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Bach: Goldberg Variations | 
 enlarge | Creators: J.s. Bach, Simone Dinnerstein
Label: Telarc
Category: Music
List Price: $17.98
Buy New: $9.96
You Save: $8.02 (45%)
New (33) Used (8) from $9.96
Avg. Customer Rating:  50 reviews
Sales Rank: 1460
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 80692
UPC: 089408069222
EAN: 0089408069222
ASIN: B000SQJ2X2
Release Date: August 28, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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| Tracks:
| • | Aria | | • | Variation 1 | | • | Variation 2 | | • | Variation 3 - Canone all'Unisono | | • | Variation 4 | | • | Variation 5 | | • | Variation 6 - Canone alla Seconda | | • | Variation 7 | | • | Variation 8 | | • | Variation 9 - Canone alla Terza | | • | Variation 10 - Fughetta | | • | Variation 11 | | • | Variation 12 - Canone alla Quarta | | • | Variation 13 | | • | Variation 14 | | • | Variation 15 | | • | Variation 16 - Canone alla Quinta | | • | Variation 17 | | • | Variation 18 - Canone alla Sesta | | • | Variation 19 | | • | Variation 20 | | • | Variation 21 - Canone alla Settima | | • | Variation 22 | | • | Variation 23 | | • | Variation 24 - Canone all'Ottava | | • | Variation 25 | | • | Variation 26 | | • | Variation 27 - Canone alla Nona | | • | Variation 28 | | • | Variation 29 | | • | Variation 30 - Quodilbet | | • | Aria |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
This is destined to be one of the best-remembered and significant classical releases of 2007. Simone (pronounced "See-mo-nuh") Dinnerstein has recently been attracting lots of media attention, from Oprah's magazine to The New York Times. Within a classical-music circuit increasingly unwilling to take artistic risks, hers has been the rare success story. The 30-something pianist (a former student of Peter Serkin), backing herself, wowed critics with some notable concerts and eventually secured the support of a major label to release a self-produced recording Dinnerstein had made in March 2005. This Telarc account of the Goldberg Variations thus marks her solo debut CD (following some earlier collaborations with cellist Zuill Bailey on the Delos label). For once, the publicity is trying to keep up with the musical achievement--rather than the other way around. Dinnerstein's seriousness of purpose is immediately obvious from her choice of the Bach masterpiece to make her mark. With the specter of Glenn Gould's own epoch-making 1955 debut playing the same work—not to mention a vast catalog of competing interpretations—Dinnerstein is nothing if not bold. But what's really extraordinary here is the liberating sense she conveys of its not having all been said before—without resorting to tiresome idiosyncrasies to stand apart from the crowd. Her remarkably deliberate way with the opening aria is unusual, to be sure. But it establishes the stakes for what will follow, where Dinnerstein's thoughtfulness and spectacular clarity seem to discover new facets at every turn. Her pianism embraces a prismatic array of touches, whether the feathery lightness of Variation 5, the burbling rhythms of Variation 14, or the tragic weight of the "black pearl" Variation 25. The cumulative effect is exhilarating, intensely moving, and an affirmation of the Goldbergs' infinite variety. --Thomas May
Album Description
Dinnerstein's Goldberg Variations was recorded in the neoclassic auditorium of the Academy of Arts and Letters in New York in March 2005. The piano she plays, a 1903 Hamburg Steinway model D concert grand, was originally owned by the town council of Hull, in Northeast England. During World War II, Hull was extensively bombed and the town hall in which the piano was housed was severely damaged. The piano, however, survived intact and was used in a series of concerts after the war to restore Hull's spirit. In 2002, it was restored by Klavierhaus in New York City, in time to be used at the re-opening of the World Trade Center's Winter Garden, playing the same role as it had in Hull over fifty years earlier.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 45 more reviews...
Good version of the Goldberg Variations October 25, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Simone Dinnerstein, a former student of the great Peter Serkin, actually produced this recording herself. Given the very different responses to this recording, I had better make certain things clear at the outset. I am not a pianist. I am not trained in music. I have never listened to Glenn Gould's or Wanda Landowska's versions of the Goldberg Variations. I am listening to this as a musical amateur, trying to get a sense of Dinnerstein's performance. That said, this is a satisfying recording to me.
