Bach: Goldberg Variations
I have only heard this work once before live – with Andras Schiff about 6 years ago in Manchester – which was a very fine performance, though a long evening (he played Bach and Haydn in the first half, and the Goldberg Variations was the second half!). I know the work mainly through the 2nd Glenn Gould recording of it.
It is a curious fact that in North West England, there were no less than two appearances by classical music rock-stars this week, both playing the same work- the Goldberg Variations. Lang Lang was playing at the Bridgewater Hall on Monday 30th October; Vikingur Olafsson was playing the same piece in Liverpool two days later. I opted for Olafsson because I love some of the recordings he has made – the Bach transcriptions (which were a constant source of hope, consolation and enrichment during Covid lockdowns), the Rameau/Debussy disc and others, but I would like to have heard Lang Lang as well. Olafsson, like Lang Lang, has a definite brand, assiduously promoted by DG, for whom he records – the cool geeky presence, smart suits and blues and greys were all present at this performance. But none of that really mattered, when set alongside the combination of his technical brilliance and his insight into this music.
It struck me that, as a Christian, Bach would have believed that one of the properties of God would be His infinite creativity and abundance. He would also have believed that ‘The Kingdom of God is within you’ (Luke 17: 21 King James version). It’s therefore no surprise that in writing one of his longest and finest works, invention and abundance should be at the heart of what he has to say in his exploration. From the simple quiet statement – the still small voice of the Psalms , as it were – to the raging torrent of notes in some variations, this is Bach finding the infinite abundance of God within himself.
But there is also a journey here. The point at which this performance became truly special was in Variation 25, where the full horror of a fallen world seemed manifest in every disjointed and fractured note Olafsson wrung out of the piano. All the terrible things happening in Isael/Palestine and Ukraine/Russia at present seemed to hang over the music and the totally silent, seemingly mesmerised, audience. And then when Olafsson barnstormed into Variation 26 – and indeed onward to the ‘Quodlibet’ (Variation 30) – it sounded like the great chorus ‘Et Resurrexit’ from Bach’s B Minor Mass after the Crucifixus. The final articulation of the Goldberg aria, as Variation 30 slowed down gradually into it, was the achievement of a beautifully conveyed sense of final rest and repose. In fact there are two other variations (15 and 21, both in the minor key, ), and an introspective Variation 13 where there is this same sense of desolation, albeit not so sustained and countered in each case by a following variation of energy and brilliance, well-conveyed by Olafsson. There were many other fine moments though – beautiful phrasing of line throughout, crystal clear articulation (as in the rhythmically complex Variation 20) and a lovely way of giving the dance variations an extra spring. I was also impressed by his pacing of that introspective Variation 13. Speeds sometimes seemed quite fast – eg the ‘Quodlibet’ (faster than in his recording) – but always made sense in context
I was totally gripped for the whole 80 minutes or so – and I’ve bought the recording, as DG would want me to, that has come out alongside this year-long global tour of Olafsson’s where he is only playing the Goldbergs. There was huge enthusiasm from the audience and Olafsson clearly likes being in Liverpool – he said he was coming back next season, to much whooping and applause..
John's musical journey 