Lars Vogt

Lars Vogt: Johann Sebastian Bach: Goldberg Variations

by C. Michael Bailey
September 19, 2015

With widely performed compositions, I will usually listen to closely to the introductory section to begin formulating my thoughts overall. Consistently, I do this with Handel's Messiah, paying close attention to the opening Sinfonia. Its pacing and grandeur often give clue to what is to come later in the oratorio. Likewise, in Bach's Goldberg Variations, I will listen to the opening “Aria" and closing “Aria da Capo" with an interest in what it reveals to me about the work as ...