The supply never seems to end.  Back in May/June 2000, I reviewed twelve
piano versions of the Goldberg Variations; recently, I reviewed the new
recording from Murray Perahia.  I have seven more now for your
consideration:

Piano:
Ekaterina Dershavina - Arte Nova 34011 (1994).
Zhu Xiao Mei         - Mandala 4950 (1999).

Harpsichord:
Keith Jarrett        - ECM 1395 (1989).
Pierre Hantai        - Opus 111 (1992).
Masaaki Suzuki       - BIS  819 (1997).
Kenneth Gilbert      - Harmonia Mundi 1901240 (1986).
Blandine Verlet      - Astree 128745 (1992).

You likely didn't know that today is my birthday.  My wife bought me a
new speaker system for the computer, and I'm dying to listen to the above
versions on this new toy.  What a woman!  I'll just be comparing the seven
versions to one another.  When I'm through, and if any of the seven seems
to be a rival to great ones from Tureck and Gould, I will make those
comparisons as well.

Aria - Xiao Mei's aria is excellent and represents a fine mainstream
reading.  Dershavina can't hold a candle to Xiao Mei in the first theme;
she's rather jerky with questionable pacing.  In the second theme, she is
fully the equal of Xiao Mei.  Gilbert skips the first theme repeat; I don't
like that at all.  He also likes to clip some notes; that's not good
either.  His sound, however, is wonderful and the performance is at
Dershavina's level.  Verlet's interpretation is a major "dud" from the
beginning.  She pulls the rhythm all over the place, indulges in ridiculous
trills, and seems to be trying to be as unmusical as possible.  Suzuki is
even better than Xiao Mei; there's a stately and strong quality to his
performance that I find irresistable.  Hantai is a little superficial and
joins Gilbert and Dershavina.  Jarrett skips the first theme repeat and
doesn't give a particularly memorable performance.

1st Variation - Xiao Mei uses a delightfully quick tempo and her poetry
is exemplary; it reminds me some of Tureck's fantastic performance.
Dershavina provides plenty of power and a rewarding reading, but she gets
into a trill fetish; she must be conversing with Schepkin.  Hantai gives
a fine performance a little lacking in excitement.  Mr.  Gilbert is
outstanding; the performance is infectious and has great excitement and
pacing with a superb left hand.  This is a magical reading.  After Gilbert,
Verlet doesn't sound very good; she's below Dershavina's quality.  Suzuki
is very quick and exciting, about at the level of Xiao Mei.  That's also
where Jarrett belongs; his performance has a bubbly quality I like very
much.

2nd Variation - This is a fantastic variation; I think of it as a journey
to fulfillment.  Keith Jarrett gives the slowest and best performance with
his silky smooth phrasing; there's an inevitability about his reading I
really appreciate.  Xiao Mei, Verlet, Gilbert, and Hantai are excellent
with fine pacing and accenting.  Dershavina's reading is a nice one at a
quick tempo, but it is too surface-bound.  Suzuki, in isolation, sounds
good, but in this grouping he is problematic.  Pacing and accenting are
not attractive, and I get no feeling of fulfillment.

3rd Variation - Relatively serene music tinged with sadness.  Suzuki's not
bad, but his trill-happy reading doesn't impress me.  Dershavina has the
annoying habit of inexplicable slow-down periods which damage the music's
flow.  Gilbert is quick and somewhat loud; that dampens my enjoyment.
Jarrett gives a good reading; his first theme is rather hum-drum but
the second is a jewel of sadness.  Xiao Mei is fast out of the gate and
she provides an exciting ride with some great interplay involving the
bass line.  But, it all sounds surface connected and at the pleasure
of virtuosity; maybe that's not so bad, and Xiao Mei certainly is
pleasureable.  That also goes for Hantai whose performance is quite
lively although choppy at first.

Blandine Verlet is superb.  Sadness is always lurking in the first theme
and fully spreads its impact in the second theme.  Verlet uses a slow tempo
to great advantage in providing the serenity in the music, and her bass
line is outstanding.  The reading leaves the other six in the dust.

