Bach: Goldberg Variations BWV 988 (Arranged for String Trio)

"...you shouldn't miss Rachlin, Imai, and Maisky's consistently compelling, tonally vibrant reading . . . Recommended!" --ClassicsToday.com, April 2007

"The faster variations come off best, particularly the canonic ones, where the separate contrapuntal lines are played with some vigour in the phrasing." --BBC Music Magazine, March 2007

The present version . . . results in one of the most appealing transcription performances to have come across my path in some time. The balance between the three instruments is ideal and the recording acoustic suitably chamberish . . . this rendition is in fact replete with unfailingly tasteful variations in dynamics and articulation that sustain interest . . . to the extent that I was genuinely sorry when the performance ended. --Fanfare. November 2007

Of all trios who've tackled this opus on disc, DG's all-star crew outclass the others insofar as technical proficiency . . . Not one smudged, swallowed nor rhythmically unfocused note infiltrates the rapid, clearly delineated passagework in Vars 5, 14, 2, 23 and 29. Conversely, the musicians' delicacy and pinpointed control in the minor-key variations never allows the harmonic tension to slacken . . . Maisky reveals a deft and thoughtful ensemble sensibility different from his larger-than-life solo persona. Nobuko Imai's rich, penetrating viola timbre proves an anchoring influence and her supple, perfectly in-tune high-register work particularly impresses in Var 17, where the violin sits out. Virtually all repeats are observed in this excellently engineered release. --Gramophone, April 2007