Goldberg Variations BWV 988 (Aria & 30 Variations) [38:28]
1. Aria 1:55 17. Variation No.16 1:17
2. Variation No.1 0:44 18. Variation No.17 0:53
3. Variation No.2 0:37 19. Variation No.18 0:46
4. Variation No.3 0:54 20. Variation No.19 0:42
5. Variation No.4 0:29 21. Variation No.20 0:47
6. Variation No.5 0:36 22. Variation No.21 1:42
7. Variation No.6 0:34 23. Variation No.22 0:42
8. Variation No.7 1:08 24. Variation No.23 0:54
9. Variation No.8 0:45 25. Variation No.24 0:56
10. Variation No.9 0:38 26. Variation No.25 6:26
11. Variation No.10 0:42 27. Variation No.26 0:53
12. Variation No.11 0:53 28. Variation No.27 0:49
13. Variation No.12 0:56 29. Variation No.28 1:10
14. Variation No.13 2:10 30. Variation No.29 1:00
15. Variation No.14 0:58 31. Variation No.30 0:48
16. Variation No.15 2:19 32. Aria da capo 2:10
Partita No.5 in G major BWV 829 [9:50][33] Praeambulum 1:46 [34] Allemande 1:49 [35] Courante 0:40[36] Sarabande 2:01 [37] Tempo di Minuetto 1:04 [38] Passepied 0:47 [39] Gigue 1:39
Partita No.6 in E minor BWV 830 [22:46][40] Toccata 9:50 [41] Allemande 2:03 [42] Courante 2:16 [43] Air 0:42[44] Sarabande 3:36 [45] Tempo di Gavotta 0:51 [46] Gigue 3:26
[47] Fugue in F sharp minor BWV 883 (Well-tempered Clavier Book II) 3:16[48] Fugue in E major BWV 878 (Well-tempered Clavier Book II) 4:18(Goldbergs) “in terms of sheer keyboard wizardry …a remarkable performance”
(Penguin Guide) “Gould’s pianistic skills have been universally and freely acknowledged … he was supremely skillful in showing the patterns woven by its contrapuntal threads….As an exposition of the music’s mechanism this is remarkable”
(Partitas): “the young eccentric who walks on stage with a big handkerchief flapping, who seats himself on a chair only a few inches off the floor, who sings along and makes terrible faces. But he can play the piano. Here we see neither the chair nor gestures nor faces; but we do hear him singing along; and we also hear polished, superbly controlled, rhythmically alert piano playing. Two fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier are included on the disc.” (Gramophone)