Goldberg Variations

The Goldberg Variations is among Johann Sebastian Bach’s most monumental works for solo keyboard instrument. The iconic opening Aria—a haunting sarabande—gives way to 30 strikingly diverse variations built upon the initial 32-bar bass-line and its implied harmony.

As formidable today as it was when first published in 1741, this Baroque masterpiece demands from the performer great virtuosity and restrained sensitivity in equal measures. Indeed, Bach’s enduring genius is in his unrivalled ability to reconcile dry academic and instrumental technique with transcendent beauty; mathematical perfection with profound compassion.

The new album is to be released on Eleven Kinds record label on the 21st December.

Opalińska & Whates

Opalińska & Whates. Both versatile and strikingly inventive musicians, Polish pianist Mira Opalińska and British bassist Douglas Whates have performed in many different settings, their combined output ranging from contemporary classical to European jazz. Taking inspiration from such varied genres and brought together by a shared aesthetic—particularly that improvised music should be deeper than arbitrary patterns of notes—this duo’s brand of contemporary jazz is as extraordinary as it is quietly powerful.

Audiences can expect a mix of spontaneous melodic improvising (often drawing from simple folk melodies or children’s rhymes) as well as music from their acclaimed debut Lumière; an album of unique arrangements of works by classic film and world cinema composers, Komeda, Morricone, Takemitsu and others.