Johann Sebastian Bach entitled his work, which later became timelessly famous under the title »Goldberg Variations«, simply »Piano Exercise«. Legend has it that a count at the Dresden court, who was unable to sleep, commissioned the piece from Bach around 1740 so that the count’s harpsichordist, Goldberg, could play it for him at night. Bach apparently had a lot of confidence in the then 13-year-old child prodigy Goldberg! The result is not only a masterpiece of music, but also a journey into the depths of the human soul, a quiet dialogue between complexity and clarity, between structure and emotion. Each variation has its own character – from dance-like lightness to meditative depth and explosive virtuosity.
Pianist Fazl Say first recorded the Goldberg Variations in 2022 – and it is not only since then that he has grown very fond of them, making them a central artistic milestone in his artist portrait at this year’s Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival: »What Bach has created in the 32 variations is a revolution. It is as if Bach is exploring the limits of the possibilities of a single musical theme, constantly finding new perspectives and showing us the infinity of creativity.«
PERFORMERS
Fazl Say piano
PROGRAM
Johann Sebastian Bach
Aria and a set of 30 variations
