With two different
recordings of the wonderful Goldberg Variations played by Andrea
Bacchetti in this package, this is something about which all
Bach and piano fans can get a little excited.
Everyone should
know the story of how Count von Keyserling; a sufferer from
insomnia, requested Bach to compose him some music to relieve
some of those long wakeful nocturnal hours. The work is supposedly
named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may have been the
first performer. Fourth in a series Bach called Clavier-Übung,
the Aria mit verschiedenen Veränderungen was originally
written for a two manual harpsichord, specified clearly by the
composer as Vors Clavicimbal mit 2 Manualen. The choice
of piano for their performance is of course now a common one,
and Bacchetti rightly points out the expressive potential of
the modern concert grand – and that the music of J.S. Bach is
in fact pretty much the only kind of music you can play on any
instrument.
Andrea Bacchetti
is pictured on the cover of this release looking bonily handsome.
With his typically thick glasses, quick, high voice and a genuine
sense of intellectual and intuitional intensity the austere
or languid impression of the picture is immediately dispelled
in the documentary. Bacchetti’s introduction is given in Italian,
with a variety of subtitles available. This short 10 minute
film is just enough to give some footage of the pianist trying
different pianos, and giving his background and feelings on
the music. Say, ‘Goldberg Variations’ and ‘piano’ in one sentence,
and that sentence must regularly be completed by the name Glenn
Gould. Indeed, Bacchetti’s introduction to this music came when
as a teenager he heard the classic 1955 Gould recording. Playing
this new CD to my accompanist Johan the piano on the way to
a gig recently, and the first dry comment he made was “I miss
hearing someone singing along …” Bacchetti’s interpretations
of the variations, while having a few points of contact, are
however clearly the result of a great deal of individual thought.
These recordings therefore supplement and enrich not only those
of Gould, but also those of great artists such as the elegantly
sophisticated Murray Perahia (Sony), warmly expressive Andras
Schiff (Decca or ECM), and more analytical Angela Hewitt (Hyperion)
and others.
The aforementioned
expressive qualities of the piano usually make for a degree
of slowness and the lyrical drawing out of lines, but I don’t
find Bacchetti’s tempi mannered or overdone. The arguments over
harpsichord versus piano aside, the most contentious aspect
of Bacchetti’s performing is probably that of ornamentation.
There is quite a good deal of playful improvisation going on
– sometimes to the extent that you might be fooled into thinking
he might be playing something by Couperin or Rameau in some
of the slower variations. You might love or hate this, and I’m
not going to attempt to be an arbiter on taste with this aspect
of these Goldbergs. All I would say is give it time to sink
in, to grow on you. Yes, there is a certain amount of distortion
of the melodic lines here and there, some small adaptations
of the rhythmic pace when the decorations threaten to take over,
and the way the simple folk melodies in the final Quodlibet
appear make for rather a busy climax. If you are anything like
me you will probably start by thinking ‘oooh, not too sure about
this…’ Before long you should find you stop even noticing the
little trills and runs, and find the musical narrative unfolds
for you like a beautifully told story or the rich tapestry of
a journey seen though the eyes of another, in just the way I
feel it should, in fact.
The DVD recording
was made in an acoustic with more resonance than that on the
CD, the elegant interior of one of the rooms in the Villa Trissino-Marzotto
serving as a period backdrop to a modern Fazioli and it’s incredible,
bird-like driver. This recording is labelled as ‘live’ at a
number of online sources, although this is not mentioned in
the booklet, which has an extended and interesting interview
with Bacchetti. I suspect what is meant that the performance
is continuous and unedited, which would be a remarkable achievement
in its own right. We certainly see him leave off one variation
and start the next with no clever panning or editing to hide
a coffee break. In any case, there are no pictures of an audience
or extraneous noises on either disc, and with all the cranes
and cameras which must have been involved I suspect there wouldn’t
have been room for anyone else in the Villa. The camerawork
has some extended close-ups of the pianist’s hands at work –
artfully caught as reflections in the pianos deep lacquer, and
thankfully not too often mixed in with the rise and fall of
the dampers. Less artfully caught in the deep lacquer of the
piano are the blue jeans of one of the camera crew, but with
microphones very much in evidence I appreciate the lack of pretence
in the production, which has the feel of a continuous and well
focused recital.
While presented
as a bonus disc, I suspect that the CD included in this package
may see heavier use than the DVD from many – not that it is
necessarily a better recording or performance, just that the
convenience of just listening rather than having the TV screen
competing for attention has many advantages for many people.
The CD recording has a pleasant clarity, and a halo of acoustic
resonance which has less direct effect on the piano’s sound
when heard at the Villa. There are some subtle differences between
the two, but not enough to make you feel you are missing anything
from the other when choosing. Bacchetti seems a little more
light of touch in the Theatre, and he is more dramatic and certainly
a good deal slower in the Villa as the timings show, but this
difference is a side-effect of the environment and the acoustics
rather than a change in philosophy.
Andrea Bacchetti is
a serious performer in this music, and while you can sense the
joy and inspiration he finds in Bach, the exuberance is somehow
always measured and calculated, his approach lyrical rather than
technically extrovert – his legato is truly marvellous. A cool
customer, there is not a bottle of water or even a cloth for brow
mopping in sight on the DVD. He chooses a heavily dotted rhythm
in variation 20, which while valid I still find a little odd,
and there are some moments where, arguably, his approach to ornamentation
leans a little too heavily on the rhythmic cohesion of some passages.
While his attention to detail and intensity never lets up, Bacchetti
does show he has s human side, and there are a very few places
where the fingers don’t quite behave with mechanical perfection
– lapses in concentration perhaps, which have to be expected over
80 minutes of continuous playing. Never mind, with a double dose
of marvellous musicianship and a fresh look at some of the best
music for keyboard ever written, who would deny this excellent
production the place it deserves among the top choices in a crowded
market – not me, nor my colleague Johan the piano, whose compliment
“ik vind het best mooi” (It think it’s quite beautiful) is hard
won indeed.
Dominy Clements