The first of our new digital-only ‘Intangible Classics’ series and of the Diana Boyle edition; a superb rendition of this timeless masterpiece. Though recorded in 2003, this recording has never been available until now and demonstrates Diana Boyle’s deep and thoughtful approach to the works of Bach.
Like Die Kunst der Fuge, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, BWV 899, have come to be seen as one of the pinnacles of keyboard writing, not only of the baroque era but of all time. The Aria with diverse variations for a harpsichord with two manuals as it is formally named is the capstone of the Clavierübung publication project which was finalised in 1741. Amazingly, like much of Bach’s work, it remained an esoteric and little-known work until introduced into the repertoire by Rudolf Serkin in the 1920s.
Diana Boyle is a fine pianist who records little but prepares each recording with years of thought, consideration and meditation on the music. She moved to the Goldberg Variations after recording Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier as a stepping stone to the inscrutable Art of Fugue. She avoided listening to any other versions, because as she says, “I need to find my own voice when studying these masterpieces and then try to express those thoughts at the keyboard.” Like all of Boyle’s work this is a very carefully prepared and well crafted performance, an excellent addition to the library of recordings of this work.