I’ve been listening to Dmitri Sitkovetsky’s 20-year-old string-orchestra arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations — recorded in 1993 and still available from Nonesuch.
My main reason for recommending it: the music dances so beautifully.
Not sure I should be posting the YouTube version here, because it’s a whole performance, so make sure you check out the album details on the official site here.
John Terauds
For the past couple of months, I’ve been thinking a lot about how J.S. Bach fits into a 21st century world (Great Works of Art do not stay relevant by themselves). In the process, I’ve tripped across American pianist Lara Downes, who has picked up a 2004 project that commissioned new solo-piano responses to Bach’s Goldberg Variations.
Downes is coming to Gallery 345 on Jan. 13 with 13 Ways of Looking at the Goldberg, and from what I’ve been listening to of this cycle, as interpreted by Downes, this is a remarkable and provocative program.
I’ll have more, including an interview with Downes, soon. In the meantime, here’s a teaser:
John Terauds
