Customer Reviews

Bach: Goldberg-Variationen

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4 star:		(1)
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In the world of Goldberg Variations, and there are indeed a world of them, for better or worse, Gould's landmark 1955 recording is still largely the benchmark for this particular variation cycle. And in truth, one really should be familiar with that magisterial reading. Arguably, it may no longer be easily the most definitive, but it's almost surely an excellent place to start. So, just let me just mention in passing, for fans of the Gould version who are wondering if they should get another (especially after having been disappointed by some of the other versions out there), this reading shouldn't disappoint you at all.

Technically, it is not fair to either rendition to compare them over-much. Nevertheless, two of the most immediate advantages that this disc has over Gould's are the quality of recording and, of course, that Gavrilov does not hum along with his own playing. The piano tone on this recording is especially lush; there is an ambient gentle reverb that makes the whole thing quite comfy without being blurry. It's very much like listening in a recital hall, except that the reverb is precisely set so that it adds very nice accents to the music without creating an echo effect, and also does not sacrifice any crispness of sound. It's very unobtrusive in other words, and makes for a tone that seems to be extremely well-suited for making the ear happy.

As for the performances of individual variations, Gavrilov shows himself to be every bit as wily at teasing out contrapuntal details as Gould--the way he particularly pops out the doubled notes in Variation 11 is a perfect case in point. It's extremely charming, even playful. In fact, it is really hard not to conclude that there is not more insight into the pieces than in Gould; a fact perhaps not immediately evident, since Gavrilov generally goes for less obvious effects, as it were. For example, in the ever famous warp-speed rendition of Variation 5 by Gould, at first glance Gavrilov seems exactly on the same pace. In fact, the tempo is a bit slower, but not so much so that the pace seems dictated by Gavrilov's lesser ability. And if anything, it is actually lighter than Gould's, if only due to the better recording quality.

Happily, the Gavrilov disc is not perfect. Variation 12, while it has a number of very deft pianistic accents that are missing from Gould's, in spots seems labored--as if Gavrilov might have gotten it nailed down a bit more before recording it. (In the repeat, he seems to "iron out" the problems, so the effect may have been intentional in the first section, in which case, the "error" may be more of judgment than performance.) But if Variation 12 leaves things a bit wanting, Variation 13 comes on with much more to offer than Gould's version, with the lines slipping along with an uncanny smoothness, immediately interrupted by the crisply forefronted dotted rhythms. The whole thing is just smooth and delicious as custard.

Variation 14, as another of Gould's genuine tour de forces, is shown to be every bit as executable at the same tempo by Gavrilov, with a lighter touch in numerous places, and with considerably more (well-placed) theatricality. The abruptness of the ending is especially .. shoot, the word I want to use is adorable. A gesture that exquisitely sets up the minor-modulation Variation 15.

Since there are 32 variations, it is not too feasible to comment upon them all--instead two last side-by-side comparison of Gould and Gavrilov are provided, for Variations 17 and 19.

Again, the first difference is sound quality. Absolutely night and day. Listening to 17 by Gould and then Gavrilov, it is literally like moving into another world when Gavrilov starts. One doesn't need headphones to hear the left hand clearly, for instance. Gavrilov also elects to play the repeats (making the variation almost a minute longer than Gould's), and it really makes a difference. Where Gould steps into the piece, Gavrilov launches, and his use of dynamics is much more expressive and effective. But it is in the second section that his playing totally lights up, with crazy, sliding, almost unhinged (but not out of control) contrapuntal gestures. The effect is genuinely phantasmagoric--everything seems to start going every which way for a moment, then suddenly snaps back into focus. An effect that is, of course, made that much more apparent by the section repeats, since the ear gets a chance to hear it twice.

In Variation 19, Gould takes a slowish, snappy, martial tempo, particularly ringing out certain notes wonderfully. With Gavrilov, the tempo is nearly double Gould's (he plays the repeats, as Gould does not, and still comes in only 11 seconds longer). The pieces are almost unrecognizable at first glance as the same, but despite these differences, one can still hear in Gavrilov the ringing tones that Gould brought out. In short, there seems to be much more offered by Gavrilov's reading.

I do not want the foregoing to suggest that Gould's rendition is faulty; the recording quality is certainly not his fault. Moreover, it is a virtual certainty that were it not for him, there would not be so many versions of the Goldberg Variations now available. One can also sense Gavrilov's debt to Gould's rendition; clearly he finds inspiration there.

At the same time, I would definitely be more inclined to listen to Gavrilov more frequently than Gould, and not just for reasons of sound quality. With Gould's rendition, my most frequent response is, "Wow," whereas with Gavrilov, I get "wow" along with a much (much) broader range of additional reactions. There's much more to engage my imagination with Gavrilov, which is another way of saying that he brings a much broader palette of effects and gestures to the music than Gould. All kudos to the original master, nevertheless this is a fantastic and completely worthy "student" who may well have exceeded him.

With G. Gould (1955) and Tatiana's Goldberg Vars., this CD is one of the three-best Goldberg Vars. issues. You can find a strong and "antique" in Gould's CD, feminine and gentle in Tatiana's CD, and transparent in this CD. I, personally, like this CD more than other two (and many another like Hewitt, Schiff, Perahia...).

Highly recommend.

There are many things to like about Andre Gavrilov's Goldberg Variations: first and foremost, and perhaps surprising given Gavrilov's virtuoso reputation, they are poetic without a trace of sentimentality. There's also a very strong left hand underpinning several of the variations which provides a rhythmic voice often overlooked or obscured by other pianists. Because the overall pace that he adopts is on the brisk side, there's none of the excessive lingering that we find in his traversal of the French Suites (Bach: French Suites Nos. 1-6; English Suite No. 3; Italian Concerto), a set that I liked despite some of its idiosyncracies.

On the negative side Gavrilov speeds through several of the variations, notably nos. 6, 9, 12, 14 and 21, to the point where some of their character is lost. While things aren't reduced to a blur of notes, there is a flattening out as tempos are pushed to the near maximum on the faster ones (no. 6 for example). One wishes Gavrilov had restrained himself a little more because other than these episodes, which some might think generate excitement but which I think of as border-line gratuitous, his Goldberg Variations make for a rewarding listening experience.

The recorded sound is excellent. Four solid stars.

As far as I know this is the most vibrant and refined performance of Goldberg Variations, apart from Glenn Gould's three recordings. Gavrilov's playing has a sort of irresistable fluency and grace (which reminds me of GG's Salzburg Festival live recording) and he articulates every voice with amazing finesse and intellectual grasp of the whole. Unlike Glenn Gould, Gavrilov observes repeat makings in each variation (encouraged by Sviatoslav Richter, possibly?). Beautifully recorded.