Pianist Lang Lang has conquered a musical Everest, realising a lifelong dream with his brand-new recording of J. S. Bach’s monumental keyboard work Goldberg Variations. 2020 M aster. The Thomaskirche performance is marginally the less studied and self-indulgent of the two; tempi are generally a bit faster, the piano sound a little leaner and not so fulsome. A fifth single, Arabesque by Robert Schumann, will be digitally released on 15 January 2021. Lang Lang at Royal Albert Hall. Although generally associated with large virtuoso repertoire, Lang Lang does perform and record classical repertoire such as Mozart and Beethoven, where more modest qualities of his playing come to light. He became very emotionally attached to one in particular, a family reunion song, he says. The live recording is a bit different from the studio recording, with Lang Lang taking some variations a lot faster in front of the audience (showmanship again?). Lang Lang will release a series of new recordings from his forthcoming Goldberg Variations Extended Edition, which will be digitally released on 12 February 2021. Although Lang Lang’s formidable pianistic techniques served the music well in the faster variations (despite some harshly attacked accents), his recording was permeated with mannerism and affectation, together with over-indulgence and a tendency to over-stretch phrases, in particular in the slower sections. Lang Lang performs Goldberg Variations from Bach’s own church in Leipzig on DG Stage 11/09/2020 In March 2020, Lang Lang gave only his second ever live performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations at Leipzig’s historic St Thomas Church. Lang Lang’s exuberant brand of showmanship is genuine. Superstar pianist Lang Lang has realised a lifelong dream by recording Johann Sebastian Bach’s monumental keyboard work, the Goldberg Variations, often described as “a musical Everest”. He has released two complementary performances of the Goldberg Variations: a studio recording and a live performance recorded at St Thomas’ Church in Leipzig. He seems to love the music so much he suffocates it: the 15th variation, the canon at the fifth, is so measured it almost grinds to a halt; the last of them, the Quodlibet, is so stately that the quiet re-emergence of the Aria loses its usual magic. Lang Lang first began exploring the masterpiece 20 years ago, now presenting this album as the outcome of a personal, emotional journey. But, the differences in interpretation are limited to a few variations… Unfortunately the lavishness of the packaging isn’t the only indulgence here. In this beautiful concert, star pianist Lang Lang gives a breathtaking performance of Bach ’s Goldberg Variations, at St Thomas Church in Leipzig. Bach’s Goldberg Variations is one of the greatest works ever written for the keyboard and demands total spiritual focus from the performer. Artista: Lang Lang Titolo: Bach: Goldberg Variations (Deluxe Edt. Lang Lang says he also read the German folk songs that the “Goldberg Variations” was based on. Bach's monumental Goldberg Variations stands as a work of unique, brilliant artistry in piano literature. Bach's monumental 'Goldberg Variations' stand alone in the piano literature as a work of unique artistry and brilliance. Your email address will not be published. Gramophone described it as “the musical equivalent of a cinematic epic”, ArtsJournal in the United States declared the release “is easily his finest achievement” and, in London, The Times praised Lang Lang as “a mature and individual performer, fully engaged with Bach’s genius”. Lang Lang first began exploring the masterpiece 20 years ago, now presenting this album as the outcome of a long, personal, emotional journey. Lang Lang studied Bach’s iconic composition for 20 years before finally realising his lifelong dream by recording the Goldberg Variations. Lang Lang’s recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations has received international acclaim since it was released in September. ‘Control’: How Self-Assertion Made Janet Jackson An Icon, Best Wes Montgomery Pieces: 20 Jazz Essentials, ‘Birth Of The Cool’: How Miles Davis Started A Jazz Revolution, Fania Records: How A New York Label Took Salsa To The World. Other Albums by Lang Lang. Lang Lang’s long journey into the soul of one of the greatest landmarks of world culture began with childhood lessons in Bach’s music in his native China. Bach: Goldberg … Lang Lang(Deutsche Grammophon, 4 CDs)Mannerisms and slow tempi squeeze the life out of Bach’s music, with too few flashes of understanding, Last modified on Fri 11 Sep 2020 10.40 BST. His recording is released in a “de luxe edition” that includes two performances spread extravagantly across four discs. Lang Lang: The Pianist Who Plays Too Muchly On a new recording of Bach’s “Goldberg” Variations, the superstar artist stretches the music beyond taste. 