Bach, Kraggerud: Goldberg – Topelius Variations

“Music is always telling a story, even absolute music like the Goldberg Variations. Performance is by definition storytelling”. Henning Kraggerud and the Arctic Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra present Bachs immortal Goldberg Variations in a brand-new version for chamber orchestra coupled with a new set of variations. Kraggerud wrote his Topelius Variations in 2017 following a commission from the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra in Finland. He describes his 15-minute score as inspired by Topelius’s life and works; much like Edvard Grieg in his famous musical commemoration of the writer Ludvig Holberg. ‘All the notes and pitches are Bach’s’, Kraggerud says. Together with Bernt Simen Lund in the Arctic Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra he has arranged Bachs Goldberg Variations all over again for chamber orchestra. In their work theyve used Bachs own corrections and additions from his first edition, ignoring additions of supplementary notes and the simplification of certain passages found in other arrangements.