St. Thomas’ Church Archive
BACH: Goldberg Variations – Zhu Xiao-Mei, p. (2014)
BACH: Goldberg Variations – Zhu Xiao-Mei, p. (2014) Zhu Xiao-Mei life’s work culminates in her profoundly personal live performance at Leipzig’s St. Thomas Church. BACH: Goldberg Variations complete perf. by Zhu Xiao-Mei, piano Director: Paul Smaczny Studio: Accentus Music 42 6023483 076 7 (10/14) [Distr. by Naxos] Video: for 16:9 screens, color Audio: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1 All Regions Extras: Documentary: “The Return is the Movement of Tao” Length: 85:54 Rating: ***** Pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei is unique among great pianists. Compared with most elite performers, she began her career late in life and performs infrequently. She spends long periods of time in retreat absorbed in a small selection of repertoire. Bach is at the heart of her immersion, the Goldberg Variations at the epicenter. She has lived with this piece as “one might live with another person.” She knows the voices of the polyphony so well that they are her family. In her performance she reveals the dialogue of arguments and conversations. Her aria is deceptively straightforward, allowing ornaments to sparkle on top of the bass. Later, she’s not afraid to shock by highlighting a bombastic bass (captured brilliantly by the recording), as she does in the beginning of […]
BACH: Keyboard Concertos = Concerto in D Minor; Concerto in D Major; Concerto in F Minor; Concerto in G Minor – Lucia Micallef, pianoforte/ European Union Ch. Orch./ Brian Schembri – Divine Art
Spirited and alert renditions of Bach keyboard concertos, likely the first in a survey of the complete oeuvre.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
