I have never as far as I can remember ever heard the Goldberg Variations played on a harpsichord, though clearly that was the instrument for which it was presumably originally written. It is a very different experience to hear the work played on a piano by, say, Glenn Gould or Andras Schiff (whom I heard play it in Manchester about 3 /4 years ago) – the piano can provide subtle shades, soft touches and enhance that sense of grave melancholy which at times pervades Bach’s music; the harpsichord by contrast emphasises the prodigy and energy of invention in this piece, the multitude of voices within each bar. On the whole I prefer to hear it on the piano but, really, it is lovely to hear it live in any shape or form. Who knows what Bach would have preferred had he the modern plethora of options……? (I believe he did indeed hear the fortepiano in an early form and indeed set himself up as an agent to sell them in the ?1740’s? So maybe he hear the work when playing it himself on the fortepiano?)
Steven Devine was the player on this occasion – not a name I’d come across before but clearly well-up on contemporary views about Baroque playing, with a lot of decorations and odd juddering halts or missteps which I assume are about Baroque performance practice and not just his not keeping time properly! He was very moved, and the audience with him, to be playing in front of an audience for the first time in 15 months. He gave a very good introduction to the work – I think it’s really important more artists do this, to explain the works they’re playing and engage with the audience
I thought the least successful of the variations was the central Andante, the still heart of the piece, which because of the jangling harpsichord and the possibly slightly too swift tempo Mr Devine took didn’t have the reflective quality it should have done – but elsewhere there was sparkle, wit and energy. It is a wonderful experience just to sit in a hall for 70 minutes or so and be exposed to this constant level of invention and activity. One of the great things about the Goldberg is that, with the opening theme lodged in your head, it is fairly easy to see how all the different variations connect with it – much more so, to my mind, than with the Diabelli Variations for instance. And…whether on piano or harpsichord, this piece does feel like a journey, from innocent youth to quiet old age.
I really enjoyed this and the Goldberg theme followed me around in my head for the rest of the day.
John's musical journey 