Austrian composer Karlheinz Essl offers a refreshing glimpse of J. S. Bach’s The Goldberg Variations in his unusual take in Gold.Berg.Werk (2013–2016). Originally envisioned as a performance environment for string trio, this new version for piano and live electronics is available for the first time in a recorded format. Time-stretched harmonies are manipulated in real time and played back through spatialised loudspeakers in between the piano variations, bringing together Baroque and contemporary sound worlds. Essl will perform this reimagined interpretation of the composition together with the UK pianist Xenia Pestova Bennett.

This new reimagining of Bach’s vision juxtaposes the variations in a new strictly symmetrical structure which reflects the binary form of the original aria (a microcosm within a macrocosm with binary divisions commonly found in digital systems). No two performances are the same due to the live generation of the electronic interludes.

Gold.Berg.Werk transcends itself and becomes a new piece in its own right, creating a sense of space and grandeur through electronic distribution of the interludes. This magical performance invites and entices the audience to join us on a journey of discovery, opening and blossoming into a new universe of sound.

Upcoming shows:

March 26, 2022
Daylight Music at St John’s Leytonstone, London

March 27, 2022
The Third Stage at Theatre Royal, Nottingham

March 38, 2022
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham

March 31, 2022
Künstlerhaus Wien, Vienna