What is your favourite rendition of the Goldberg variations by J.S. Bach?
My go-to version is the 1992 Tatiana Nikolayeva recording. I think it's perfect. For me, the point of reference compared to other versions is how she sets of with the first variation. Most players will wake up the listener by playing it loud and/or fast. She however does it slow and soft. In a natural way, after the aria.
The last few years I've grown very fond of David Fray's recording. Mainly because he plays the whole thing slower than Nikolayeva. I think it's the most romantic recording.
Lang Lang, who I never listened to before, is a close contender to the above two. I was pleasantly surprised. I have the special version with the studio recording and the recording in Bach's Leipzig church. I honestly can't tell the difference between the two recordings.
Recently I started listening to an Andras Schiff live recording. I kind of enjoy the details and his usual metronomic perfection.
Other recordings I listen to frequently are Rosalyn Tureck (sounds like an "old" recording), Fazil Say (kind of "funky"). I find the Alexandre Tharaud recording good, but perhaps it lacks character for me. There are no specific qualities that stood out for me. Perhaps a standard rendition, then?
Versions that I disliked Vikingur Olafsson (too much showing off technical skill i.m.o.; very fond of his Philip Glass recording), Pavel Kolesnikov (too many strange twists or details; although I saw him play it live and was very impressed).
I listen to the Goldbergs everyday. Never get bored by it. They are my safe haven. I wonder sometimes why I have the rest of my collection.
Edit : Forgot about Glenn Gould. Like for most, he was my entry into Bach. Also his Goldberg recordings. Must admit I never give him a listen anymore.
Oh I can see how electronica and baroque music could be interesting for similar reasons, with the emphasis in both being on repetition with variation.
I've come at it from kind of the opposite end: I'm a folk musician who became fascinated by early music. I've been playing and listening to a lot of medieval and Renaissance music for the past five years, and lute music in particular. And of course if one is learning about counterpoint then Bach is going to come up. I've listened to more of his string compositions than his keyboard stuff, but I really enjoy it all. The recording that I've probably listened to most is Evangelina Mascardi playing his lute suite in E major; it's a perfect piece in my opinion.
Lately I've been really into Handel, and particularly his operas. There's some incredible music in those.
Thanks for the link. This one was less of a succes for me. But feel free to keep on giving suggestions. Either way, it's an enrichment.
About the Scarlatti album. It was pure luck that I picked up that one. My girlfriend is also fond of it. I played it a lot when she was pregnant, for my daughter-to-be. Sometimes even directly on her belly. But my daughter doesn't seem to remember or recognise. Although she also appreciates the Goldberg variations. She had no choice, hearing it every morning :-)
Another album that's a "classic" for me and my girlfriend is Bach arias by Ophelie Gaillard. This is track 1 of the cd. Her ensemble is called Pulcinella, which was the name of Scarlatti's cat 😺
My girlfriend is not so fond of baroque music in general. Too busy and too repetitive. I think the third album that she does appreciate is Il pastor fido by Handel. One of his shorter operas, only 2 cd's long. Played this one a lot when my daughter wasjust born, in the hospital room.
Seems a lot of albums are related to important phases in my life ...