It is a relatively old, sound technology but excellent concert recording (1982) from the former Leningrad. Sokolov plays beautifully and has a quite own point of view, making it agreeably different from the myriad of shots that usually appear fairly interchangeable. Only in a few variations disturb something a surfeit of virtuosic speed; But these moments are rare indeed, and one wonders whether he would play it today a little different (especially when you hear the resulting later recording The Art of Fugue, which is a solitary peak). Still, for me it is one of the best recordings of the Goldberg Variations.
