Bach’s Goldberg Variations, for some one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s ultimate operas, for him nothing more than light music for a poorly sleeping count, were at the center of Sergei Babayan’s piano recital on Saturday at the collegiate concerts in Kremsmünster. What light music, however, that savored all the contrapuntal subtleties of the time, ingeniously stole the characteristics of the essential forms and at the same time provides the highest virtuosity for a harpsichord with two manuals. That makes it complicated for the “modern” piano.
Difficulties that are welcome gimmicks for Sergei Babayan, which the Armenian-American pianist knows how to implement in a brilliant technical manner. The pianist, which is wrongly less well known to us, received his training from Michail Pletnjow and is thus in the Russian tradition of interpreting Bach’s music. This was clearly noticeable in the two excerpts from the Well-Tempered Clavier Volume I (C sharp minor and C sharp major), where Babayan meticulously emphasizes the themes and guarantees the total transparency of the contrapuntal structures with a crystal-clear, even angular touch. This is also what distinguishes his Goldberg Variations, which by no means come across as dreamy night music. Babayan makes the technical finesse of the composition tangible and inspires with a brilliant touch culture.
Use all the richness of sound
It was a little surprising that the canons in third position in a group of three did not highlight the imitating voices as clearly as they did with the fugues. The use of the instrument is also in accordance with the Russian school – in this case a finely voiced Fazioli grand piano. Sergei Babayan makes use of the full sonority of the modern piano and enjoys playing in the full-sounding sonorous forte. Bach is therefore not in a historicizing reading, but updated to the romantic piano world and thus withdrawn from his original intention.
But that is legitimate and has a great effect everywhere, even if stylistically not in keeping with the Baroque era. After an almost pompous quodlibet – in which two simple folk songs of the time are actually intertwined – Babayan ends the 30 variations with an aria that is just as unaffected as he started the cycle.
Conclusion: A brilliantly played recital with a slightly nostalgic touch of Russian piano schools in terms of interpretation.
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