In his biography of Arthur Rubinstein, Harvey Sachs credited James Levine with the perceptive observation that many of today’s interpretations are either anonymous or eccentric. Angela Hewitt’s Bach Goldberg Variations are neither. Although this monumental work has been in her repertoire for at least a quarter of a century (she first played them as a teenager), Hewitt doesn’t sound bored for a moment! Her effortless technique and affinity for contrapuntal textures allows Bach’s polyphony to sing, speak, and, most importantly, breathe. The spirit of the dance governs Hewitt’s tempo choices, and the naked ear easily absorbs the rapid note traffic clogging the cross-handed variations. Moreover, Hewitt commands a wide palette of articulations and dynamic shadings that never draw attention to themselves with each varied repeat (Hewitt, incidentally, observes all the repeats, save for the Aria da capo). But she never lets loose until the toccata-like Variation 29, diving into its chest-beating chords and spiraling passage-work like a bat out of you-know-where. I wish the pianist had imbued, say, the three minor key variations with similar freedom and brought like-minded assertion to select other movements. This arguably would have provided greater forward momentum and architectural sweep to the work as a whole. For this reason, I lean toward András Schiff’s slightly mannered but more adventurously ornamented Decca recording, and the endearing, idiosyncratic, and indestructible Glenn Gould. There’s no question, however, that a supremely accomplished Bach pianist is at work. Hyperion’s excellent engineering and Hewitt’s informative, engaging annotations further make this release enticing.
