David Fray and Bach's Goldberg Variations

I have never quite recovered from the shock of settling down to listen to Bach's Cantata BWV 1083 Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden only to discover it was Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, given an orchestral make-over and some good new Protestant words, by Johann Sebastian. And then to discover the opening Praeludium of the solo violin partita in E major re-purposed as an organ solo in another Bach cantata. And then the first movement of the third Brandenburg concerto used (with added woodwind) as the prelude to another Bach cantata. So much for “authenticity” and bowing before the composer's wishes. Bach never appears to have been too worried as to exactly what forces played his music, and how. “Just feel the music and play it!” he probably told the wide variety of executants during his lifetime. And if a piece of his music pleased him, he re-cycled it in other works and for other instruments. So much for “authentic performance on instruments of the time”.

I have long held the view that the best way to appreciate Bach's music is to play it, and to discover the concealed rhythms and harmonies, although it's now many decades since I held a violin or viola under my chin and played Bach's music. Like Johann Sebastian, I am really not worried how Bach's music is played, and on what instrument (so long as it's not a saxophone, electronic guitar, full modern symphony orchestra, or a harpsichord). Open the music. Learn to play it. Feel the music. Play it.

Which is why I recently enjoyed listening to Beatrice Rana playing Bach's Goldberg Variations: she sat at the piano and did her own thing to the music. And now comes a worthy rival: David Fray sits at the piano and does his own thing to the music. Fray is cooler than Rana, but no less admirable. I now have a real problem when I want to listen to the Goldbergs. I can forget the other 11 versions of the work on my shelves and hum and ha over Rana v Fray. As David Fray has already shown in other Bach recordings, including four violin and keyboard sonatas with Renaud Capuçon; he has an excellent empathy with Bach's music.