abstract:The Goldberg Variations is a ballet made by New York City Ballet's ballet master Jerome Robbins to Johann Sebastian Bach's eponymous music from 1742, BWV 988, his only work in the form of theme and variations; the theme is a sarabande he wrote for his second wife. The premiere took place on May 27, 1971, at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center with costumes by Joe Eula and lighting by Thomas Skelton.
Why has Disc 2 of this set-GlennGould's secondrecordingoftheGoldbergVariations-been remasleredusingtheoriginal analogue source tapes, and nottheoriginaldigital masters?
For the 70th anniversary of Gould s birth, Sony Classical released both recordings of the"Goldberg Variations" - along with critic Tim Page's interview with Gould weeks before his death.
At the time of Gould's American debut in January 1955, the"Goldberg Variations" were mainly known to musicologists. (Gould too was unknown to American audiences.) But the 22-year-old Canadian pianist s performance was so energetic and captivating that he became a classical music superstar.