Bach: Goldberg Variations
Fazil Say (piano) (Warner)
(scroll down for English review)
踏入中年的薩伊，一方面更進取的作曲及向樂迷介紹自己新作，另一方面更投入於標準曲目之中，在莫扎特及貝多芬奏鳴曲全集後，終於灌錄巴哈《哥德堡變奏曲》。知道不少人當他是再生的顧爾德，至少在「畫面」上如此，但只聽錄音，他其實比很多人想像中正路，也對自己彈奏的音樂有深厚的喜愛，不會帶着破壞或取笑的心態。
他這套《哥德堡》我有兩點頗為欣賞。第一點他用盡鋼琴的音色，彈旋律是明亮而具歌唱感，伴奏也有穩固的底盤，同時也着重和聲。第二點是我很同意他對不同變奏的速度，因為速度只是起點不是目的，找對了速度，音樂既不會沒法呼吸（太快），或者太空蕩（太慢），速度選得對的另一個效果是他毋須把觸感及音色變化得太多。
如是者，由於幾無變化、裝飾的空間，重覆奏基本上是一模一樣。於是每個變奏我沒有聽後半的重覆便直接跳到下一個變奏，即是每個變奏前半聽兩次，後半只聽一次，如果聽到很大的差別請告知。我不認為這是一個很有「哲學」的演奏，因為專注於音樂，唔扮嘢。
The disc cover might be misleading some into thinking this Fazil Say recording of the Goldberg Variations would be an iconoclastic performance. If you see Say in concert he’d strike you as a rebel but if you shut out the visual element Say is usually free of idiosyncracies.
Two aspects of this performance caught my attention. The first is his full use of the piano’s singing tone and there’s nothing that suggests a HIP intention. The second is his choice of tempi. With each variation he picked a tempo that allowed the music to breathe and sing, but never too slow a tempo that begged for further ornamentation.
As there are hardly room for variation the da capos are basically repetitions. So I simply skipped to the next track after hearing the first reading of the second half of each variation. If you’re looking for a philosophical or metaphysical reading, forget it. To me this is mature music-making that shuns all pretentions.