Midori Plays Bach
Let’s hear what the violinist herself says about performing the music of J. S. Bach:
“The story goes that, when I was about two years old, my mother found me humming a Bach melody that she had been practicing a few days earlier. My own memories of Bach begin from the time when I started to practice my first solo Sonata in G minor, when I was about seven years old. The piece had been assigned to me, as all repertoire was at that age, and I had no idea what to do with it. Over the years, I have come to realize that, in studying Bach, one’s learning never stops…”
Midori Gotō was born on October 25, 1971. She made her debut at the age of 11 in a last minute change of programming during a concert by the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta highlighting young performers.
As such, more than 40 years have elapsed since that amazing opportunity.
Midori goes on to say that:
“These works are larger than life – they stretch the artistic and technical responses that one can have toward a piece of music. Bach’s music is always ‘right’ for any circumstance. I have been able to present these pieces anywhere: to play for refugees in an outdoor setting, in the intensive care units at hospitals, in great concert halls, in places of worship…”
Here is the solo sonata #1 for violin alone by Johann Sebastian Bach, as played by Midori. And just listen to the sound she produces!
And here she is again, now as the soloist in the Tchaikovsky Violin concerto:
