Yesterday I listened to the Goldberg Variations by the "old" Glenn Gould from the eighties. That was the mood of November: contemplative, almost mournful. Now I have discovered Tatjana Nikolayeva and she elicits from the same score the April with its bubbling brooks, the appearance of the first flowers and birds. Wonderful.
“Bubbling brooks” of April… Thank you for this association; it could not have described my feelings better as I am listening to this score today, on an unusually warm day in February. The music conveys the joy of aliveness and a promise of hope and new beginning. I love and appreciate the notes of playfulness of this interpretation. Greetings from the coastal Carolina 💞
0:00:03 Aria 0:04:08 Variatio 1. a 1 Clav. 0:06:00 Variatio 2. a 1. Clav. 0:07:23 Variatio 3. Canone all Unisuono à 1 Clav. 0:08:52 Variatio 4. à 1 Clav. 0:09:44 Variatio 5. a 1 ô vero 2 Clav. 0:11:21 Variatio 6. Canone alla Seconda a 1 Clav. 0:12:50 Variatio 7. à 1. ô vero 2 Clav. (al tempo di Giga) 0:13:59 Variatio 8. a 2 Clav. 0:15:27 Variatio 9. Canone alla Terza. a 1 Clav. 0:16:42 Variatio 10. Fugetta. a 1 Clav. 0:18:27 Variatio 11. a 2 Clav. 0:20:21 Variatio 12. Canone alla Quarta. 0:22:47 Variatio 13. a 2 Clav. 0:26:41 Variatio 14. a 2 Clav. 0:28:29 Variatio 15. andante. Canone alla Quinta. a 1 Clav. 0:32:03 Variatio 16. a 1 Clav. Ouverture 0:35:14 Variatio 17. a 2 Clav. 0:36:45 Variatio 18. Canone alla Sexta. a 1 Clav. 0:38:39 Variatio 19. à 1 Clav. 0:40:31 Variatio 20. a 2 Clav. 0:42:32 Variatio 21. Canone alla Settima. 0:46:22 Variatio 22. a 1 Clav. alla breve 0:48:01 Variatio 23. a 2 Clav. 0:49:52 Variatio 24. Canone all Ottava a 1 Clav. 0:51:40 Variatio 25. a 2 Clav. (adagio) 0:57:34 Variatio 26. a 2 Clav. 0:59:45 Variatio 27. Canone alla Nona. a 2 Clav. 1:01:17 Variatio 28. a 2 Clav. 1:04:11 Variatio 29. a 1 o vero 2 Clav. 1:06:36 Variatio 30. a 1 Clav. Quodlibet. 1:08:56 Aria da Capo è Fine
This is my preferred version of Goldberg Variations. I am blown away by her constant awareness while she plays. It is full beauty, pure energy, every tone is a pleasure, enjoyment, passion and every tone touches my heart deeply. I rarely heard so beautiful piano music. Thank you so much for posting this amazing version.
My grandma was a pianist and I can't listen to this without seeing her sitting at her piano. I cry every single time I hear this music because it's so beautiful and I have such memories of her, but it's also very sad.
My wife and I heard Madame Nikolayeva play Preludes and Fugues by Bach, and others by Shostakovich (written for her) at Chester cathedral years ago. What an experience!
Tremendous music making without pointing out the performer's interpretation. The playing is so convincing I forget I have ever heard another play it. Miss Titania has won my fervent admiration.
@Voracious Reader I'm not a musician & haven't formally studied music, so I'm not usually able to point out exactly why I like or dislike particular interpretations, but after reading your criticism I'm afraid I'll never enjoy this recording again. Her manner had seemed too romantic to me, but many Russian pianists tend to play in that tradition...I'm not sure why that is, maybe they don't care so much that Bach was much earlier & not influenced by the romantic style. Through the 20th c. most pianists continued to perform in styles that were influenced by their nationality to the point that it was noticeable even to those not schooled in music. This recording seems very Russian & probably more educated musicians could guess the decade it was recorded by the style of her playing. Though I prefer Gould & others who don't allow romanticism to shade their interpretations, I can still sometimes enjoy hearing Horowitz, but maybe my enjoyment of Horowitz is partly due to the fact that he was one of the pianists I first heard when I first began listening to classical (Eur.) music in my youth. I'd grown up listening to my mother (self-taught) play an occasional etude by Chopin along with popular pieces she'd heard on radio or t.v. (pre-rock 'n' roll), or songs from her youth in the country style of Hank Williams, or operettas & waltzes. (She had perfect pitch, an ear that allowed her to play most songs easily after hearing them only a few times, had grown up in a family that entertained themselves by playing music together with others who visited, my mother learning to play seven instruments as a child...piano, guitar, fiddle, etc., & 'the bones'.) After reading your comments, I don't think I can listen to this interpretation of Bach & enjoy it occasionally as I had. Not that this was a recording I loved as I loved Gould or others, but once in a while I'd listen to it & try to appreciate the romanticized style. Still, the highly spiritual elation that comes with most of Bach's work was missing in this, as was the 'intellectual' aspect that Gould brought to it. I'd never thought this was one of the best interpretations of Bach I'd heard, but I kept trying to see what made so many others consider this so great. Now I wonder if you like any of the 20th c. Russian pianists' renditions of Bach.
