30 Bach: The Goldberg Variations Podcast

What do a nanoscientist, an architect, a Brazilian guitarist, and Silence of the Lambs all have in common? One inspiring piece of music: J.S. Bach's "Goldberg Variations". Podcast coming soon!

Variations 1, 2, 3. Our first stop is in Vienna, Austria with Professor Christopher Hinterhuber, a celebrated pianist for whom the Goldberg Variations has been a consistent source of inspiration. Hinterhuber connects variations 1, 2, and 3 to musical traditions such as the polonaise, and shows how Bach's music exists in relation to his predecessors. ‍Interview and performance recorded October 25, 2017 in Vienna, Austria. Episode Photo credit: Nancy Horowitz. Additional musical credits, used with permission: Chopin, Polonaise-Fantasie, op. 61, Hugo Kitano performing, published December 26, 2018; Bach, Toccata and Fugue in F Major, BWV 540, James Kibbie performing. Sponsored by the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance with generous support from Dr. Barbara Furin Sloat in honor of J. Barry Sloat. Additional support provided by the Office of Vice-President for Research, the University of Michigan; "Premier bransle de Bourgongne," Zdeněk Seidl performing, published November 21, 2019.

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          

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 7, 8, and 9. Bach was a legendary improviser who could blow the socks off most jazz musicians today. This episode features a discussion with Dan Tepfer, a classically-trained jazz pianist and Bach lover who free improvises over the structure of the Goldberg Variations. Photo credit: Josh Goleman. Musical recording credits available at: https://www.thirtybach.com/podcast-episodes/prepare-to-be-unprepared.

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.

Variations 10, 11, 12. It's impossible to tell the story of the Goldberg Variations without mentioning Canadian pianist Glenn Gould. Gould's two recordings of the variations, one in 1955, the other in 1981, forever changed the place of the Goldbergs in our culture. In this episode, we explore Gould's legacy -- and the idea of musical idols -- through the eyes of Ben Laude, a concert pianist and pedagogue who relied on Gould in a period of musical crisis. Photo credit: Rebecca Blair.

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

Who said Bach's music was the last word? Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones

Variations 16, 17, 18. Bach was a consummate craftsmen -- he knew not just how to write music, but how to build it. In this Interview, we speak with pianist Jeffrey LaDeur and his student, Ken Kocienda. Kocienda was lead software engineer behind the Apple iPhone and developed a strong affinity for the Goldbergs. Kocienda and Ladeur discuss parallels between music and design, and how constraints can actually enhance creativity. Interviews recorded in San Jose, California on January 2, 2018 and  in San Francisco, California on July 2, 2019. Photo credits: Jiyang Chen (LaDeur) Musical recording credits available at https://www.thirtybach.com/podcast-episodes/bach-would-have-been-a-good-programmer

Variations 19, 20, and 21. Pianist Rachel Breen didn't have an ordinary classical music education; guided by her father, not himself a musician, Breen began with a diet exclusively of Bach. This episode delves into what it's like to learn Bach's music as a student -- the practice, the errors, the experimentation -- and what Bach was like as a teacher himself. Musical recording credits available at https://www.thirtybach.com/podcast-episodes/rachel-breen-my-musical-education-was-painful

Variations 22, 23, 24. Interview with Kevin Sun, medical student and concert pianist. We discuss sources of joy in Bach’s life, and his ability to conjure joy, warmth, and humor in his music as an antidote to the tragedy that follows. Musical recording credits available at https://www.thirtybach.com/podcast-episodes/kevin-sun-we-need-release-we-need-joy

If the Goldbergs are a celebration of life, variation 25 is a reckoning with mortality, revealing pain but also providing comfort. In this episode, we hear from many different people, including pianist Jeremy Denk, Washington Post critic Philip Kennicott, scholar Eric Motley, pianist William Heiles, and dancer Melissa Toogood. Photo credit: Michael Wilson Musical recording credits available at https://www.thirtybach.com/podcast-episodes/far-from-home

Variations 26, 27, 28, and 29. These variations vibrate with joy, energy, excitement. We explore the times when Bach could let loose and lose himself in play within his music.‍ First interview conducted on November 10, 2017, over Skype. Second interview, and recording of performance conducted on August 6, 2018. Musical recording credits available at https://www.thirtybach.com/podcast-episodes/hie-yon-choi-so-much-fun

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

At last, we bring it all together with the return of the aria. It's the same place we began, and yet it feels different, colored by the journey. A journey through many different worlds, different places, different people's lives. Lowry Yankwich plays the final aria.

We've heard different performers play different parts of the Goldbergs. Now, we're putting them together. This is the complete 30 Bach version of the Goldberg, through 15 separate performances. It's Bach's Goldberg Variations, with some twists and turns. Musical recording credits available at https://www.thirtybach.com/podcast-episodes/the-complete-30-bach-goldbergs