“With this poetic title, I intended to convey not only my interpretation of the work – which I consider historically authentic – but also to symbolize this particular period of my life during which this recording was made. The Goldberg Variations have sounded from time to time – one might even say continuously – throughout my life, just as they have for so many of us here on this Globe. At an exciting moment, I felt the time had come for this cycle to be performed through me as well. When I began working on the piece, the task felt absolutely self-evident, it was completely natural as an act, and I did not feel at all that the work was made more difficult by the piece’s vast performing tradition.

In the Cycle of Goldberg Variations, I felt that bringing the composition to life was affecting my entire environment–my inner and outer worlds, my personal and communal spheres of life, and my relationships alike. The piece, like life itself, seemed at times infinitely simple and at other times terribly complex. I enjoyed losing myself in its details and playing in the hope that I would suddenly arrive at a new quality – something different and something more – through the return of the Aria.”

Róza Bene – harpsichord