Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Masaaki Suzuki :: Bach: Goldberg Variations

Blinding Harpischord Playing

J. F. Laurson | Washington, DC United States | 04/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Too many Goldberg Variations vying for your attention, even if you limit yourself to interpretations on the harpischord? Add Masaaki Suzuki's to the list of contenders.



ECM/Jarrett is monochrome but has a stilted rhythm that is entirely entrancing. Not everyone's cup of tea - but better than often given credit for.

Hantai's two recordings (op111 / Mirare) are vibrant as few others - both of them excellent choices.

Landowska is famous, rightly, but the sound is not up to par (better on RCA than EMI) and, quite frankly, neither of the two interpretations are not *that* amazing, really. Historical Value.

Celine Frisch (Alpha) is mobile, felt - and adds the original quodlibet and the Goldberg Canon. Good, price-winning, stuff - but in that more mellow temperament I prefer the new Egarr (Harmonia Mundi - [see review on www.ionarts.org]).

Pinnock on Archiv has impressed many on terms of sound - just not me; I find Kirkpatrick (also Archiv) a bit labored. Kipnis (EMI Angel) is shallow and harsh sounding, the well-regarded Leonhardt (Seon?) I have not heard and Rousset is currently out of print.



Finally, Suzuki: He plays the living hell out of the Goldbergs... on the surface of it, no one is as exciting, not even Hantai. Faster, clear, clean -- brilliant stuff. To the Goldbergs what Pollini's Chopin Etudes are to the piano repertoire... although that might be giving Suzuki at tad too much credit. I find more depth in Jarrett and Hantai, but I am rarely not dazzled by this recording. In that particular way, it is my favorite recording of the GV on the harpsichord - and over all one of my three favorites."

Sublime

C. Lemming | Permesso | 09/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Elegant, emotive, and awe-inspiring. Masaaki Suzuki's genius lies in his remarkable sensitivity to the expressive possibilities inherent in each phrase, harmonic shift, and rhythmic nugget, as he effortlessly glides from one delicious cadence to the next. Every minute of this recording is magical. Pure bliss. Buy it."