Evgeni Koroliov, in the Palau de la Música

The Goldberg Variations, one of the best loved works by Johann Sebastian Bach and consequently one of the best loved of all classical music pieces, were commissioned in 1742 by Count Kaiserling so that his court clavichordist, Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, could accompany him during his sleepless nights.

Many an instrumentalist has been drawn to the variations over the centuries, though perhaps few with the impact of Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, who recorded the suite in 1955 at just 23 years old. However, the reputation of Russian Evgeni Koroliov, who visits the Palau de la Música on the 9th of December, is by no means inferior. Hungarian composer György Ligeti, for example, is noted for having stated that if he had to bring just one musical work to a desert island, that work would be “Koroliov’s Bach”, adding that “I would listen to it right up to my last breath”. Koroliov has dedicated a large part of his career to an in-depth study of the music of Bach.

Barcelona Cultura users have an opportunity to obtain two free tickets. More information here.