Benjamin Alard

Goldberg Variations: the Art of Return Few keyboard works speak to the imagination as powerfully as the Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach. A single aria allows itself to be dismantled and rebuilt in a dizzying series of thirty variations: a universe in which strict architecture and playful invention balance each other. Canons, virtuosic toccatas and a humorous quodlibet together form a masterpiece that sounds both intellectually refined and movingly human. French harpsichordist and organist Benjamin Alard devotes a large part of his artistic life to the Thomaskantor. Since 2018 he has been working on an ambitious recording of Bach's complete keyboard repertoire, on historical instruments and with keen insight into the context of each work. Alard's profound fascination translates into interpretations that are clear, lively and exceptionally expressive. This interpretation of the most sacred of keyboard literature becomes not an academic exercise, but a journey through Bach's imagination: an unparalleled opportunity to experience a pinnacle of music history live. Programme: J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988