Swiss Chamber Soloists - Bach, J.S.: Goldberg-Variationen (version for string trio by Dmitry Sitkovetsky) (2008)

Tracklist

01. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria 1 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
02. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 1 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
03. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 2 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
04. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 3: Canone all'Unisuono (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
05. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 4 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
06. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 5 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
07. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 6: Canone alla Seconda (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
08. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 7 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
09. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 8 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
10. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 9: Canone alla Terza (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
11. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 10 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
12. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 11 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
13. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 12: Canone alla Quarta (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
14. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 13 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
15. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 14 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
16. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 15: Canone alla Quinta (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
17. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 16: Overture (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
18. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 17 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
19. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 18: Canone alla Sesta (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
20. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 19 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
21. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 20 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
22. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 21: Canone alla Settima (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
23. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 22 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
24. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 23 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
25. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 24: Canone all'Ottava (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
26. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 25: Adagio (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
27. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 26 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
28. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 27: Canone alla Nona (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
29. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 28 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
30. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 29 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
31. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 30: Quodlibet (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)
32. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria 2 (arr. D. Sitkovetsky)

There are those for whom playing Bach's Goldberg Variations on anything but a harpsichord is an aesthetic sin. The work, they argue, was written to be played on the harpsichord and any other instrument is simply wrong. Then there are those for whom playing the Goldberg Variations on anything but a modern piano is an aesthetic mistake. The work, they contend, may have been written to be played on the harpsichord, but that is no reason to deny the music the clarity and power of the modern concert grand.
Both sides have their points, but there is another alternative: how about performing the Goldberg Variations in Dmitry Sitkovetsky's arrangement as a string trio? True, Bach himself never envisioned such a possibility - indeed, there was no such ensemble as a string trio in his day -- but think of the possibilities. For one thing, a string trio has a homogenous sound and a beautiful blend. But a trio of performers brings something to the work that no single performer can possibly match, to wit, three players each with their own individual musical personalities, and the result can be more than the sum of its parts.
That is certainly the case in this superb 2008 Neos release by the Swiss Chamber Soloists. Violinist Hanna Weinmeister, violist Jürg Dähler, and cellist Thomas Grossenbacher are all first-class players with focused tones and strong techniques, and they are supremely sympathetic to the music and each other. With sparing use of vibrato and a supple sense of rhythm, the Swiss players make a three-way conversation out of Bach's variations, thereby revealing aspects of the work that single keyboard players cannot hope to explore. Here, the canons sound like real canons and the slow movements sound deeper, darker, and more intimate. Recorded in vivid super audio sound, this disc may not persuade purists, but it may well thrill chamber music fans.

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