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Bach, J.S.: Goldberg Variations (arranged for viols)
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About Bach, J.S.: Goldberg Variations
Product Description The Goldberg Variations for harpsichord are a pinnacle of Bach s compositional output. Like many of Bach's works, it has been transcribed for many different solo instruments and instrumental combinations. Fretwork's version for viol consort is one of the most unusual, in that it looks backward in time instead of forward. Bach was essentially a conservative composer, well grounded in the styles and structures of the past. His fondness for the sound of the viola da gamba is well documented and it provides additional justification for re-projecting this masterpiece of counterpoint through the sound-lens of 'old fashioned' instruments. Review Not long ago the idea of arranging the Goldberg Variations for an ensemble seemed outlandish, but Richard Boothby, who made this lively edition for Fretwork, the British viol consort (of which he is a member), points out that even a piano version is an arrangement. Mr. Boothby s thoughtful scoring plays to Fretwork s considerable strengths, but its principal joy is a transparency that lets every strand of counterpoint ring out. --The New York TImesUnusual yet fascinating… there is nothing disloyal about these intoxicating performances… Fretwork produces playing of astonishing imagination, dexterity or intense melancholy. With such a feast on offer, harpsichords never crossed my heretical mind. --GramophoneSplendidly imaginative... No one can be unaffected after experiencing these new perspectives. --BBC Music Magazine, 5 Stars
