Although no further recordings of the Goldbergs have fallen from the sky,
I did buy a new reissue featuring Igor Kipnis:
Seraphim/EMI 74501 - Recorded 1974 - TT 84:11
The Kipnis performances thru the 11th Variation provide a fine contrast to
Scott Ross. Whereas Ross is quite exuberant, Kipnis is more contemplative
and a little deeper. Both have been excellent. I have Kipnis at the top
level in the Aria and variations 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8. If he is exhibiting
any drawbacks, they would be in the music which needs the greatest
exuberance and strength. It's not that Kipnis does not provide these
qualities, but that the soundstage can be fierce at those times,
particularly from the bass. Overall, Kipnis has been exceptional
with a ready knack to get to the heart of each variation.
12th Variation - One of Bach's most joyful creations. I do feel it needs
some minimum level of vibrancy, and a few versions which are low in this
regard don't make the top level. But overall, this is wonderful music
which most of the reviewed artists perform splendidly.
Level 1 - Maria Tipo is very much out of character; she's fast, aggressive,
and tends to bang notes loudly. Hers is the only version I did not enjoy
greatly.
Level 2 - Peter Serkin's version is lovely and tender, Barenboim conveys
much variety of expression and technique, and Pinnock is quite slow and
reflective. Curtis conveys much excitement in the second section as do
both Landowska versions. Jarrett's is a very comfortable reading, perhaps
a little lacking in vibrancy. Robert Hill's reading is quite varied in
tempo and dynamics. Tureck I is very slow with less vibrancy than her
other three versions. If you want a demonstrative and confident version
on harpsichord, look no further than Joseph Payne.
Others at this level are Dershavina, Jaccottet, Vartolo, Koopman,
Ingolfsdottir, Vinikour, Suzuki, Beausejour, Schiff, Schirmer, Vieru,
and both Leonhardts.
Level 3 - Each of the four Gould versions is at the top level. With
the exception of Gould/CBC, each version greatly emphasizes precision and
momentum with plenty of room for capturing the abundant lyricism of the
variation. Gould I is the fastest and really streaks through its paces, IV
is just a little slower, and II is the only one of the four to include the
first repeat. Overall, my preference among the four is Gould's CBC issue
which is significantly slower than the others and simply a gorgeous reading
with a fine degree of momentum; the only problem is that the sound virus
tends to invade quite a few of the notes.
The Turecks, except for the Philips issue, provide highly optimistic and
incisive interpretations. Tureck II is as slow as on Philips, but conveys
more life. The VAI versions are quicker and would likely be to the taste
of more listeners.
Valenti's performance has an abundance of optimism and great rhythmic
vitality. Joseph Payne is sharp, bold, and irresistable. Scott Ross and
Pierre Hantai give role-model performances, and Karl Richter's reading is
pristine and architecturally commanding. Maggie Cole's performance is the
most exciting and urgent on harpsichord. Gilbert is about as serious as
one can be in this variation, and it's very effective and highly poetic.
Kipnis is thoroughly joyful and vibrant.
Lifschitz gives the most vibrant performance I know, and van Schie flows
like silk. Rosen is slow paced, detailed, and vivid. Xiao Mei is fast
with an irresistable pulse, and Yudina's right hand is like heaven and her
trills are exceptional. Koroliov is fast and powerful with total focus on
driving to the finish line; Perahia is more lyrical but less strong than
Koroliov.
There are a lot of versions at level 3, but I do have a favored one.
My current favorite comes from Blandine Verlet; her tempo is slow, both
repeats are observed, and the optimism is simply uplifting and leaps out of
the speakers. She easily surpasses the other versions in presenting pure
satisfaction and joy. Verlet convinces me that Bach must have been gushing
with joy when creating the 12th variation.
Before moving on, I want to relate that I'm going to start being a little
less magnanimous in my ratings; I'm noticing an upward drift in the
numbers. It's just that, overall, these are high quality interpretations.
