ARRAU Bach: Goldberg Variations

"Claudio Arrau, the Chilean pianist, enthralled the audience at his recital last night in Carnegie Hall with a series of performances that could hardly be excelled for imaginative detail, wealth of exquisite color effects and technical virtuosity..." New York Times, 20 February 1941

In 1942 Claudio Arrau entered the studios of RCA to record a stunningly brilliant performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations. Had it been issued at the time it would certainly have concreted his reputation in the United States as one of the great pianists of the age. And yet it sat in the vaults for 46 years, sidelined - for perfectly laudable reasons - in favour of a different recording by a different artist.

The performance has been lauded for its forward-looking style at a time when much baroque music was still being played in a manner heavily influenced by the Romantic era. The sound quality though has been less well-received, and here we hope to put that right in a new XR remastered Ambient Stereo issue which brings out the full-bodied toned of Arrau's Steinway as never before. A classic recording by a legendary pianist receives the sonic overhaul it's needed for nearly 80 years.