Bach / Wilhelm Kempff, 1969: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (1741) - Complete, Indexed

Bach / Robert Veyron-Lacroix, 1961: Little Clavier Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach (Complete) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onlu97GNrj8

In this 1969 recording, released in the US in 1970 on the Deutsche Grammophon label, Wilhelm Kempff performs JS Bach's Goldberg Variations, BWV 988. I created this video from the LP shown above, serial number 139 455.

This work was composed 270 years ago.

Generally speaking, I rely principally on images of the the LP and LP jacket in order to remove any doubt about the provenance, as well as to document the authenticity, of historically important recordings such as these. (Billboard magazine review appears at 8:47; LP jacket, 9:22, LP label side 2, 34:14; detail from jacket reverse, 40:06.)

Aria
Variatio 1. a 1 Clav. (1:56)
Variatio 2. a 1 Clav. (3:25)
Variatio 3. a 1 Clav. Canone all'Unisono (4:28)
Variatio 4. a 1 Clav. (6:45)
Variatio 5. a 1 ô vero 2 Clav. (7:31)
Variatio 6. a 1 Clav. Canone alla Seconda (8:47)
Variatio 7. a 1 ô vero 2 Clav. al tempo di Giga (9:51)
Variatio 8. a 2 Clav. (11:38)
Variatio 9. Canone alla Terza. a 1 Clav. (13:12)
Variatio 10. Fughetta a 1 Clav. (15:02)
Variatio 11. a 2 Clav. (16:11)
Variatio 12. Canone alla Quarta. a 1 Clav. (17:35)
Variatio 13. a 2 Clav. (21:31)
Variatio 14. a 2 Clav. (23:31)
Variatio 15. Canone alla Quinta. a 1 Clav. (21:51)
Variatio 16. Ouverture. a 1 Clav. (29:41)
Variatio 17. a 2 Clav. (31:14)
Variatio 18. Canone alla Sexta. a 1 Clav. (32:57)
Variatio 19. a 1 Clav. (34:12) (Note: Kempff merges the preceding variation into this one.)
Variatio 20. a 2 Clav. (35:12)
Variatio 21. Canone alla Settima. a 1 Clav. (36:56)
Variatio 22. a 1 Clav. alla breve (40:03)
Variatio 23. a 2 Clav. (41:03)
Variatio 24. Canone all'Ottava. a 1 Clav. (42:45)
Variatio 25. a 2 Clav. (46:11)
Variatio 26. a 2 Clav. (49:23)
Variatio 27. Canone alla Nona. a 2 Clav. (51:08)
Variatio 28. a 2 Clav. (52:48)
Variatio 29. a 1 ô vero 2 Clav. (54:37)
Variatio 30. Quodlibet. a 1 Clav. (56:22)
Aria da Capo (57:51)

Kempff plays Beethoven: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=0736B70907CB6BDC
................................................................................­.................

If you like Bach I recommend the following:

Bach / Karl Ristenpart, 1960: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047 - Complete - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt5v93qQRcg

Bach / David and Igor Oistrakh, 1961: Double Concerto in D minor, BWV 1043 - Goossens, Malcolm - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwfNY7H3xiI

Bach / Jörg Demus, 1956: Prelude and Fugue No. 7 in E flat major, BWV 852 - Book 1, WTC - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pun6AvhtjZ8

Bach / Karl Ristenpart, 1960: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046 - Complete - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez7b2JsBQ80

Bach / Karl Ristenpart, 1960: Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat major, BWV 1051 - Complete - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSFW13cgWuQ

Wanda Landowska, 1949: Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C, BWV 846 - WTC, Book I - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j19W3wP-Tqs

Bach / Karl Ristenpart, 1960: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050 - Complete - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCAbgtr2yOk

JS Bach / Jacqueline du Pré, 1962: Adagio, from the Toccata in C, BWV 564 - Angel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQquknf_3ps

Bach / Bronislav Gimpel, 1964: Sonata No. 3 in C major for Violin, BWV 1005 - Allegro assai - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khUaSK76uJE

JS Bach / Marie-Claire Alain, 1964: Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die Stimme, BWV 645: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9c1C69lpuc

Huguette Dreyfus: Concerto Pour Clavecin En Ré Mineur, BWV 1052 (Bach) - Movement 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnSpRqPk9Ys

Herbert von Karajan, 1966: Brandenburg Concerto 1 in F major, BWV 1046 - Allegro (Bach/Бах) - DG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXfXKKwrjY4

