Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

It is difficult to review any new recording of Bach's beloved 'Goldbergs' (BWV 988) without the ghosts of recordings past looking over our shoulder. From Angela Hewitt to Glenn Gould and all stops in between, all the modern greats of the keyboard have something to offer, and we have to use the general word 'keyboard' as Johann Sebastian composed on and for the harpsichord not the, for him, new-fangled pianoforte or indeed fortepiano. As a dual keyboard instrument the harpsichord is played differently to the piano and thus the player must devise the best way of accommodating those moments when hands, keys and fingers overlap. Turkish pianist Fazil Say (born 1970) spent his time in the 2020 lockdown colouring his score to create a graphic representation of Bach's counterpoint and there are some intriguing photos of this in the CD booklet. Another matter for the musician to consider is the absence of instructions for the tempo of some of the variation and here Say's previous experience of playing Bach both in the concert hall and recording studio were of great use to him. The end result is a fluent and thoughtful reading of the 'Goldbergs' that allows the music to speak for itself. Those who enjoy constructing hierarchies of what is the 'best' version will need to include Say's reading somewhere in their lists and those new to Bach's keyboard compositions will find this release a good place to start. As is often the case when considering Bach's instrumental compositions, it is not immediately obvious as to whether it has any clear and obvious Christian content but listeners who have any knowledge at all of Bach's life will be able to hear and enjoy his zest for life and his joy in composition in all of the variations. As with much great art, on first acquaintance these variations seem simple but the more we listen the more we hear and the more we hear the more we begin to understand.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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