Rating: 2/5
Review:
Not a successful arrangement
I like the idea of an arrangement of the Goldberg Variations
for recorder consort and there is some fine musicianship here, but I'm afraid
that overall this recording didn't work for me.
In principle this is a good idea; Bach's music – including
the Goldbergs – can often work extremely well in arrangements, and the
arrangement itself here is fine.
However, the overall sound doesn't really come together into a coherent
whole and I often had the sense of an
elderly harmonium struggling for breath.
I don’t know whether this is because of the instruments themselves, the
players or the recording balance, but the lower-register recorders especially
often struggle to be heard in the texture which unbalances counterpoint badly. As a result there is little sense of
coherence, much of the meaning of the music is lost and, frankly, I found this
a bit of a struggle to listen to in places.
I am sorry to be critical.
This is a project which I admire and there is some fine, virtuosic playing
in places, but as a recording of the Goldberg variations I really can't
recommend it, I'm afraid.
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