The 'Goldberg Variations' are structured around ten groups of three variations, each containing a character-piece, a concertante variation, and a strict canon.
Critical Reception
The work is commonly known as the 'Goldberg Variations', a title that gained popularity later, rather than Bach's original 'Aria with Diverse Variations'.
Recording & Production
For this recording, Anastasia Voltchok performed the entire 'Goldberg Variations' only twice in one day, aiming for sustained tension and organic transitions.
Composition History
Bach's 'Goldberg Variations' were commissioned by Count Keyserlingk, the Russian ambassador to the Saxon court, for his chamber harpsichordist Johann Gottlieb Goldberg to play when the Count couldn't sleep.
Composer Biography
Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, born in Danzig in 1727, was a highly gifted musician who studied with Bach in Leipzig and served as chamber harpsichordist for Count Keyserlingk.
Compositional Technique
The canons in the 'Goldberg Variations' ascend from the unison (Variation 3) to the ninth (Variation 27), with the final variation featuring a 'Quodlibet' of two folksongs instead of a tenth canon.
Performer Biography
Anastasia Voltchok, the pianist on this recording, was born in Moscow and received extensive musical training in Moscow, Basel, and Maryland.
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