A couple of weeks ago I noted that I had bought the Canadian Brass's
performance of the Goldbergs.  Nice, nice stuff, almost organ-like in
richness.  I heard these guys do a movement from a Shostakovich string
quartet a some years ago; they can do anything, it seems.

To the list of alternative-instrument Goldbergs we can now add a version
for unorthodox woodwind ensemble.  Instead of a group made up of flute,
oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, the Homecoming Woodwind Ensemble arrays two
oboes, cor anglais, and bassoon.  Their Goldberg disc, Quartz 2051, gets
four stars for both performance and sound in the December issue of the
BBC Music Magazine.  "It is superbly played by its original performers,
in a lively and sympathetic acoustic, and there is much to admire in the
artistry of these four players.  But -- though some sections (such as
Variation 25) do gain an added plangency -- I didn't feel that anything
startling was achieved through putting the music into this new dress.
Granted that it's a useful addition to the woodwind repertoire, it's
difficult to see who its intended audience might be."

Mitch Friedfeld

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