Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variations, for keyboard (Clavier-Übung IV), BWV 988 (BC L9), 1741 Glenn Gould, Sony, 1981. Movements: 1. Aria 2. Variation 1 a 1 clavier 3. Variation 2 a 1 clavier 4. Variation 3. Canone all'unisono a 1 clavier 5. Variation 4 a 1 clavier 6. Variation 5 a 1 ovvero 2 claviere 7. Variation 6. Canone alla seconda a 1 clavier 8. Variation 7 a 1 ovvero 2 claviere 9. Variation 8 a 2 claviere 10. Variation 9. Canone alla terza a 1 clavier 11. Variation 10. Fughetta a 1 clavier 12. Variation 11 a 2 claviere 13. Variation 12. Canone alla quarta 14. Variation 13 a 2 claviere 15. Variation 14 a 2 claviere 16. Variation 15. Canone alla quinta 17. Variation 16. Ouverture a 1 clavier 18. Variation 17 a 2 claviere 19. Variation 18. Canone alla sesta a 1 clavier 20. Variation 19 a 1 clavier 21. Variation 20 a 2 claviere 22. Variation 21. Canone alla settima 23. Variation 22. Alla breve a 1 clavier 24. Variation 23 a 2 claviere 25. Variation 24. Canone all'ottava a 1 clavier 26. Variation 25 a 2 claviere 27. Variation 26 a 2 claviere 28. Variation 27. Canone alla nona 29. Variation 28 a 2 claviere 30. Variation 29 a 1 ovvero 2 claviere 31. Variation 30. Quodlibet a 1 clavier 32. Aria da Capo Johann Sebastian Bach completed the Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, for keyboard in 1741. The work consists of an aria and 30 variations. Scholars at the end of the twentieth century were still debating the exact details of the work's origin, but many accept that J.G. Goldberg commissioned it. His job was to perform for Count Keyserkingk, a chronic insomniac who needed music to lull him to sleep. Many records suggest that Bach once taught Goldberg, a famed virtuoso, who would have easily been able to play the variations. It is also believed that the technical wizardry required to play the variations comes directly from Bach's study of Domenico Scarlatti's Essercizi for keyboard from 1739, itself a daunting piece for exceptional players only. The aria that Bach used is of unknown origin; it was probably not the composer's own, but was related to a now-untraceable French keyboard dance. The basic harmonies and structures of the variations are all the same as the theme's. The work exemplifies Bach's quest for the greatest amount of diversity within relentless unity. The Goldberg Variations are among the most sophisticated works ever written for keyboard, but the work does not sound like the awesomely complex compendium that it is. The music is deceptively simple and heartfelt, with a noble calm even when the performer is obliged to cross hands at lightning speeds. It never seethes or gets gritty, and is, of course, never boring. The aria theme is subjected to ever-new means of contrapuntal manipulation. Every third variation is a different kind of canon. The final variation breaks with this trend in order to offer up a quodlibet which uses well-known tunes for a humorous effect. The tunes, "Cabbage and beets have driven me away" and "I have so long been away from you," were a rousing, popular tune and an end-of-the-evening dance number respectively. This work is sublime and compassionate, graceful, warm, and relentlessly intricate, a demonstration of unmatched craft in music history and genuine, poetic imagination. The Goldberg Variations is a work that still engages scholars hundreds of years after its publication and is equally valuable for attracting new listeners to this sort of music. The career of the singular and idiosyncratic pianist Glenn Gould is probably best defined by his two recordings of Bach's Goldberg Variations. The first, his major-label debut recorded in 1955, was Gould's breakthrough. A brashly virtuosic performance, it blew the doors off the established notions of playing Bach and catapulted the pianist into superstardom. The second, recorded shortly before his death in 1982, finds a more deliberate Gould giving a poised, introspective reading of the work that brilliantly articulates its emotional intensity. The two versions are vastly different but both bear the unmistakable stamp of the iconoclastic pianist's characteristic clarity, precision, and dedication. Each could easily be considered a quintessential performance. The remastering is of particular value to the later recording, rescuing it from the unfavorable sound quality of primitive digital technology. This elegantly produced set is a fitting tribute to a remarkable and individualistic artist. It deserves a place on any music lover's shelf.

• published: 26 Nov 2013
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