Fazil Say - J. S. Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (2022)

"My interpretation should convey the unique song, dance, story of each part of the work - that was the bar I set for myself," says Fazil Say about his new album of Bach's famous Goldberg Variations, composed 280 years ago to entertain a nobleman in his sleepless nights.

Fazil Say, world-renowned pianist and composer, used the months of the first lockdown to immerse himself fully in the complex work: "The pandemic gave me the space to devote a lot of time to analyzing the work, which is a musical and mathematical masterpiece."

Fazil Say had already recorded his first Bach album in 1988 and has since released a large repertoire of 58 albums, but he saved the Goldberg Variations until now. Now he could draw on an enormous wealth of experience: "I had the great advantage of having already played many other works by the composer. It was very helpful that I knew the different characters of his suites and had already analyzed his cantatas." To uncover the mystery of the numerous canons and fugues within the Goldberg Variations, Fazil Say drew a graphic version of the counterpoint with colored pencils for the compositional analysis. The work will probably stay with him for a long time: "Approaching a musical work is a lifelong journey …"
Tracklist
1. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria
2. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation I
3. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation II
4. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation III. Canone all'unisono
5. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation IV
6. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation V
7. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation VI. Canone alla seconda
8. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation VII. Al tempo di giga
9. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation VIII
10. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation IX. Canone alla terza
11. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation X. Fughetta
12. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XI
13. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XII. Canone alla quarta
14. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XIII
15. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XIV
16. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XV. Canone alla quinta
17. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XVI. Ouverture
18. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XVII
19. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XVIII. Canone alla sesta
20. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XIX
21. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XX
22. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XXI. Canone alla settima
23. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XXII
24. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XXIII
25. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XXIV. Canone all'ottava
26. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XXV
27. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XXVI
28. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XXVII. Canone alla nona
29. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XXVIII
30. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XXIX
31. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation XXX. Quodlibet
32. Fazil Say - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria da capo