One of my patrons here at l’Aixeta, Fèlix Pardo, chose as his favorite piece, from all the content I have published so far, the Prelude to Bach's Suite 1 (you can listen to it here). In his own words: "Its tonal and thematic symmetry and its ascending melody is the expression of the movement of the soul. When I feel it, my spirit takes off."

However, he proposed to me to make a new version of it, slower and without maintaining the same intensity of sound and speed in the various parts; it was a question of making a sound similar to the "waves of the sea". His idea was to modulate the melody's different moments, to decrease and increase both intensity and speed. As with the sea's continuous sound, he told me to avoid the silences by maintaining some notes in the moments of transition, like background noise.

After making these comments, he sent me this article about the sculptor Chillida and Bach, "Eduardo Chillida: the structure of JS Bach's music and the structure of nature", which reinforces his musical intuition, with a statement by Chillida that says: "The sea is one of my teachers, also Johann Sebastian Bach who is very similar to the sea. […] He is the best architect of humanity; only he has constructed in time. He is a better architect than Phidias. Music is construction in time and space, to Bach as an architect there has been no one to compare him", and another that says:" I greet Bach, modern as the waves, old as the sea, always never different, but never the same," as well as music concerning the sculptural: "music is like an ethereal, perfect sculpture. "

My new version of Bach's Suite 1 Prelude tries to be more directed; chords, intervals, notes... Everything has a direction. I can worry more about the musical language. The slower tempo allows me to have more ability to express myself, unlike the fast tempo, which has a more significant technical challenge but fewer options to enjoy the intervals.

As Fèlix Pardo tells me after listening to it: "The technique at the service of the "duende": now you can perceive how you breathe to the rhythm of Bach's language; expression comes triumphant, and, through it, Bach's musical spirit is manifested. This is what differentiates virtuosity from the genius of the performer: expression."

This performance is the version that follows his exciting suggestions. I hope you like it!

Cello Suites from Bach (Wikipedia)

Johann Sebastian Bach (Wikipedia)

November 2020