Pianist Lang Lang's New Album 'Bach: Goldberg Variations' Released on the 4th

Release Day 11 PM YouTube Showcase

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Pianist Lang Lang's new album 'Bach: Goldberg Variations' will be released on the 4th.

On the day of the album release, Lang Lang will also release a showcase video on his YouTube channel at 11 PM (Korean time). This online showcase was pre-recorded at the temple 'Dongjeongyeon' in Beijing, China. Lang Lang plans to perform pieces from the new album and answer fans' questions received through Facebook.

Bach's Goldberg Variations is known among pianists as the 'musical Everest.' This work, consisting of an aria and thirty variations, demands unwavering expression and technique throughout its long performance time.

Lang Lang also stated, "It took a long time to face this piece." In his teenage years, he performed this piece under the watchful eye of the master pianist Christoph Eschenbach, and now, 20 years later, he believes his musical research has reached its peak, which he has reflected in his own interpretation on this album.

The 2CD standard version of this album contains studio recordings of the complete Goldberg Variations. The 4CD deluxe version includes not only the studio recordings but also live performance recordings made at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, where Bach was based.

It is known that Bach composed the Goldberg Variations at the request of Count Hermann Karl von Keyserlingk, the Russian ambassador who suffered from insomnia. The Count, stationed in Dresden, asked Bach to create "a piece with a sweet and lively character that could be listened to and enjoyed when unable to sleep." The title 'Goldberg Variations' comes from Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, Bach's young student and the Count's favored clavier player, who was to perform the piece.

Lang Lang is scheduled to visit Korea on December 13 and perform Bach's Goldberg Variations at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.