BACH: Goldberg Variations, with Goldmine Variations by Jukka Tiensuu – Denis Patkovic, accordion – Haenssler 98527 [Distr. by Allegro], 74:47 *****:
Just when you think Bach’s Goldberg Variations has suffered every possible sling and arrow of outrageous fortune, along come Denis Patkovic and Jukka Tiensuu to clean out your ears and show that there’s more in Bach’s innocent 30 variations than he ever dreamed. The bottom line is that it’s such a brilliantly startling blend of the old and the new that no one who either loves or hates Bach should be without it.
Patkovic’s instrument of deconstruction is the accordion which blends a dazzling range of colors and dynamics with an almost totally neutral and somewhat clunky rhetorical toolbox. This is evident in the opening statement of the theme which sounds unforgettably like a distant vision heard as it might have first coalesced into Bach’s head. The first Variation is totally shocking, as are many of the subsequent variations, in breaking the mood (this first, with an assault of Parisian street scenes), but Patkovic moves so quickly to emphasize the elements of rhythm, melody and emotion which tie it and each succeeding variation to the theme, that the result is more consolation and beauty than disruption.
Obviously, this performance is profoundly unorthodox, both from the instrument and the interpretive approach, but once the strong opening of each variation starts to flow, and you realize how extraordinary is this parallel sound universe you’ve entered, you will be more than willing to let the performance take you along for the entire series of 45 rides.
Did I say 45? Oh yes, there is one other thing I should mention about Denis Patkovic’s Goldbergs, and that’s the series of 14 variations, titled Erz, composed by the Finnish composer, harpsichordist and early music specialist, Jukka Tiensuu, which are interspersed with and conclude Bach’s variations. In the booklet notes, Patkovic talks about wanting to do something modern that would serve as a counterpart to Bach’s variations, a bridge between Bach’s time and today, that could either be performed along with the Bach as an intertwining of the two works, or as a “fresh work that could be performed as a whole in concert.” Patkovic had even thought of composing it himself.
On further thought, however, Tiensuu seemed to Patkovic the perfect partner for this project, and the result was Erz, consisting of 14 pieces each of which is a whole in itself (with individual titles like Trick, Desire, Debate, Longing, etc.). The sequence of the Erz pieces between the Variations is precisely determined, each inserted at selected spots along the way. It can be a disconcerting experience, but it opens up tremendous vistas of musical time and space because, as startling as the transitions from Bach to Tiensuu are, the transitions from Tiensuu back to Bach are absolutely glorious.
The sound is almost as startling as the concept. Large and rich and as near perfect as an according recording can be. Just don’t turn the volume up too high until you’re used to the effect.
– Laurence Vittes
