In his first solo recital for Pinchgut Opera, Artistic Director Erin Helyard sits at a Ruckers double harpsichord by Carey Beebe, to perform a singular account of JS Bach’s Goldberg Variations BWV 988.

The link between Pinchgut Opera and Bach’s towering instrumental piece is tenuous beyond the common thread of the Baroque, but Helyard’s gifts at the keyboard are too compelling to miss.

Usually seen gracefully directing Pinchgut’s operas from the harpsichord, today we see him as soloist in his own right. The company is well justified in showcasing his brilliance, performing this masterpiece of Baroque keyboard music, which is so complex at technical, emotional and intellectual levels.

Erin Helyard performs the Goldberg Variations. Photo © Cassandra Hannagan

Published in 1741, the piece was, according to Bach’s biographer Forkel, commissioned by Count von Keyserlingk, a Russian diplomat at the Dresden court, to alleviate his insomnia. The absence of a dedication in the original score casts doubt on this legend but it is undisputed that Bach instructed that it be played on a two-manual harpsichord and gave it the title Aria with Diverse Variations.

The nickname derives from its first performer, von Keyserlingk’s...