When one throws the hat into the Goldberg ring, one risks a lot. Gould (’55 or ’81), Perahia, Ohlssohn, Hewitt—the list goes on and on—have made important contributions, and even Rosalyn Tureck’s plethora of recordings register highly. This is not even to consider the harpsichord recordings. So it takes some guts to enter the fray, and Beth Levin shows here that she has the guts.
Unfortunately, in a live, as-is recording, it can be a case of all guts and no glory. I appreciate the thoughtful notes she has created for this issue, her wonderful touch and integrated phrasing that connects each of these variations in a seamless manner. This is a very musical reading, and her feelings for the piece are palpable. Centaur captures the live reading with only a modicum of audience disruption (no applause, thank goodness) with a fine ambiance at Steinway Hall in New York. But live is live, and that means any flubs are there for all time, and there are some flubs, most noticeably in the tricky Variation V, though there are spots in other places as well. Because of this, I cannot give this a general recommendation even though the disc has many virtues. These attributes, fine as they are, are also present on the other aforementioned recordings, technically flawless.
This is a shame—they should have considered some editing. If you go with the premise that this is a fully honest live performance, you might find much to admire in Levin’s playing. But for a single issue you will certainly want one of the others as your primary recording.
— Steven Ritter