I am dumbfounded by the beauty of her playing; I never heard the Goldbergs played this way. The delicate phrasings, articulation, and perfect tempos are breathtaking. This is otherworldy. Thanks for posting.
I like Nikolajewa’s performance very much! So heartfelt and fresh playing, with so much love. And spontaniously free, as by a romantic pianist born in the 19th century, but nevertheless very appropriate for Bach. I am sure that Bach would have preferred her playing to an academic historical performance.
Wow. This is the best rendition Ive heard (and Ive heard most of them). Incredible technique, the subtlety, the softness of it. 9:44 - wow check out that fast soft staccato. Other worldly.
Bravo, people, really, this is the first 'Golberg' that sounds right to me. A great surprise/discovery This rendition is dignified, from the beginning to the end. No false sentiment, not much ego, just pure love, and for the aim worshipping Bach and every spiritual thing that the composer has lived for. Bach him self might have played it better, with even less sentiment and letting the pure magic of music show itself.
First time I've heard of this wonderful pianist - the tone is so warm, the performance not 'academic' as in so many cases - and here tempos are just great - in the fast variations you can still here that there are three beats in a bar! Thanks so much for this treasure!
Thanks to those who wrote about the qualities of this performance, which is so thoughtful, emotionally communicative, and attentive to the feeling and direction of each voice when appropriate. Music is not all a competition: "I prefer ___" or "I like this better than ___" I especially wish people would stop incessantly comparing this (and other Bach keyboard) performances to those by ONE particular pianist. (Almost always the same guy, whose performances I sometimes enjoy.) There are dozens of other fine keyboard players out there!
Thank you for posting this I have just luckily happened to discover only now! How beautiful and touching it is! Definitely the best version of this masterpiece I ever hear! So convincing and so spiritual! So eloquent but simple and so natural! So pure and sublime!! WOW! I can’t thank you enough for such an interpretation, amazing Tatiana!!!!! ❤ from Japan.
Agree completely!! This truly is a magnificent musical offering by a truly amazing and i believe, under-appreciated talent. This version moves and uplifts me much more than any other i've ever heard: it sparkles, dances, shines, thrills......i'm in heaven here!!
What a heartwarming discovery! I had never heard of Ms. Nikolayeva, but she brilliantly underpin my positive prejudice on the Russian or eastern school of arts. Thank you so very much for the post.
Among so many great interpretations of the Musical Universe that is The Goldberg Variations this is one of my personal favorites performed on a modern piano.
The great cycles of variations constitute powerful and continuous narratives, linked by stringent coherence: they are organic stories. And the great performers convey this awareness, without ever breaking the long, incessant breath through which each transformation remains nailed to a single destiny. Like the star that casts changing mutations on the same landscape, from hour to hour, from dawn to dusk, when the auroral light returns, filtered by an overriding certainty. Tatiana Nikolayeva was an immense artist.
This is INCREDIBLE. Listen to the first variation starting at 4:06, wow. I feel she has full resepct for the Bach cliches of playing steady and without romance but at the same time throws some obvious flavouring in. Its beautiful. If Bach is about layers being heard clearly and cleanly she is doing a better job of it here than other pianists recordings I've listened to. Listen to the 5th variation starting at 9:43 as an example of what I'm saying.
I listened to Tatiana's exquisite interpretation while savoring the last chapters of Anna Enquist's essay Counterpoint. Her description of the variations and her evoked memories added much to the depth of the music.
Absolutely beautiful..... a real command of the musical phrasing needed for this work. If you have never understood the Goldberg Variations before this will put that right.
I discover the incredible talent of Mrs Nikolayeva, ; I can wistle this piece during my day work , because I love these variations by Gould since a long time.... I am so happy to have another vision, which melt again the card of the comprehension that I have of this master piece...thank you so much ... this interpretation is less sophisticated but more sensitive than Gould's one.
So glad to hear this, it is such a revelation. I will admit I am a huge Gould fan and cannot really listen to Bach played by others. But here I hear where Glenn got some of his ideas, I am talking about specific passages that Glenn plays it exactly like her. Places where she brings out a certain voice, he does the same. Gould is more rhythmically strict, which I like since I play flamenco and discovered it is a whole different kind of art to express yourself within a strict rhythm. I would say Gould has hints of rubato, whereas she has moments of rubato. I really like her and am happy to have another Bach pianist I can enjoy. Gould was criticized for playing too staccato but she does it too often in the same places. She was absolutely a huge influence on Gould. So nice to hear where he got his habits from. The piano sound is so nice on these recordings. This is really wonderful, thank you uploader!
