Pinchgut Opera - Rediscovered and Reimagined.

Goldberg

Variations

J.S. Bach

Performed by Erin Helyard

Thursday 19 February, 2026

Melbourne Recital Centre

Goldberg Variations

by Johann Sebastian Bach

Performed by Erin Helyard

Venue

Melbourne Recital Centre

Duration

70 minutes, no interval

To preserve the integrity of this immersive performance, a strict lock-out policy will be in place. Latecomers will not be admitted into the auditorium, and re-entry will not be permitted once the performance has begun. Please ensure you arrive with plenty of time to find your seats before the start time.

Performances

7:30PM, Thursday February 19
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Book two or more productions in the 2026 season and save 10%

Step into a world of intricate beauty and sublime artistry as Erin Helyard performs Bach’s Goldberg Variations.

This monumental work, composed to soothe and enchant, offers a
meditative journey through 30 variations on a single, elegant aria. It
remains a testament to Bach’s musical genius and continues to enthral
audiences with its profound creativity.

A rare opportunity to hear this beloved masterpiece on the harpsichord,
the instrument for which it was originally composed, performed by
Australia’s leading specialist in the field. Helyard brings each variation to
vivid life, offering both virtuosity and emotional depth in one seamless
experience.

Following his transcendent Sydney concerts in 2025, we’re delighted to
take this performance to Melbourne in 2026.

"Having taken this dream-like adventure, Helyard’s achingly ravishing repeat of the Aria is played in pin-drop silence." ★★★★★
Limelight Magazine.

Join us for this intimate encounter with one of classical music’s most
cherished compositions, as Bach first intended it, and as you’ve never
heard it before.

Erin Helyard

Harpsichord

Damien Cooper

Lighting designer

“Goldberg Variations opens with one of the most famous arias in music–and yet there are no words, and no voice. Though often heard on the piano, it is rare to experience them as Bach intended, on the harpsichord. This is one of the great monuments of Western art: a masterful blend of virtuosity, beauty, and compositional genius. Constructed artfully as a series of alternating canons and hand-crossing gymnastics of increasing complexity and beauty, it combines virtuosity and expression with a compositional finesse. I’m delighted to perform them on a beautiful two- manual harpsichord handcrafted by Australian master builder Carey Beebe.”

Erin Helyard

Goldberg Variations 2026