Bach: Goldberg Variationen (2019)

Bach's Goldberg Variations for keyboard, BWV 988, have been subjected to various kinds of analysis intended to come to terms with their vastness and uniqueness. Some are mathematical, some are programmatic; some posit explanations for the varied placement of the mysterious slow variations within the work. French harpsichordist Anne-Catherine Bucher deserves credit for coming up with an interpretation that no one else has hit on before. It takes as its point of departure the presence of an "Ouverture" in the middle of the ... Read More

Bach's Goldberg Variations for keyboard, BWV 988, have been subjected to various kinds of analysis intended to come to terms with their vastness and uniqueness. Some are mathematical, some are programmatic; some posit explanations for the varied placement of the mysterious slow variations within the work. French harpsichordist Anne-Catherine Bucher deserves credit for coming up with an interpretation that no one else has hit on before. It takes as its point of departure the presence of an "Ouverture" in the middle of the work, as "Variation 16." This majestic variation, in Bucher's view, symbolizes the sun standing at the center of the universe (the ideas of Copernicus were not yet fully accepted by religious folk). In place of an overture at the beginning, then, the first two variations after the Aria have the function of an introduction, and the sequence of three-variation sets begins with the canon at the unison. The middle variation of each set of three symbolizes one of the planets, beginning with... Read Less