Wasn't this recorded after one or both of Gould's versions? Nikolayeva has recordings of it from 79 to 92 from what I read. So it was her being influenced, especialy after Gould visited Russia
This piece was written for Harpsicord before piano was invented. Harpsichord can't do legato as the sound would not sustain like piano even your fingers do legato. Any legato on piano will make it sounds rubato. That is why many other pianist did this all wrong.
There is something in her playing that captures me as my favorite recording. I talk about the audio by "hyperion" records. It´s the warmth and soul she puts into her playing piano. Of course i admire the late audio of the great Rosalyn Tureck, but Mrs. Nikolayeva is touching my soul in a honest way.
The greatness of Bach is immeasurable, and off the charts, This wonderful performance embodies the musical aesthetics of Bach, and generates impression, and comfort and admiration
Spiritualité et un chant d'une beauté exceptionnelle. La vision de Nicolaieva baigne dans la beauté absolue ! A écouter et réécouter en ces temps difficiles.... Sans doute une des plus belles versions des Variations , par une artiste irremplaçable ....Brava !
I am so glad to have found this remarkable musician/pianist, whose rendition of Dmitri Shostakovich's Preludes and Fugues are without peer, much like the composer himself. I looked up this artist on Amazon and found, much to my delight...that she had recorded the P&F three times, but also Bach's Goldbergs, as well as the complete Beethoven sonatas, all of which I hope to be hearing more of...Oh Bless you, Maestro Nikolayeva....Thank You!....
This woman obviously loves the piano forte! Meister Bach composed this piece as though he new what would be possible with such an instrument! The voices coming forth! Wonderful!
...after listening to Gould's Goldberg for so many years I came across Nikolayeva performance of the Goldberg and found more colorful dynamics then Gould's timeless performance,even though she uses the sustain pedal too much, sometime so extensively that some Variations sound like a Brahms' Intermezzo more than a Goldberg piece.
Would that Brahms could! Also, I find that a certain amount of pedal on piano helps to capture the attack of of a harpsichord. You'll probably say that my "a certain amount" is less than what Nikolaeva uses here or that you'd want in general.
J'aime la délicatesse et la poésie, le caractère très personnel de cette interprétation ;l'utilisation des possibilités que donne le piano moderne ne me gêne nullement, bien au contraire.
After reading (while listening...) some of the discussions of indeed knowledgeable people ... I have just decided to not let 'comparison' interfere with my pleasure of listening :o) Thank you for this great interpretation!
you can hear the different colours, scents, joyous, playful, accents, flowers, stairways, waterfalls, musical figures.... so much more than playing from left-top to right bottom of all the notes...
Stirring. Man, this lady can sing. I'd never heard her till tonight, and I've always sworn by Glenn Gould in this piece, but she is so, so emotionally rich. Mr. Gould is much more polyphonal and crisp (not to say dry), and he would never permit himself the pedalings that Ms. Nilolayeva uses (very discreetly). But his work feels intellectual compared to this. Her rhythms are strong, she doesn't use rubato, but she thinks of dynamic shadings that would never occur to most players, and, while they seem surprising, they always feel right. She doesn't always bring out all the voices, but she lands upon all the right voices, if only momentarily, with a kind of "melodic progression" from one register to another. I think Mr. Gould would have been heartily out of sympathy with some of her more diaphonous effects, but to me she never sounds romantically cheap, or soft. There's a strong grip here, even if the glove is velvet. Anyway, we're lucky to have had both pianists, how very lucky! June, 2014
Great comment. Just listening to this now.. but maybe because I play it differently myself, I feel like the Aria is little bit too much rhythmical and rushing ahead.. but maybe I'm stretching it all too much. At any rate, enjoyable to listen to! My fav is probably A. Schiff (heard him live playing Variations couple years ago, amazing stuff!), and Gould. Such great work.
The greatest paradox of Bach's genius is the co-existence of mathematically complex structures with the simple humanity which goes straight to the heart. Gould brings out the structure more than Nikolaevna who swims freely in the emotional sphere. Both are at a pinnacle of their art.
Wonderful. Really wonderful. I am a Gould worshipper but she is really good. Another one I love is Rosalyn Tureck. I love Nikolayevas WTC and her wonderful Beethoven sonatas as well as of course Shostakovich preludes that are dedicated to herself...
I enjoyed this version of the Goldberg variations, a lot more than the renderings of Glenn Gould. It seems to me that this woman, along with Andreas Schiff have captured the essence of what J S Bach had in mind when he wrote this magnificent piece.
Schiff, for me, will always be the gold standard. That being said, I'm pretty blown away by how good this is considering when the pianist is from. It doesn't actually sound nearly as dated as I expected.
Gould followed Tureck’s notes. She claimed that she played BacH Bach’s way. This May be so as she did a lot of research about BacH. In any event, this is quite beautiful.
