Customer Reviews

Bach Goldberg Variations (SACD)

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

 

 

Many listeners still hold Glenn Gould's breakthrough 1955 recording as the Goldberg standard, while others (like myself) marvel at his marvelously crisp 1981 digital recording, which helped spawn the fascination of classical music lovers with DDD-encoded CDs. With this 2000 recording, Murray Perahia has raised the bar. His musicality and attention to detail is astounding and his pianistic touch yields graceful lines and unparalleled phrasing... And the recording quality is out of this world, especially on SACD.. there is absolutely no "hiss"! This has now become my favorite recording of all time. I can't stop listening to it! No wonder he has been nominated for a Grammy! Buy this release... you'll be astounded... and addicted!

Murray Perahia brings out much more than the mathematics of counterpoint and the acrobatics of execution. He brings out the soul of the music.

This performance combines amazing vituosity with a musical intelligence and spirituality which is very sensitive to where Bach himself was coming from. This recording is a unique musical treasure, bringing together Bach's compositional genius from circa 1741, with the best musicianship and recording technology available worldwide in the year 2000.

The superb audio quality on SACD brings out the full dynamics and texture of the pianoforte, especially important for Murray's approach to this music.

A peerless conception and realization of Bach's Goldberg Variations. Perhaps the most telling aspect of listening to Perahia's recording for me is that when it is finished, I want to start again at the beginning. It is as if a "world" is contained in this piece, and I am reluctant to leave it.
SACD sound is everything you could want or imagine.

I love Perahia's crisp & musical rendition of Goldberg Variations, and
also think the "Portrait of Murray Perahia" CD is truly exceptional. Such attention to detail, precise articulation, & passion. Amazing talent.

CD was always a great format for piano. LPs have superior sound quality overall but there is always a bit of wow and flutter from an LP. Even if the turntable was rotating steadily the hole in the disk was never punched in the exact center, thus causing a touch of speed variation as the disk went around (Nakamichi actually made a turntable that tried to recenter the LP on every play, using a sub-platter, but that was a one-of-a-kind product). Piano on SACD is even better than CD. (Oh yes, of course the music on this disk is fantastic. Tough to go wrong with Murray Perahia, either in concert or recording.)

I was guessing... what makes it "enhanced"? Maybe the fact that this particular disc won't play on regular cd players and it can only be heard on SACD players, and it's stereo. Of course, there's still a difference between the common cd and this one.

I bought this CD with high hopes. I thought maybe it could give me a new perspective on Bach, something I didn't hear in Glenn Gould's two immaculate recordings. It's quite good, excellent playing, but unfortunately, it is decidedly uninspiring when compared to Gould. The technique and phrasing just simply aren't as good by a long shot, and the articulation is so plain. Gould makes every note special in a way Perahia simply can't. Even if he spent every minute for the rest of his life on this music, he couldn't match Gould's sound. If you're buying your first Goldberg Variations, Gould's state of wonder is by far your best choice, and even if you're looking for something new, save your money and listen to Gould again...you'll hear a hundred new things every time you listen that this CD won't give you. So overall, it's very good playing, but belongs in a different category than the Glenn Gould recordings.