CD: Nick van Bloss - Goldberg Variations

If you’ve not already read theartsdesk interview with Nick van Bloss, have a look now. Then hopefully you’ll be persuaded to buy his autobiography and this CD. The sleeve notes refer to Van Bloss’s fascination with Glenn Gould’s iconic 1983 second recording of the Goldberg Variations, but in no way is this performance an attempt to imitate Gould.

“I knew I wanted to record something cohesive, something that would not be fragmented… It’s one massive work. In myself, I feel very fragmented, but music brings everything together.” That sense of “everythingness”, of unity, shines through here, and Van Bloss demonstrates convincingly that Bach’s keyboard music does sound best played on a modern concert grand.

The aria which bookends the 30 Goldbergs is played coolly and straight, leaving one unprepared for the warmth and affection with which Van Bloss tackles the variations. Those in minor keys have a velvety darkness and the brighter miniatures glow. Anyone seeking to question Van Bloss’s technique should listen to the razor-sharp articulation he brings to the 26th variation, or the lightness of the 28th. And the final variation’s slowdown before the closing cadence feels well earned.

• Find Goldberg Variations (Nimbus) on Amazon
• Find Nick van Bloss's autobiography on Amazon