Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord
Huntington Recital Hall
Capital University
Bexley, OH
February 25, 2022
Bach: French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV 816
Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
Encore:
Stölzel: Bist du bei mir (attr. Bach, BWV 508)
The Goldberg Variations is an evening’s worth of music in its own right – and a generous one at that – but for Mahan Esfahani’s ambitious harpsichord recital at Early Music in Columbus, it was merely the second half. In addition to providing his own program notes, Esfahani was on hand for an engaging preconcert discussion, showing himself to be a deep thinker on the music in question. The program began with the French Suite No. 5. Esfahani took the opening Allemande at a relaxed tempo, seemingly relishing in its elegance. The Courante that followed offered sprightly contrast, and each subsequent dance was imbued with individual charm, perhaps none more so than stylishly virtuosic Gigue that closed.
Few pieces in the repertoire are as life-affirming as the Goldberg Variations. The Aria on which the work is based was pure and deeply felt, a nuanced reading of an outwardly simple melody. The first variation offered more forward motion in contrast to the stasis of the source material, pointing towards the multitude of directions the work would explore, and the composer’s fertile inventiveness. Variation 3, the first of the canons, plumbed the richness of the instrument, and Esfahani purveyed an exacting clarity in the contrapuntal textures. Variation 5 employed an impressive virtuosity in thoroughly utilizing both the instrument’s keyboards.
A pensive, unresolved close to Variation 15 marked the halfway point, and the subsequent variation, a brilliant overture, made for a powerful statement to herald the even more ambitious latter half of the work. Striking contrast was had in Variation 19, wherein Esfahani made use of his instrument’s plucked timbres. Time seemingly stood still in the otherworldly Variation 25 – the so-called “Black Pearl” – yet the following was once again bright and effervescent. Variation 28 is always a highlight for this listener, and here Esfahani’s playing was sparkling and radiant, replete with elaborate hand-crossings rivaling anything in a Scarlatti sonata. I was further struck by the blazing technique in Variation 29 as well as the irresistible charm of the Quodlibet, given with exultant abandon. The Aria da Capo concluded where matters began, a welcome return home after a long journey.
“What does one play after that?” Esfahani quipped. Nonetheless, he mustered the energy for a lovely encore, a transcription of the aria Bist du bei mir from Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel’s opera Diomedes. For a long time falsely attributed to Bach, it was included in the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach – as was the aria to the Goldbergs. Certainly a recital for the books, though perhaps it is best to close with Esfahani’s own assessment:
quasi-faust 