Bach: Goldberg Variations

Elegant, refreshingly stimulating, with an amazing clarity and articulation--these words might sum up Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt's cerebral yet sensitive rendition of Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations. Hewitt has been described as the new interpreter of Bach, "nothing less than the pianist who will define Bach performance on the piano for years to come," Stereophile declared in 1998.

I don't doubt that at all. ...
...a curiosity about Hewitt. A morning program on NPR featured her piano transcriptions of popular Bach tunes in late ‘01. I liked--very much--what I heard. There was no question a Bach recording of hers was going to be joining fellow Bach CDs in my library.

Compared to the widely praised and honored Murray Perahia disc from the year before, Hewitt's Goldbergs follow more strictly the measured, dance-like meter of Bach's music. In contrast, ... more

Elegant, refreshingly stimulating, with an amazing clarity and articulation--these words might sum up Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt's cerebral yet sensitive rendition of Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations. Hewitt has been described as the new interpreter of Bach, "nothing less than the pianist who will define Bach performance on the piano for years to come," Stereophile declared in 1998.

I don't doubt that at all. And I blame the US National Public Radio for sparking a curiosity about Hewitt. A morning program on NPR featured her piano transcriptions of popular Bach tunes in late ‘01. I liked--very much--what I heard. There was no question a Bach recording of hers was going to be joining fellow Bach CDs in my library.

Compared to the widely praised and honored Murray Perahia disc from the year before, Hewitt's Goldbergs follow more strictly the measured, dance-like meter of Bach's music. In contrast, Perahia applies a slightly blurry cast to his notes. In this sense Hewitt is closer in style to Rosalyn Tureck, one of the pianists of the traditional school highly regarded for her unique playing of Bach's keyboard compositions. I will say that Tureck's playing of Bach gives too much emphasis to the strict meter and its metronome-like regularity--I find it too mannered, stiff and formal. I have tried a few times to give her Goldbergs a chance, but end up only with impatience and frustration.

Unlike her compatriot, Glenn Gould's landmark recordings, Hewitt's eschews the maddeningly eccentric touches that Gould brought to his playing. While ushering the listener into a world of elegance and polish Hewitt also remains firmly within the realm of reality. (An aside: I am a recent Gould convert, however. A wee plug: the curious can look up my fanatical writeup of the Goldberg double reissue at u-rate-it.com).

Each note is carefully considered and fastidiously played by Hewitt, with great respect for the composer’s work, yet her passages flow with a palpable joy, a gaiety and spontaneity, even impetuosity, whilst retaining an appealing thoughtfulness and delicacy. Her clarity of tone and articulation do no less than astonish. She plays the ornaments (mordents and grace notes) more audibly, and the clipped sound of her notes lends the music an air of refinement and courtliness.

So while Martha Argerich's Bach is aflame with intense emotion that can seem like controlled recklessness (review on Ciao pending), Hewitt's Bach burns more slowly but no less brightly. Hers is a pleasing display of remarkable control and discipline. I wonder if these two pianists' differing approaches may reflect their respective backgrounds: Argerich hails from the (stereotypically) temperamental country of Argentina, while Hewitt comes from the frozen white north. Hmmm.... (At any rate, I love both pianists' renderings of Bach, which, in the end, are not all that different in that both move me beyond words.)

In what seems like a paradox, Hewitt actually uses a larger palette of colors despite her more restrained and deliberate tempo. She weaves some kind of subtle magic that brings a greater excitement and depth to the work.

To wit: she gives the bass lines more prominence than Perahia does. Her Variation 8 might not bear the commanding authority heard on Perahia's, but hers has an emotional momentum that climaxes at the end. Hewitt keeps me interested all the way to the final bar of Variation 13, while Perahia’s tends toward a rather dreary sameness throughout. When Hewitt returns with the thematic passage it is in hushed tones, giving it a slightly different hue from its first appearance. Similarly, she renders a more nuanced, less uniform and dull description of Variation 20 with mere changes in volume.

Hewitt's Goldberg Variations are some of the most stimulating I have yet encountered--an impressive achievement given the strong competition out there, and the inherently mathematically rigid structure of Bach's work. It is a piece that relies heavily on the interpreter to bring forth its beauty. Without this sensitivity in the pianist, a soporific and mechanical rendering results.

Although Bach had only the harpsichord and no concert grand to play or compose on during his lifetime (he may have played an infant version of the pianoforte then), Hewitt's reading of the Goldbergs make them seem equally appropriate for the modern grand piano (a Steinway, in her case). A strong sense of the Baroque remains fully intact: its stateliness, grace and sheer loveliness revealed within the carefully created complexities of composition.

Today, I admit to a preference for Hewitt's Goldbergs over Perahia's, lovely as Murray's are. To those who’ve yet remained unaware of Hewitt’s pianistic gifts, a great discovery is what I bring you here. It’s imperative for all lovers of Bach and Baroque music to get acquainted with Angela Hewitt. Do try to get a copy of this and other Hewitt CDs, then luxuriate in the wondrous simplicity amidst complexity that is the music of J. S. Bach. These excellent Goldberg Variations are not a bad place to start on the road to realizing the magnificence of that Baroque giant.

Note:

The only 'con' I can think of is the CD's price, at least on the US side of the pond. Being an import from the UK's Hyperion label, it goes for about $18, but can be had for only $14, it seems, from certain online sites. Believe me, every penny spent on this disc is well worth it.

Hewitt herself wrote out her lucid and edifying thoughts on the Goldbergs, and these are included in the CD booklet. A knowledge of basic musical terms is necessary for complete understanding, but with the help of a good dictionary, any reader can follow along while listening in turn to each Variation.

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CD Notes:

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
(1685-1750)

GOLDBERG VARIATIONS
Aria mit verschiedenen Veränderungen
('Aria with Diverse Variations')
BWV 988

ANGELA HEWITT piano

(Recorded in Henry Wood Hall, London, on 28 August - 1 September 1999)

HYPERION RECORDS LIMITED • LONDON • ENGLAND

CDA67305

Duration 78'32 

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