Bach: Goldberg Variations BWV988 - for saxophone quartet

Berlage Saxophone Quartet

MDG 903 2210-6

A whole life, from birth to death, or the whole world, from the rising of the sun to its setting: with the aria at the beginning and at the end, Bach's Goldberg Variations close an immense circle. For his Berlage Saxophone Quartet, Peter Vigh has orchestrated the monumental cycle in a completely new way and has now recorded it on Super Audio CD. The quartet tells of the ups and downs of existence in a sound-sensitive manner: an experience that is as exciting as it is deeply moving. Whether playing children (variation 17) or a funeral procession (variation 21): The associations that Bach's music is capable of awakening are intensely savored through the individual perspectives of the four Berlage artists. Ten different instruments are used, providing a colorful range that is unparalleled. And especially in the polyphonic movements, the work gains a fascinating new degree of transparency through the distribution among several players. To achieve this, the four Dutchmen went back to school: Guided by baroque specialist Walter van Hauwe, they have intensively studied historical playing practice. And so one hears how surprising sounds with speaking articulation, elegant ornamentation technique and sensuous phrasing combine directly with the very highest and most pleasurable playing culture. With this new release Lars Niederstrasser, Peter Vigh, Juani Palop and Eva van Grinsven once again show their extraordinary stylistic range. After "Saxofolk" and "In Search of Freedom", this third production by the Berlage Saxophone Quartet on MDG opens up entirely new sonic horizons, especially since the outstanding acoustics of the historic monastery hall on the SACD are particularly aural.
(wariacje goldbergowskie)

SACD x 1

MDG

2021-03-01

760623221069