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J.S.Bach: Goldberg Variations BWV 988, arranged for two pianos by Josef Rheinberger

Duo Vershinina-Lee’s story began with Bach’s Goldberg Variations, one of the major works of the keyboard repertoire. The Goldberg Variations are built on the principle of transformation: a single underlying structure is revisited, reconfigured and illuminated from many different angles. In Josef Rheinberger’s arrangement for two pianos, this solo keyboard monument is itself reimagined. The music is expanded into a new instrumental space, where Bach’s lines and harmonies are distributed between two performers and two instruments.

For the duo, this work has a special importance. It was the starting point of their collaboration and has shaped the way they think about two-piano playing. Performing the Rheinberger arrangement in Taiwan is therefore not simply a presentation of repertoire; it is the historical and personal foundation of their whole project. It shows how a major work by Bach can be transformed through another musical imagination, while retaining its structural and emotional force.