Kristian Nyquist and Mahan Esfahani

While the Goldbergs are most often heard today on the piano, the piece was written for the double-manual harpsichord. There are advantages to playing the piece on harpsichord, and tricks a harpsichordist can pull to create unusual effects. Harpsichordists Kristian Nyquist and Mahan Esfahani discuss.

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Photo credit: Felix Rückschloss

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Interview took place on October 23, 2017, at the University of Music in Karlsruhe, Germany.

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Musical recording credits, used with permission:

Bach: "Goldberg" Variations 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, and 9, Kristian Nyquist performing, produced by Le Chant de Linos and recorded in Colmar, France; Bach: "Goldberg" Variations, variation 7, Dan Tepfer performing, recorded by Dan Tepfer, August 11, 2019; Bach: "Goldberg" Variations, variation 4, Simone Dinnerstein performing, recorded at PS21 Chatham by Joel Patterson, Mountaintop Studios, July 22, 2017; Bach: Concerto for Three Harpsichords in D Minor, BWV 1063, Netherlands Bach Society, recorded for the project All of Bach at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, Amsterdam, October 15, 2017.