David J. Grossman (and colleagues) spent a considerable amount of time and effort refining the Goldberg Variations midi files (
see the discussion). He was planning a CD release by recording the midis using soundfonts but I'm not sure it ever happened (or will happen) since that was 11 years ago. With his permission, I went ahead and recorded these using the
1720 Blanchet Harpsichord with timidity and some ruby scripts to patch up problematic parts of the midi files. While most of it comes straight from Dave's midi's, I did modify a few tempos when I felt it was needed. The
files are completely free (public domain; CC0 license).
The Goldberg Variations for Downloading
Dave remarked, "
I now find that I enjoy my MIDI version almost more
than recorded versions. I get to decide how the phrasing should be."
These recordings from MIDI might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I
have found them tremendously enjoyable to listen to and helpful as a
reference from which to appreciate other interpretations.
I'd be interested in any feedback. These links are good as of 8/17/2012. Email me if these ever go out and I'll update them or send the files to you direct.