Some reactions to various of the works on this CD (there is an aria and 30 variations). The aria seems to be played well and cleanly. There is a melancholy air to this piece. The is an affecting although not necessarily a scintillating version; it is thoughtful and played at a sober pace.
Variation # 1: Dinnerstein plays this energetically, playing well off of the aria, providing considerable contrast in dynamics. This is a crisper piece, standing in nice distinction to the aria.
Variation # 2: This is more reflective than # 1. There is a contemplative mood suffusing this variation. It seems nicely musical to me.
Variation # 5: Up tempo! Quite a change of pace from Variation # 4. To use a term that I'm sure I should not, this is a "toe tapper." It is played in animated fashion; I enjoyed this variation greatly.
Variation # 16: This starts boldly with a lot of volume. But it is musical at that. There is a nice change in dynamics in comparison with Variation # 15, which is almost elegiac..
Then, Variation # 25, called, as I understand it, "The Black Pearl." This is a more thoughtful, reflective piece. To my ears, it is played affectingly. I cannot compare this with other versions, since this is the first time that I have listened to this variation, but on its own terms it is quite enjoyable. There is a lugubrious tonality to this piece.
Variation # 30: Light and reflective. There is no melancholy here!
30 variations on a theme is rather exotic music for me to evaluate. I do not pretend to be an expert. Nonetheless, for me as a listener, this version by Dinnerstein works pretty well. I can't say that I would rate this as a great version, but it is certainly pretty solid from my perspective.
 goldberg varations, landowska September 30, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
i ordered landowska, u sent me the pretty simone. i returned it to u. u sent it back to me. i sent it back to u. u sent it back to me. i gave up.landowska is the point, not the pretty simone tinkling the ivories on a PIANO.it is all about the harpsichord. wake up.
 Beauty of Steinway in 1903 September 21, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Her performance is pleasant as the body is caressed. Not only pleasant, but the 14th and the 20th variation are aggressive. She has technique because she can neatly play the technical 20th, 26th, 29th and 30th variation. The 13th variation is the longest (5:15). The 25th variation is 4:20. The performance time of all is 78:20. However, because all the repetitions are done except the 25th variation, 78 minutes is not necessarily too long. There are a lot of tune with a quick tempos, too. After all the opening aria is the longest (5:39). Steinway Model D made in Hamburg in 1903.
Simone Dinnerstein plays Bach's Goldberg Variations June 4, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Bach: Goldberg Variations. If you've ever questioned the value of owning different interpretations of the same musical work, just listen to this interpretations and compare it to that of Gould, or Landowsa, or anyone else. The artist, of course, makes a great difference. And this artist is one of the greats. Among the great interpretations of this work I find that hers resonates with me personally. This is intimate and sensitive. A Bach keyboard piece sounding romantic? That's how this interpretation strikes me. Whatever the details, it has affected the several people I have shared it with, and all agree that it is exceptional. You will think so too.
this is a fantastic recording May 27, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
i have to start by saying that i'm pretty sure this is my first amazon review ever. years of using amazon, years of reading reviews here. but this is the first time i've been moved to contribute a review. and it's not just because this is a wonderful recording (although it certainly is a wonderful recording). it's also to help any fellow shoppers here by balancing out the nonsense with some hopefully useful comments.
first of all, this is nothing like glenn gould. if you worship at the altar of glenn gould, it's very unlikely that you will enjoy this CD. if you think glenn gould's version of the goldberg variations is the "one true version" then you are missing the point and nothing in an amazon review can possibly persuade you otherwise.
but if you are open to new possibilities, if you are open to experiencing an amazing piece of music through a different lens, if you think there is no correct answer to the question "what is the most perfect way to play the goldberg variations?" you may love this CD.
the artist brings a very different reading to this music. it's piano based, rather than harpsichord music played on a piano. and to my ears, that makes it a much more enjoyable listen.
i would also just say that it is amazing and fantastic that a young woman from brooklyn recorded a version of the aria from the goldberg variations in the year 2007 that gave a 250 year old piece of music one of it's most fantastic interpretations ever. that blows my mind every time i hear it.
in short, listen to the aria, buy this CD, ignore the nonsense and posturing in these reviews. you won't regret it.
(p.s. anyone who is whining about "marketing" and "oprah" is betraying their own prejudices. i saw no marketing for this album, and was completely unaware that she appeared on oprah until i read it here. that makes no difference. the album is fantastic on it's own merits. grow up.)
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