Volume 26 Issue 2 - October 2020

Lang Lang on
the Goldberg
trail continued from page 9
! Recently, piano icon Lang Lang “realized
a lifelong dream” and recorded not one but
two versions of the Goldbergs. The first is
a one-take, live performance from a recital
at Thomaskirche in Leipzig. The second,
recorded soon after in studio, was made in
seclusion.
I was full of curiosity to hear Lang’s
Goldbergs and was certain he must have
brooded on the project for a while and approached it with careful
consideration, aware of the extent to which it would be a departure
for him in many ways, and would be scrutinized by the numerous
discerning ears that know – almost by heart – the interpretations that
have come before his.
At once, we notice Lang’s personal brand in this recording. He is
singing from his beating heart and occupies a seemingly new space
in this music. An individual kind of phrasing unspools, buoyed by
unusual contrapuntal directionality and dynamic scope. His awareness
of previous performance practice is sometimes notable and
sometimes not. Nevertheless, he won’t let us perceive it as a hindrance
in either direction: the listener is offered new glimpses of what J.S.
Bach in the 21st century might be. Even at times where he pushes the
historically accurate performance envelope, he remains convincing –
his customary demeanour of endless elan and visceral expressiveness
a reassurance.
Underlying Lang’s individual approach to the Goldbergs, there
is a bedrock of reference to those greats that came before him.
For example: he has Peter Serkin’s delicacies in his ears, Gould’s
formalism on his mind and Perahia’s precision in his heart. Some of
his variations build upon preconceptions in performance practice,
likely accumulated from those who came before. And then there are
other moments, free and searching, springing forth with freshness
and elation. He swims his way through this familiar music, taking it
all in as a snorkeller does the first time he dips beneath the water’s
surface: all is bright and beautiful, strange and luminous, experienced
and expressed only by the swimmer and not by, or for, anyone else.
Lang’s aquatic ecosystem is not without murk nor weed however,
and at times he seems entrapped by microcosms of harmony or
crossing of musical line. Occasionally, some thorny bit of coral gets
tossed out of place but we are still along for the ride, convinced nonetheless.
There is voyeuristic delight in the pianist cherishing his
special designs; one can be charmed by the novelty on display. It’s as if
Lang were discovering some of this music for the first time. He knows
just how to turn in the water for us, just which treasures to reveal. As
he shapes and cajoles the magnificent Goldbergs, a confidence and
focus emerge that is by turns curious and admirable, and eventually,
beguiling.
From our vantage point in 2020, we have as many ways to access
this music as there are notes in Bach’s score and, increasingly, as there
are artists who record the work. One must find their own catalogue of
access points, as listener and as artist. Lang has clearly found his. Born
of an international sense of Bach and the world’s collective appreciation
for this music, Lang leads us on a journey to a highly individual
state of being – but one with which we can identify.
In the before time, when I was travelling or living abroad and began
to miss my own home, it was Gould’s 1955 recording of the Goldbergs
that I turned to, not to O Canada as an anthem It was Gould and Bach
that offered me a sense of place as few other pieces could. I used to
think such sentiments were germane to a large northern American
country with a small, friendly population who claimed an artist,
Glenn Gould, to be their own. I don’t think that now. Lang Lang’s
new Goldberg recording is a case in point for finding your way home
musically and understanding better the many access points that can
get you there, wherever there may be.
Adam Sherkin
Concert Note: At time of going to press, American superstar
organist, Cameron Carpenter, was scheduled to perform The
Goldbergs at Koerner Hall on November 7 on his Marshall &
Ogletree mobile, digitized, International Touring Organ, the
culmination of a decade-long project for the organist, and now
the exclusive organ on which he performs. According to Carpenter’s
website, the instrument follows the musical and design
influences of American municipal pipe organs from about 1895
to 1950 – organs built to support a vast range of classical and
popular playing styles in concert halls, theatres and other public
venues. It can be installed at a concert venue in three to five
hours by its crew. The November 7 concert marks Carpenter’s
return to Koerner Hall after his first appearance in 2016, the
same year his Sony CD, All You Need Is Bach, was released.
50 | October 2020 thewholenote.com