Nikolayeva is my favourite interpreter of Bach. Listening to her Var. 3 here (@7.22) or (even better) on the recording for Hyperion, is like hearing it via her soul....or Bach's. Perhaps her "romantic" background enables her to emphasise the humanity of Bach- something I find missing in Gould's obsessive-compulsive approach. Watching her play (anything) one gets the impression she is a cipher for the composer, so unassuming and natural are her appearance and performing style.
The sensibility and talent of this wonderful artist,gives a special touch to Bach Variations. She delivers her own sentiments 8as Gould does), in a very moving way. I feel her music directly here, in my heart and soul...thanks for sharing this wonderful artist (new for me,must say!!);BRAVAAAA!!!!
This is spectacular....I had never heard of her before. So musical, inventive, gorgeous tone, fantastical in nature. She gets the lilt and dance rhythms beautifully. Her performance sits alongside Schiff's.
She was Andras Schiff's teacher, but sadly I must say, I don't set much store for his renditions. Heard him several times and couldn't even start to like them. For me, he is so artificial and manipulated. Anyways, this is a real treasure.
There are 5 main records of the Goldbergs by Nikolayeva. The first from 1979 (Moscow) and last from 1992 (Hyperion label) are studio recording. The middle three are live: 1983 (Classico label), 1986 (BBC legends) and 1987 (Bluebell label). I am fairly sure this is the first 1983 live recording. Thanks for the video!
Yesterday I listened to the Goldberg Variations by the "old" Glenn Gould from the eighties. That was the mood of November: contemplative, almost mournful. Now I have discovered Tatjana Nikolayeva and she elicits from the same score the April with its bubbling brooks, the appearance of the first flowers and birds. Wonderful.
WHAT A LOVELY COMMENT
“Bubbling brooks” of April… Thank you for this association; it could not have described my feelings better as I am listening to this score today, on an unusually warm day in February. The music conveys the joy of aliveness and a promise of hope and new beginning. I love and appreciate the notes of playfulness of this interpretation. Greetings from the coastal Carolina 💞
What a beautiful metaphor with which I completely agree.
Gould plays with sheer love of Bach. Tatiana expresses Bach's love. I love both ways depending on mood.
Uh?
When you had a bad day, when your aspirations went wrong, then listen to this and find peace of mind and God in your heart!
Yes, Indeed.
For the same reason here))
Amen
What a beautiful comment! Thank you.
Grande clarté, intelligence, dynamique, chant et couleur. C'est tout simplement de la pure musique. Merci Tatiana.
0:00:03 Aria
0:04:08 Variatio 1. a 1 Clav.
0:06:00 Variatio 2. a 1. Clav.
0:07:23 Variatio 3. Canone all Unisuono à 1 Clav.
0:08:52 Variatio 4. à 1 Clav.
0:09:44 Variatio 5. a 1 ô vero 2 Clav.
0:11:21 Variatio 6. Canone alla Seconda a 1 Clav.
0:12:50 Variatio 7. à 1. ô vero 2 Clav. (al tempo di Giga)
0:13:59 Variatio 8. a 2 Clav.
0:15:27 Variatio 9. Canone alla Terza. a 1 Clav.
0:16:42 Variatio 10. Fugetta. a 1 Clav.
0:18:27 Variatio 11. a 2 Clav.
0:20:21 Variatio 12. Canone alla Quarta.
0:22:47 Variatio 13. a 2 Clav.
0:26:41 Variatio 14. a 2 Clav.
0:28:29 Variatio 15. andante. Canone alla Quinta. a 1 Clav.
0:32:03 Variatio 16. a 1 Clav. Ouverture
0:35:14 Variatio 17. a 2 Clav.
0:36:45 Variatio 18. Canone alla Sexta. a 1 Clav.
0:38:39 Variatio 19. à 1 Clav.
0:40:31 Variatio 20. a 2 Clav.
0:42:32 Variatio 21. Canone alla Settima.
0:46:22 Variatio 22. a 1 Clav. alla breve
0:48:01 Variatio 23. a 2 Clav.
0:49:52 Variatio 24. Canone all Ottava a 1 Clav.
0:51:40 Variatio 25. a 2 Clav. (adagio)
0:57:34 Variatio 26. a 2 Clav.
0:59:45 Variatio 27. Canone alla Nona. a 2 Clav.
1:01:17 Variatio 28. a 2 Clav.
1:04:11 Variatio 29. a 1 o vero 2 Clav.
1:06:36 Variatio 30. a 1 Clav. Quodlibet.
1:08:56 Aria da Capo è Fine
Thank you good sir.
Thx. :)
GRACIAS POR TU BONDAD
This is my preferred version of Goldberg Variations. I am blown away by her constant awareness while she plays. It is full beauty, pure energy, every tone is a pleasure, enjoyment, passion and every tone touches my heart deeply. I rarely heard so beautiful piano music. Thank you so much for posting this amazing version.
