Goldberg Variations

Featuring

Hannu Alasaarela
Johann Sebastian Bach

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Compositional Technique

The thirty variations are structured in groups of three, with every third variation being a canon, progressing from a canon at the unison to a canon at the ninth.

Compositional Technique

The Goldberg Variations is considered the most virtuosic keyboard work of the Baroque era, showcasing Bach's diverse playing techniques, which he developed further in the 1740s, inspired by Domenico Scarlatti's sonatas.

Compositional Technique

The theme of the Goldberg Variations, a sarabande from Bach's Anna Magdalena Clavier-Büchlein, may not have been composed by Bach himself, as its chord progression is similar to works by Jean-Henry d'Anglebert and Henry Purcell.

Composer Biography

Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations mark the beginning of his late period, which also includes the Mass in B minor and The Art of Fugue.

Composition History

The popular story that Bach's student, harpsichordist Johann Goldberg, played the Variations nightly for an insomniac Count Kayserlingk is likely a dubious legend.

Compositional Technique

The Goldberg Variations is the longest piece composed for keyboard during the Baroque era, with this recording lasting 79 minutes.

Performer Biography

Pianist Hannu Alasaarela's playing has been praised for its uniqueness, described as not adhering to any traditional school, and for being bright, sensitive, and rhythmically flexible.