Goldberg Variations (J.S. Bach) - Keith Jarrett

Advantages: Great piano playing of a great Bach composition.
Disadvantages: None

...One of Gould's final recordings, this is probably the definitive piano version of Bach's keyboard masterpiece. Gould runs the theme & thirty variations as a unified whole. His playing is characterised by clear fast passages, crisp ornaments and controlled, intense playing of the slow variations (nos.15 & 26). Even his humming along to the music does not detract from a joyous performance. The final section from variation 27 to the slow return to the theme is pianism at its most uplifting. The piano sound is clear without being dry & compares favourably with most up to date piano recordings. This is a disc to convert anyone to Bach & indeed to Gould's pianistic genius.... Read review

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Advantages: Elegant, refreshingly stimulating, articulate Goldberg Variations.
Disadvantages: (For US residents) Import CD from British Hyperion label costs more than the average.

...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... Read review

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Advantages: J. S. Bach; all musicians and vocalists; Karajan.
Disadvantages: Karajan's big, ponderous sound and historical inauthenticity, for some.

...like huge raindrops high above the stage. A massive pipe organ stands to one side. I do wonder how good the acoustics of the place is. (Alas, bad timing robbed us of the chance to attend a concert here during our visit to Berlin last September, and we had to be content with surveying the distinctive circus tent-like buildings in the complex from the outside.) VIOLIN CONCERTO IN E MAJOR, BWV 1042 The E Minor Violin Concerto holds a special niche in my musical heart, having been one of the early pieces that introduced me to the magic and mystery of J. S. Bach when I was just entering my teens. The work has yet to grow old for this listener. Mr Karajan here throws the entire weight of the modern symphony orchestra wholly at the service of the piece, producing a huge, all-encompassing sound that might seem foreign to the composer... Read review

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