Customer Reviews

Bach: Goldberg Variations

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bach wrote very, very few variation compositions like the "Goldberg Variations," but the one's he wrote are most memorable and monumental. Early in his career, he wrote a magnificant "Aria with Variations in the Italian Manner" (BWV989). Its repeating aria at the end along with the alternating fast/bright and slow/contemplative variations foreshadowed a model in these so-called Goldberg Variations - one of the towering 'summation works' Bach wrote late in his life at Leipzig.

With a full quiver of splendid recordings of Bach's keyboard music, it is not hard to believe that Angela Hewitt is the top-selling musical artist for the British Hyperion label. And this recording of her personal favorite Golderg Variations is another worthwhile CD in the series. Angela Hewitt's Goldbergs - and really all her Bach or Couperin in general - may be most simplistically characterized as having a more gentle, graceful and heartfelt style. She particularly excells on bringing out the joyful rhythms in the many Baroque-era 'dances' and as well as the inherent songfulness within the music. Technically, her smooth-as-silk long legato line, tasteful ornamental infusions, and intelligent progression all combine to create a delightful experience with Bach as heard in this fine recording.

Additionally, Hewitt is a master tonal colorist and is not shy to tactfully use the pedals and nuances of the modern piano to create a greater richness in the music - while taking care to avoid blurring her individual lines. Accordingly, she elects a wide dynamic range for this recording to elicit maximum expressivity. Her creativity in ornamentation and well-chosen shifts of tempo in the repeats (which she observes here) adds stylistic interest - but without straying too far from Bach's musical intentions.

In comparison to other Goldberg recordings (such as Perhahia's Sony recording), Angela Hewitt's readings seem to possess a more introspective, pensive mood at times. Perhaps in the back of her mind she is tempering her expression in light of the legend that Bach wrote these pieces for his student Goldberg to play at night to help his employer, the insomniac Count Keyserling, pass the time during his sleepness nights. Hewitt's expressivity in the opening and closing Aria is as expected, thoughtful and beautiful. In the famous 25th "Black Pearl" Variation, she creates a somewhat veiled atmosphere with a slower tempo. Personally, I felt it a bit heavy rather than the more poignant and optimistic mood of Perahia - but such is art and individual preference. Contrastingly, in the brilliant fast variations, Miss Hewitt brings an ebulient clarity and precision to the music that is refreshing to mind and spirit.

Hewitt's Goldberg CD received strong ratings from from many of the top reviewers like Penguin Guide and Gramophone and stands with a few others among the finer recordings. ClassicsToday was a bit more critical, giving this CD a rating of 8/10 for Artistic Quality and 9/10 for Sound Quality (noting a tendency for restraint in some variations). An additional highlight of this Hyperion CD is surely the superbly annotated notes revealing some history of this music and Ms. Hewitt's musical insights and approaches to each of the 30 variations. The voluminous notes alone might make Hewitt's CD preferable to some others if you already have a version or two you really like. All-in-all, a most attractive and admirable recording of one of the world's great keyboard compositions.

Either of Gould's versions of this astonishing music are magnificent intellectual achievements and might challenge you more, but they aren't exactly what I would call daily listening! Hewitt's performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations on piano is a performance you can live with and play every day. She strikes a perfect balance between pianistic coloring and crisply articulated clarity, allowing you to follow every individual voice while being fully alert to the dramatic possibilities of the work as a whole. The aria which opens and concludes the set is played rather more slowly than usual, but without losing the musical flow. And who really cares how slow it goes, because it's one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written.

Hyperion has done its usual excellent packaging job that affirms its reputation as one of the best classical musical labels in the world. The written notes are terrific as well.

Buy it today -- it's an investment that will reap rewards for your ears and soul for many years to come.

This performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations is of the highest caliber of any rendition of these works in many decades. The technical aspect of Angela's recording is virtually flawless, with a minimum of pianistic effect, which is exactly the way in which these pieces are supposed to be played. Listening to this gives one the feeling that this work is being played on harpsichord, which is the original instrument for which the variations were written, but indeed, this performance was recorded on the piano, and with excellent sound quality. All repeats are observed here, and are played with a slightly different dynamic, be it softer or louder, which is quite proper for Bach's period. Angela's phrasing, and her ability to produce a pure legato effect without use of the pedal adds much to the authenticity of this performance.

This recording, as well as Angela's other Bach recordings, belong in the collection of every Bach enthusiast as Angela is one of a very few who truly bring out the warmth, emotion and passion that is....Bach!

Although Glen Gould's 1955 recording (the fast one) has always been my favorite, I was inspired to buy this CD after attending a concert with Ms. Hewitt playing Bach keyboard concertos. She has a completely different interpretation of the Goldberg.

It is at once majestic and intimate. There are many expressive

departures which make the contrapuntal lines more exciting than anything I have heard before. I heartily recommend this recording to anyone who loves Bach.

My wife, a serious pianist, and I had never heard of Angela Hewitt, although we listen to Classical Music on the radio all the time. We signed up for a Hewitt recital of the Goldberg Variations in Washington last fall, not knowing what to expect. After a few minutes we started giving each other the "where have we been all our lives?" look. It was the most elegantly musical interpretation of Bach we had ever heard. Every note seemed perfectly thought out, every nuance displayed on the keyboard. She seemed to be reading Bach's mind (or at least reading our opinions about how Bach ought to be played). Not only did she sound wonderful, but we were entranced by the movements of her hands, which seemed to be dancing over the keyboard with a will of their own.

The reviewer in our local paper found the performance unexciting. I checked the early Gould recording for comparison. It is quite exciting, but in a superficial sort of way. The depth of feeling in Hewitt's performance is something else entirely. You can appreciate most of it by listening to this recording, though not the hands.

We are going off to the Trasimeno Festival in Perugia this summer, where Hewitt will be playing Bach and much more.

I thought Gould couldn't be outdone when it comes to the Goldberg Variations. Wrong! Angela Hewitt does an incredible job. Precision, dynamics, runs that are effortless, trills that thrill. The entire album is a triumph!

Angela Hewitt's Bach recordings for Hyperion have been widely acclaimed for their excellence - winning Gramophone awards, Penguin Guide Rosettes (for both volumes of the Well-Tempered Clavier), and awards from numerous critics around the world. This praise is certainly justified, for in every work, she plays with great clarity, a sense of line, and a real sensitivity to Bach's world. She never distorts the music, or indulges in mannerisms. -In the Goldberg's, Hewitt plays all the repeats, as seems to be the current practice (recent versions by Daniel Barenboim (Erato) and Rosalyn Tureck (DG) occupy 2-CD sets. In this case, more is certainly better. In the repeated sections, her embellishments are sparse, but sensitive listeners will note how carefully she rethinks the music the second time. Indeed, across all 30 variations, one has the sense of looking through a kaleidoscope, with more brilliant images emerging, but some intangible familiarity remaining. -The CD booklet contains 12 pages of excellent notes by Hewitt about the work, and the experience of playing it. The recorded sound of her Steinway in London's Henry Wood Hall is excellent - very natural, with a pleasing sense of ambience. Though there will never be a definitive performance of the Goldberg's, this issue will likely retain a permanent place in the Bach discography. Buy this, and I know you'll also get her Well-Tempered Clavier!

If the human species wishes to announce the existence of intelligent life on Earth to the rest of the universe, just continually beam to the stars this recording of Angela Hewitt playing the Goldberg Variations. Of course, it would be boasting, both of the composer and the performer - but shouldn't we send examples of our best?

Here we have the spirit of Gould's performances without all the annoying features, such as his singing and excessive tempi. A worthy successor - that I listen to over and over again just for sheer pleasure.

Gould's Goldberg Variations are aggressive and masculine; to me, the Hewitt version seems wistful and feminine. Both are exquisite--it's great to have both. I recently heard Hewitt doing the Goldberg Variations--at some point, another recording should do justice to how her vision has changed over time (but nothing as dramatically different as Gould's later version).