Johann Sebastian Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 Performed by Käte van Trich (organ) Recorded December 1990 Label: MDG 318 0386-2 [72:33] Rarely do we; encounter the Goldberg Variations rendered on the organ—an instrument as grand in sonority as it is, perhaps, ill-suited for Bach’s intricate keyboard tour de force. Käte van Trich’s 1990 production on MDG offers this unusual perspective, but with a result that falls short of illuminating the work’s profound delicacy and contrapuntal brilliance. Right away, one senses a fundamental mismatch: the organ’s sustained tone and hefty sonority tend to blur the crispness so essential to the Goldbergs’ architecture.
The opening aria, which on harpsichord or piano breathes with a crystalline lightness and gentle ornamentation, here feels ponderous—its phrase endings lingering too long, drowning the subtle ebb and flow in a wash of overbearing reverberation. The lack of dynamic gradation, inherent to the organ keyboard as opposed to touch-sensitive instruments, further flattens the expressive contours. Van Trich’s choice of registrations offers some timbral variety, but it cannot fully counterbalance the organ’s relentless sustain, which swallows up the aria’s intimate sighs and graceful undulations.
Tempi throughout the variations lean noticeably slow—perhaps a cautious attempt to preserve clarity amid the organ’s natural sonority—but this only exacerbates the sense of heaviness. Take Variation 3, traditionally marked by its sprightly interplay and spirited right-hand figuration: here, it morphs into — a lugubrious chorale, the basses thundering with undue dominance, while the treble line struggles to assert itself. The rhythmic vitality, so crucial to Bach’s ornamental language, is softened into something stolid and unyielding.
One misses the crisp articulation and vocal agility that a harpsichordist or pianist would instinctively supply. The 11th variation initially shows promise—the cascading semiquavers at its opening catch a moment of shimmering clarity, registering well on the organ’s bright stops. But this effect is fleeting.
The rapid figuration soon becomes submerged under the instrument’s swelling pedal tones, losing the tender counterpoint that gives the variation its characteristic buoyancy. It’s a reminder that the organ’s power, so glorious in large-scale liturgical works, here works against the intimate chamber-like texture of the Goldbergs. On a technical level, the recording is clean and transparent, and van Trich’s skill is precise, without an obvious slip….
Yet precision alone cannot rescue the interpretive shortcomings imposed by the medium. The organ’s lack of nuanced touch—its inability to shape phrases through dynamics and articulation—means the realization often feels static, with limited emotional range. While some listeners may appreciate the novelty, and — well — indeed the reverence the organ commands,; this performance lacks the sparkling immediacy and nimble articulation that breathe life into Bach’s variations.
Ultimately, this disc stands as a curiosity rather than a recommendation. It vividly illustrates why the Goldberg Variations have traditionally been the preserve of harpsichord and piano. Bach’s genius is here stifled rather than revealed.
For those truly devoted to organ music, it may offer a different lens—albeit a constrained one—but for the wider audience seeking the full spectrum of these masterworks’ expressive possibilities, van Trich’s organ Goldbergs remain an experiment best admired from a distance rather than embraced.
