For many years, the young violinist Niklas Liepe has performed the works of the great masters, and those of contemporary composers as well, with great dedication and authenticity. Today he is convinced that he has more to offer, as a musician of the younger generation. He sees himself as a builder of bridges between the works of the “old masters” and the music of our times. He wishes to create an interaction of sorts between the music of earlier eras and the present, anchoring “classical” music in the social mainstream of our everyday lives.

Niklas Liepe has turned to Johann Sebastian Bach. Liepe says of Bach’s music: „When I first learned to play Johann Sebastian Bach’s solo partitas and sonatas on the violin, I immediately noticed that this music was different, larger than anything I had played before. I was fascinated and soon realized that it would be a special wish of mine to deal with the music of this great German musical genius and reformer in a really new way, based on what was there.” The result was to be magical and deeply impressive Goldberg Variations for violin and string orchestra, quite familiar and at the same time completely new when experienced in the concert hall.

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations are arguably among the most unusual works of music in existence. They are both an important musicological milestone of amazing significance and at the same time very intimate, fragile and unique. Further interpretations seem to lie in wait within the theme of the Goldberg Variations. Thus the idea of creating new Goldberg Variations for violin and string orchestra was born. The composers were encouraged to recognize the very demanding ask of dealing with 280-year-old music in new compositions in such a manner as to create, with clarity and insight, a bridge to the present day.

The #GoldbergReflections Project Program

Andreas N. Tarkmann’s new arrangements of the original Goldberg Variations for solo piano as works for solo violin and strings orchestra.

Creation of new Goldberg Variations for solo violin and string orchestra by renowned composers, on the basis of Johann Sebastian Bach’s „Aria“ theme and further Goldberg Variations.  

The Composers:
Prof. Andreas Tarkmann  
Tobias Rokahr
Rolf Rudin  
Konstantia Gourzi  
Moritz Eggert  
Friedrich Heinrich Kern  
Dominik Dieterle
Stephan Koncz  
Prof. Sidney Corbett  
Prof. Wolf Kerschek
Daniel Sundy