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    1. Ogv5-icon.thumb
      Robert Douglass on May 10

      Wayne, the update is posted here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/293573191/open-goldberg-variations-setting-bach-free/posts/217023

      As a backer you should have received an email from Kickstarter as well. Here's the text of the update:

      "Good news: We've set a release date for the digital score and recording. On May 28th the world will receive two new cultural goods, made possible by your support. You'll get a notification as soon as the release has happened and you'll have access to the files on a selection of websites. The production of physical goods will continue for a while, so expect your CDs and printed scores sometime in June.

      To thank you for waiting, and to give you something to enjoy from now until then, we're sharing Variation #5. I hope you'll agree with me that it sounds GREAT!

      There are still a few steps to go in the mastering and editing, so this track is not for distribution beyond you - the backers. Please don't post it anywhere else. Thanks!"

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      Wayne McDermott on May 9

      Hello Robert,

      I haven't seen an update yet, were they sent via email?

      -Wayne McDermott

    3. Ogv5-icon.thumb
      Robert Douglass on May 2

      Walter - as an IT and former ABAP programmer, I love the SAP analogy!

      Here's the current status: We'll be releasing the digital recording and score on May 28th! Yay! Backers should have received an update in the mail on this, also with an example track from the recording. Let me know if you are unable to see update #29 for any reason.

      After that, physical goods (the printed scores and pressed CDs) will be shipped in June. We've still got a bit of work to do on the graphical elements for these (for example, we have a photo shoot with Kimiko Ishizaka booked for later this month).

      Then there is a ton of video to process, and the CEUS recording to work on. Those don't have target deadlines yet and will be done mainly by me.

      So there's not long to wait now for the digital goods, which will let you hear and see what a great thing you've helped us create!

      Thanks for your support, and your understanding that art doesn't happen quickly.

      -Robert

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      walter spark on May 1

      I like to think art should be given free reign, but I've been waiting a long time for this project to be completed.

      Please provide a precise timeline so we know where our support is going. I'm working on an SAP project and this is starting to feel like that!

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      Peter J. Vasquez Sr. on April 16

      We're halfway through April now. It would seem a good time for another update. Will you be receiving a demo track soon, and is the release still on track for sometime in May?

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      Wayne McDermott on March 12

      Sounds good ! (Pardon the pun). Thanks for the update.

    7. Ogv5-icon.thumb
      Robert Douglass on March 3

      The recording is being edited. There's not really much to report on. We hope to release a demo track for publicity sometime soon - probably a single variation. Other than that, the release is still on track for May.

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      Wayne McDermott on March 2

      Hello, how is it going? We haven't heard much since January.

    9. Ogv5-icon.thumb
      Robert Douglass on January 7

      Tomorrow we go to Berlin for 5 days of recording. Stay tuned for lots of updates from the Teldex Studio!

    10. Ogv5-icon.thumb
      Robert Douglass on October 1, 2011

      Hi Chauncellor - we just posted an update: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/293573191/open-goldberg-variations-setting-bach-free/posts/124667 Everything is moving forward on schedule =)

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      Chauncellor on September 26, 2011

      Hi! I'm curious: What's the status of the project? It's been a while...

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      Nick Mailer on April 28, 2011

      And cynthia, Bach would almost certainly have disagreed with your po-faced stance on irreverent reuse and mashups. For example, variation 30 is already a mashup of a rude song about farting!

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      Nick Mailer on April 28, 2011

      "Available for mashup and laundry detergent commercials? I just can't support that". Freedom is the freedom to allow people to do the things of which you disapprove, so that you may be free to do the things of which they disapprove.

    14. Ogv5-icon.thumb
      Robert Douglass on April 24, 2011

      Cynthia - or just for enjoyment.

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      cynthia k curme on April 24, 2011

      This work is gorgeous and perfect as is. Available for mashup and laundry detergent commercials? I just can't support that.

    16. Ogv5-icon.thumb
      Robert Douglass on April 21, 2011

      Jim, the premium scores are going to be a real treat. They're going to be custom printed and hand bound in a nice cloth binding, probably with gilded pages and pressed lettering. We'll also think of some special inserts and other goodies to make it really premium. There's a blog post about them here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/293573191/open-goldberg-variations-setting-bach-free/posts/63219

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      Jim Larson on April 21, 2011

      What are all the differences between the regular score (@ $25 - The printed and bound score), and the higher priced one (@ $150 - The premium hand-printed and specially bound)?

