Bach - Variations Goldberg

In this masterpiece, built around a single unpretentious melody that unfolds in thirty astonishing variations, Bach dazzles us with his precision, imagination and freedom. Whether it is the anecdote of the insomniac count and the young Goldberg or the extraordinary art of variation, Bach's Variations for Harpsichord BWV 988 have never ceased to fascinate. Composed as the fourth book of Clavier-Übung, this set of thirty variations on the figured bass of the Aria combines virtuosity, meditative depth and formal invention, oscillating between passacaglia, fugue and pieces for two keyboards. Each movement, sometimes joyful, sometimes tragic, weaves a musical narrative of a magnitude comparable to a mass or a Passion, culminating in a 25th variation of incomparable dramatic intensity. More than a technical challenge, this work is above all an emotional journey in which Bach's genius is revealed at every moment.

• Harpsichord Jory Vinikour