Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Maggie Cole :: Bach: Goldberg Variations

Beautiful recording, as good as any you will ever hear

Leslie Richford | Selsingen, Lower Saxony | 09/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a beautifully played and produced CD with a set of 'Goldberg Variations' as good as you are ever likely to hear. Maggie Cole plays them in deliberate, analytical style with a very clean touch on a copy of a two-manual harpsichord by Goujon (1749), my only query being that Bach should surely be played on a German-type harspichord, not a French one. But the wonderfully light, almost airy sound of this instrument is more than adequate compensation, and I felt that Maggie Cole was in her element, both in slower sections (the Adagio Variation 25) and in those variations which include rapid leaps and trills (Canone all'Ottava, Tr. 25; Variation 26). It is, admittedly, not always easy listening to the 'Goldbergs' from end to end, but I find that this CD lends itself to long sessions in front of the loudspeakers. Excellent value for money (total playing time nearly 79 mins)!"

One of the very best versions

Philip Milnes | Wenatchee, Washington | 12/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This set of the Goldberg variations has a beautiful clarity of thought and dexterity of keyboard skill. Well recorded, there is nothing to prevent listening straight through and finding enjoyment in every part. I have a collection of different recordings of the Goldberg variations and this is one that I consistantly come back to. Order it, you'll be glad you did, since you can listen to this music for a long time."