For those whose heartthrob musicians run to a different flavor, what would a “best of” list be without an album from Icelandic piano master Víkingur Ólafsson? His recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, starting in 2017, his constant touring, brilliant musicianship, handsome good looks, and creative personality have turned him into what passes for a super star in the classical world. His hour and a half interview with record producer Rick Rubin added to this well-earned reputation. I’m going to cheat here a bit as Ólafsson’s 2024 release was a 45 RPM disc of Bach interpretations titled Continuum (DGG 486 6090). I enjoyed that disc but the Ólafsson disc that really has me coming back for more is his Bach Goldberg Variations (DGG 486 4559). My copy is clear vinyl, but it was also released on black vinyl and more recently on translucent gold colored vinyl. For decades, the gold standard (pun intended) for Goldberg performances was the Glenn Gould in glorious Columbia Records mono. Late bloomers (or those who didn’t grow up taking piano lessons) may well have discovered Gould’s performance of a couple of the variations as well as several other Bach works via the 1972 film Slaughterhouse-Five, where Bach fits in nicely with time travel and alien abduction!
I have several “favorite” Goldbergs, and this is now among them. Last year also saw a vinyl issue of Angela Hewitt’s 2015, previously CD-only recording of the Goldberg’s (Hyperion LPA68146), the performance of which delighted Roy Gregory. The two versions are very different, and that’s a good thing. Hewitt is the arch Bach traditionalist, light, fluid and articulate; Víkingur offers a more reflective, more modern interpretation, with extensive use of pedals and beautifully executed legato. On any particular day I might prefer one over the other, but on balance I find Ólafsson’s version more to my liking, while the sound is certainly superior, with the music spread across four sides of vinyl rather than the Hyperion decision to reserve side 4 of the set for “bonus” material.
There is no shortage of great Ben Webster albums, and many of them feature excellent sound. See You At The Fair (Impulse Impulse! AS-65) recorded in 1964 by Rudy Van Gelder, is certainly among the best when it comes to both performance and sound quality. Joined by Hank Jones on piano, Roger Kelloway on piano and harpsichord, Richard Davis on bass and Osie Johnson on drums, Webster turns in a masterclass of jazz standards. It is an album I have often tended to pass over when reaching for a Webster disc, not because of the music, but because of the corny cover, which probably earned Impulse Records a tidy fee from United States Steel and the New York World’s Fair. But the old saying about not judging a book by its cover applies with full force here. While it may not ooze with every last bit of that big, blowsy, sexy horn sound that some of his earlier records display, some may prefer the slightly tighter, more structured sound that Van Gelder capture here. The stereo image is quite good, and I have traded in my old mono original for this excellent new reissue.