    18. Ogv5-icon.thumb
      Robert Douglass on April 10, 2011

      Hi James,

      The master list is here: http://is.gd/Ide2fK

      At the moment, these are the Variations that haven't yet been claimed:

      Variatio 4. à 1 Clav.
      Variatio 8. a 2 Clav.
      Variatio 11. a 2 Clav.
      Variatio 17. a 2 Clav.
      Variatio 18. Canone alla Sexta. a 1 Clav.
      Variatio 19. à 1 Clav.
      Variatio 20. a 2 Clav.
      Variatio 22. a 1 Clav. alla breve
      Variatio 23. a 2 Clav.
      Variatio 27. Canone alla Nona. a 2 Clav.

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      James on April 10, 2011

      Which variations are still available for dedication?

    20. Ogv5-icon.thumb
      Robert Douglass on April 6, 2011

      @qubodub: Here is a video of the 1st variation without any voiceover. http://www.youtube.com/watch… Enjoy!

    21. Iwanphotox.thumb
      qubodup on April 6, 2011

      The video on the home page has horrible audio quality (voice recording is better than music recording). Since this is about audio I think this should be fixed if possible..

      Oh and congrats on overachieving! :)

    22. Ogv5-icon.thumb
      Robert Douglass on March 27, 2011

      Making this a sustainable activity is definitely one of the goals. I'll write more about our plans, and ask for all your suggestions, later in the project. (Open Brandenburgs would be fun!)

    23. Missing_thumb
      Nick Mailer on March 25, 2011

      OpenBrandenburgs please! :-)

    24. Missing_thumb
      Ryan Kaldari on March 25, 2011

      So after this project is finished, what's next? It looks like there are a lot of people interested in supporting open music projects, so I hope you'll do some more of these.

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      Ulrich Babiak on March 24, 2011

      Having a MIDI that actually corresponds with the live recording would be very interesting - if there was such a thing as a Steinway-with-MIDI-out ... Otherwise, it would have to be recorded twice, once on the grand piano and once on a really high quality MIDI keyboard.
      Then, you could convert the MIDI recording back to MusicXML, create a diff compared to the MusicXML of the original score and use the result to give grades for each part of the performance :-))

    26. Missing_thumb
      Don.. on March 24, 2011

      Congratulations!

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      Donald Sosin on March 23, 2011

      An intriguing idea. There is, of course, material online, such as this:

      http://www.classical-scores.com/free/bach-Goldberg%20Variations%20BWV%20988-idparteng-1215.html

      and numerous good recordings, but the idea of having the music available in MIDI from a live performance would be wonderful, as opposed to step-entry MIDI files that abound online with varying quality. The field is really wide open for this kind of project, I think. Congratulations!

    28. Color no name.thumb
      Sally-Page Stuck on March 23, 2011

      My goodness! How unbelievably generous of you all to donate your time & talents to make this public domain! If you can do that, the least I can do is donate.

    29. Ogv5-icon.thumb
      Robert Douglass on March 23, 2011

      Thank you, everybody! This is very exciting, and I'll write more about what we've achieved, and the next 70 days, tomorrow.

      Until then, here's the celebratory post on Reddit: http://is.gd/GYOlZT
      And on Twitter: http://twitter.com/OpenGoldberg/statuses/50698847248318465

      Pop the corks and have some fun - we're making music history here =)

    30. Missing_thumb
      Elon on March 23, 2011

      CONGRATULATIONS!

    31. Missing_thumb
      Dr Grudin on March 23, 2011

      She plays really beautifully.

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      Brian Hughes on March 23, 2011

      If you can add a new Pledge level aimed at support for the recording piano for a Live MIDI recording I'm ready to jump in. I've ready enjoyed creating "switched on Bach" from stock Midi files - having a Master Recording - that would be something!
      Bravo,
      Brian

    33. Ogv5-icon.thumb
      Robert Douglass on March 23, 2011

      Great feedback! I'll investigate whether this is something we can build into the project.

      Cheers,

      Robert

    34. Missing_thumb
      Nick Mailer on March 23, 2011

      I agree. Recording the live MIDI file would be invaluable. It would be a treasure like Gershwin's piano rolls. It'd be more than that. One could change the tempo to unpick parts of the counterpoint, transpose to show how different tunings change the character of the music and so on. I daresay that a superb MIDI file might have even greater educational utility and longevity than thr score! The more I think about its

    35. Phil-2.thumb
      Phil White on March 22, 2011

      Hi Thomas,
      Yes, that's exactly what I meant. There is a huge difference between converting a written score into MIDI, and recording the actual performance, which can capture the nuance and the interpretation in a way that cannot be done otherwise. There is a dearth of good quality, human recorded MIDI files available.