Yes, the degree of attention she brings to and out of the Goldbergs (or Bach in general) is basically as mind-blowing as his compositions.
Oh oui je partage aussi ce ressenti 🥰
4:56
@@jeffpanko1 THank you for reacting to my comment. Regrettably I could hear what you said. Would you write that down perhaps?
My grandma was a pianist and I can't listen to this without seeing her sitting at her piano. I cry every single time I hear this music because it's so beautiful and I have such memories of her, but it's also very sad.
🧡🙏🎶
How about you try to make a painting or drawing of her, sitting at the piano.. Put this music on while making it ;-)
this woman was such a incredible pianist; none of her playing sounds rushed or pretentious like you get with many of today's pianists
My wife and I heard Madame Nikolayeva play Preludes and Fugues by Bach, and others by Shostakovich (written for her) at Chester cathedral years ago. What an experience!
Tremendous music making without pointing out the performer's interpretation. The playing is so convincing I forget I have ever heard another play it. Miss Titania has won my fervent admiration.
This is the best Goldberg variations ever.
…and, boys and girls, this is why this exquisite artist is a legend!
Thank you for uploading this gem.
@Voracious Reader I'm not a musician & haven't formally studied music, so I'm not usually able to point out exactly why I like or dislike particular interpretations, but after reading your criticism I'm afraid I'll never enjoy this recording again. Her manner had seemed too romantic to me, but many Russian pianists tend to play in that tradition...I'm not sure why that is, maybe they don't care so much that Bach was much earlier & not influenced by the romantic style. Through the 20th c. most pianists continued to perform in styles that were influenced by their nationality to the point that it was noticeable even to those not schooled in music. This recording seems very Russian & probably more educated musicians could guess the decade it was recorded by the style of her playing.
Though I prefer Gould & others who don't allow romanticism to shade their interpretations, I can still sometimes enjoy hearing Horowitz, but maybe my enjoyment of Horowitz is partly due to the fact that he was one of the pianists I first heard when I first began listening to classical (Eur.) music in my youth. I'd grown up listening to my mother (self-taught) play an occasional etude by Chopin along with popular pieces she'd heard on radio or t.v. (pre-rock 'n' roll), or songs from her youth in the country style of Hank Williams, or operettas & waltzes. (She had perfect pitch, an ear that allowed her to play most songs easily after hearing them only a few times, had grown up in a family that entertained themselves by playing music together with others who visited, my mother learning to play seven instruments as a child...piano, guitar, fiddle, etc., & 'the bones'.)
After reading your comments, I don't think I can listen to this interpretation of Bach & enjoy it occasionally as I had. Not that this was a recording I loved as I loved Gould or others, but once in a while I'd listen to it & try to appreciate the romanticized style. Still, the highly spiritual elation that comes with most of Bach's work was missing in this, as was the 'intellectual' aspect that Gould brought to it. I'd never thought this was one of the best interpretations of Bach I'd heard, but I kept trying to see what made so many others consider this so great. Now I wonder if you like any of the 20th c. Russian pianists' renditions of Bach.
@@janegarner9169
"I'm not musician", the end of the commentary, this how it should end
It sounds like Tatiana is playing the piano live. She differs than other musicians. She inspires me to play it. She still lives!
I am dumbfounded by the beauty of her playing; I never heard the Goldbergs played this way. The delicate phrasings, articulation, and perfect tempos are breathtaking. This is otherworldy. Thanks for posting.
You must be a professional musician!
Ha, I already liked this comment. But you are very right.
Absolutely gorgeous introduction to this brilliant artist! Should it be surprising that Tatiana was Shostakovich's favorite pianist.
She played literally until very near to the day she died. Suffering a stroke on stage in San Francisco. Now that is an artist!!
If you really loved something wouldn't you do it untill the end as well?
Or the Soviet work ethic.
Wow, she and GG died of a stroke 😮 crazy
The absolutely incredible beauty of her interpretation...out of this world.
the softness she approaches minute 2.28 is so different from any other records, so gentle…as all her performance here.
Great, I was once in her concert in Utrecht, Netherlands (Shostakovich), what a fantastic concentration in her playing
I like Nikolajewa’s performance very much! So heartfelt and fresh playing, with so much love. And spontaniously free, as by a romantic pianist born in the 19th century, but nevertheless very appropriate for Bach. I am sure that Bach would have preferred her playing to an academic historical performance.
One of the great pianists of XXth century! Thanks so much for the upload! : )
Of all the famous renderings, this is the one I like best. She gets on with it. And lets Bach tell the story.
The most beautiful interpretation of this work I have ever heard.
agree- she was incredible!!
I love her play because it is spiritual.
For me, she is like The Madonna in the Goldberg Variations.
i hope not the popstar Madonna
@@sorenm2 she certainly doesn't play like a virgin!
thank you, Tatiana: my mother keeps on listening to you from over there...
thank you for making me feel so closed to her when I listen to you...
