Great Finds: Bach Suites, Red Hot + Bach, & Entrada Piano
These performances are simply stunning. They are fresh, improvisatory, and full of sparkle contrasted with deep emotion. The courtesy file I received was completely out of order and it took a lot of work to match up all the movements to their suite but even then I was entranced and really excited. I found a better way to preview on SoundCloud. So here you go!
The mission of all the Red Hot albums (and the foundation of the same name) is to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues. This album features takes on Bach by 30 different musicians from many genres; from the Kronos Quartet, to Gabriel Kahane, to Rob Mosse & Chris Thile. If you have an adventurous side this one is for you! It really does open up your perspective and get you thinking about how music can inform culture.
There is also a cool app that goes along with the album. You can create artwork, play with the sound files, see the Kronos Quartet record Bach on a wax cylinder in Edison’s studio, and more!
“Building blocks for mastering the piano with a whole-body approach”
Entrada Piano is an interactive site, founded by Fred Karpoff of 3D Piano, which helps pianists to zero in on how they are using their body and achieve a supported technique. The series of videos take you from the basics of sitting and hand position to every common technical aspect of movement through short modules. You work at your own pace and can review as necessary. The videos are organized into foundations, 3 dimensional movement, arpeggios, vibrato technique, scales, The site keeps track of where you are so that you can build on what you have learned. There are masterclass videos and also monthly Instructional Webinars, including Q&A sessions, available.
This site is very useful for anyone of any age who wants to improve their technical ability or is experiencing pain. We all change as we get older and fresh ways of thinking about playing can help balance our changing body. There is a monthly subscription fee.