Perahia Peforms "The Goldberg Variations"

On the short list of most perfect pieces of music is Bach's "Goldberg Variations." Extremely popular for a reason. I only own Gould's 1980s version. The Perahia version, sampled here, strikes me as lighter and more felicitous the Gould. It's nicely split into groupings on YouTube, good for quick fixes, though this first posting should actually be labeled 10-12, according to some of the comments. In this section you will experience the strutting, confident energy of life at its peak. Beneath it, I'm posting the final aria, the most serene song imaginable, manifesting the quiet piece of having experienced loss but still believing in the beauty of life. I especially like the passage beginning at 1:40. Such simple staggering "rightness."