History (based on materials from http://www.music.qub.ac.uk/~tomita/essay/cu4.html and the Grove Dictionary of Music): The Goldberg Variations are the last of a series of keyboard music Bach published under the title of "Clavierübung", and are often regarded as the most ambitious composition ever written for harpsichord. Despite its high profile character, however, we know little about what Bach intended with the piece. The work was first published in 1741 under the title "Aria with diverse variations", while the addition of the name "Goldberg" seems to have been the creative license of the composer's first biographer, Johann Nicolaus Forkel, who, some sixty years later, traced the genesis of the piece to the figures of a Count Keyserlingk, former Russian ambassador to the Elector of Saxony and Bach's avid supporter, and a harpsichordist in his service, namely Johann Goldberg, for whom the work was supposedly written to be played as a remedy for the count's troubled sleep. Many inconsistencies in the story - in particular, the young age of Goldberg who was 14 when the work was first published and the suggested philosophical meaning of the variations themselves - contradict the credibility of Forkel's account; however, the title, as it were, stuck to the work which remains to this very day is considered to be one of the maestro's most important achievements. The Goldberg Variations marks the end of Bach's fruitful "middle period" and opens the door to his final one in which the "canon" adopts a seminal place in his creative output. Many musicians have adapted the variations for other instruments, ranging from the more or less straightforward version for string trio by Sikovetsky to the less orthodox synthesizer transcription by Spiegelman. In the present case, the transcription was prepared by the Parnassi Musici who have written their version to commemorate Bach's 250th anniversary in 2000. Music: Bach had not cultivated the variation form since his youth, thus, the contrast between the Goldberg Variations and the early works (in particular, the Aria variata) could not be more marked. The large-scale cyclical layout - a sequence of ten trios of variations, each ending with a canon, the final quodlibet notwithstanding, framed by two complete statements of the main theme - is without precedent in Western art, while the music itself, moving from the simplicity of the main theme to virtuoso flights of fancy, extended pastoral tableaux, sketches of selected art forms and, ultimately, a prolonged expression of grief, is deeply moving. I was more than a bit tempted to post the set complete. However, I've ultimately decided to prepare just two postings. The first posting is dedicated solely to the "aria", the theme of the variations. A sarabande of natural beauty, the movement features a breathtaking melody of the utmost nobility, extensively ornamented and constantly oscillating between major and minor. The ''aria" is divided into two contrasting parts, each to be repeated once, hence an AABB structure (0:08/1:09 and 2:10/3:11, respectively) which seems to demand additional ornamentation of the repeats, as per tradition. In the present transcription, the strings (viola da gamba/cello/liuto) provide a clear background over which the flute states the main melody. Describing the music itself seems almost impossible, as it possesses a striking ambiguity, just as the theme of the late romantic Enigma Variations, a quality which only brings out the colorful characteristics of each of the following variations. It acts, in this respect, as a starting point of the utmost simplicity and peace. Bach's decision to close the whole work with a full repeat of the "aria" could not have been a more elegant gesture, reinforcing out amazement with the ethereal quality of the music. In a slightly ironic twist, just as in the case of Elgar's theme, the origins of the "aria" are somewhat dubious. It can be found in Book II of "Clavierbüchlein" for Anna Magdalena Bach (1725), copied by herself, leading to a logical presumption that the composer's wife actually participated to some extent in the composition of the theme. However, the "aria" bears neither the name of the composer nor the title of the piece (and Anna's copyist abilities have been put into question). Thus, it is possible that the author of the aria is anonymous. Still, it is a piece of the utmost serenity, perfection that remain constant even after thirty variations. Score: The complete set of sheet music for the Goldberg Variations can be found here: http://imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/f/f8/IMSLP00823-BWV0988.pdf Recording: The live 2000 SWR recording of the Goldberg Variations is quite exceptional, both in terms of the proficiency of the Parnassi Musici and the genuine charm and striking "authenticity" of their transcription. Hope you'll enjoy =).