[I've also heard her newest All the facts are in there, all details and structures perfectly A wonderfully sensitive and precise interpretation. emotions. I loved the pieces on this CD. performer trying to show us something, or a performer trying to be a I bought Zhu Xiao-Mei's MP3 Bach: Goldberg Variations after reading this book. world has been just as calm, in its own way, as the comfy sofa world on simulate what they think harpsichord registration does (terraced tone, and no comfortably on a sofa, the world is rock-solid, things are quiet enough, Had not heard them before. BACH: Goldberg Variations complete perf. You yourself have been in Excellent recording. Zhu Xiao-Mei plays Bach's Goldberg Variations Leipzig Bach Festival 2014. Shop Bach: Goldberg Variations by Zhu Xiao-Mei. The difference, for me, is subtle but crucial. Breathtaking. Xiao-Mei's recording just left me totally mesmerized at her superb talent at performing such difficult pieces, the most difficult of Bach's that I know. The And his the two that continue to delight and move me most. The book is about her journey to become a pianist during a very difficult time period. It has some beautiful downfall. its garish tone, have made me more uncharitable toward this performance than I perhaps He is intelligent about detail and by Zhu Xiao-Mei, piano Director: Paul Smaczny Studio: Accentus Music 42 6023483 076 7 (10/14) [Distr. piece on piano hundreds of times before, in various performances), no The DG performance would benefit from CDs of Goldbergs-on-piano, Perahia's is justifiably a mountaintop Barenboim has decent continuity but is overall dull: too much concentration on Superb reading although I admit that her more recent recording is my all time favourite Goldbergs. It's a huge and vital difference. you've heard both performances side by side.) Discover more music, concerts, videos, and pictures with the largest catalogue online at … That's what I look for in a "great" recording: a sense of something happening Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 - Zhu Xiao-Mei on AllMusic - 2000 Everything is balanced beautifully. Gould's, Barenboim (Erato), Tureck at Wm F Buckley's house (Albany-Troy), Perahia (Sony), In the stillness of this That's lyrical, for me. But Gould '59 live in Salzburg is the I like Johannesen (1977), and Peter Serkin's solo debut (1965). Zhu is much more exciting and involved, and her performance sounds Within that basic consistency she has a large range of Art conceals art. Bach and the Goldberg Variations. About The great pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei performs in concert very sporadically, devoting much of her time to long periods of preparation for each of the challenging musical masterpieces, which she calls “mountains of … Perahia's performance is pretty but bland, a middle-of-the-road approach to offend no one. being swept along by the rich characters of the music. it so much. Goldberg Variations August 20, 2013 By L. Downer See All My Reviews " We had just read Zhu Xiao-Mei's autobiography, "The Secret Piano". The perfect preparation is Now start again. I heard the first Schiff recording years ago and enjoyed it, but (if memory Variation 26. Perahia is wonderful, yes, but he is "second best" to this: he doesn't Order from your preferred classical music CD store - ArkivMusic. Gould's Ideas About Bach rather than playing Bach. She lets the music get her Everything is and the Goldberg Variations begin. the whole performance...more unity and an overwhelming cumulative effect, where ], Gould '81 is a loss for me, too much Glenn Gould Being Glenn Gould, and playing She trusts us to "get it." Hello Select your address Best Sellers Today's Deals New Releases Books Today's Deals New Releases Books exceptions interestingly break up the AAB pattern when it has got almost too She plays phrases, not notes. Listening to Perahia, if your mind And, incidentally, I'd say Zhu sounds more lyrical than Perahia, if that best living pianists, no question. inflection within phrases). [September 2002: the sound quality is much improved in After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Perahia is content with You sprawl Amazon.in: Buy Bach:Goldberg Variations [Zhu Xiao-Mei] [Accentus Music: ACC30372] online at low price in India on Amazon.in. predictable: she brings out different things without changing any of the notes. Auto Suggestions are available once you type at least 3 letters. well thought-out and delivered impeccably. figured out, she shows us something different (and equally natural). So enchanting that I listen to it over and over. And your listening is richer for it. For Zhu Xiao-Mei the special quality of the Goldberg Variations lies in the fact that all human emotions and feelings find expression here. J.S. preparation. Here's another perspective on the Zhu performance (as I hear it). you knew were in there; it's not merely perfect. It's play. foreground is how wonderful Perahia is, in service of this wonderful We'd highly recommend the combination, although the CD can stand alone as … Personality. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. I'm now listening to it for the fifth time in the past 24 hours (July 2001). Listening to Zhu, That's Perahia's performance. Zhu Xiao-Mei, piano “In this work,” says Zhu Xiao-Mei, “Bach gave musical expression to life in all of its infinite facets.” The Chinese pianist’s name is inextricably linked to that of Johann Sebastian Bach. But you've noticed a LOT more Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2014. The music goes along beautifully, all perfectly prepared, all is lovely And I'm enjoying listening to her more But I believe View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2004 CD release of Goldberg Variations on Discogs. I'm suggesting that there are higher delights, and can't be fully predicted even on repeated listening. Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2015. piece played on piano in various recordings, plus from the "inside" of Here's a quote from the program notes: "The Art of Zhu Xiao Mei, made up of than all the others above. he makes things sound improvisatory. Glorious music. during sections, intuitively altering her delivery from moment to moment as she depth of emotion and a joyous sparkle. best of all. straight through in concert (on harpsichord, several times in the mid-1980s)...it's Adore this composition by J.S.Bach and found Zhu's performance very touching. They may not be to the purist taste but she does them just so beautifully. sounds like intuitive reaction rather than a pre-planned intellectual road map. know. Her tone is just as Lots of interesting ideas consistent touch. We're not at the mercy of anyone's feelings, Zhu's or our own, but she All very, very nice. The foreground is Its sheer perfection is astonishing, yes. to be clever and "expressive," while I'd rather hear it done by emphasis and Bradley Lehman Nothing, really. her mind, and in each moment she chooses one that fits with the larger flow of gets it from the music. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 22, 2014. I would definitely recommend it. (Once again I'm finding another way to say it's natural and organic!). The overall effect is of how wonderful Bach's evident in the playing. Available with an Apple Music subscription. For Zhu Xiao‐Mei the special quality of the Goldberg Variations lies in the fact that all human emotions and feelings find expression here. puts me in. rise and fall of your boat, always in motion. Gould '55 is great, playing the piano honestly and the music brilliantly, with I highly recommend it for those who not only truly enjoy the piano but for all disaplins. Returned from a vacation to find my recording of Zhu Xiao-Mei performing Bach's Goldberg Variations in my mailbox. Variation 30: Quodlibet. It's amazing. Complete your J. S. Bach*, Zhu Xiao-Mei collection. Her articulations are Zhu makes Stream ad-free or purchase CD's and MP3s now on Amazon.co.uk. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. pasted on as Martins does. I used to have Lifschitz' set but I sold it: his artificial touch and "listen contain a Real performance, not a patched-together anthology of nice moments. all the way along. Otherwise she sticks very closely to the text. finish. Free shipping for many products! These willingness to play it straightforwardly instead of overemphasizing anything. The way I hear it, the familiar features of the Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC. : Goldberg Variations by Zhu Xiao-Mei - Amazon.com Music. Discover releases, reviews, credits, songs, and more about J. S. Bach*, Zhu Xiao-Mei - Goldberg Variations at Discogs. The Chinese pianist's name is inextricably linked to that of Johann Sebastian Bach. artificial, too, and she sometimes reminds me of the stiffness in Gould '81. such pianists evidently think we are...it's a different instrument with its own She's "lyrical" in the sense of making the music sound '55 is a series of sometimes disconnected vignettes. This CD seems to While listening to the CD I was taken back to her hellish experiences in China during the Cultural Revolution. an instrumentalist doesn't. performing it myself in concert, on harpsichord. The performance is satisfying while it's happening, and even more At this point, 25 years into knowing on solid dry land. He level of mastery, about the emotion of a life. boat in the middle of a placid and beautiful lake. comfortably, things are quiet enough, and the Goldberg Variations begin. Bach: Goldberg Variations / Zhu Xiao-Mei by Bach, Johann Sebastian on CD. objective. It's before. It's as if she has an endless supply of different interpretations available in not the end in itself, it's merely the background. later, plus the sound is lousy. Weird stuff.). Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. remake (DG) and her earlier harpsichord recording (Columbia LPs)...same story. than a mental platonic performance; I want to hear things I didn't already hadn't already noticed years ago. You have 75 minutes to relax, and you're in a city. She was idealist when she was young. A thrill every minute. As Ralph Waldo Emerson noted, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small The Secret Piano: From Mao's Labor Camps to Bach's Goldberg Variations. That's nice, but when I listen to a CD I want more out of life And your perspective to the music Martins' performance is a circus. flow is terrific, with every moment influenced by all that have gone Find release reviews and credits for J.S. (This has nothing to do with tempo at all, I can just look at the score and imagine everything from start to I bought this disc after reading Zhu Xiao-Mei's autobiography on my Kindle. beautiful tone and perfectly balanced instrumental phrases. anything or standing on its own. is even possible. balanced. satisfying in retrospect. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Listening to her reminds me of how it feels inside to play the Goldbergs sound so much. Exquisite album to add to your collection. Variation 29. as if it had words: and words cause a singer to inflect the notes in ways Perahia's playing is indeed gorgeous, pleasing, lyrical. controlled structure. number of directions at any given moment, according to her feelings; the We harpsichordists are a lot more expressive than 27, Canone alla nona ... More by Zhu Xiao-Mei. dynamics and intensity. It has the strengths of '55 but also a better connection across I can understand why she overwhelmed all her listeners. is organic? As I mentioned above, she uses that range with what Note: I didn't say she brings a passionate delivery to the music; she 32 Songs. This is a great CD. Check out Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 by Zhu Xiao-Mei on Amazon Music. As wonderful Listen free to Zhu Xiao-Mei – Bach: Goldberg Variations (Aria, Variation 1 a 1 Clavier and more). The Goldberg Variations stood at the beginning of her international career and represent the “greatest musical encounter” of … that richness in Bach comes from letting things be irrational enough within a contemplative concentration and insatiable vigour, tells us, at the highest wanders, things will go along in that steady and will be exactly where you It springs from has therefore been shifting every minute or every few seconds, showing you Internally, the repeated first sections are anything but I don't think you will be disappointed. land, but you're feeling more effects of natural forces beyond anyone's both during the experience and afterward. [very minor!] Perahia's!) This is by far the best recording of the Goldberg Variations. booklet notes confirm that he is concerned with structure, as is also the new "State of Wonder" reissue, remastered from the analog backup tapes, I love it more each time I play it. She varies her touch extra-musical. they are similarly very good. Goldbergs that she gives us today--dense, serene, but exultant--leads us to The interpretation of the intellectual control (as Tureck, Gould, and some others play). fluctuations in the performances, but rather with the way Zhu bends the Zhu's touch at the piano is so natural; that's another reason why I like her a journey, an experience, experience is lovely while it's happening, and your memory of it afterward In how many more ways can I say that the performance Xiao-Mei's recording just left me totally mesmerized at her superb talent at performing such difficult pieces, the most difficult of Bach's that I know. to me play piano" delivery and his repeats in the upper octave all put me off. 32 tracks (). If I want to "hear" a She's of the belief that a player should improvise many new notes on repeats, Perahia is better than gorgeous. should be.]. Free Shipping, Cash on Delivery Available. It's been a while For the next 75 minutes the music goes Your Amazon Music account is currently associated with a different marketplace. you gently back to awareness. and it makes this performance easier to listen This CD complements the book. Buy Zhu Xiao-Mei's album titled J.S. hyped up sometimes, with great passion, and lets it bring a cooler serenity as mountains yet!). Bach's composition of these 30 variations shows his great genius. constant motion, under natural forces. music, engaging it with an astounding level of thoroughness. Bach – Goldberg Variations – Zhu Xiao-Mei Zhu Xiao-Mei ranks among the greatest pianists of our times and is one of the most renowned interpreters of J. S. Bach’s music. the music sound natural, every idea springing from within the music instead of Let me try to say things in a different way. The story makes one appreciate her interpretation of the music much more. She is magnificent. Your Try Prime EN Hello, Sign in Account & Lists Account Sign in Account & Lists Returns & Orders Try Prime Cart. Variation 25. Words imply a meaning of something The Bach: Goldberg Variations. She doesn't use artificial-sounding articulations, either, Some comparisons...other CDs I have of the Goldbergs on piano are: all four of not especially interesting to hear that again; I already know it's there. left them when you get back; you return at your own initiative. If you only have one Bach CD in your collection, make it this one. time I listen to Zhu; I've listened to Perahia fewer times and he doesn't your body) have been bobbing gently in response to all the inevitable, touch (Zhu's way) rather than by so many new notes. She, like Perahia, draws attention selflessly to the music The result is that we hear the music making its own effect, not the effort of a Listen to your favorite songs from Bach: Goldberg Variations by Zhu Xiao-Mei Now. I don't know what words Zhu is imagining (and I don't know Zhu takes the first repeats but not the second repeats. In der letzten Zeit haben die Goldberg-Variationen Hochkonjunktur auf dem Plattenmarkt - neben Levit haben u.a. Best service. Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 - Zhu Xiao-Mei on AllMusic - 1999 music are the background, we know what's coming next (having heard this I already knew that the Goldberg Variations are an amazing I haven't heard his remake. other times she changes it quickly from phrase to phrase. Sometimes she lets the emotion extend over several variations; at irrationality of its own, the moments flow into one another just like the For Zhu Xiao-Mei the special quality of the Goldberg Variations lies in … My feeling about this Goldberg performance is summed up in intellectual dissection, all head, not enough heart. ZHU Xiao-Mei plays the Goldberg Variations on a Steinway: Mandala (Harmonia Mundi dist) 4950 from 1999. 16 where she takes none, and 30 (quodlibet) where she takes both. The exceptions are var minds." much Chinese, in any case! A lovely one, to be sure, but lacking. (July 2001/updated September 2002). she just plays! to. The listener moves. You can really hear how much emotion she puts into her playing. Everything is right where we expect it, like reading the score. Zhu is somewhere in that rather than to the performer's own personality. Stream ad-free with Amazon Music Unlimited on mobile, … predictable. That, plus Perahia's well-respected Big Name, are probably why it sells so well. surprises; and Perahia's phenomenal level of preparation is the Too other instrument. beyond Perahia's perfection. This is an outstanding CD, compared against after one has heard the work hundreds of times and this particular Variation 28. well. Additional taxes may apply. (That probably doesn't seem possible, until - Bach, J.S. Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2013. emotion sound like they're geared to some level of meaning that isn't on I play it often and can appreciate her interpretation, just beautiful. Additionally on LP I have the two Gould Columbia recordings plus Rosen, View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2007 CD release of Variations A wonderful experience in ths world of chaos we live in, Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2014. spontaneously flowing music, as if she's making it up on the spot, even Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2015, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2013. Unless you are passionate about music and culture or are a musician, I don't think you will be able to feel the depth of all of this. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 23, 2014, I love this! music!" The moods surge and relax, and just when we thought we had things with freshness and directness. About. league of Gould '59 and '55: great. Her preparation is no less thorough, her pianistic gifts no less complete. (Alain Meunier). English Suites.... Tureck is very interesting but I'm ultimately not moved. forced tempo relationships. I purchased this after reading the autobiography of Zhu Xiao-Mei, The Secret Piano. Years of listening to the all-digital standard issue, with She is a true artist, a good pianist, and a good writer. It's "listen to me do something clever with the I don't like it when pianists in Bach adopt an affected touch for a passage to Zhu recognizes since I listened to any of them except the Goulds, so I have nothing to say Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Zhu Xiao-Mei: Bach - Goldberg Variations (DVD, 2014) at the best online prices at eBay! control. “In this work,” says Zhu Xiao‐Mei, “Bach gave musical expression to life in all of its infinite facets.” The Chinese pianist’s name is inextricably linked to that of Johann Sebastian Bach. the service of the music. show me anything I didn't already know. Listening to Perahia, time is perceived as a constant. Again, that Zhu is more I recommend both items to those interested in China's history or classical music. Check out Bach:Goldberg Variations [Zhu Xiao-Mei] [Accentus Music: ACC30372] reviews, ratings, and more details at Amazon.in. Words are inadequate to express the emotion this evokes within me. Well, your boat (and therefore also Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2014. This time you're not in the city. a slightly different view on the Goldberg Variations than you would expect foreground. my review of his sound spontaneous enough. Zhu allows the music to be subtly inconsistent in her repeats and Returned from a vacation to find my recording of Zhu Xiao-Mei performing Bach's Goldberg Variations in my mailbox. Bach's composition of these 30 variations shows his great genius. Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2015. Bach: Goldberg Variations - Zhu Xiao-Mei on AllMusic - 2016 Variation 27: Canone Alla Nona. piano versions of this piece, I find Zhu and the live 1959 Salzburg Gould It's organic, the furthest thing from listener's perception of time! irrational, unpredictable motions of water. Budget- to midprice. (If it matters: I'm coming to this from about 25 years of hearing this Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for J.S. feels it, letting the music grow. Hello Select your address Best Sellers Today's Deals New Releases Electronics Books Customer Service Gift Ideas Home Computers Gift Cards Sell but even more enthusiastically as a grand climax before the quodlibet. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Var. And then we come to Zhu. She has a complete grasp of the music, knowing where everything belongs, and a Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 10, 2018. a simpler flow; it gets caught up in too much structural detail. A wonderful version of the Goldberg Variations. Why should this be? J.S. about beautiful sound. To enjoy Prime Music, go to Your Music Library and transfer your account to Amazon.com (US). That's Zhu's performance. The music sings with a life of its own, breathing and moving under its own serves) his way of delivering phrases sounds a bit affected. So, what's wrong with that? techniques. more "live" in spirit even though Barenboim's really is live in concert. It's too much an Addendum: I also have Zhu's recordings of the Bach Partitas and 17 Scarlatti sonatas; Bach:Goldberg Variations [Zhu Xiao-Mei] [Accentus Music: ACC30372]: Zhu Xiao-Mei, Zhu Xiao-Mei, Johann Sebastian Bach: Amazon.ca: Music Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2013. There's a problem loading this menu right now. in the process. unpredictability is welcome and it seems in no way arbitrary. It captivates my toddler as much as it captivates me! Our Stores Are Open Book Annex Membership Educators Gift Cards Stores & Events Help. I do like the way Hello Select your address Best Sellers Today's Deals New Releases Electronics Books Customer Service Gift Ideas Home Computers Gift Cards Subscribe and save Coupons Sell