BACH: Goldberg Variations – Ronald Hawkins, piano – MSR 1324, 62:39 ***1/2 [Distr. by Albany]:
Ronald Hawkins began studying music at the age of 16 and was performing in concert within 18 months, earning his BM and MM degrees in piano performance from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA, in 1997 and 1999. This reading of the indomitable Goldbergs, while very smooth and almost luxuriant sound-wise (his Schimmel K280T piano a much tamer instrument than most Steinways I have heard) is a little capricious and discombobulated compared to many. Hawkins is a fine pianist, no question, and there is nothing here to indicate that this work is beyond his capabilities, but his choices sometimes don’t make sense. He chooses, for reasons of CD length, to ignore all repeats except where Bach has indicated a second ending (Nos. 2, 4, 6, 16, and 25), though this fact alone doesn’t always mean that there is consequent musical intelligence associated with it. At 62 minutes, that leaves 18 more that could have meant a far more balanced presentation of the music if more repeats had been chosen and fewer left out. Also, he says that in performance he always takes all repeats, and I would think that any artist of integrity would want to have his or her conception of the work fully realized in something as important as a recording. Among the individual variations there is also a lot of latitude given in terms of tempo fluctuations—fast is very fast and slow somewhat slower than in most recordings. Of course these are his choices, but I think that many people will raise an eyebrow on some of them.
Nevertheless I did find myself admiring of his careful phrasing and songlike approach to many of these pieces, and the overall experience was a pleasant one indeed. While there is a lot of inconsistency to this recording, and I am not sure at all whether I am getting the pianist’s genuine thoughts on this work, what we do get is tantalizing and intriguing, though whether that is enough to warrant a purchase considering all of the great performances currently available will have to remain a buyer’s choice based on need and desire. It is most definitively not a first choice, but then again few recordings are. As a supplement you could probably do a lot worse (and I have!) and Hawkins will not do this masterpiece any harm, and more often that not provide at least a modicum of illumination.
— Steven Ritter
