This cello programme links chaconnes, passacaglias and viola bastarda, uniting ostinato form, virtuosity and early-modern freedom.

The so-called Goldberg-Variationen by Johann Sebastian Bach constitute one of the absolute masterpieces of keyboard literature, one of the summits of keyboard technique, and a challenge for all performers tackling it as well as for all listeners venturing through this cycle for the first time. Throughout the eighteenth and most of the nineteenth century, these Variations were considered as entirely unsuited for the concert hall, and potentially unplayable. In fact, their length and size were deemed to be disproportionate for the needs of the average concert-goer, and from the technical viewpoint they presented almost unsurmountable problems. True, piano technique had noticeably evolved from Bach's times to those of Liszt or Busoni/ however, Bach had conceived his work for a harpsichord with two manuals (i.e. two keyboards). While hand-crossings are comparatively common in piano technique, those resulting from the 'translation' of Bach's original to the piano cause very awkward situations: the two hands end up touching the same keys or keys very close to each other, and some passages are nearly impossible to play in a satisfactory fashion. However, the movement known as Bach-Renaissance, which aimed at reviving Bach's heritage and at bringing it on the concert stage, considered the Goldberg Variations as a masterpiece which could not be ignored or left silent. In the late nineteenth century, the idea of playing them on the instrument for which they had been designed, i.e. a two-manual harpsichord, was considered absurd/ thus, some of the keenest promoters of Bach's music started to imagine alternative possibilities for presenting them to the audience. Ferruccio Busoni created an edition/arrangement for the piano which has been recorded in a Da Vinci Classics album, and in which the technically 'unsolvable' passages were thoroughly rewritten (in same cases simply by dividing in a more rational fashion Bach's notes between the pianist's two hands, in other cases by re-scoring the passages, e.g. moving one or both hands an octave lower and higher). However, Busoni was also concerned by the imposing length of the cycle (even though his own solo recitals could last up to four hours!), and therefore suggested performing only twenty of Bach's original thirty Variations, for the sake of brevity and concision. He also rewrote the conclusion, revealing the harmonic structure of the Aria da capo and presenting it in the form of a solemn Chorale. Busoni's ideas are questionable from the viewpoint of today's concept of authenticity, but are motivated by his passionate love for Bach's music/ moreover, they offer a singular and personal perspective on the Variations, which may be (and surely is) very partial, but is also consistent and musically convincing. Busoni's version dated from as late as 1915: little more than a century ago, the Goldberg Variations were still considered as in need of some kind of 'taming' before being performed in public. The version recorded here is one realized by Joseph Gabriel Rheinberger, which had been published already in 1883, and republished in the same year as Busoni's version in a revised edition realized by Max Reger, who substantially modified many of Rheinberger's dynamics and articulations. In the short preface to the published version, Rheinberger stated the reasons for his choice, underpinning that the Variations are among the 'most important' keyboard works by Bach. At his time, Rheinberg continues, 'this impressive work is prized and played only theoretically' (i.e. it is studied by piano and composition professionals, but is not publicly performed). For him, the reason for this was mainly to be found in the technical issues posed by the transposition from two to one manual. Thus, Rheinberger had realized this 'arrangement full of piety' (i.e. of respect) in order to let 'musicians and music lovers' know 'this treasure of true Hausmusik'. It is important to point out that Rheinberger was not yet envisaging the possibility of playing his version in concert, but rather he was proposing it for the enjoyment of pianists and of a limited audience within the framework of so-called Hausmusizieren, 'home music-making'.

Additional Details

Label: DA VINCI CLASSICS

Genre: Classical

Run Time: 72 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 08/21/26

UPC: 746160918952