2020. Bach’s Goldberg Variations certainly isn’t a work to take on unless you’re a serious musician, and though the release of Lang’s recording has been surrounded by the usual hype, it’s a signal, surely, that he wants to be judged on his merits as an artist rather than as a celebrity. Watch Lang Lang performing Bach’s Goldberg Variations from St Thomas’ Church in Leipzig on Thursday 19 November at 8pm CET on DG Stage. Watch Lang Lang performing Variation 30, Quodlibet, from Bach’s Goldberg Variations at St Thomas’ Church in Leipzig. Lang Lang at the Movies. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. trip away the glitz and glamour, and ignore the media circus that seems to surround every appearance he makes, and, Bach: Goldberg Variations by Lang Lang album art work. Your email address will not be published. Lang’s performance doesn’t come close to any of those. The pianist Lang Lang this year released his first recording of Bach's 1741 keyboard masterpiece, Goldberg Variations, feeling he was finally ready to … There are flashes of perfectly weighted, stylistically appropriate playing, but too much of Lang’s performances seems to squeeze all the energy out of the music, with tempi that are achingly slow and phrasing that is so mannered it sometimes seems more appropriate for Rachmaninov than Bach. Find thousands jazz reviews at All About Jazz! … … For many pianists, Bach's Goldberg Variations BWV988 is an essential advanced repertoire in the bucket list. Bach's monumental Goldberg Variations stand alone in the piano literature as a work of unique artistry and brilliance. Or a musical exploration of the mind of God? A new stage in Lang Lang's artistic development, it … Lang Lang first began exploring this masterpiece more than 20 years ago and presents this record as the outcome of a long personal and emotional journey. “It’s kind of like coming home, and he was talking about the cabbage soup that his mother’s making,” he says. “Playing in St Thomas’ Church, where Bach is buried, was unbelievably emotional for me,” recalled the superstar pianist. This very unique work of J S Bach is no doubt a gem: it consists of thirty short variations, each illuminating with distinct character, mood and color, snuggly wrapped by … A technical exercise? 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Pianist Lang Lang attends the release ceremony of his latest recording of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Goldberg Variations" on Sept. 4, 2020 in Beijing, China. “The more time I spent with the Goldberg Variations, the more I wanted to know about Bach, his contemporaries and the composers he later inspired,” explained Lang Lang. But it was no spontaneous decision. World-first coupling on new album with studio and live performance from the legendary Thomaskirche in Leipzig, where Bach is buried Lang Lang has realised a lifelong dream by recording Johann Sebastian Bach’s monumental keyboard work, the Goldberg Variations, often described as “a musical Everest”. Lang Lang says that he has been playing Bach's Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, from memory since he was a teenager. Lang Lang. Lang Lang, Piano Thunderer, Greets Bach’s Austere ‘Goldbergs’ For 20 years, the superstar pianist resisted playing this towering work in public. Lang Lang. Bach's monumental Goldberg Variations stands as a work of unique, brilliant artistry in piano literature. Do you want to be the first to hear the latest news from the classical world? The collection was first published in 1741 and consists of 30 variations, introduced and concluded by a single ‘aria’. Lang Lang: Johann Sebastian Bach: Goldberg Variations Deluxe Edition album review by Nenad Georgievski, published on November 2, 2020. Lang Lang's Goldberg Variations recording is released in a deluxe edition that collects two performances spread with profligate zeal across four discs in a handsomely appointed cardboard bookcase. The two recordings can be purchased together as a super deluxe edition, the first simultaneous live and studio album release for the Goldbergs, offering fascinating insights into the art of interpretation. Bach’s monumental Goldberg Variations stand alone in the piano literature as a work of unique artistry and brilliance. Required fields are marked *. “I fell in love with the Goldberg Variations when I saw a video of Glenn Gould playing them,” he tells Apple Music. It’s a sequence of increasing introspection, steadily stripping away inessentials, until all that’s left are Feldman’s gentle spare phrases, all beautifully rendered by Levit. A fitting place for a performance of Bach’s beloved piece (watch above), St Thomas Church is where the great composer was Kapellmeister, and is buried. 