Blandine Rannou’s subjective, strongly individual interpretation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations (with all repeats observed save for the Aria da capo) may not appeal to all tastes, yet the conviction, integrity, finesse, intelligence, and natural musicality with which she articulates her ideas inevitably grabs your attention and compels you to listen.
Like Richard Egarr, Rannou generally favors leisurely, flexible tempos, yet her liberal rubatos and rhetorical gestures convey far more shape and specificity, as does her lavish, elaborate ornamentation. She obtains color not so much by registration as through her seamless, amazingly controlled legato finger technique, notably in the variations for two keyboards, and in slower, more introspective variations like Nos. 13, 15, and 21.
Moreover, Rannou’s sense of unpressured forward momentum prevents even the most pulled-about phrases or drawn-out cadences from dragging, although she maintains a fairly steady yet never rigid pulse throughout the minor-key movements. Yet Rannou can be as brisk and businesslike as her “straighter” colleagues, as Nos. 7 and 19 bear out. The resonant yet gorgeously detailed sonics show off Rannou’s French harpsichord by Anthony Sidey to alluring advantage. A most stimulating release.
