed to be played buy a two keyboard instrument and is one of the pieces more difficult to play at piano, in spite of memorable moments by Gould and Shift.

[@billsellwood3280]

Master.

[@mewsdo]

Brilliant. Pity about the empty seats...

[@matteodetomi9808]

Bravissimo

[@diegobellaviti5490]

Eccellente!

[@souityjoli1856]

L’interprétation est magnifique non seulement c’est le diapason de l’époque mais en plus c’est joué au clavecin. Pour une fois que c’est pas jouer au piano.

[@israeldecarvalhodrumondara2247]

Very interesting listen this piece in 392 Hz pitch

[@BertrandSaintipoly]

❤

[@davidbaranowski4963]

Pretty darn good...

[@ludovicosilvestri3251]

Meraviglia assoluta, che temperamento è stato adottato? Funziona proprio bene.

[@jjhhhggfify]

Boh

[@ericbais4073]

Noblesse oblige....

[@jamestye]

I hate learning the first movement. It sounds great but hurts my brain.

[@PabloMelendez1969]

Wim Winters has demonstrated that sharp contrasts in tempi were not a thing in Mozart's time. That probably didn't start then, either. Sig. Mencoboni plays very impressively. However, I really would like to hear the Italian concerto the way Bach would have enjoyed it. This is probably not it. Bravura, I'm convinced, is strictly a modern practice, done for modern audiences.

[@MRzoolika]

Great performance! This piece shouldn't even be played on a modern piano.

[@tonysantos7382]

Totally agree! I can’t stand listening to any baroque piece played on a piano. It just doesn’t feel right.

[@Mase251]

Totally agree. But it’s not only the instrument, it’s rather the unbearable and inadequate romantisation that pianists add usually...

[@vindemac]

I think pianists play the 3rd movement too fast, usualy 30 seconds faster than him.

[@lightball1414]

Bach is extremely important to the modern classical pianist’s repertoire.

[@aaronpeta]

would love to be the only person in the audience, sitting front row

[@giovannialbanese2863]

Omnium musicarum , quas ego unquam audiverim, haec facile pulcherrima cluet , evadit , exsistit.

[@louiscouperin3731]

0:55

[@jordansahattchieve5056]

I think he played it without looking...

[@carlosalbertovalor1600]

Seguramente en este concierto, Bach utilice el estilo de Vivaldi

[@mysk0tb51]

здесь есть русские?

[@hyel1250]

제 죽은 세포가 깨어나고 살아나고있습니다 ♥ oh Jesus, Hallelujah

[@lourak613]

I am aware of the need for extra nuance with the harpsichord, due to the limited dynamic capabilities of the instrument - but this performance, I feel, has too many arbitrarily placed rhythmic figurations. The use of too many expressive devices on the harpsichord can be disastrous in an otherwise respectable execution. What bothers me most in this performance is the resultant loss of developmental tension at critical moments.

[@eljuanote5687]

This music no longer has an audience 😥

[@amand7770]

Don’t be stupid

[@ProdigyImprovisation]

Mencoboni exaggerates too much in his imagination. His playing is also an exaggeration of his brain. I don’t care about nobody in this whole world, besides JS Bach himself playing on the keyboard! PERIOD! No one is better than Bach at his own music, so all you people stop glorying other professional pianists out there. Nobody is capable of this, unless Bach was their instructor himself! JS Bach is the ONLY one to be glorified in his music, nobody else!! Instead of searching what the pianist is capable of, search what the music is capable of while listening to it being performed by someone else. As this is exactly what Bach would’ve also wanted, because all the value of appreciation goes to him only & no one else!! Period!!

[@martinh1277]

Obviously Mencoboni can read. Bach instructed and tought and his students wrote something down. So we know how he played. Some things he wrote down himself. More and more we know about the circumstance. Mencoboni is not in his imagination.

[@ProdigyImprovisation]

Martin H Compared to Bach himself, Mencoboni is in his imagination just like everybody else. All you mediocrities have the sheep mentality to see someone professional play a certain composer’s music & always mention positive feedback about how good they play & such just to be able to join into the conversation & not sound off. Scared that you’d be criticized for it, on the other hand I do not, neither am I scared to tell the truth. Anyways I know they won’t accept it but whoever has a soul will accept it, they will in fact give their opinions solely about the music that JS BACH has created not what the pianist created, because the pianist didn’t create nothing but just play it just like everyone else. I’ve seen way too much of this everywhere, and rarely can see anyone actually commenting about the music & how genius Bach is so on so forth. But all what most people do is give positive feedback to the pianist which I’m not saying is wrong, the wrong part comes in when they actually glorify the pianist with their feedback as if to take Bach out of the picture and only talk about how genius this pianist is for playing such music, but they never mention that Bach is the original creator of this music so how does that make the pianist a genius? You see, this is what I mean about their mentality, all they wanna do is look good amongst the other mediocrities just so they wouldn’t later be criticized over one little thing they say which comes from the truth.. what has this world become? How can art be considered art if this is the level of stupidity they’ve gotten themselves into? This is not art but in fact extinction of the art & eventually will lead to extinction from the name of which JS Bach is famous for. He is the genius, not the pianists, this is what the commenters must know about.

[@martinh1277]

@@ProdigyImprovisation I do not have the sheep mentality, so take me out of your post. My name is Martin H. And Bach was no genius because the word was invented in 1794, he was dead already. He was a highly trained servant to serve his masters. He was a protestant, even very much, and wanted to serve god. In the town of Leipzig it was his duty to do so. In the years before he had to serve someone else. This someone wanted music in French style. Hardly a german composer could write that way. The harpsichordist Bach could play like that. This is what Mencoboni has understood. If you have ears, listen. If you have eyes, look at the fingerings and compare them to the fingerings of the "Klavierbüchlein fuer Anna Magdalena Bach". It is the same type. "Sheep mentality"? You are just ignorant.

[@irakli667]

0:57