J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations is an album by Keith Jarrett

Keith Jarrett

Keith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer who performs both jazz and classical music.Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey, moving on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s he has enjoyed a great deal of success in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music; as...

 performing Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...

's Goldberg Variations

Goldberg Variations

The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, is a work for harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, the work is considered to be one of the most important examples of variation form...

on harpsichord

Harpsichord

A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...

 which was released on the ECM label in 1989.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Richard S. Ginell awarded the album 3 stars noting "Keith Jarrett is up against an imposing legacy as he tackles what has become the most famous set of variations in Western music... He's not in any hurry, not tempted to showboat or flaunt his considerable technique -- and in no way does this jazz pianist try to make the variations swing a la Jacques Loussier

Jacques Loussier

Jacques Loussier is a French pianist and composer. He is well-known for his jazz interpretations in trio formation of many of Johann Sebastian Bach's works, such as the Goldberg Variations.-Early life and education :...

. The added ornamentation seems to be random and so are his observance of the repeats; he only does so in ten of the variations. As a result, we are left with a technically adept, sometimes aimless, intelligently conceived, ultimately not very moving or exhilarating rendition of the music -- a confirmation of Jarrett's keyboard prowess for his fans, but not much in the way of competition for the brass ring among Goldbergs".

Track listing

All compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach

1. "Aria" - 2:36
2. "Variatio 1 a 1 Clav." - 1:17
3. "Variatio 2 a 1 Clav." - 2:17
4. "Variatio 3 Canone All'unisono. A 1 Clav." - 2:43
5. "Variatio 4 a 1 Clav." - 1:19
6. "Variatio 5 a 1 Ovvero 2 Clav." - 1:05
7. "Variatio 6 Canone Alla Seconda. A 1 Clav." - 1:42
8. "Variatio 7 a 1 Ovvero 2 Clav. Al Tempo di Giga" - 1:11
9. "Variatio 8 a 2 Clav." - 1:12
10. "Variatio 9 Canone Alla Terza. A 1 Clav." - 2:23
11. "Variatio 10 Fughetta. A 1 Clav." - 1:05
12. "Variatio 11 a 2 Clav." - 1:24
13. "Variatio 12 Canone Alla Quarta. A 1 Clav." - 1:47
14. "Variatio 13 a 2 Clav." - 2:57
15. "Variatio 14 a 2 Clav." - 1:19
16. "Variatio 15 Canone Alla Quinta. A 1 Clav. Andante" - 2:07
17. "Variatio 16 Ouverture. A 1 Clav." - 3:10
18. "Variatio 17 a 2 Clav." - 1:16
19. "Variatio 18 Canone Alla Sesta. A 1 Clav." - 0:55
20. "Variatio 19 a 1 Clav." - 0:49
21. "Variatio 20 a 2 Clav." - 1:14
22. "Variatio 21 Canone Alla Settima. A 1 Clav." - 2:58
23. "Variatio 22 a 1 Clav. Alla Breve" - 0:53
24. "Variatio 23 a 2 Clav." - 1:15
25. "Variatio 24 Canone All'ottava. A 1 Clav." - 1:44
26. "Variatio 25 a 2 Clav. Adagio - 7:20
27. "Variatio 26 a 2 Clav." - 1:18
28. "Variatio 27 Canone Alla Nona. A 2 Clav." - 1:22
29. "Variatio 28 a 2 Clav." - 1:23
30. "Variatio 29 a 1 Ovvero 2 Clav." - 2:35
31. "Variatio 30 Quodlibet. A 1 Clav." - 2:09
32. "Aria" - 2:34
    • Recorded at Yatsugatake Kohgen Ongakudoh in Japan on January 10-12, 1989