13th Variation - To get the full flavor of this gorgeous music, its
bitter-sweet mix must be fully captured. As you'll read below, seven
versions have command of this element and much else also.
Level 1 - Although Schiff's reading is enjoyable, he does pull the rhythm
around at times, and his ornamention is in the 'cute' category. I find
Vartolo's *extremely* slow reading to lead to inertia. My reaction when
he started the first repeat was, "Oh no, he's going to do it again". I'll
likely catch a lot of flak for putting Gould IV here, but I think he sounds
jittery and is too loud on occasion. Verlet also conveys a jittery quality
and less depth than most other versions. Each of the Tureck versions is
infected with the jitters; I know it's Tureck's approach and not a medical
condition, but I still want no part of it.
Nikolayeva gets into 'romantic' territory; I'll pass on this one. Feltsman
engages in a number of eccentricities which all add up to trying to be
distinctive and only sounding a little fussy. Vinikour is all about
surface appeal.
Level 2 - Yudina delivers strong urgency in an excellent and quick
performance of action instead of contemplation. Schirmer and Leonhardt II
are quite slow and reflective; they would be at the top level except that
I prefer a greater degree of assertiveness and vibrancy such as provided
by Barenboim's outstanding issue. Pinnock is attractively delicate and
somewhat pristine with fine urgency. Dershavina, compared to Barenboim,
is just a little less vibrant and a little more emotionally restrained.
Although a little excessive on the trills, Koopman has the grand sweep of
the music well endowed. van Schie gives me a great feeling of comfort with
his effortless and natural flow.
Xiao Mei, although giving a very gentle and comforting performance,
doesn't elicit as much emotional depth as Serkin who is also very gentle.
That last ounce of depth is also missing in Ingolfsdottir's animated
performance and Beausejour's excellent reading. Gould II uses a staccato
approach which I feel reduces the emotional tie-in. I've been enjoying
Hewitt's performance more than in the past; there's a tension to even her
gentler moments which I now find compelling. Rosen's version would be
superb except for the start of the piece where he sounds curiously subdued;
in the first repeat and thereafter, he finds the right spark.
Other excellent versions come from Suzuki, Lifschitz, Ross, Jarrett,
Richter, Valenti, Curtis, Tipo, Cole, Gilbert, Koroliov, Payne, Perahia,
Hantai, Jaccottet, Hill, and both Landowska readings.
Level 3 - Barenboim's reading is wonderful. It's slow, vibrant from the
start, highly expressive, and urgent/assertive when called for. My usual
reservation about his playing too soft/too loud never surfaces this time
around. My comments about Barenboim apply equally to the Vieru
performance; both are vivid listening experiences.
Another great version is Leonhardt's on Vanguard. It has more feeling,
command, and angularity than Leonhardt's Teldec performance, although it is
just as slow in tempo. Leonhardt gives me the impression that he is living
the emotions expressed through the music; this is Leonhardt at his best.
Peter Serkin's is the most beautiful version and has great projection and
depth of emotion for a soft-spoken and gentle reading. Nobody captures the
bitter-sweet nature of the music better than Kipnis.
Two Gould versions, I and III, reach the top level and complement one
another very well. Gould I is much quicker than III but loses no emotional
impact. Both versions pull me in from the first notes.
14th Variation - This variation is fast, powerful, and quite upbeat
except for what I'd call a 'sinister' element in the second section.
With a wealth of trills and galloping passages, the piece requires some
virtuosity in technique. Many versions seem to be a bit technically
challenged, and many exhibit a soft belly on occasion. After the caressing
finish of the 13th Variation, I like the 14th to start off powerfully from
the gate and keep up the momentum non-stop.
Level 1 - Barenboim doesn't need to provide much virtuosity since he's
slow and sputters his way through the music; other poor traits include
romanticized phrasing and inertia - poignant he isn't. Nikolayeva is too
relaxed and treats the music as a pretty picture to develop.
