This is a very fine set of the Goldberg Variations. Brooding melancholy where it is required, dancing fingers at other moments, precise articulation just bouncing off the keys in the fast sections. Koroliov definitely knows this music and his phrasing and perfectly judged accents, combined with delicate legato for some variations, sharp staccato for others, refined ornamentation, all add up to a great interpretation. It's a combination of Gould without the idiosyncrasies and Hewitt without the detachment. Unfortunately, because he plays all the repeats as dictated in the score, it's just too long to fit on a single CD and therefore is only available as a 2-Disc set, but is definitely worth every extra penny.

Below is a short clip from a more recent video production released on DVD.

Jean-Yves Duperron