Goldberg Variations

I listened the other day to the Wigmore Hall live stream of the Bach Goldberg Variations played by Pavel Kolesnikov  (271) Pavel Kolesnikov – At Wigmore Hall – YouTube

I find this an endlessly absorbing work. I am not qualified to comment on Kolesnikov’s pianistic competence but it seems to me a fine performance. I love the work because:

• Its original theme, unlike that of some variations, is memorable
• Its structure is very clear – a Canon every 3 variations and a still centre in variation 15, half way through
• for the most part, it is possible for me as a lay person to be able to relate each variation with the original theme and work out how it ‘varies’ from it
• I love the underlying melancholy of this work, like so much of Bach’s output. Yes, I know there are gigues, gavottes and whatever, but there is a quiet sadness at the heart of this work which I find deeply appealing
• Above all I love the 30th variation – ‘Quodlibet’ – and the transition to the repeat of the original theme

The recording I’ve got on MP3 is the 1981 Glenn Gould version – very good but with a lot of groaning and muttering thrown in…………..

The only time I’ve heard this live was a performance by Andras Schiff in about 2018 at the Bridgewater Hall. Very memorable, although also a very long concert, and I almost missed my train!………