Jeremy Denk is niet alleen begenadigd pianist, hij is ook een verdienstelijk schrijver, zo blijkt uit recente artikelen voor The New Yorker. Op zijn nieuwe album vertolkt hij Bachs Goldberg-variaties op indrukwekkende wijze. Denk is niet zozeer op zoek naar de mooiste klank, hij wil de originaliteit en vindingrijkheid van Bach tonen. Dat doet hij niet alleen met zijn spel op de cd, maar ook op de bijgevoegde dvd, met daarop de ‘video liner notes’. Op heldere wijze, zonder ergens als een schoolmeester over te komen, licht hij de variaties toe, toont de moeilijkheden en vooral hoe ingenieus het werk in elkaar zit. Fascinerend.
Bach, J S: Goldberg Variations, BWV988
Jeremy Denk (piano)
Nonesuch releases pianist Jeremy Denk's recording of J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations on October 21, 2013. A companion DVD accompanies the album and contains video "liner notes," with Denk demonstrating passages on the piano as he explains certain details of the iconic piece. The beloved Bach work has long been a staple of Denk's repertoire and his performances have received critical praise. The New York Times has remarked on his "profound affinity with Bach," and the Philadelphia Inquirer called Denk's performance of this piece "mesmerizing," noting that his "Bach is expressive, but not fussy or overthought. Technically unbothered by the work's more explosive spots and remarkably fluid in its scurrying passage work, he was able to make connections between and among bits of material that sometimes occur many seconds apart."
Jeremy Denk has established himself as one of today's most thoughtful and compelling pianists. He has appeared as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and London. This past season included a return to Carnegie Hall in recital, as part of 13-city tour of the US, as well as a performance of Bach's complete set of six keyboard concertos in a single evening at Lincoln Center.
Denk's previous releases include a recording of music by Charles Ives, released on his own Think Denk Media label, and a Nonesuch album of works by Beethoven and Ligeti. He also is an avid chamber musician and a respected writer, both on his blog and in such publications as The New Yorker. Denk is expanding a recent article in that publication into a book that will be published by Random House.
** Includes companion DVD of video "liner notes" by the artist **
‘Mr. Denk is a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs, in whatever combination – both for his penetrating intellectual engagement with the music and for the generosity of his playing.’