Search - Uri Caine, J.S. Bach, Kettwinger Bach Ensemble :: Goldberg Variations: Aria and 70 Variations Adapted, Arranged and Composed by Uri Caine

Incredibly ambitious project a success

Gabriel John Kahane | Santa Rosa, CA United States | 08/23/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If for no other reason, Uri Caine ought to be respected for having no "censor" button in his creative process. Whatever comes to his mind gets put on record, and I find this to be incredibly refreshing. With 70 variations clocking in at two and a half hours over 2 discs, naturally everything is not going to be perfect, but for the most part, the Goldberg Variations is a joy to listen to. That he is able to put electronica and baroque period performance on the same disc makes me smile in itself; the fact that it gels is just icing on the cake. Nitty gritty: The solo keyboard renderings, heard on harpsichord, fortepiano, and piano tend to be a bit stiff, except for variation 29, in which Uri totally abandons the written notes-it's fantastic. Some of Uri's compositions, based on the Goldberg bass line, are a bit vanilla... choral settings are just too precious, but again, the overall experience on the record is totally refreshing. Each variation is heard in a unique instrumentation, ranging from baroque period performance to various chamber music settings, trad jazz, rhythm section and a couple horns, gospel, electronica, salsa, and so on. This record never wants for talent, featuring Greg Osby, Ralph Alessi, Drew Gress, James Genus, and other jazzers; several excellent baroque players, free jazz cellist Ernst Reijseger, and incredibly creative vocalist David Moss, among others. It's always entertaining, and often brilliant. Anyone with an open ear who has not heard Uri Caine ought to be this record."

Bach is chuckling!

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 04/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I recently finished (and reviewed here) a biography of Johann Sebastian Bach which made the point repeatedly that our image of Bach as the stern Cantor of Leipzig is incorrect. The writer points out that before his long (and not very happy) job in Leipzig he had been very interested in less serious forms of music than the church cantatas for which he was mostly known in Leipzig. While in Leipzig itself he led the Collegium Musicum (the forerunner of today's Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra) and they met in a coffeehouse known for its conviviality. Further, anyone who listens to his music and who understands the musical conventions of the day can hear the sense of humor Bach brought to his music. This is nowhere more evident than in the Goldberg Variations. Just think of the Quodlibet that ends it - drinking songs and jokes! All this is in service of making the point that Uri Caine's 2+ hour riffs on Bach's Goldberg Variations would probably make the Master smile, even guffaw in places.



I have a friend in Eindhoven, Holland who, like me, is a Goldberg nut. Between us we probably have upwards of fifty versions of the Goldbergs, including versions for organ, string trio, string orchestra; I keep waiting for someone to transcribe it for koto ensemble. But he recently sent me this twofer from the Uri Caine Ensemble. I had known of it and of Uri Caine, but had never heard it. I was not prepared, though, for my reaction. Remembering that Bach had written the Variations for young harpsichordist Johann Theophilus Goldberg to play at night for his notoriously insomniac employer, Count von Keyserlingk (presumably to help him get to sleep), I put the headphones on as I went to bed, thinking I'd give Uri Caine the same opportunity to lull me to sleep. More than two hours later I was still awake, constantly surprised and delighted by the incredible musical imagination Caine has brought to bear on the Variations, and indeed I was vibrating like a violin's E string by the time the second CD had finished. No sleep for the stimulated, I guess you could say.



Others here have written about the various changes Caine brings to the variations, but I'd like to add a few comments. First of all, the basis for most of his variations is the clear-cut harmonic pattern Bach uses in the Aria. In other words, he does not tend to make meta-variations of the individual variations themselves, but sticks to the that G major sarabande harmonic progression of the Aria. Robin Holloway, in his 'Gilded Goldbergs' (which I've also reviewed here) does the opposite; each of his variations is based on the sequence of Bach's own variations. Caine does occasionally pick a specific variation for treatment, but usually not. And indeed, at times he seems more interested in throwing in references to all forms of music since Bach: samba, Gilbert & Sullivan, bossa nova, klezmer, Verdi, other Bach (I heard the St. Anne fugue along the way), Rachmaninov, various kinds of jazz (naturally!), Beethoven piano sonatas, gospel, a Mozart string quartet, viola da gamba music, extended vocal technique (via the oddly fascinating guttural mumblings of that weird guy, David Moss, who was so awful as Prince Orlovsky in the recent DVD of Salzburg's 'Fledermaus'), a clarinettist wailing on 'The Yellow Rose of Texas,' and on and on. He even works in a variation on the notes B-A-C-H. And I've still not even come close to mentioning all the influences.



Two small points of interst. Caine begins simply and calmly with the Aria played on Bach's own Silbermann fortepiano followed by the first variation played by gamba and fortepiano. And he later returns to play (on modern piano, and quite beautifully), absolutely straight, the 'Black Pearl' Variation, surely the emotional heart of the set; in doing so he pays a serene and heartfelt homage to Bach. Thank you, Mr. Caine, for that.



It is all done with absolute aplomb by Caine and his henchmen, erm, musicians. Tongue firmly in cheek, yes, but with terrific musicality and great chops. I cannot imagine anyone - except for those thin-lipped purists who probably aren't going to be exposed this set anyhow - not having a great time with these two CDs. It worked on several levels. It's a great Musicology 101 quiz: 'Spot the Influences.' And it can be dipped into at random (in fact, one way I listened to it was to put my CD changer on 'random'; it made not one whit of difference in my enjoyment). Best of all, it's a great energizer and spirit-lifter (pretty important, I'd say, in these parlous time).



So, for those of you who love to smile, who love Bach's Goldbergs, and who don't mind missing sleep, this one's for you.



2 CDs: total time ca. 156 mins.



Strongly recommended.



Scott Morrison"

Rampant Eclecticism

David Sweetkind | Cochiti Lake, NM United States | 12/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here's one of the most inventive, heart-warming, beautiful and funny recordings existing for people who love ALL genres and styles of music. Absolutely professionally composed and linked together, the variations range from pure Bach through choral, gospel, jazz, electronic, klezmer and even a wild Mexican variation.The range of styles and variety of instruments and voices provides constant amazement, amusement and variety. Yet somehow it all works. Caine obviously is a serious and talented musician with a wonderful ear for sounds, as well as a superb sense of humor and a bizarre imagination. My kind of guy!"