Level 2 - Valenti starts off like lightning, but it's a pace he either
can't or refuses to stay with. Richter has a growling bass which is
effective. Jarrett, both Leonhardts, and Curtis are on the slow side
but maintain plenty of kick. Perahia, Schiff, Gilbert, Koopman, Suzuki,
Dershavina, and Serkin are at the upper end of level 2 with exciting
readings. Hewitt, Schirmer, and Lifschitz go soft at times. Van Schie
gives one of the best performances in both repeats, but the first time
around in each section is too subdued. Yudina has some technical
challenges toward the conclusion of each section but is quite emphatic
and exciting.
Vartolo's hesitations do nothing but retard the music's flow; it's a shame
since the reading would have otherwise been outstanding. Again, Feltsman
hits the highest register in the second repeat, but his performance is
super-fast and a blast. Landowska/EMI suffers a little from recessed
sound.
The four Tureck readings can't make the top spot mainly due to providing
somewhat disjointed readings where each theme flows abruptly from the
previous one. As for tempo, each is quite mainstream except for Tureck/DG
who gives one of the slower performances.
Among the Gould issues, only Gould I makes the top level. In comparison,
II and IV are not as vibrant and don't flow as well as Gould I. You
couldn't ask for a better performance than from Gould/CBC, but you could
ask for much better sound. Once again, some of the stronger notes possess
the sound virus. There's also a raspy paper type distortion that's a pain.
Other readings at this level include Tipo, Rosen, Vieru, Payne, Ross,
Ingolfsdottir, Verlet, Beausejour, Hill, Xiao Mei, Landowska/RCA, Pinnock,
Kipnis, and Hantai.
Level 3 - My congratulations to Jaccottet, Gould I, Cole, Vinikour,
and Koroliov. Each one is very exciting with ample power throughout and
virtuosity in abundance. Koroliov is the most powerful of the five; be on
alert to create some distance between yourself and the speakers. Gould
I is the fastest and the sheer skill of his playing defies description.
I likely would have created a higher level for Jaccottet except that she
can't quite maintain at the conclusion of each section the tremendous
energy she earlier establishes. As it is, hers is the version that is
most memorable.
15th Variation - A very bleak piece which is consistently reaching out from
its base to find some light but only discovering it in one radiant passage
from the second section. This is beautiful music of great depth and subtle
urgency.
Level 1 - I initially thought that Beausejour sounded quick, but it turned
out to be a lack of involvement with the music's emotional themes; there's
little urgency or negativity which results in the uplifting passage of the
second section having little impact; ditto for Keith Jarrett and Vinikour.
Alan Curtis surprised me with his very quick tempo and relatively care-free
reading. Barenboim's reading isn't good enough to offset some first
section notes which are hardly audible; this presents serious balance
problems.
Level 2 - Dershavina and Vieru give intimately probing and slow accounts.
Feltsman finally gets down to serious business with a very expansive
interpretation. Perahia places high priority on momentum, but Koroliov,
Ingolfsdottir, and Lifschitz want none of that; their very slow readings
are ones to luxuriate in. A quicker performance which is also luxuriating
is from Hantai. I'd be hard pressed to find more lovely readings that
those from van Schie, Schiff, Schirmer, Serkin, and Tipo.
Other excellent versions are from Cole, Koopman, Kipnis, Xiao Mei, Hewitt,
Nikolayeva, Pinnock, Jaccottet, Verlet, Yudina, Valenti, Vartolo, Suzuki,
Rosen, Leonhardt/Teldec, the stern Richter, and both Landowska issues.
Three of the Gould versions can't match Gould/CBC. Gould I is on the quick
side, and Gould IV could be less relaxed; both omit the repeats. Gould II
is significantly slower and does observe the repeats; it's a fine
performance not having the urgency of Gould/CBC.
