Władysław Kłosiewicz, the performer on this album, was the last pupil of Ruggero Gerlin, who was Wanda Landowska's closest associate.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bach's primary motivation in composing, particularly his keyboard works, was the didactic principle of music instruction.
Compositional Technique
The Goldberg Variations, originally titled 'An Air with diverse variants', do not have a melodic or thematic connection between the Aria and its variations, but rather a substantial and harmonic one at the level of 'inner structure'.
Composer Biography
Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, for whom the variations are named, was a highly talented harpsichordist and a pupil of Bach.
Compositional Technique
The work combines three time scales of variation form: past traditions of contrapuntal variations, present concepts of Bach's era, and future anticipation of 19th-century piano music.
Instruments
The Goldberg Variations are intended for harpsichord, with Bach specifying which variations should be played on one or two keyboards.
Composition History
The Goldberg Variations were commissioned by Count Carl von Keyserling, the former Russian Ambassador to the Royal Court of Dresden, to help him with his sleepless nights.
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