10 Little Magicians

Ten little fingers, that is, doing magic tricks on a double-manual harpsichord last night at the Bach Festival of Charleston which is being hosted this weekend by First Scots Presbyterian Church.

The music was J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations masterfully played by Jory Vinikour, a Chicago native and internationally recognized harpsichordist. With no music in front of him and with steel concentration, Jory put his virtuosity on full display for 90 minutes straight. He was dazzling, mesmerizing, and exhausting. It’s not easy to sit on a wooden church bench and listen to Bach for 90 minutes with no break, but Jory certainly made it worthwhile.

The double-manual harpsichord means two keyboards that can be played separately (with one hand on each keyboard) or as one (when the 2 keyboards are ‘locked’ together). And that’s where the magic comes in. Using two keyboards is different from playing this piece on a single-keyboard piano. As Jory explained, he could not simply turn around and play The Goldberg Variations on a piano. Many of the sections intended for two keyboards would have to be arranged for one. Which also means that this piece, as beautiful as it sounds on the piano, is not as Bach wrote it. On the harpsichord you really see what a keyboard wizard Bach was, the degree to which he challenged the performer, and the intensity with which he exhausted the capacities of the instrument.

Jory Vinikour

Thanks to Dr. JeeYoon Choi, Director of Music and Senior Organist at First Scots, for organizing this first Bach Festival of Charleston, which unfortunately did not get the promotion it deserved. Hopefully the festival will continue next year, receive more advance support, and (let’s hope) include some additional solo performances on, for example, violin and cello, which include some of Bach’s most exemplary music.

Learn more about the church’s unique harpsichord here. Read the full program notes by Mr. Vinikour.