Bach, J S: Goldberg Variations, BWV988

“Bach has always been a great passion of mine,” says US-born, French-trained pianist Nicholas Angelich, probably best known as an interpreter of the German Romantics, and described by Gramophone as “a formidable player … whose performances … are of a wholly exceptional drama, sweep and impeccable craftsmanship.”

Now Angelich has recorded one of the landmarks of the Baroque keyboard repertoire, Bach’s magnificent Goldberg Variations, adding to a Virgin Classics discography which currently reflects The Guardian’s description of the pianist as “a master Brahmsian”.

“Bach is more central than ever to my life. Bach purifies me: he offers me a new view on life, never mind what he brings in purely pianistic terms … I strongly believe that a musician should do different things … He should explore! The pianistic language of each composer is a miracle, a world in itself … I find it the most exciting aspect of a pianist’s work, to engage with the way the great masters expressed themselves through the instrument, the bond each of them has with the piano, to identify their fingerprints on the keyboard.

“I’ve worked on Bach a lot since I was teenager --- I feel that every pianist should make the most of Bach, since he really makes you think – about your sound, your technique, your approach to harmony, to form and how you listen to the music. Bach is fundamental. And, for me, he is a need. I need to play his music for my sake. There are some things that are essential for artistic enrichment.”

In a complex and monumental work like the Goldberg Variations – comprising an aria and 30 variations and lasting well over an hour – a satisfactory balance between overall architecture and structural detail is a vital factor. As Angelich says: “It is very important to take the score and ask yourself good questions about it …The more you look into it over the course of time, the more new fresh details you will see. It is a great thing, to see both the whole, the global structure, and the inside, with its often quite minor details. This enables you to grasp, to reconcile the connection between the big picture, the overall framework, and the inner detailing of the piece. If you are doing something in your interpretation – in a certain line – that might perhaps sound beautiful in a way, but which has no connection to the whole, then something is plainly not right. We always try to find out what sounds right and what is right. Is this a kind of intellectual exercise? Maybe, but I would say that it is also a matter of instinct, with the score as the leading voice for the interpretation.”

Evgeni Koroliov's Goldberg Variations have become a cult recording. Seldom has this monumental piece sounded so purely musical, or so simply beautiful as in his hands. This recording (licensed from Haenssler Classics) was showered with international prizes, such as Diapason d'Or and others. György Ligeti chose Koroliov's Bach as his Desert Island Disc : “forsaken and dying of thirst, I would listen to it up till my last breath”.

Koroliov was born in Russia in 1949, his teachers were Maria Yudina, Heinrich Neuhaus and Lev Oborin. He soon settled in Hamburg/Germany, from where he developed his international career as a soloist and much-in-demand teacher. His pupils include new talent, Adam Laloum.

The acclaimed pianist Andrea Bacchetti has recorded a disc of J.S Bach’s popular Goldberg Variations and five pieces from the set of harpsichord pieces entitled ‘Clavierbüchlein’, written for his second wife Anna Magdalena. Alongside various single pieces that were not used again, the collections contain the first drafts of works that were later to become parts of other important collections, like the French Suites and the Well-tempered Clavier. This is seen in the Praeludium in C major which is almost identical to the start of the first volume of the Well-tempered Clavier; the Aria in G major is the starting point for the Goldberg Variations; and the chorale Wer nun den lieben Gott will be found again in a later manuscript collection of chorales.

+bonus DVD 25minutes

Andreas Staier on the Goldbergs.

"In the Goldberg Variations, Bach used the possibilities offered by the instrument's double keyboard. The work is totally suited to the harpsichord, whereas trying to play it on the piano is like attempting to square the circle." Andreas Staier

Andreas Staier waited nearly a quarter of a century to play the Goldbergs in public: his first performance of it was in Montreal at the end of April 2000. This is his first, long-awaited recording. Undoubtedly one of the most prominent harpsichord and forte piano performers in the world, Andreas Staier embarked upon a solo career in 1986 and, since then, his indisputable musical mastery has made its mark on the interpretation of baroque, classical and romantic repertoire. His extensive discography has won great critical awards from the international press: Mozart's Sonatas in two CDs, Haydn concertos with the Freiburger Barockorchester, Hamburg 1734 (with the German harpsichordist Christine Schornsheim). Recent releases have included Beethoven's violin sonatas with Daniel Sepec performing on Beethoven's own instrument and Schwanengesang with Christoph Prégardien on CD and DVD. The story about the Goldbergs’ composition is worth retelling: Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, one of Bach's brightest pupils, was working for Count von Keyserlingk of Dresden, who suffered from insomnia. Goldberg sometimes played all night to soothe the count. Bach was asked to write ‘quiet’ and ‘somewhat cheerful’ music for this purpose and he responded to the challenge brilliantly. A saraband theme, taken from a collection that Bach made for his wife, Anna Magdalena, is treated in a novel way. Rather than concentrating on the melodic line, Bach strengthens the bass line and harmonic structure. The variations are grouped in threes, with the third of each group being a canon. The 30th variation, the ‘Quodlibet’ is a lively juxtaposition of two popular melodies of the time. A composer of lesser genius would soon have become monotonous in attempting 30 variations in D minor, Bach, on the contrary, gives us an extraordinary range of expression.

“blessedly unreverential Bach, ebullient and extrovert, but also introspective and expressively searching when required.” The Guardian

This year, Ragna Schirmer is to be awarded her second ECHO Klassik prize. Her recording of all of Handel’s suites on 3 CDs stormed up the German classical charts and was hailed as the most spectacular release of this anniversary year. This is a reissue of her 2000 recording of the Golberg Variations which at the time had the press in raptures.

Catrin Finch, former Harpist to the Prince of Wales, has become one of her instrument’s foremost exponents. In bringing the harp to new audiences through performances and TV appearances, her energy and enthusiasm (as well as virtuosity and dedication to her instrument) has been endless. A recent appearance on BBC4, where she presented a definitive history of the instrument, confirmed her status as a star personality, as well as a star performer.

On this, her Deutsche Grammophon debut, Catrin tackles brand new arrangements of JS Bach’s Goldberg Variations, for solo harp. The clear sound of the harp brings this intricate and beautiful music to life in a delicate and unique fashion. Catrin plays throughout the UK during 2009 and will also undertake extensive promotion around the release of this album.