Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Lisa Goode Crawford :: Bach: Goldberg Variations

Lisa Goode Crawford and the Personal Goldberg Variations

Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 04/07/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Johann Sebastian Bach's GOLDBERG VARIATIONS continues to mystify and enchant music lovers as much today as when it was first published in 1741. This perfectly constructed work for harpsichord remains the pinnacle of achievement in early music for solo instrument. The eloquent 'aria' on which it is based is only the seed from which this work grows in thoughtful variations - each set of variations bearing enough fresh thought and inspiration that even if performers elected to play only one variation as a recital piece the flower would still bloom. That is the genius of Bach. Some artists who have performed this masterpiece seem so intent on 'getting it right' that they loose the spirit, the joy, the exuberance that lies within, and for many devotees of Bach's music that is enough. But not for Lisa Goode Crawford.



What startles the listener at first hearing of this perfectly engineered recording from Finney Chapel at Oberlin College is Lisa Goode Crawford's seamlessly open approach to each of the portions of this work. Yes, her virtuosity is a given: she is a master teacher and performer in this country and in France. But pause at Variation 25 - an adagio movement that is as intensely emotional as anyone can create. In her hands the variation becomes almost choral. Clearly the Goldberg Variations are in her soul and this recording is a treasure, providing that opportunity to listen to the heart of this impossibly difficult work and forget the fact that few artists even try to master it. Her approach is profoundly personal and for this listener that involvement makes all the difference. A brilliant recital, this. Grady Harp, April 10"