GEOFFROY COUTEAU 23 What about its architecture? It is a lengthy structure that forms a loop, and it needs to be seen as a whole… The first decision concerned whether or not to observe the repeats, which has a considerable impact on the overall length of the cycle. For this recording, I chose to include them, since they form part of the proportions such as Bach had conceived them, whereas in concert this does not seem to me to be an absolute necessity. It then seemed important to map out my path by establishing certain landmarks: the French overture, for instance, which appears as one of the points of transition; the twenty-fifth variation, which forms the emotional core of the work, the most expansive of those three small minor-key gems of such expressive power. Some pieces need to be linked together, while others can stand apart. And then there is the reprise of the Aria at the end, which must be nourished by everything that has gone before. This is why it was essential to run through the work in its entirety, in order to assess the weight of each variation in relation to what follows. One then realises just how concrete Bach’s thinking is, and that it must never be disregarded.
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