Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Goldberg Variations' (BWV 988) has been recorded by so many of the great keyboard players over the years that one wonders if there is anything new to be found in it, so this reimagining of the piece for two guitars can be celebrated for bringing something fresh to the conversation. Thibaut Garcia and Antoine Morinière are French guitarists who have known each other for more than 15 years, having studied together at the Paris Conservatoire. On this recording, they perform on twin instruments, made from wood from the same tree by luthier Hugo Cuvillier. According to Garcia, "The two guitars can represent the two hands of the keyboard player as they respond to each other and interweave, simultaneously independent and complementary." The arrangement, from Garcia and Morinière themselves, is the result of a full year of work during which they focused on "how to adapt the keyboard work for two guitars, while preserving the illusion of a single performer". This creative process also included a retreat to the Abbey of Solesmes, where Garcia and Morinière experienced, for a few days, the life of monks, with the aim of better understanding Bach's spirituality. On the mechanical side this attempt succeeds with the four hands combining so well that one soon forgets that the music is usually performed by a single keyboard player and, above all, we enter into Bach's musical world and forget about how we got there. The duo's attempt to open up the spiritual side of the composer's worldview is also to be applauded. On the surface, the 'Goldberg Variations' are an exercise in compositional virtuosity without any explicit spiritual meaning but with Bach his faith is never far from the surface. One can listen to these variations as a spiritual palette-cleanser or we can go deeper and see how the composer is contemplating the infinite and reflecting back the Creator's glory through the gift of music. Even if you are familiar with the Goldbergs - perhaps even over-familiar - Garcia and Morinière's reimagining is a joy from start to finish.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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