“In this work,” says Zhu Xiao-Mei, “Bach gave musical expression to life in all of its infinite facets.” The Chinese pianist’s name is inextricably linked to that of Johann Sebastian Bach. For Zhu Xiao-Mei the special quality of the Goldberg Variations lies in the fact that all human emotions and feelings find expression here. “I love them above all else, each day a little more, and I have always wanted to share this love with others...”
Since her first pioneering recording of the Goldberg Variations more than twenty years ago, Zhu Xiao-Mei has played the work several hundred times at recitals all over the world. Through the encounter with her audiences she has evolved a new vision of the work, which she is now presenting to listeners in the form of this new CD recording.
“It is the cyclical character of the work that I believe affects listeners the most. It begins and ends in the same way. And when we again hear the Aria, we have the impression that we have understood something. It is about life and death. The Chinese will quote Lao Tzu: “The return is the movement of Tao.” Christians will talk about eternal life. It is also about the idea that there is no ending. And so there is hope.”
（“在这部作品中，”朱晓玫说，“巴赫以音乐的方式表达了生活的方方面面。”中国钢琴家的名字与约翰·塞巴斯蒂安·巴赫有着千丝万缕的联系。对朱晓玫来说，哥德堡变奏曲的特殊之处在于，人类所有的情感和感受都可以在这里表达。 “我爱他们胜过一切，每天多一点，我一直想与他人分享这份爱……”
自二十多年前首张开创性地录制《哥德堡变奏曲》以来，朱晓玫已在世界各地的音乐会上演奏了数百次。通过与观众的接触，她对作品有了新的认识，现在她以这张新的 CD 录音的形式向听众展示。
“我认为最能影响听众的是作品的周期性特征。它以同样的方式开始和结束。当我们再次听到咏叹调时，我们会觉得我们已经理解了一些东西。它关乎生与死。中国人会引用老子的话：“回归是道的运动。”基督徒会谈论永生。这也是关于没有结局的想法。所以才有希望。”）