4th Variation - A joy and vitality for life enhanced by the bounce of an
up/down sensation throughout the variation.  Every version is pleasureable
although Dershavina lacks some jest and Suzuki's pacing isn't very
agreeable.  The other five versions give me equal pleasure with excellent
vitality and joy.

Update on Ekaterina Dershavina - Ms.  Dershavina is not performing poorly,
but she currently is well below the level of the other versions.  I have
never heard her music-making before this recording, and I can't say she
displays a great deal of artistry or identification with Bach.  The
performances are professional and there are certainly passages where
Dershivina is highly competitive, but she has trouble maintaining
excellence throughout any variation.  The recorded sound is very dry
and likely not supportive of the readings.

5th Variation - Normally played in a highly energetic fashion, this
variation sounds wonderful in a more relaxed and expansive mode.  Suzuki,
Dershavina, and Xiao Mei give highly energetic and effective accounts; they
are very good.  I have a preference for a slower and more expansive reading
which Gilbert, Hantai, Verlet, and Jarrett provide.  I like Jarrett and
Verlet best.  Verlet just cruises along in a lovely world of her own before
delivering a great burst of subtle energy toward the conclusion.  Jarrett
is his seamless self with the added attraction of such a sparkling
performance; this is a true jewel.

6th Variation - This is beautiful and uplifting music within a relatively
seamless structure.  Although quite enjoyable, Suzuki applies short
hesitations which I find a little distracting.  Dershavina is going great
until she adopts a subdued approach at the conclusion of the second theme.
Verlet is very slow and sounds lethargic at times, but she can also be
mesmerizing.  The remaining four versions are a joy to listen to.

7th Variation - Suzuki's reading is highly angular and a little "jumpy"; I
prefer this music to be more relaxed.  Dershavina displays inconsistencies
in tempo and dynamics.  With Gilbert, I feel that he's just gliding on the
surface of the music.  Hantai is better except that he sounds rushed in
the second theme.  Jarrett, Verlet, and Xiao Mei are excellent.  The two
harpsichord versions highlight the music's sadness exquisitely.  Xiao Mei
is very delicate, playful, and optimistic.

8th Variation - Fast, exciting, highly lyrical, music with strong momentum.
A performance, with all repeats, that well exceeds 2 minutes will tend to
lose some excitement; however, that can be offset by greater detail and
lyricism.  Hantai is in this category and he does a great job.  Jarrett is
also rather slow and gives a beautifully smooth performance.  The other
versions are equally fine.  This also applies to Dershavina who finally is
not outdone by the other artists.  She provides a very attractive 'hushed'
tone to a few passages.  Dershavina does get on a little trill routine
toward the end, but I don't feel it does any damage to enjoyment.

9th Variation - What makes this variation so enjoyable to me is its strong
element of 'longing' I identify with.  Jarrett doesn't appear to recognize
this element at all; the result is a fairly boring rendition.  Xiao Mei and
Verlet are rather weak on projecting the longing in the first theme.  The
remaining four versions are excellent.

10th Variation - I prefer this variation played in a highly ceremonial
nature.  Gilbert is quick with fine momentum, possesses ample ceremony,
and provides a great swagger to the music; he does skip both repeats.
Jarrett (also no repeats), Suzuki, and Verlet give enjoyable readings.
Hantai displays little ceremony, Dershavina sounds superficial, and Xiao
Mei is too soft-spoken in the first theme's repeat and rather square in
the second theme.  This is the first variation where I feel Xiao Mei is
not competitive.

11th Variation - Xiao Mei also isn't very good in this lovely variation;
her first theme is just fast and superficial.  However, she's better than
Dershavina who uses a staccato approach without the mastery of a Rosalyn
Tureck.  Verlet, Gilbert, and Suzuki deliver fine performances.  Preferring
a relatively seamless style for the 11th variation, I very much like
Jarrett's reading.  However, the best one is Hantai who is also seamless
but with a delicate touch which is exquisite and provides more variety of
expression than Jarrett.

12th Variation - I'd be hard pressed to find a more joyful piece of music.
Dershavina certainly brings out the joy, but she has a few awkward moments
and is too soft-toned on occasion in the first theme.  Xiao Mei is at a
lower level; her first theme is a little too forceful, and she doesn't seem
at home in the second theme.

