Bach, J S: Goldberg Variations, BWV988

Volume 3 in Idis’ ongoing series of Glenn Gould performances, this disc presents Bach’s Concerto No 1 in D minor fortepiano and orchestra BWV 1052 coupled with the Goldberg Variations, both taken from 1958.

The best-known Baroque keyboard work in an interpretation that lands precisely on the narrow line dividing intellect from pianistic virtuosity, and also demonstrates immense stylistic variety.

recorded: 1981

The best-known Baroque keyboard work in an interpretation that lands precisely on the narrow line dividing intellect from pianistic virtuosity, and also demonstrates immense stylistic variety.

Maria Yudina’s brilliantly simple and deep performance of the great composer’s work is exceptionally convincing. She gives the work a religious interpretation and her biographer wrote “Yudina’s religious enlightenment matched Bach’s spiritual impulses.”

Recorded in 1968

"The Goldberg Variations are a pinnacle of Bach’s art. Conceived for harpsichord, the work has been transcribed for quite different instruments. . . Richard Boothby’s version for his own consort of viols, Fretwork, is arguably the most unusual, in that it opts for a soundworld that looks even further back in time. Part of the justification for such a setting must be Bach’s own liking for viola da gamba, already then old-fashioned.... Boothby’s setting is dexterously divided between various combinations of the treble, tenor and bass viols, and he achieved some magical effects, notably (...) in variations of gossamer passagework." The Guardian (concert review)

This is a welcome new disc from the brilliant Leopold String Trio, one of the stars in Hyperion’s chamber-music galaxy.

The Goldberg Variations stands as one of the greatest keyboard works ever written. Composed for a two-manual harpsichord, its universal musical language and distinct voicing has made it a popular subject for arrangement, including those for two pianos by Joseph Rheinberger, for woodwind quartet by Andrei Eshpai, for organ by Jean Guillou, and for solo guitar by József Eötvös, as well as the brilliantly re-imagined Gilded Goldbergs by Robin Holloway (recorded on Hyperion CDA67360). Dmitry Sitkovetsky’s arrangement was made in 1985 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Bach’s birth, and it is dedicated to the memory of Glenn Gould, whose celebrated 1955 Columbia recording of the Goldberg Variations became an instant best-seller and introduced a whole generation to this extraordinary music. Sitovetsky’s arrangement produces fascinating and delightful results, especially in this vigorous and sensitive performance from the Leopold String Trio.