Paul Jacobs: Herr Gott, Nun Schleuss' Den Himmel Auf! (Bach / Busoni) - 1979: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaEXWG7k2Z8

JS Bach / Albert Schweitzer, 1952: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God - Gunsbach, Alsace:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRgDxjgwWLc

Bach / Karl Münchinger, 1951: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050 (Allegro) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QL3f46vDvY

JS Bach / Jacqueline du Pré: Adagio, from the Toccata in C, BWV 564 - 1962 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQquknf_3ps

Herbert von Karajan, BPO: Ouverture in D major, BWV 1068 - Air (Bach/Бах) - DG, 1966: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOKfdRiMiu8

Paul Jacobs: Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der von uns den Zorn, Gottes Wandt (Bach / Busoni): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDHPThhCAF4

JS Bach / Sylvia Marlowe: Concerto for Two Harpsichords in C major, BWV 1061 - Fuga - 1960 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbWED7HWFQQ

Bach / Hans Kalafusz: Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042 - Movement 3 - 1974 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBcw9K0fy7E

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Bach
• Wilhelm Kempff
• Goldberg Variations
• BWV 988
• Вариации Гольдберга
• Aria mit 30 Veränderungen
• Die Goldberg-Variationen
• classicvinylbiz
• Wariacje Goldbergowskie
• Clavierübung IV-BWV 988
• davidhertzberg
• JS Bach
• Johann Sebastian Bach
• Duet
• Trio
• Canone All' Unisono
• Villa-Lobos
• Albert Schweitzer
• Karl Münchinger
• Jacqueline du Pré
• Sylvia Marlowe
• Clavecin
• Canone Alla Quarta
• ווריאציות גולדברג

[tippi02]

Interesting, Perfect playing. But cannot be compare with Gould's Goldberg, or Hewitt, or Argerich. The Var 1 is flat. Var 3 is too slow. This is a romantic version. Too much pedal. In my opinion, to show the "core of the issue" in Goldberg's Var, you need absolutely to show the structure. The more ascetic you are, the deeper you feel. Just like with Gould's 1981 last record. Kempff is a great piano master. But he's much better with Beethoven (of course...), Wagner, Schumann, Brahms, Mozart.

[davidhertzberg]

@tippi02 This recording got terrible reviews when it was released in the US and England. But from a historical point of view it is an important contribution to the archives of performances of BWV 988. And yes, a very romantic interpretation! Probably not exactly what Bach had in mind. ;-)

[paulprocopolis]

Sorry, 74-year old fingers (in 1969)!

[paulprocopolis]

Where Gould projects the music out to the listener, Kempff draws the listener in to a world of intimate and subtle sentiment. His 75-year old fingers produce miracles of colour and texture. To me there is nothing 'inauthentic' about this performance. It is authentically Kempff, a great artist, presenting us with his vision of a great work, in a reading that transcends fashion.

[esojbar]

@paopaomanalansan YES! You are right! It also leads me to Chopin.

[esojbar]

@thelex001 The most appropriate comment here. I agree. I love Bach without (the purist way) and with (romantic way?) pedals. The beauty of Bach lays on what he wrote and if you just play the right notes it will keep on sounding marvellous forever, even if it's being played by a computer.

[Qoind]

@tippi02 I disagree, it is more legato, and sounds less harsh than Gould's and for some reason I prefer Kempff's Bach over all, while I prefer Gould with Wagner, Beethoven, and Mozart, besides the Baroque approach toward performance allowed for improvisation.

[EugenArbrakh]

The blue Bach at 46.13 is frightening! :D

[eutorpe]

It's amazing to read about Wilhelm Kempff: romantic especially for Bach!

He said: "I'm not a romantic, I'm a classic!"

I hear here fluidity, clarity, simplicity: a great harmony in this interpretation

[MortiCarthago]

At first I was a bit surprised and thought "that isn't right..." but eh, the bass line is all that matters anyways, I really enjoyed it.

[thelex001]

Eccentric and non-idiomatic reading, but it still discernibly Bach and performed by a master...and thus wonderfully enjoyable. I'm grateful to period purists who have given us scores and performance practices that bring us closer to recovering what was once given up for lost, but our Bach purists should also relax and remember that Bach is for all time instead of simply one time, frozen in amber, and has survived synthesizers, lush orchestrations of organ works, and more. It's all good.

[otterhouse]

Haha! You have just uploaded all my early classical memories. Around 1984, this was also one of the first lp/tapes I borrowed from the library. Thanks!!