Holloway, R: Gilded Goldbergs: for two pianos, after J S Bach

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Holloway's initial prompt for these stunning two-piano transcriptions of Bach's Goldbergs, was his frustration as a single pianist at his 'inability to clarify the close-weave canons or manage... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Release Date: 11th Dec 2002
Catalogue No: CDA67360
Label: Hyperion
Length: 97 minutes

Gramophone Magazine

February 2002

Disc of the Month

Holloway, R: Gilded Goldbergs

Work length1:37:50

$33.50

$41.85

The Micallef-Inanga Piano Duo

Part 1. 1st Set No 1. Aria. G major

Track length3:42

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$1.25

Part 1. 1st Set No 2. Variation 1. Expanding the theme. G

Track length2:27

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Part 1. 1st Set No 3. Variation 2. Simple tonal cubism. G-D

Track length1:35

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Part 1. 1st Set No 4. Variation 3. Canon at the unison. G

Track length2:45

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Part 1. 1st Set No 5. Variation 4. Simply through some keys. G-G

Track length1:55

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Part 1. 2nd Set No 1. Variation 5. Vivace à la Scarlatti. C

Track length0:49

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Part 1. 2nd Set No 2. Variation 6. Canon at the second. C-A flat

Track length2:23

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Part 1. 2nd Set No 3. Variation 7. Gigue in antiphony. A flat / C

Track length1:35

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Part 1. 2nd Set No 4. Variation 8. Enhanced replay of Variation 1. G

Track length3:43

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Part 1. 2nd Set No 5. Variation 9. Canon at the third. Homage to Grainger. E flat

Track length2:15

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Part 1. 2nd Set No 6. Variation 10. 'Robust and a bit gormless'. Wrong-note music. B

Track length1:31

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Part 1. 2nd Set No 7. Variation 11. Dreaming. Homage to Schubert and Brahms. G

Track length3:00

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Part 1. 3rd Set No 1. Variation 12. Canon at the fourth. E

Track length3:01

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Part 1. 3rd Set No 2. Variation 13. Cantilena 1. Double variation with homage to Dowland. G / E flat minor

Track length9:02

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Part 1. 3rd Set No 3. Variation 14. Energico. A flat minor

Track length2:04

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Part 1. 3rd Set No 4. Variation 15. Canon at the fifth. G minor

Track length4:24

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Part 2. 4th Set No 1. Variation 16. French Overture and homage to Nancarrow. G sharp minor

Track length6:22

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Part 2. 4th Set No 2. Variation 17. Hungarian cymbalom. Homage to Bartók, Ligeti, Kurtág – Doïna – Homage to Enescu. E minor

Track length3:55

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Part 2. 4th Set No 3. Variation 18. Canon in sixths. D flat

Track length4:25

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Part 2. 4th Set No 4. Variation 19. Ländler and trio 'Brief history of Austro-German music in triple time'. B flat

Track length4:36

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Part 2. 4th Set No 5. Variation 20. Vivace con brio. D

Track length1:44

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Part 2. 4th Set No 6. Variation 21. Canon at the seventh. G minor

Track length2:31

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Part 2. 4th Set No 7. Variation 22. Churchy counterpoint in antiphony. A flat

Track length2:06

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Part 2. 4th Set No 8. Variation 23. Diatonic scrunches 'Homage to Tippett'. F

Track length2:20

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Part 2. 5th Set No 1. Variation 24. Canon at the octave. Complex journey through some keys. G / G minor-B flat

Track length2:51

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Part 2. 5th Set No 2. Variation 25. Cantilena 2. G minor

Track length5:40

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Part 2. 5th Set No 3. Variation 26a. Sarabande. G

Track length1:14

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Part 2. 5th Set No 5. Variation 27. 'Trio' – Canon at the ninth. F

Track length0:46

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Part 2. 5th Set No 4. Variation 26b. Sarabande resumed – Rückblick – Homage to Schumann. A major / A minor

Track length2:14

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Part 2. 5th Set No 6. Variation 28. 'Summer afternoon'. Hazy trills and tremolos. G

Track length1:35

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Part 2. 5th Set No 7. Variation 29. Toccata with clusters. F sharp

Track length3:24

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Part 2. 5th Set No 8. Variation 30. Quodlibet. Traversing all twelve keys, ending D

Track length3:15

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Part 2. 5th Set No 9. Aria da capo. G

Track length2:41

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Robin Holloway writes in his notes for this record that 'It seems both odd and foolish to take one of the acknowledged pinnacles of western music and 'recompose' it'. But his 'Goldberg adventure' (as he calls it) began with modest aims as a didactic piece. Frustrated as a single pianist by inability to clarify the close-weave canons or manage the more fiendish hand-crossing so idiomatic on a twomanual harpsichord, he began to transcribe a few for two pianos. Over the next few years he became absorbed with the task and ended up with another 30 completely new 'Goldberg' variations which have delighted and entertained audiences who've been lucky enough to hear the work. Here it is played by the exciting Micallef-Inanga Piano Duo who have made a speciality of the piece. Since it plays for 120 minutes two discs are needed to accommodate it, so here they are for the price of one.

Reviews

2010

Holloway's initial prompt for these stunning two-piano transcriptions of Bach's Goldbergs, was his frustration as a single pianist at his 'inability to clarify the close-weave canons or manage the more fiendish hand-crossing numbers so idiomatic on a two-manual harpsichord'. So far, so pleasurable – but then inevitably the full artistic implication of what he was doing struck home. It was only later, after much agonised self-questioning, that he decided to 'go for the gilding and lose the guilt!' Bach's original is thrown in at the deep centre of a swelling harmonic sea, sometimes as a moment of ineffable calm (Variation 18, a 'canon in sixths'), at other times more like an oncoming tidal wave (Variation 29, 'Toccata with clusters'). The use of modulation is often alarming but always musically effective and never more so than in an ingenious re-working of the closing 'Quodlibet' (Variation 30), which traverses 'all 12 keys', ending in D. Holloway's ear for nuance, and the ingenuity of his invention, will leave you openmouthed with admiration. Whatever your CD priorities to date, this one surely has to fly straight to the top of your wants list.

Holloway, R: Gilded Goldbergs

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