2020. This new Goldberg Variations release finds him bridging musical objectivity and strong personality. In March 2020 Lang Lang gave only his second ever live performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations at Leipzig’s historic St Thomas Church where the composer worked and is now buried. Studio + Live) Anno di pubblicazione: 2020 Genere: Classical Qualità: Mp3 320 kbps Total Time: 03:22:22 Total Size: 472 MB Tracklist: DOWNLOAD EasyBytez Lang Lang has realized a lifelong dream by recording Johann Sebastian Bach's monumental keyboard work, the Goldberg Variations, often described as "a musical Everest". The extended edition will also include a contemplative arrangement of Bach’s Sheep May Safely Graze which Lang Lang has recorded with his wife, the German-Korean pianist Gina Alice, and the ‘Andante’ from Johann Gottlieb Goldberg’s Sonata in D major. One was recorded under studio conditions, the other is taken from a concert that Lang gave in the Thomaskirche, Bach’s church in Leipzig, in early March this year. Strip away the glitz and glamour, and ignore the media circus that seems to surround every appearance he makes, and Lang Lang is a highly talented pianist, and a serious-minded musician. Few keyboard works are more revered, or more elusive, than Bach’s Goldberg Variations.Now Lang Lang offers his vision of a work that’s greater than any one performer. One was recorded under studio conditions, the other is taken from a concert that Lang gave in the Thomaskirche, Bach’s church in Leipzig, in early March this year. The new version of his acclaimed recording includes seven bonus tracks – four of which will be digitally released on Friday 20 November. “I’ve never felt as close to a composer as I did during that recital.” Lang Lang is now giving fans the opportunity to experience the unique atmosphere of that live recital through a special streamed concert on DG Stage, taking place on Thursday 19 November at 8pm CET and available online for 48 hours after the event – buy your ticket now! Follow uDiscover Classical on Facebook and Twitter. Lang Lang playing the Goldberg Variations at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig To some of his more patient listeners, this is a return to his true self (or at least one of his more neglected true selves). … Listen to Bach: Goldberg Variations by Lang Lang on Deezer. Igor Levit’s latest release for Sony Classical is Encounter, a fascinatingly linked pair of discs beginning with Busoni’s transcriptions of 10 of Bach’s Chorale Preludes and ending with Morton Feldman’s final piano work, Palais de Mari. The four new tracks being released on 20 November are Bist Du Bei Mir, an aria by Bach’s slightly younger contemporary Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel which appears in transcription in the Anna Magdalena Notebook, an arrangement of the ‘Sinfonia’ from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Wilhelm Kempff’s transcription for solo piano of the Siciliano from Bach’s Second Flute Sonata and the ‘Andante’ from Bach’s Italian Concerto. Bach: Goldberg Variations - Selections (Live from Beijing / Visual Album) Lang Lang. A new stage in Lang Lang's artistic development, it's … But there are still moments when Lang’s mannerisms and rubato appear entirely contrived, and the ornaments with which he decorates the repeats seem to be added out of good manners rather than instinctively. Lang Lang’s performance of Bach’s ‘Goldberg Variations’ from Leipzig’s historic St Thomas Church will be streamed on 19 November 2020. Lang Lang will release a series of new recordings from his forthcoming Goldberg Variations Extended Edition, which will be digitally released on 12 February 2021. 2020. There are arrangements of Brahms, too – Busoni’s versions of the organ Chorale Preludes, the last pieces Brahms wrote, and Reger’s transcriptions of the Four Serious Songs. Among piano versions of the Goldberg, if Glenn Gould’s recordings remain unsurpassed for many of us, there are plenty of other options for those allergic to Gould, from András Schiff and Igor Levit to Peter Serkin and Angela Hewitt. A cure for insomnia? Editors’ Notes Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations have provided milestones in the careers of so many keyboard players, and now Lang Lang, arguably the most high-profile pianist on the planet, has chosen to put his mark on them. Lang Lang. “From a vocal number by Stölzel that was obviously popular in the Bach household and a work by the young Goldberg himself, to a beautiful miniature by Schumann – who loved and studied Bach throughout his life – via solo piano arrangements of some of Bach’s loveliest vocal and instrumental writing, all seven of the pieces I’ve just recorded as part of this project have added to my understanding of his music.”. He's studied the work along the way and points unexpectedly to Nikolaus Harnoncourt and fortepianist Andreas Staier as figures who shaped his conception of the music, but he waited until age 38 to record the work, in 2020. “ playing in St Thomas ’ Church in Leipzig of his acclaimed recording includes seven tracks! 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