    36. Missing_thumb
      Don.. on March 20, 2011

      2 cents here. If I had a Disklavier, I can see myself wanting a midi (or some other format) recording of Kimiko's rendition of Goldberg Variations as well. But since it's not the case, CD and score are just fine. -- Best of luck to everyone on this project.

    37. Missing_thumb
      Thomas Bonte on March 20, 2011

      Hi Phil,

      I presume you mean that Kimiko should play on a MIDI enabled piano so her performance can be recorded as MIDI. Since it will be a grand piano, it should have MIDI technology such as http://www.pianodisc.com, http://www.qrsmusic.com or something else. Is this correct?

      Either way, the score will be available in the MuseScore source, MusicXML, MIDI, PDF and many more formats. So you can use that MIDI file already to playback on a disklavier enabled piano.

    38. Ogv5-icon.thumb
      Robert Douglass on March 20, 2011

      Hi Phil,

      Once the notation is done in MuseScore it should be possible to convert it to MIDI. I'll check with the team and have them comment here.

      Cheers,

      Robert

    39. Phil-2.thumb
      Phil White on March 20, 2011

      Great idea! But this is an fantastic opportunity to release the recorded work, not only as a CD, but also as a MIDI file. See http://www.piano-e-competition.com/ecompetition/midiinstructions.asp for an idea of the possibility.

406
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$23,748
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Funding Successful

This project successfully raised its funding goal on June 3, 2011.

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120 Backers

CD: The studio recording of Kimiko Ishizaka playing the Goldberg Variations on CD.

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51 Backers

Score: The printed and bound score of the Goldberg Variations, our new edition, engraved by MuseScore.

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19 Backers

CD - Special Edition: The studio recording of Kimiko Ishizaka playing the Goldberg Variations on CD, signed by the artist. A signed print from a photo of Kimiko taken during the recording session.

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85 Backers

CD and Score: The studio recording of Kimiko Ishizaka playing the Goldberg Variations on CD. The printed and bound score of the Goldberg Variations, our new edition, engraved by MuseScore.

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6 Backers

Two Special Edition CDs and a Score: Two copies of the studio recording of Kimiko Ishizaka playing the Goldberg Variations on CD, signed by the artist. A signed print from a photo of Kimiko taken during the recording session. The printed and bound score of the Goldberg Variations, our new edition, engraved by MuseScore.

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16 Backers

Score Special Edition: The premium hand-printed and specially bound score of the Goldberg Variations, our new edition, engraved by MuseScore. Two copies of the studio recording of Kimiko Ishizaka playing the Goldberg Variations on CD, signed by the artist. A signed print from a photo of Kimiko taken during the recording session.

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23 Backers • Limited Reward (7 of 30 remaining)

Dedicate a Variation: One of the 30 Variations is dedicated to you or someone you choose. This dedication appears in all published formats of the work. You also receive the premium hand-printed and specially bound Special Edition score of the Goldberg Variations, our new edition, engraved by MuseScore. Two copies of the studio recording of Kimiko Ishizaka playing the Goldberg Variations on CD, signed by the artist. A signed print from a photo of Kimiko taken during the recording session.

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2 Backers SOLD OUT (0 of 2 remaining)

Dedicate an Aria: One of the two Arias that open and close the piece is dedicated to you or someone you choose. This dedication appears in all published formats of the work. You also receive the premium hand-printed and specially bound Special Edition score of the Goldberg Variations, our new edition, engraved by MuseScore. Two copies of the studio recording of Kimiko Ishizaka playing the Goldberg Variations on CD, signed by the artist. A signed print from a photo of Kimiko taken during the recording session.

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0 Backers

Live Performance: Kimiko Ishizaka will play the Goldberg Variations for you, live, at a venue of your choice. An Aria (sold out!) or one of the 30 Variations will be dedicated to you or someone you choose. This dedication appears in all published formats of the work. You also receive the hand-printed and specially bound Special Edition score of the Goldberg Variations, our new edition, engraved by MuseScore. Three copies of the studio recording of Kimiko Ishizaka playing the Goldberg Variations on CD, signed by the artist. A signed print from a photo of Kimiko taken during the recording session. Travel costs to the performance will be calculated extra.

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The Open Goldberg Project, EIN 273992022, is a non-profit organization dedicated to backing the creation of openly licensed artistic works and projects. Robert Douglass is the founder and Director of The Open Goldberg Project.