Search - Bach J S, Tal & Groethuysen :: Bach J S: Goldberg Variations

A wonderful & fresh rendition of a familiar classic

Stuart M. Wilder | Doylestown, PA United States | 02/13/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my fourth copy of a piano performance of the Goldberg Variations: my first three are Glenn Gould's two versions and Murray Perahaia's. Tal & Groethuysen bring a special, extra dimension to the work with their rendition of the Rheinberger/Reger two piano edition. I bought the CD with a bit of trepidation, questioning why buy another copy of this chestnut, but as usual, the Israeli/German duo, displaying their comfort with the music and one another, do not disappoint. The arrangement itself does not overwhelm the work: instead, the extra piano adds a third, and sometimes fourth playful voice to the familiar variations. The musicians do not overwhelm the work either: they are not show-offs, but rather good musicians content to let the music shine and speak for itself. Listening to the CD, I imagine some court musicians in 18th century Bavaria or some other principality getting together to to riff on some of the master's works and turning out something like this product. I only hope Yaara Tal & Andreas Groethuysen find more such works, or commission or arrange some themselves, from this period."