Ms. Nikolayevna is indeed at the Olympys or at Valhalla - serenating the Gods!
Wow. This is the best rendition Ive heard (and Ive heard most of them). Incredible technique, the subtlety, the softness of it. 9:44 - wow check out that fast soft staccato. Other worldly.
Bravo, people, really, this is the first 'Golberg' that sounds right to me. A great surprise/discovery This rendition is dignified, from the beginning to the end. No false sentiment, not much ego, just pure love, and for the aim worshipping Bach and every spiritual thing that the composer has lived for. Bach him self might have played it better, with even less sentiment and letting the pure magic of music show itself.
I listened to "The Well Tempered Clavier" in "Berwaldhallen" in Stockholm in the early 80s. A truly mesmerizing experience!
Amazing interpretation .... very personal....J.S Bach is a so genial Composer that His Music is always contemporary, modern and source of inspiration.
A day without this is a day wasted. Regret I have wasted too many days
Ramana Shiu it's addictive!!!!
I agree...
First time I've heard of this wonderful pianist - the tone is so warm, the performance not 'academic' as in so many cases - and here tempos are just great - in the fast variations you can still here that there are three beats in a bar! Thanks so much for this treasure!
Thanks to those who wrote about the qualities of this performance, which is so thoughtful, emotionally communicative, and attentive to the feeling and direction of each voice when appropriate. Music is not all a competition: "I prefer ___" or "I like this better than ___" I especially wish people would stop incessantly comparing this (and other Bach keyboard) performances to those by ONE particular pianist. (Almost always the same guy, whose performances I sometimes enjoy.) There are dozens of other fine keyboard players out there!
Thank you for posting this I have just luckily happened to discover only now! How beautiful and touching it is! Definitely the best version of this masterpiece I ever hear! So convincing and so spiritual! So eloquent but simple and so natural! So pure and sublime!! WOW! I can’t thank you enough for such an interpretation, amazing Tatiana!!!!! ❤ from Japan.
Agree completely!! This truly is a magnificent musical offering by a truly amazing and i believe, under-appreciated talent. This version moves and uplifts me much more than any other i've ever heard: it sparkles, dances, shines, thrills......i'm in heaven here!!
Her rendition has subliminal depth to it. Wonderful!
What a heartwarming discovery! I had never heard of Ms. Nikolayeva, but she brilliantly underpin my positive prejudice on the Russian or eastern school of arts. Thank you so very much for the post.
Among so many great interpretations of the Musical Universe that is The Goldberg Variations this is one of my personal favorites performed on a modern piano.
The great cycles of variations constitute powerful and continuous narratives, linked by stringent coherence: they are organic stories. And the great performers convey this awareness, without ever breaking the long, incessant breath through which each transformation remains nailed to a single destiny. Like the star that casts changing mutations on the same landscape, from hour to hour, from dawn to dusk, when the auroral light returns, filtered by an overriding certainty.
Tatiana Nikolayeva was an immense artist.
Благодарю Вас,Татьяна
Петровна!!!
И Спасибо,Вам,-автору
канала!
Sublime interprétation!!!! Merci!
This is INCREDIBLE. Listen to the first variation starting at 4:06, wow. I feel she has full resepct for the Bach cliches of playing steady and without romance but at the same time throws some obvious flavouring in. Its beautiful. If Bach is about layers being heard clearly and cleanly she is doing a better job of it here than other pianists recordings I've listened to. Listen to the 5th variation starting at 9:43 as an example of what I'm saying.
I listened to Tatiana's exquisite interpretation while savoring the last chapters of Anna Enquist's essay Counterpoint. Her description of the variations and her evoked memories added much to the depth of the music.
Brilliant. What a passion for beauty of Bach.❤️🙏❤️
Sooooo wunderbar!!!! Sie war wirklich eine ganz großartige Pianistin! ❤... bin immer ganz beseelt, wenn ich es höre.☺
Absolutely beautiful..... a real command of the musical phrasing needed for this work. If you have never understood the Goldberg Variations before this will put that right.
This is great. First time heard her. 6-12-2020. Very intuitive and spiritual- contemplative.
I discover the incredible talent of Mrs Nikolayeva, ; I can wistle this piece during my day work , because I love these variations by Gould since a long time.... I am so happy to have another vision, which melt again the card of the comprehension that I have of this master piece...thank you so much ... this interpretation is less sophisticated but more sensitive than Gould's one.
