Goldberg Variations Main Performer or Conductor: Ragna Schirmer Instrumentation: Piano Individual Works: Goldberg-Variationen BWV 988 Format: Compact Disc Record Label: Berlin Classics Catalog Number: 0017162BC Year Released/Recorded: 1999 Total Playing Time: 86.70 Comments: Gary Glenn said: Schirmer, who was twice been a prize winner at the Johann Sebastian Bach International Competition, turns in what is to date the longest Goldberg. I found this version a revelation of structure. She plays without fussiness, very full-bodied and straight-ahead; this is not an introspective interpretation, but a formal declaration. (After listening to Schirmer's version several times I went back to Gould's 1955 version and felt as if I'd suddenly entered a speed freak's nightmare.) Although my favorite version of the Goldberg currently is Angela Hewitt's, I find Schirmer's recording increasingly compelling. It is two CDs, and expensive. Acknowledgements: Thank you to the following for submitting this recording and for your comments: Gary Glenn Date First Submitted: 08/10/2001 Purchasing: Suggested Purchasing Sources Note: Inclusion in this database does not guarantee the availability of any recording. Some recordings may be out-of-print or no longer available.