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Bach: Goldberg Variations Listen Now!

The Goldberg Variations have intrigued listeners for years. They were originally written by Bach in 1741 as a keyboard teaching tool — like the Well-Tempered Clavier — and were named for Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may have been the first performer and was a student of Bach's. There is a legend that Herr Goldberg was in the employ of a German nobleman who suffered from insomnia and loved to hear Goldberg play during these bouts to help calm his nerves and keep him company. It is with this that Goldberg asked Bach for a work for clavier "of such a smooth and somewhat lively character that he might be a little cheered up by them in his sleepless nights." Bach thought a set of variations would do the trick and the rest, as they say, is history.

"One of classical's most exciting, prodigiously brilliant young stars." —Classic FM Magazine

The set comprises an aria and 30 variations and is considered not only a difficult work but has become a benchmark for pianists everywhere. This Goldberg himself must've been quite a player! It was Glenn Gould who gave the "Goldbergs" their greatest boost to 20th century audiences via his celebrated 1955 recording for CBS and again in 1981. The Goldberg Variations now hold a firm place in music history.

Over the years, the Goldberg Variations have been arranged and reworked freely by many performers and composers including versions for organ, guitar, string trio, brass and even jazz trio. Catrin Finch performs the Goldberg Variations on harp, an instrument quite suited to the work, though with no dampening device or pedal, the independent lines tend to blur. It's less of a problem in slower variations where the harp's true quality and lightness is ubiquitous. Catrin Finch explains that the idea...more details