The most complete online video encyclopedia about Bach's violin solo repertoire in the world.
Miriam Fried dedicated almost a year to complete her online Bach video encyclopedia. It's a true declaration of love and admiration for Bach. We dare to say the most complete online video encyclopedia about Bach's violin solo repertoire in the world that was ever created. We caught up with her, despite her busy schedule and asked her why she decided to create this so precious knowledge about the incredibly versatile composer Bach.
Misgivings about how to play Bach
"I have observed in my teaching that many violin students seem to have misgivings about their ability to play Bach. I often wondered why that might be. Several reasons occur to me.
• Negative psychological associations that arise due to the fact that Bach is always the required repertory piece at auditions and competitions
• Conflicting info about the repertoire and how we should play it
• The music belongs to a very distant era
• Our frame of reference for Bach is limited to the one picture of him we all know of a severe-looking old, dull man.
Maybe this is why many of the performances are often heavy, lacking in spirit, humour and humanity and quite simply very uninteresting? They certainly do not inspire enthusiasm for this music! "
Connecting to Bach
"Let’s familiarize ourselves with the life and times of Bach. His music was written to glorify God and to acknowledge the miracle of creation. Just as Bach was not focusing on expressing himself, so we should not use the music as a vehicle for our personal expression. We can, however, connect with it on an equally intense, if less immediate level, because this is passionate, exalted music. I cannot imagine a more deeply felt, almost religious experience, than that of playing the Chaconne, or a more joyous feeling than when performing the Brandenburg Concertos. "
BACH SONATAS & PARTITAS: Assembling the musical puzzle
"I felt it as my mission to decipher the mathematical puzzle of his works, to unlock the gate and to release the wealth of emotion hidden within. I believe a thorough understanding of the style and an exploration of Bach's intentions as manifested in the inner life of the music are essential to enjoying this music. I worked for more than one year on these lectures and found a recording partner at iClassical Academy, a wonderful online academy dedicated to online learning masterclasses. Together with them, we recorded the full 210 minutes long video content, which is now exclusively available on their website. "
A must for every violinist!
"I am truly grateful to have had the occasion to record this to me so important body of work. Right now the complete online encyclopedia consists of 15 videos, in which of each one I talk, explain and play some examples. We will go through Bach history and performance history, to tools like the bow and the left hand. I also discuss and demonstrate the structure of the Bach Sonatas and Partitas movements. All of this to help understand students and any other musician the beautiful and immense world of Bach’s music. I am very excited to share it now with the public!"
You can join Miriam Fried in the exploration of the most extraordinary body of work: the Bach sonatas and partitas for violin solo. It's exclusively available on iClassical Academy for members only. We personally guarantee you that it is more than worthwhile!