Bach: Goldberg Variations
List Price:
Our Price: $6.71
You Save: $3.28 (33%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.67 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more CD details
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
CD Details
Composer: Johann Sebastian BachPerformer: Murray Perahia
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2000-10-03
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- Aria
- Var 1
- Var 2
- Var 3: Canon On The Unison
- Var 4
- Var 5
- Var 6: Canon On The Second
- Var 7
- Var 8
- Var 9: Canon On The Third
- Var 10: Fughetta
- Var 11
- Var 12: Canon On The Fourth
- Var 13
- Var 14
- Var 15: Canon On The Fifth
- Var 16: Ov
- Var 17
- Var 18: Canon On The Sixth
- Var 19
- Var 20
- Var 21: Canon On The Seventh
- Var 22
- Var 23
- Var 24: Canon On The Octave
- Var 25
- Var 26
- Var 27: Canon On The Ninth
- Var 28
- Var 29
- Var 30: Quodlibet
- Aria Da Capo
Music reviews of Bach: Goldberg Variations
Music Review: 2001 Gramophone Award Winner
Rating: 5 Stars
This recording joins a distinguished few that represent the summit of Goldberg Variations recordings. There must have been something very special going on in Mr. Perahia's life at the time of this recording as it finds him at the peak of his talents and expressivity. There is an extraordinary conception, joyous spirit and vivid clarity in his playing here that strikes me as very special. I was deeply inspired the first time I heard this recording and appreciate its artistry the more I hear it.
Indeed, Murray Perahia's pianism here really has a "sparkle" and vibrancy to it that makes the music come to life. He molds Bach's faster, effervescent variations with a caffeine-like alertness, stacatto precision and a crisp, bouncy articulation that exudes a pure, uninhibited, joyous occassion. Yet, he lacks nothing in nuance or sensitivity in finding the "emotional core" of the slow variations. His probing reading of the magnificant 25th "Black Pearl" Variation is masterful and compelling - staying contemplative and hopeful without descending into grief or gloominess as some can. To say his pianism possess a consistent gracefulness, elegance and poise is hardly a revelation as it is such qualities that have made Mr. Perahia a favorite with the public for decades. If you had to pick one of the top "all 'rounders" of classical-music pianists - spanning from Bach to Chopin to Modern - Murray Perahia would be near the top of the list.
Another attractive feature of this recording is the superb Sony sound quality - perhaps the most attractive and realistic of any recordings of Bach's Goldberg Variations. One caveat however that other reviewers also mention: an annoying "clicking" sound. Yes, it is there (hear track 30 for example) and is especially annoying when listening with headphones (which I don't with this CD). This was definately an unfortunate artist or recording flaw, but for most should not be a "show stopper." I really don't hear it when playing through speakers unless I am really listening for it (and only on certain tracks), but an audiable "clicking" is definately there - perhaps due to overly long finger nails.
As much as I admire Angela Hewitt's or Andras Schiff's lovely Bach recordings in general, I personally like Perahia's sparkling reading here more (but Hewitt's detailed notes describing each variation is a superb educational journey compared to Perahia's brief and obscure academic notes). While serious classical listeners or pianists will still probably want to explore in depth the legendary historical recordings (Rosalyn Tureck, Glenn Gould and Wanda Landowski), Murray Perahia's Goldberg CD here is certainly one of the top modern choices. His lively, attractive pianism and the brilliant Sony sound quality should appeal to a wide audience of music lovers.
Music-press reviews of this CD were very high. Gramophone gave this CD their 2001 Award while David Hurwitz at ClassicsToday gave it a perfect 10/10 for Artistry/Sound Quality, citing it as "the best recording since Gould." Like the lead Amazon reviewer, Mr. Hurwitz also gives Mr. Perahia abundant praise: "What makes Perahia so special, though, is his masterful application of the piano's tone colors and dynamic contrasts to Bach's music in a way that is at once personal and totally convincing. Artists as individually outstanding as Gould, Tureck, Koroliov, and Schiff have all found solutions that are equally valid, but none, I think, have ever made the music sound so naturally, joyously at home on the modern piano as has Perahia. With gorgeously rich recorded sound fully worthy of the interpretation, this Goldberg Variations easily joins my short list of recommendations on any instrument. Perahia has given us a recording for the ages, no doubt about it."
