Victor Goldberg: Musical Meditation, Being a Blessing

I    n a theme for [a set of] variations, it is almost only the bass [left-hand piano part] that has any meaning for me. But this is sacred to me: it is the firm foundation on which I then build my [musical] ‘stories’. What I do with a melody is only playing around ... If I vary only the melody, then I cannot easily be more than clever or graceful, or, indeed, [if] full of feeling, deepen a pretty thought. On the given bass, I invent something actually new; I discover new melodies in it--I create.”
  —  Johannes Brahms.

V ictor Goldberg’s performance last night in the [completely filled] Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall was a tour de force.

• Scarlatti: Sonata in E Major, K. 380
  
• Chopin: Scherzo in B-flat Minor Op. 31
  
• Shostakovich: Sonata No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 61
  
• Brahms: Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Handel, Op. 24

I n particular, the emotional diversity of this program fully lived up to the ambitious ‘Depths of the Creative Spirit’ billing.

T he Brahms variations and fugue are the epitome of developing and reprising an idea, turning it round and round, dwelling on it and expanding it. Unlike Bach’s Goldberg variations or Beethoven’s Diabelli variations that vary the subject with the aim of departing from it, the Brahms reiterates its subject and reiterates it until the ‘patterns’ in the ‘wallpaper’ take on new, ever newer meanings. The nominal ‘structure’ recedes as in some kinds of optical illusions, and the deep/hidden significance is revealed. Pure magic.

I  have read about this piece in the illustrious books about Brahms; I have heard Op. 24 performed before. Its surface qualities seem straightforward enough. And its storied place in Brahms’s early career (and in his relationship with Clara Schumann, who premiered Op. 24 in December, 1861) makes it seem like a known quantity.

B ut the meditative, ‘wave-like’, strophic character of Brahms’s 25 variations was prominently featured in Goldberg’s account last night. In fact, this is the first time that I think I understand this piece? Meditating musically is Victor Goldberg’s specialty—meditating not on changing the world or persuading others of his point of view, but meditating toward deeply apprehending the reality that’s already here and allowing us to apprehend it, too.

T here are many forms of meditative practice, but their essence is to see the truth of what ‘is’. Many classical Jewish meditations do this by contemplating a particular object—a phrase, a sense-perception, even an idea—and focusing intensely on it so that all distractions drop away. Similarly, in Buddhist and other traditions, attention is drawn to the barest perceptions of breath or movement—simply to suppress our inner chatter. Saying the rosary may have a similar effect for Roman Catholics. ‘Oneg shabbos’—becoming ever more exquisitely attuned to emotions—takes real effort. Getting ‘neshama yeteira’ (an ‘extra’ soul) or revealing and engaging the ‘hidden’ soul—doesn’t come from magic. It comes from effective, concentrated attention, and this is the gift that Goldberg gives us.

I    t was through Pro Musicis and [their] community service concerts that I began to truly understand the power of communication and, therefore, the power of music.”
  —  Peter Oundjian, violinist/conductor, quoted on Pro Musicis website.

G oldberg is a 32 year-old Russian-born Israeli who has performed extensively in Israel, Europe, and the United States. His honors include the 2008 Pro Musicis International Award, the Artist Recognition Award at the International Keyboard Festival in New York and the Vladimir Horowitz International Piano Competition in Kiev, and First Prize at the Arianne Katcz Piano Competition in Tel Aviv. Goldberg is a scholar of the American-Israel Cultural Foundation and holds degrees from Tel Aviv University’s Rubin Academy, Juilliard, the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, and the Manhattan School of Music.

• Victor Goldberg page at ReverbNation.com
  
• Victor Goldberg Facebook page
  
• Brahms Op. 24 ‘Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel’ page at Wikipedia
  
• Brahms Op. 24 score at IMSLP
  
• Bloomfield D. Torah Yoga. Jossey-Bass, 2004.
  
• Brodkin A, Bruk M. Essays about Jewish meditation. CreateSpace, 2009.
  
• Cook N. Music, Imagination, and Culture. Oxford Univ, 1992. Pp. 60-64.
  
• Gold S. Yoga and Judaism. Lulu, 2009.
  
• Kaplan A. Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide. Schocken, 1995.
  
• Rink J. 'Opposition and integration in the piano music,' in Cambridge Companion to Brahms, M. Musgrave, ed. Cambridge Univ, 1999.
  
• Roth J. Jewish Meditation Practices for Everyday Life: Awakening Your Heart, Connecting with God . Jewish Lights, 2009.