So glad to hear this, it is such a revelation. I will admit I am a huge Gould fan and cannot really listen to Bach played by others. But here I hear where Glenn got some of his ideas, I am talking about specific passages that Glenn plays it exactly like her. Places where she brings out a certain voice, he does the same. Gould is more rhythmically strict, which I like since I play flamenco and discovered it is a whole different kind of art to express yourself within a strict rhythm. I would say Gould has hints of rubato, whereas she has moments of rubato. I really like her and am happy to have another Bach pianist I can enjoy. Gould was criticized for playing too staccato but she does it too often in the same places. She was absolutely a huge influence on Gould. So nice to hear where he got his habits from. The piano sound is so nice on these recordings. This is really wonderful, thank you uploader!
Wasn't this recorded after one or both of Gould's versions? Nikolayeva has recordings of it from 79 to 92 from what I read. So it was her being influenced, especialy after Gould visited Russia
Both played it magnificently ❤
This piece was written for Harpsicord before piano was invented. Harpsichord can't do legato as the sound would not sustain like piano even your fingers do legato. Any legato on piano will make it sounds rubato. That is why many other pianist did this all wrong.
Cannot argue with that, the Peace that he brings. Thank you.
her touch is hypnotizing! beautiful!
Very very sweet playing! A wonderful pianist...
she raises me to that other dimension wherein Wanda and Glenn are now residing.
There is something in her playing that captures me as my favorite recording. I talk about the audio by "hyperion" records. It´s the warmth and soul she puts into her playing piano. Of course i admire the late audio of the great Rosalyn Tureck, but Mrs. Nikolayeva is touching my soul in a honest way.
I AGREE WITH YOU
Una joya musical, una version maravillosa que no me canso de escuchar y de encontrar frases musicales magistrales
heavenly played...
to my dear mum...
The greatness of Bach is immeasurable, and off the charts,
This wonderful performance embodies the musical aesthetics of Bach, and generates impression, and comfort and admiration
Spiritualité et un chant d'une beauté exceptionnelle. La vision de Nicolaieva baigne dans la beauté absolue ! A écouter et réécouter en ces temps difficiles.... Sans doute une des plus belles versions des Variations , par une artiste irremplaçable ....Brava !
I am so glad to have found this remarkable musician/pianist, whose rendition of Dmitri Shostakovich's Preludes and Fugues are without peer, much like the composer himself. I looked up this artist on Amazon and found, much to my delight...that she had recorded the P&F three times, but also Bach's Goldbergs, as well as the complete Beethoven sonatas, all of which I hope to be hearing more of...Oh Bless you, Maestro Nikolayeva....Thank You!....
her interpretations of bach and shostakovichs piano works is a treasure.
+takezoaudio Wholeheartedly agree.
To FirstPublicChannel nothing more can be said but THANK YOU for this eternal joy.
Excelsa,magnífica.Bach la aplaudiría! Gracias,Merci bien!
extraordinaire, très beau!
This woman obviously loves the piano forte! Meister Bach composed this piece as though he new what would be possible with such an instrument! The voices coming forth! Wonderful!
Brava !! She plays now in heaven !
Magnificent. I adore her tempos throughout the entire piece.
...after listening to Gould's Goldberg for so many years I came across Nikolayeva performance of the Goldberg and found more colorful dynamics then Gould's timeless performance,even though she uses the sustain pedal too much, sometime so extensively that some Variations sound like a Brahms' Intermezzo more than a Goldberg piece.
Would that Brahms could!
Also, I find that a certain amount of pedal on piano helps to capture the attack of of a harpsichord. You'll probably say that my "a certain amount" is less than what Nikolaeva uses here or that you'd want in general.
J'aime la délicatesse et la poésie, le caractère très personnel de cette interprétation ;l'utilisation des possibilités que donne le piano moderne ne me gêne nullement, bien au contraire.
Bach did not write for the modern piano - the sustain probably brings it closer to his original thoughts
Thank you, I had missed this artist, beautiful sound. I will seek more of her works.
After reading (while listening...) some of the discussions of indeed knowledgeable people ... I have just decided to not let 'comparison' interfere with my pleasure of listening :o)
Thank you for this great interpretation!
you have to know what really touches you either it does or it doesn't
you can hear the different colours, scents, joyous, playful, accents, flowers, stairways, waterfalls, musical figures.... so much more than playing from left-top to right bottom of all the notes...
Stirring. Man, this lady can sing. I'd never heard her till tonight, and I've always sworn by Glenn Gould in this piece, but she is so, so emotionally rich. Mr. Gould is much more polyphonal and crisp (not to say dry), and he would never permit himself the pedalings that Ms. Nilolayeva uses (very discreetly). But his work feels intellectual compared to this. Her rhythms are strong, she doesn't use rubato, but she thinks of dynamic shadings that would never occur to most players, and, while they seem surprising, they always feel right. She doesn't always bring out all the voices, but she lands upon all the right voices, if only momentarily, with a kind of "melodic progression" from one register to another. I think Mr. Gould would have been heartily out of sympathy with some of her more diaphonous effects, but to me she never sounds romantically cheap, or soft. There's a strong grip here, even if the glove is velvet. Anyway, we're lucky to have had both pianists, how very lucky!