Description of Bach: Goldberg Variations
All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.Thanks to the Bach anniversary year, we've enjoyed a bonanza of interpretations of the master. One of the most honestly compelling--Murray Perahia's account of the Goldberg Variations--uniquely underscored the fundamental subtext behind all the celebration: the wondrous inexhaustibility of Bach's creative imagination. Perahia has come to a new understanding of Bach in the full prime of his career, and his first recording of this monument communicates the wealth of his insights with color, depth, and subtly charged poetry. --Thomas May
Listen to the music first! Perahia's booklet essay is a dry musicological treatise concerned with technical aspects of Bach's music. His performance, on the other hand, is filled with life and excitement. The kind of overt virtuosity heard in some of these variations has been a rarity in Perahia's recordings, but it shows how wide a range he intends to cover in his playing of this masterpiece. Unlike Glenn Gould, who is most listeners' touchstone for piano performances of the Goldbergs, Perahia takes Bach's necessary repeats and uses them as occasions for adventure, varying not only the emphases, but also the actual notes. This kind of embellishment in repeats was expected in Bach's time, but it's rare in ours. Also, taking the repeats doubles the length of the piece, making it a larger and more affecting experience--as long as the performer manages to keep those repeats alive, which Perahia certainly does. His playing of the famous 25th variation is deeply affecting without the faintest trace of sentimentality. The way he varies Bach's moods from moment to moment is extremely effective. This is, in short, one of the great recordings of Bach's "Goldberg" Variations. With Vladimir Feltsman's similarly revelatory performance currently out of the catalogs, Perahia's is probably the best piano version available. It's also one of his best recordings. --Leslie Gerber
Classical CDs
Music Genres
Bestsellers in Classical CDs
Winterscapesby London Philharmonic
Prophetic Voice; Published: 2000-07; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $2.75
Price in other shops:
The Queen, the Bear, & the Bumblebeeby Dini Petty
Children's Group; Published: 2001-03; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $13.38
Price in other shops:
Classical Kids - Beethoven Lives Upstairs CdrRelease date: 2000-04-05; Music CD
Best price: $24.98
Tchaikovsky (Life and Works (Naxos))by Malcolm Sinclair, Jeremy Siepmann
Naxos; Published: 2003-11; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $35.99
![Jose Carreras - Jubileum Concert [VHS] Image](/images/Jose-Carreras-Jubileum-Concert-VHS-1584481471-X.jpg){kind=small}
Jose Carreras - Jose Carreras - Jubileum Concert [VHS]Sling Shot; Release date: 2000-04-18; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $5.86
Price in other shops:
![Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Nureyev, Park, Royal Ballet [VHS] Image](/images/Tchaikovsky-The-Nutcracker-Nureyev-Park-Royal-Ballet-VHS-156127092X-X.jpg){kind=small}
Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Nureyev, Park, Royal Ballet [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1997-09-09; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.89
Price in other shops:
![Lonely Town Lonley Street / Sergeant's Early Dream [VHS] Image](/images/Lonely-Town-Lonley-Street-Sergeant-Early-Dream-VHS-1561270857-X.jpg){kind=small}
Rambert Dance Company - Lonely Town Lonley Street / Sergeant's Early Dream [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1997-10-28; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops:
Winter Music: Composing the Northby John Luther Adams
Wesleyan; Published: 2004-11-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $21.90
Price in other shops:
![Puccini - La Fanciulla del West / Santi, Domingo, Neblett, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS] Image](/images/Puccini-La-Fanciulla-del-West-Santi-Domingo-Neblett-Royal-Opera-Covent-Garden-VHS-0769720382-X.jpg){kind=small}
Puccini - La Fanciulla del West / Santi, Domingo, Neblett, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1999-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $6.38
Price in other shops:
![Verdi - Falstaff / Giulini, Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS] Image](/images/Verdi-Falstaff-Giulini-Bruson-Ricciarelli-Nucci-Royal-Opera-Covent-Garden-VHS-0769720358-X.jpg){kind=small}
Verdi - Falstaff / Giulini, Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1999-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $12.95
Price in other shops:
Similar CDs
Handel/ Scarlatti: Murray Perahia Plays Handel & ScarlattiPERAHIA,MURRAY; Release date: 1997-03-04; Music CD
Best price: $4.43
Price in other shops:
![Mozart: Piano Sonatas [Box Set] Image](/images/Mozart-Piano-Sonatas-Box-Set-B00002DEH1-X.jpg)
Mozart: Piano Sonatas [Box Set]Release date: 1999-11-09; Music CD
Best price: $25.63
Price in other shops:
Mozart: The Violin SonatasSon; Release date: 2003-10-28; Music CD
Best price: $21.04
Price in other shops:
Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas & ConcertosRelease date: 2011-01-11; Music CD
Best price: $35.85
Price in other shops:
Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nos. 1, 2 & 4Release date: 2001-03-13; Music CD
Best price: $5.98
Price in other shops:
Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nos. 3, 5, 6, 7Release date: 2002-03-12; Music CD
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops:
Johann Sebastian Bach: 6 Brandenburg Concertos / 4 Orchestral Suites - The English Concert / Trevor PinnockRelease date: 1989-05-09; Music CD
Best price: $18.91
Price in other shops:
Emerson String Quartet, Johann Sebastian Bach - Bach: The Art of FugueBACH,J.S.; Release date: 2003-08-12; Music CD
Best price: $9.10
Price in other shops:
Bach: Violin ConcertosBach; Release date: 2009-01-27; Music CD
Best price: $6.41
Price in other shops:
A State of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations (1955 & 1981)Release date: 2002-09-03; Music CD
Best price: $13.93
Price in other shops: