Release Date: 07/08/2008
Run Time: 65:20

There have been all manner of recordings released of Bach's Goldberg Variations, and merely to list them would stretch this review out into virtual infinity. But until pianist Dong-Hyek Lim's 2008 recording of the work, there had never been a recording which made the Goldberg Variations appear to be a Romantic work. Now there is: the South Korean's recording is highly, deeply, intensely and passionately Romantic.

And how is it that the quintessential, indeed, the epitome, of Baroque keyboard works can be made to sound as if it were a product of the Romanticism? First, there's Lim's warm nuanced tone, his brash virtuoso technique, and his blended textures. But more important than these is Lim's interpretation which eschews both repeats and objectivity. By skipping each variation's repeats, Lim keeps the music moving forward as a narrative rather than as a series of tableaux vivant, granting the work a drama and a drive that few other performances can claim. Even more significantly, Lim espouses a subjectivity that makes the fast variations sound like flights of incandescent joy and the slow variations sound like studies in despondency and despair. For purists, Lim's performance may be abhorrent. But for those whose tastes are more inclusive, Lim's performance may be gratifying.

Whatever reservations one may or may not have concerning Lim's Goldberg Variations, however, cannot apply to his Chaconne from the D minor solo violin Partita arranged for piano by Ferruccio Busoni. In his superlative transcription, Bach's work is transformed into a Romantic monument to Faustian striving, and in Lim's staggering performance, Busoni's transcription receives a performance that nearly rivals Michelangeli's sublime performance for heart-stopping magnificence. All Lim's performance lacks is experiences and maturity, and one looks forward to hearing him re-record the work in another twenty or so years.

EMI's digital piano sound is clear, rich and vivid. ~ James Leonard, All Music Guide

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Release Date: 07/08/2008
Run Time: 65:20