Bach: Goldberg Variations
Alexander Tharaud (piano)
Warner Classics 2564604914 – 1CD
Leonard Ip writes (translated from the Chinese by Jeremy Lee)
For pianists who are specialists in the Baroque repertoire, Bach does not feature centrally in Tharaud’s repertoire. While in these past years Tharaud has broadened his repertoire on record to the extent that he even recorded a disc of cabaret music, to date he had recorded Continue reading
Leonard Ip writes
It’s hard to imagine a more stunning debut album. Who is Jean Rondeau, this harpsichord firebrand (if there is such a thing) bursting onto the scene from nowhere? Born 1991 in France, he started playing the harpsichord with no less than Continue reading
Leonard Ip writes (translated from the Chinese by Jeremy Lee)
The British piano wunderkind Benjamin Grosvenor, now only 22, came to Hong Kong in February to play the Britten Piano Concerto with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Music lovers who have missed the concert (including me) need not despair—go to the shops and buy this disc, it’s Continue reading
Leonard Ip writes [translated from the Chinese by Jeremy Lee]
This recording of Bach’s 6 French Suites was recorded in October 1993, almost the last recording Gavrilov made before he entered his period of “demise” in the 90s. During that time he also recorded a famous Goldberg Variations for DG, one that I Continue reading
Jeremy Lee writes
It’s quite embarrassing for me to admit this, but I’ve never been familiar at all with Bach’s 48 preludes and fugues that is the Well-Tempered Clavier–I don’t even own a recording (though I do understand my grave need for one). But of course, Leonard being Leonard, I’ve been shown little mercy, being told to Continue reading
Leonard Ip writes
Bulgarian pianist Alexis Weissenberg died January this year, and it wouldn’t seem unreasonable to see the reissue of the pianist’s 1982 Goldberg Variations a tribute. But it still got me wondering “Why this?” given the unusual choice of recordings of EMI’s National Gallery series. Stereotyping musicians is always Continue reading
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