GUSTAV LEONHARDT

J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 998

$10.97 CD

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 The reissue of J.S. BACH: THE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS BWV 988 is part of the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the groundbreaking classical music label Das Alte Werk. The recording presents the legendary Dutch keyboardist, harpsichordist and conductor Gustav Leonhardt - known as a pre-eminent interpreter of Johann Sebastian Bach's music - performing the brilliant German composer's seminal variations for the harpsichord, which were first published in 1741. 

  

 Das Alte Werk was launched in 1958 with the release of 7" discs of Gregorian chant and music by Machaut, followed by LPs of harpsichord sonatas by Scarlatti, Concerti grossi by Handel and Partitas for unaccompanied violin by Bach. The label gained a reputation for historically informed, high-quality recordings, and the subsequent signings of Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Gustav Leonhardt, Frans Brüggen and Jaap Schröder ushered in a new era, one defined by the rediscovery of the authentic sound of period instruments and scholarly historic research into original sources, as well as the enthusiasm the label's young artists had for offering listeners new and fascinating musical experiences.  

 p> As interest in early music spread over the years and the canon grew, Das Alte Werk remained the touchstone by which other labels were judged. Its release of J.S. Bach: The Complete Sacred Cantatas, orchestrated by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Gustav Leonhardt - and also newly reissued - is considered one of the most monumental achievements in the history of recorded music. 

Selection # 433276