Sit back, and realize how much better this music sounds once you know that you can share it with your friends.

Reviewed by Craig Maloney on May 29, 2012.

There’s quite a bit of variety in these recordings, but I have to say my favorite is the Kimiko Ishizaka rendition. First, the recording is top-notch. The soundstage for the piano is amazing. Secondly, the performance is anything but rote. There’s a feeling to the playing that just feels quite alive. With some of these previous albums, I felt quite bored midway, but this recording kept my attention throughout, and (dare i say it) I wanted to hear more when the album finished. Adding the nature of the project (funded via Kickstarter, and released completely under the CC0 license), and you have my undivided attention.

The Open Goldberg Variations are available for download as MP3 and WAV from Kimiko Ishizaka's music site.