Mahan Esfahani's glorious Goldberg Variations at Reeperbahn Festival

By Judith Wiemers, 29 September 2016

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“...rich with interpretative detail, subtle articulation and personality”

Reviewed at resonanzraum, Hamburg on 22 September 2016

Bach, Goldberg Variations, BWV988

Mahan Esfahani, Harpsichord

Andrew Manze excels in Sibelius and Mozart

Leighton Jones, 23rd March

Bookending a new harpsichord concerto from Gavin Bryars for the renowned virtuoso Mahan Esfahani, two underrated symphonies are given highly commendable performances in Liverpool.

****1

Mahan Esfahani performs the Goldberg Variations in Philadelphia

Cameron Kelsall, 23rd February

The harpsichordist brought a highly personal, deeply engrossing interpretation that invited the listener to consider this familiar work anew.

*****

Music by non-dead people: Manchester Collective at the Proms

David Karlin, 17th August

Six pieces, all of them different, all of them new to the Proms, most by living composers, and all played superbly. A great contemporary music Prom.

****1

Mahan Esfahani and Sarah Connolly at Wigmore Hall

David Karlin, 14th June

A varied programme of harpsichord pieces interleaves with songs from Shakespeare and the following century.

***11

Baroque Futurism: Mesmerising soundscapes from Mahan Esfahani

Benjamin Poore, 17th January

Thrilling and spellbinding experimental music for harpsichord and electronics, performed by Mahan Esfahani.

*****

Thrilling Bach from Mahan Esfahani at Wigmore Hall

David Karlin, 9th February

To reach the mother lode of Bach's keyboard music, you have to listen to it on harpsichord, and today, no performer embodies that mother lode more than Mahan Esfahani.

****1

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Judith Wiemers

A graduate of Universität zu Köln, Judith is currently undertaking a Phd in Music at Queen’s University Belfast, where she investigates German film musicals from the 1930s. She is passionate about opera, choral singing and Irish fiddle music, and thoroughly enjoys writing about all aspects of music.