Album Notes

This fall Oxingale Records brings you J.S. Bach’s timeless and beloved Goldberg Variations, performed by the acclaimed trio of cellist Matt Haimovitz, violinist Jonathan Crow and violist Douglas McNabney.

The trio\'s 2007, Juno-Nominated album: Mozart the Mason was called “the most essential Mozart anniversary disc so far” by the Star Ledger.

Artists:
Jonathan Crow, violin
Douglas McNabney, viola
Matt Haimovitz, cello

From the liner notes:
Widely popularized by Glenn Gould\'s recording of 1955, J. S. Bach’s monumental Goldberg Variations has become a musical shrine where transcriptions are offered for almost any instrument or combination, from solo guitar to saxophone quartet. Each brings a new perspective to the piece, endlessly enriching our experience and enjoyment of Bach\'s inventiveness, and giving credence to the German maxim Niemand kann Bach kaputt macht (nobody can ruin Bach!). Bach\'s music is so strong, it easily transcends time, styles, and instrumental idioms. In this recording, we play the string trio version, dedicated to Gould, by renowned violinist Dmitri Sitkovetsky.

The Goldberg’s 30 variations, framed by the Aria theme, are not elaborations on a tune as one normally would expect, but are variations on the bass line or harmonic progression that underlies the Aria theme. Nine interspersed canons lie at the heart of the work...