June, 2014
I think Gould playing extremely unique, but it can get out of modayits
The both are completely different personalities. I personally find her playing more mature and sensual for my taste.
Schiff is in a class by himself and makes it increasingly difficult to listen to other interpretations
Great comment. Just listening to this now.. but maybe because I play it differently myself, I feel like the Aria is little bit too much rhythmical and rushing ahead.. but maybe I'm stretching it all too much.
At any rate, enjoyable to listen to! My fav is probably A. Schiff (heard him live playing Variations couple years ago, amazing stuff!), and Gould. Such great work.
listen to her version of 639, which is unmatched
The greatest paradox of Bach's genius is the co-existence of mathematically complex structures with the simple humanity which goes straight to the heart. Gould brings out the structure more than Nikolaevna who swims freely in the emotional sphere. Both are at a pinnacle of their art.
Excellente interpretation...tres vivante...Merci beaucoup pour cette delicieuse ecoute...
Take this Glenn Gould! Tatiana is the queen of both piano AND counterpunct.
Simply The Best ! Sorry Glenn Gould!
I agree with you!
Божественное исполнение моей тезки! ❤👏👏 Татьяна - моя любимица наравне с Гленном Гульдом и Святославом Рихтером. Восхитительная запись!
Wonderful. Really wonderful. I am a Gould worshipper but she is really good. Another one I love is Rosalyn Tureck. I love Nikolayevas WTC and her wonderful Beethoven sonatas as well as of course Shostakovich preludes that are dedicated to herself...
genia Tatiana...
I enjoyed this version of the Goldberg variations, a lot more than the renderings of Glenn Gould. It seems to me that this woman, along with Andreas Schiff have captured the essence of what J S Bach had in mind when he wrote this magnificent piece.
Why do you have to compare her to Glenn Gould? Leave him alone. Go listen to Lang Lang!
Schiff, for me, will always be the gold standard. That being said, I'm pretty blown away by how good this is considering when the pianist is from. It doesn't actually sound nearly as dated as I expected.
@@JoshuaSobel She taught Schiff!
@@michaels7889 yeah, I saw that! You can definitely hear some similarities
Gould followed Tureck’s notes. She claimed that she played BacH Bach’s way. This May be so as she did a lot of research about BacH. In any event, this is quite beautiful.
Nikolayeva is my favourite interpreter of Bach. Listening to her Var. 3 here (@7.22) or (even better) on the recording for Hyperion, is like hearing it via her soul....or Bach's. Perhaps her "romantic" background enables her to emphasise the humanity of Bach- something I find missing in Gould's obsessive-compulsive approach. Watching her play (anything) one gets the impression she is a cipher for the composer, so unassuming and natural are her appearance and performing style.
art, music is feeling and This is feeling, beautifullness. GENIOUS
Her interpretation opens up the real beauty what was hidden for me...
Wunderbar. Gould and she show what Bach can be.
That left hand is awesome!
My favourite female pianist ever!
Très belle interprétation qui donne un autre éclairage à sublime ce chef-d’œuvre..très intéressant 🙏
Underappreciated but still the pinnacle. Thank you.
The sensibility and talent of this wonderful artist,gives a special touch to Bach Variations. She delivers her own sentiments 8as Gould does), in a very moving way. I feel her music directly here, in my heart and soul...thanks for sharing this wonderful artist (new for me,must say!!);BRAVAAAA!!!!
Belleza !!!!!!! Genial! Tatiana!
This is spectacular....I had never heard of her before. So musical, inventive, gorgeous tone, fantastical in nature. She gets the lilt and dance rhythms beautifully. Her performance sits alongside Schiff's.
She was Andras Schiff's teacher, but sadly I must say, I don't set much store for his renditions. Heard him several times and couldn't even start to like them. For me, he is so artificial and manipulated. Anyways, this is a real treasure.
Lovely from first to last. Thank You
MAGNÍFICA...
WONDERFUL
Brilliant !!!...
Thank you so much.!!!
There are 5 main records of the Goldbergs by Nikolayeva. The first from 1979 (Moscow) and last from 1992 (Hyperion label) are studio recording. The middle three are live: 1983 (Classico label), 1986 (BBC legends) and 1987 (Bluebell label). I am fairly sure this is the first 1983 live recording. Thanks for the video!
I‘m pretty sure this is the 86 version. It is exactly the same with the bbcl recording.
Turns out I have the 83 recording. Yeah, they are totally difference.
MAMMA MIA, DOLCEZZA E SPIRITUALITA' BACHIANA, CHAPEAU
I like this so much...
Another great performance by Mrs.Nikolayeva.
simplicity is best!
Thank you - great minds!!!!
Plain spirituality flowing out of her.
Something Glenn Gould does not compare.
They are both different: both are in God's garden of eden along with Wanda Landowska.
@@alooshanotea2753 And Gustav Leonhardt...
👏🏻