Composed in 1741, Bach’s Goldberg Variations for solo harpsichord begin and end with an intimate “Aria,” whose bass line serves as the structural inspiration for the 28 variations in between. Bach at Home 2020 features French harpsichordist Pierre Hantaï’s performance of “Aria” as well as Variations 3, 5, 14, and 28.
In 1741, Johann Sebastian Bach published a complex, intricate, and mesmerizing keyboard piece that would become known as the Goldberg Variations. Named after one of Bach’s pupils, who is purported to…
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The third variation is the first of the nine canons that form the through-line for the Goldberg Variations. A canone all’unisono (canon in unison), the variation includes features a supported, ground bass built around…
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The fifth variation sees the basic melody of the 32-measure aria reimagined through rapid sixteenth notes and punctuated by frequent, unpredictable hand-crossing from the lower to the higher registers—and back again!—of the keyboard and back!
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