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Introducing the October 2020 issue of GRAMOPHONE featuring Lang Lang

For the October issue of Gramophone, on sale from September 11, we talk to Lang Lang about his new recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, as well as to fellow pianists Angela Hewitt, Beatrice Rana and Igor Levit about their interpretations of and approach to this pinnacle of the solo piano repertoire.

"This is a very important dream-come-true moment", says Lang Lang. The superstar pianist, who waited 20 years before playing Johann Sebastian Bach's monumental composition in public, has finally achieved his goal of recording the Goldberg Variations. The result of two decades of deep study and personal reflection, his vision of Bach's Aria and 30 Variations is out now on Deutsche Grammophon. 

Also available from today is a super deluxe edition featuring not only Lang Lang's studio recording but a performance captured live in concert at Leipzig's St. Thomas Church, where the composer worked and is buried. This coupling of studio and live recordings, a world first for the "Goldbergs", offers fascinating insights into the art of interpretation. Lang Lang's performances intensify the work's breath-taking blend of contrapuntal complexity, diverse musical styles and life-affirming spontaneity.

READ THE FULL GRAMOPHONE ARTICLE