JS Bach - Goldberg Variations review | Erica Jeal's classical album of the week

The Guardian 100

Pavel Kolesnikov
(Hyperion)
In a revelatory recording, Kolesnikov makes Bach’s variations soar as if new

Just when you think there are enough recordings of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, here comes one that makes the music sound fresh off the page. The pianist Pavel Kolesnikov says he had “shied away” from performing Bach until he was invited to collaborate with the dancer and choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker on the Goldbergs; the result, with De Keersmaeker dancing and Kolesnikov playing live, has been seen by a few lucky European audiences this year.