{"id":1957,"date":"2020-07-10T19:50:05","date_gmt":"2020-07-11T02:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicalmakiko.com\/en\/?p=1957"},"modified":"2020-07-10T19:50:07","modified_gmt":"2020-07-11T02:50:07","slug":"the-awesomeness-of-goldberg-variations-as-seen-in-films","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicalmakiko.com\/en\/life-of-a-pianist\/1957","title":{"rendered":"The Awesomeness of \u201cGoldberg” Variations: as Seen in Films"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My “Morning Practice Live-streaming” starts at 6AM every morning from Mon-Fri. This morning was the 13th <\/a>of the series. I have been going over one variation per day from Bach’s Goldberg, examining how each variation is put together, and what is varied, how. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6AM is early, even for me – but Bach wakes my brain, ears, and fingers up to the joy of music. And to start my day by sharing this process with people from all over the world is really amazing. It is<\/em> a very niche topic. but I have a few people waiting for me to start my stream every morning. Bach’s craftsmanship is so intricate and his structure so grand that it requires your utmost attention and concentration. It forces you to focus on the music, transporting you away from whatever challenges that we are all facing, both individually in our lives and globally as a society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people consider J.S. Bach, and the Goldberg Variations as the epitome of Western Civilization. For example, one can see this high regard by its symbolic uses in our favorite movies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silence of the Lambs (1991)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This movie, a psychological horror, is such a classic, it needs little introduction. Here, let me just point to how symbolic the use of the Aria from the Goldberg Variations is. Hannibal Lechter, a cannibalistic serial killer, is depicted here as highly cultured. He reads poetry, draws himself, speaks politely, stands erect and eats well (lamb chops, extra rare). In contrast, the prison guards curse, body language lazy, and have no appreciation for the arts (almost put the tray of food on top of Lechter’s drawings). However, it is Lechter who is in custody, and who kills the guards in a horrendous fashion, in a state of ecstasy, resembling his facial expression from earlier in the scene when he was humming along to the Goldberg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TRIGGER WARNING: A SCENE OF EXTREME VIOLENCE<\/p>\n\n\n\n