Bach: Well-tempered Piano II for Orchestra

[gprengel]

3 years ago I orchestrated some of my favourite pieces from Bach's Well-tempered Piano II. With my new soundtool NotePerformer I could improve the soundquality significantly:

www.gerdprengel.de/WT2-g-Minor-fuge_orch.mp3 (faster than usually performed - too fast?)
http://www.gerdprengel.de/Bach_WT2-g...fugue_orch.pdf

www.gerdprengel.de/WT2-gis-Minor-fugue_orch.mp3 (slower than usually performed)
www.gerdprengel.de/WT2-gis-Minor-fugue_orch.pdf

http://www.gerdprengel.de/Bach_WT2-B...elude_orch.mp3
http://www.gerdprengel.de/Bach_WT2-B...elude_orch.pdf

http://www.gerdprengel.de/Bach_WT2-B...Fugue_orch.mp3
http://www.gerdprengel.de/Bach_WT2-B...Fugue_orch.pdf

Gerd

[Peter]

Very nice to wake up to these this morning Gerd. Bach is a composer whose music does transcribe well to different genres and I think these orchestrations reveal another dimension to the 48 - excellent! I wonder what you feel about Rachmaninov's arrangement for piano of Bach's Partita for violin no.3? Here's the prelude played by Danil Trifinov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuHCY0QnO10.

[gprengel]

... I wonder what you feel about Rachmaninov's arrangement for piano of Bach's Partita for violin no.3? Here's the prelude played by Danil Trifinov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuHCY0QnO10.

Yes, Peter, it's great, but nothing comes close to this Partita, the awesome Chaconne :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw9DlMNnpPM

and then the same for orchestra:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0clgGYv1v7I

[Peter]

Yes, Peter, it's great, but nothing comes close to this Partita, the awesome Chaconne :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw9DlMNnpPM

and then the same for orchestra:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0clgGYv1v7I

Yes wonderful of course the mighty Chaconne. Do you know Elgar's orchestration of the Fantasia and Fugue in C minor? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsYKl-19K9g

[gprengel]

Yes wonderful of course the mighty Chaconne. Do you know Elgar's orchestration of the Fantasia and Fugue in C minor? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsYKl-19K9g

Hi Peter,

the Elgar orchestration, I must admit, does not speak to me that much. Too bombastic. To me the spirit of Bach got lost (but also the original organ work is not among my favourites)

Here another Fugue from Bach Well-Tempered Piano II:
http://www.gerdprengel.de/Bach-Wellt...Major_Orch.mp3

[Peter]

Hi Peter,

the Elgar orchestration, I must admit, does not speak to me that much. Too bombastic. To me the spirit of Bach got lost (but also the original organ work is not among my favourites)

Here another Fugue from Bach Well-Tempered Piano II:
http://www.gerdprengel.de/Bach-Wellt...Major_Orch.mp3

I agree - it sounds more like Elgar than Bach! I love your orchestrations of the fugues.

[NickJB]

Wow, that elgar orchestration is so awesome, I really like it. What a genius to write so much original material for a piece composed originally on one stave! haha xD.

Regarding your arrangement geprengel, I can only say it is fantastic. You really understand how an orchestra works (from my amateurish knowledge lol)!! Were you a conductor by chance? I might try arranging some bach fugues for string quartet, and some Haydn sonatas as well soon.

[gprengel]

Regarding your arrangement geprengel, I can only say it is fantastic. You really understand how an orchestra works (from my amateurish knowledge lol)!! Were you a conductor by chance? I might try arranging some bach fugues for string quartet, and some Haydn sonatas as well soon.

Dear Nick,

I am glad that you like my Bach orchestrations. No, I am no conductor, not even a professional musician ;-).

Then you certainly will also love the heavenly E-Major Fugue:

http://www.gerdprengel.de/Bach-Wellt...Major_Orch.mp3
http://www.gerdprengel.de/Bach_WT2-E...-fuge_orch.pdf (score)


and this firework from the Art of Fugue:

http://www.gerdprengel.de/KunstderFu...rapunctus9.mp3
http://www.gerdprengel.de/KunstderFu...rapunctus9.pdf (score)

Gerd

[hal9000]

Great work!

Yes, Peter, it's great, but nothing comes close to this Partita, the awesome Chaconne :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw9DlMNnpPM

and then the same for orchestra:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0clgGYv1v7I

Wow, that orchestra performance is something else. I've never heard it before. That's not a pure one to one transcription though, is it? For example, is the last minute from Stokowski? It works, and actually improves the piece in my opinion.