30 Bach: The Goldberg Variations Podcast

We begin where the piece begins: the "aria" on which the rest of the piece is based. This episode introduces the project, including why I embarked on this project, and how the piece inspires people today. Conversation with architect and nanoscientist who listen to the piece every day. Other guests include Simone Dinnerstein, Angela Hewitt, Jeff Scott, and Dan Tepfer.

Musical sound recording credits available at https://www.thirtybach.com/podcast-episodes/its-perhaps-the-music-that-travels-best

Variation 30. In the last variation of the Goldbergs, Bach returns home, to a tradition of his family: creating mashups.

Interview with and performance by German pianist Lennart Felix, with additional commentary by Kristian Nyquist, Angela Hewitt, Jeremy Denk, and Philip Kennicott.

Interview recorded October 24, 2017.

Musical recording credits available at: https://open.spotify.com/show/0g4E7bf99tc5L6BGjkY1HG?si=xidMStfoTJWvME8MUYGK_g

Variations 4, 5, and 6. What was Bach's musical development like? How did he grow as a young musician, and how has his music helped other artists grow? For pianist Simone Dinnerstein, the Goldbergs are a constant source of artistic growth, whether as a soloist, or a collaborator.

Photo credit: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco.

Interviews took place on March 12, 2018 and March 31, 2020 in Brooklyn and by zoom, respectively.

Recorded by Lowry Yankwich:

Aria, Lowry Yankwich performing, Palo Alto, CA, September 8, 2020; Variation 3, Christopher Hinterhuber performing, Vienna, Austria, October 25, 2017; Variation 29, Hie-Yon Choi performing, Orléans, France, August 6, 2018; Beethoven: Sonata no. 18 in E Flat Major, op. 31, no. 3, Lowry Yankwich performing; Bach: Prelude in F-sharp Minor, BWV 883, Lowry Yankwich performing.

Musical credits, used with permission:

Variations 4, 5, 6, and 22, Simone Dinnerstein performing, recorded at PS21 Chatham by Joel Patterson, Mountaintop Studios, July 22, 2017; Buxtehude: Nun Freut Euch, Sietze de Vries performing, Hamburg, Germany, 2014.

Variations 13, 14, and 15. Bach's faith was central to his music-making. This episode explores the spirituality of Bach's music with Angela Hewitt, internationally-renowned interpreter of Bach, who has performed all of Bach’s keyboard works across the world.

Interviews recorded April 30, 2019 and February 28, 2020.

Photo credit: Maiwolf.

Musical recording credits available at: https://www.thirtybach.com/podcast-episodes/angela-hewitt-lifted-up-into-a-different-world

While the Goldbergs are most often heard today on the piano, the piece was written for the double-manual harpsichord. There are advantages to playing the piece on harpsichord, and tricks a harpsichordist can pull to create unusual effects. The instrument offers surprising flexibility to conjure all sorts of textures in the music. Harpsichordists Kristian Nyquist and Mahan Esfahani discuss.