Chaconne - Interpretation and Technical Analysis

 

 

"I found Eyal's Bach extremely interesting and above all very stimulating to forming ones own opinion."

Prof. Igor Ozim, January 2014

 

 

Ever wondered why some interpretations of Bach solo works leave you breathless and others feeling disappointed? Have you ever performed this music with technical success only to feel empty inside?

 

The day I played the final recital of my degree was the day I swore never to play Bach solo works ever again. It was not because I performed it badly: it was because I was frustrated. I slaved on the solo works throughout my life, from adolescence to adulthood, yet I felt I was at a loss with this music. I knew the music was beautiful, I was told so plenty of times, and I worked endlessly to be true to what was written on the page. I played to famous teachers, successful violinists and knowledgeable colleagues, and received plenty of advice (usually very contrasting advice) on the correct way to play and interpret Bach, yet despite my efforts I felt I was simply imitating snippets of ideas or phrases and never truly understanding Bach's solo work.

 

Luckily enough I could not escape Bach. Just as I was completing my studies in Vienna I was accepted as a teacher in the Royal Irish Academy of Music. In no time at all I was faced with devilish fugues and the enigmatic chaconne, but this time as a teacher. Students not much younger than I were relying on my help, expertise and reassurance. I had no choice but to try and find answers for myself. Having decided to doubt everything I was ever told and check every musical possibility I could think of for myself. What I found was the hidden beauty which eluded me in my student years.

 

As years passed, I kept coming back to Bach solo works, both as a teacher and as a performer. I have developed my own tools in order to understanding the possibilities we have when interpreting this work, as well as the impact of each choice we make on the overall interpretation. The hard truth is that imitation alone cannot bring you to play this music well and, without understanding it to the core, the most you can achieve is presenting an empty shell of technical mastery.

 

I hope my work will help you develop your own, personal voice within the strict boundaries of Bach's monumental composition.

 

*Additional articles will be published soon*