The Goldberg Variations has done more to widen the circle of appreciation for classical music than perhaps any other musical work. It certainly gets the youth vote, and one can see why. Regarded as the holy grail for professional pianists, it’s been interpreted by many young, world-class, artists, often male, but not exclusively so – a more mature Angela Hewitt produced a wonderful near-live studio recording back in 1999. The exceptionally gifted Glen Gould did much to ignite The Goldberg craze, recording them, not once but twice, in 1955 and in 1981 (his last recording).  Amongst living musicians, Lang Lang, Igor Levit, Vikingur Olafsson, and many more have taken up the gauntlet of playing these  technically demanding variations (there are 30) in one sitting.

Last Sunday evening, Roman Rabinovich performed J.S. Bach’s master work in a Wigmore Hall live stream. Rabinovich has already proved his worth many times over, having initially won the gruelling 12^th Arthur Rubenstein international Master Piano Competition.

Rabinovich took a while to appear on stage, and a little more time passed in meditation before he touched the first note of the exquisitely-formed opening aria, which sets us off on our 80-minute journey.

And what a journey it was! As we were drawn progressively into an ever-increasing ocean of musical possibilities, the variations lapped over us in waves. Gorgeous canons announced themselves and their interweaving melodies repeated and stretched out, at times, to infinity. The mood was joyous, playful, energetic. We drew in breadth as we watched Rabinovich perform those terrifying hand crossovers and leaps with gusto. Rabinovich, meanwhile, seemed relaxed, rolling his head from side to side with pleasure, keeping his core body calm while his arms and supple fingers did all the work! The minor passages, when they arrived, came through in gorgeous modern-sounding tone shifts – or extended poignant meditations – all handled with the utmost of care by Rabinovich.

An intelligent, deeply affecting performance by Rabinovich.

If you would like to watch the live stream, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z48zrBnhVzE

KH

Roman Rabinovich performed The Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach Sunday, 18^th May 2025 at the Wigmore Hall.