r/Baroque

Who likes Grigory Sokolov?

I was just listening to this song on an hour long video of some of Bach's best music, and I found this piece in specific very interesting, not only because it sounds absolutely phenomenal, but because it contains a similar motif that was used in Beethoven's Für Elise, which was written after this.

The longform video I found this from is titled "Best of Bach - Classical Guitar Compilation - BWV | Siccas Guitars" for anyone who is interested.

My question is this: Could Beethoven have feasibly heard this song being played and borrow from it to be repurposed in Für Elise? Is there any evidence for or against this idea? Please let me know.

Either way, this song is really great and never loses my interest throughout the entire song. It's very captivating!

Maurice Greene was an English composer and organist. Some facts that show how important this man was in his time:
- He started as a choirboy at St Paul's Cathedral.
- He later became organist at this church.
- In 1727 he became organist at the Chapel Royal.
- In 1730 he was appointed as Professor of Music at Cambridge University.
- In 1735 he eventually became Master of the King's Musick.
That's what you call a career.

I recorded one of his fine voluntaries.

Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante became famous because they rejected the old style of playing Vivaldi as smooth, polite, and somewhat restrained.
Instead they tried to recreate the energy Baroque audiences may have heard:
sharper accents
faster tempos
more rhythmic bite
more dramatic contrasts
When Europa Galante burst onto the scene in the 1990s, many listeners felt they suddenly heard Vivaldi as exciting rather than merely elegant. Their RV 133 recording was part of those early breakthrough releases.

I think this performance is amazing! Some people have commented in YouTube it's played too fast, but what do you think?