The flow of recordings of Bach's Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, seems to have only intensified, but this reading by pianist David Fray has had strong sales in a difficult environment. The reason seems to be not only Fray's charisma but also that it's a genuinely original interpretation of this much-examined work. It's not just a hyper-pianistic reading but a hyper-detailed one. Fray announces his intentions at the beginning with a very slow Aria that seems to suggest every small gesture will be picked up somewhere further ...
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The flow of recordings of Bach's Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, seems to have only intensified, but this reading by pianist David Fray has had strong sales in a difficult environment. The reason seems to be not only Fray's charisma but also that it's a genuinely original interpretation of this much-examined work. It's not just a hyper-pianistic reading but a hyper-detailed one. Fray announces his intentions at the beginning with a very slow Aria that seems to suggest every small gesture will be picked up somewhere further down the line. Fray has room to do this, for he observes all repeats, varying some of them quite a bit, and the whole performance clocks in at almost an hour and a half. He definitively departs from the Baroque sphere with sharp piano attacks (listen to Variation 12 for an idea), slight wrinkles in the tempo, and often the sense that each variation is a little narrative of its own. Some listeners will find it consistently absorbing, while others may feel that the whole thing comes...
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Add this copy of Bach: Goldberg Variations to cart. $29.40, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Erato.
