BACKSince its much anticipated release on May 28th of this year, the Open Goldberg project has gained a vast amount of attention, and press interest spanning Europe. The initiative has enabled the pianist Kimiko Ishizaka to record a new interpretation of the Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach, in a project entirely funded by Goldberg fans. In the ‘Spiegel’, the project’s funding has sparked debate: unlike previous recordings, this version is free ‘for all, for ever’. It highlights the move by the Director of the project, Robert Douglass, to create a better link between classical music and the internet, which he says ‘lags behind’, requiring a ‘new way’ for classical music to be released legally and fairly.
Whilst the issue of copyright is at the core of the project, the ‘beautiful music and beautiful art’ is not to be forgotten (newsbloggers.ch) The music itself has clearly been a success, one that Jessica Duchen’s blog highlights: ‘In its first three days Open Goldberg had 200,000 listens and 50,000 downloads’. The recording quality of the release has also gained praise, with ‘Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung’ noting that ‘its technical sound is on the highest level’.
The recording can be listened to on SoundCloud, and is ‘available for anyone to download, own and use without limitations’ – its greatest quality according to ‘Wired Magazine’.