Each of the five harpsichord versions is much slower than Dershavina and
Xiao Mei with Gilbert the slowest of all.  They all do at least very well,
and Jarrett and Hantai are substantially better than that.  As in the 11th
variation, Jarrett's seamless reading (no repeats) is very appealing and
Hantai's exquisite performance wins the day.

13th Variation - Music expressing deep satisfaction with and reflection on
life.  From out the blue, Dershavina gives a transcendent performance of
great beauty, poetry, and depth.  Gilbert is very slow and examines every
strand and emotion of the variation; this reading equals Dershavina's.
Verlet is excellent with an outstanding second theme.  Suzuki would have
been at Verlet's level except that he skips the first theme repeat.  Xiao
Mei does a fine job, but Hantai is mostly surface-bound.  Jarrett also
skips the first theme repeat and applies a plucking sound which I don't
care for.

14th Variation - Essentially fast and happy music with a degree of sinister
activity in the second theme.  I might not be feeling magnanimous at this
time, but I am very disappointed in the level of performance from most of
the seven versions.  Xiao Mei seems to be putting nothing of herself into
the performance; it's very fast and a run-through to my ears.  Technical
difficulties appear to infest every version to some degree.  Jarrett gives
no repeats and is too slow and uninteresting, although he is excellent with
the second theme's sinister passage.  Verlet has much emotional impact, but
she has trouble with the speed.  Gilbert (no repeats), Hantai, and Suzuki
are at Verlet's level.  Although Dershavina has one or two technical
challenges, she is consistently exciting with fine forward momentum.  This
young lady is getting better and better as she progresses through the work.

15th Variation - One of the bleakest variations and one of my favorites.
It's a full-course meal, and I have trouble abiding by performances which
skip the repeats.  Jarrett discards the repeats *and* his performance is
not particularly memorable.  Suzuki also does not include repeats; however,
what he does give us is superb pacing, very effective accenting, and a
reading fully revealing the emotional depth of the music.  But that
skipping of repeats is a negative.  Blandine Verlet provides all the music,
but her performance has a choppy quality to it which I don't appreciate.
Dershavina examines every strand of the music with a 6 minute reading;
it is very enjoyable, although she doesn't yet display the superb
"investigatory" powers of a Gould or Tureck.  Dershavina's conclusion,
however, is a role-model of bleakness.  Gilbert is excellent in every way:
pacing, accenting, effective hesitations, ample emotional depth, etc.

Hantai takes us into the magical category.  If I've ever heard more
beautiful harpsicord playing, it escapes my memory; it sounds so good.
And the bleakness/despair he brings to the music combined with the
exceptionally effective uplifiting passage make this one of the most
rewarding listening experiences I have encountered (there are many of
them).  The same comments apply to Xiao Mei on piano; with both
performances I am taken to other worlds.

Half-Time Updates:

Overall, I'm having a very pleasureable time listening to these seven
versions.  Every one of them has much to offer.  Currently, I prefer Hantai
by a small margin over Gilbert and Jarrett.  Hantai is more consistent,
and I place much value on outstanding performances of variation no.  15.
Hantai's is a lovely sounding recording with performances which rarely get
untracked.  Jarrett is his usual smooth and creamy self; now and then, he's
a little low on expression.  Gilbert is an aristocratic artist with a
generally uncanny knack for excellent pacing and projection.

Verlet and Xiao Mei are providing very fine readings.  Verlet is deep and
very sharp/angular.  She does display some choppy tendencies which decrease
my enjoyment.  Xiao Mei is like a woman with two personalities.  Right from
the beginning and through the 9th variation, she is right on target with
idiomatic and thoroughly egrossing performances.  From the 10th to 14th
variation, she's like a different person - awkward, less musical, distant,
a little clumsy, etc.  Then she figuratively blows me away in the 15th
variation.  She must be an interesting person to spend time with.

Suzuki and Dershavina are holding up the rear, but they are a pleasure to
listen to.  Suzuki's aria is a treasure, but he hasn't lived up to that
opening so far.  Dershavina started off with a tendency to be unable to
play consistently well and artistically within any variation.  Great
passages were offset by inadequate ones.  She has done much better since
the 7th variation; it seems as if she's maturing as she goes along.

Don Satz
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