All the Turecks are excellent. Except for Tureck III, each one eschews
any notion of destination and takes many side-roads. Although highly
effective, they are a little on the relaxed side. I wouldn't have thought
it possible, but when Tureck performed at Bill Buckley's home, she didn't
cover the repeats to this variation - just an observation with no values
attached.
Level 3 - Kenneth Gilbert uses a quick tempo to heighten the music's
urgency; he takes just the opposite route of Curtis with outstanding
results. The accenting, detail, and strong feelings round out a wonderful
performance.
As mentioned above, I consider Gould/CBC the best of his four versions and
a transcendent interpretation. His tempo and pacing are perfect, every
hesitation enhances urgency and poignancy, and all nuances strike deep
within me. Concerning sound quality, there are two early scratching
sounds, but the engineering behaves itself very well otherwise.
Robert Hill's performance is highly distinctive with sharp/angular notes
and hesitations which wins this listener over completely. The subtle
nature of his urgency is compelling, and the bleakness is intense. This
all makes the second section's optimistic passage of great impact.
Joseph Payne is similar to Hill in angularity but with a much stronger
personality; subtlety is low. In this instance, I appreciate the powerful
stance while Payne maintains a high degree of nuance. What I most love
about this reading is the kaleidoscope of colors Payne conveys.
Leonhardt I is the 'inexorable' version, and this is when he's at his
best. The very slow pulse is hypnotic; Leonhardt doesn't lead us to into
darkness, he personifies darkness. His commanding presence can not be
denied. By comparison, Leonhardt is a pussycat in his Teldec performance.
Using a swaying rhythm, Scott Ross provides the most consistenly urgent
version of the group; I can't sit still when listening. This isn't one
of the deepest versions around, but it has the most enticing flow.
Half-Time Report: I was thinking of giving a synopsis of each version,
but that would take up the rest of the game. I'll save that for the end.
In the meantime, the 'leader board' still shows Tureck/DG as the best
recording; next on the piano version list is Gould/Salzburg. Nikolayeva
and Schiff hold up the rear.
Among the versions on harpsichord, the leaders are Scott Ross and
Leonhardt/Vanguard with Maggie Cole, Joseph Payne, and Igor Kipnis close
on their heels. Vinikour is at the low spot for harpsichords.
I don't expect the current order to hold up too well, because the latter
variations are more demanding and emotionally rich than the earlier ones.
Take Beausejour for example; I know from previous listenings that he tends
to have some troubles in the deeper variations, so his stock will likely go
down.
Any surprises so far? Yes. I'm finding the four versions from Gould to be
more distinctive among one other than the four Tureck performances. Right
at this moment, I don't think it would kill me to part with the Turecks
except for Tureck/DG. But each of the Gould versions has unique qualities
I would not be without.
Leonhardt/Vanguard gets some bad press, but I am very taken with the
recording. The sound doesn't bother me; I actually can find some
attractive elements. The performances possess great stature and pulse,
and when Leonhardt puts on his 'inevitable' face, no one is better.
I initally felt that the sound on Landowska/EMI wasn't bad at all for the
time period, and that may still hold. However, its recessed nature is a
negative which is impacting my enjoyment.
Cole, Payne, and Jaccottet are doing great work. Cole's reputation is not
as fine as her artistry, I've never Payne perform so well, and Jaccottet is
a wonderful surprise.
Barenboim started quite well but is starting to languish. Perahia still
doesn't sound like the greatest current Bach performer on piano, but I have
hopes that Feltsman will dump his highest register approach and provide
some stunning interpretations later in the work.
The most strking observation I have is how good all these recordings are.
The least rewarding of them is still mighty fine. I know that I make
various remarks which might sound quite negative, but that's mainly for
entertainment purposes. So, if one of your favorite versions doesn't end
up getting a high rating, please don't take that as an indication that I
don't like the recording. With so many great versions of the Goldbergs on
the market, there's a few out there for every kind of taste.
Don Satz
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