#it was goldberg variation

[bakedbakermom]

i have been leaving my laptop on to keep buttercup company when i can't hang out with her. today she paused x-files and put on nirvana somehow??? i haven't been this proud of my parenting skills since kiddo started singing alanis morisette on the playground.

[thedarkmongoose]

the usage of the "goldberg variations" in hannibal has always fascinated me, even more so now that i know the origin of why bach composed them in the first place:

so basically, the variations were created to soothe the count who was ill/sleepless which hannibal mirrors in the books (and in the silence of the lambs film) by being calmed by them. in fact, we are first introduced to hannibal in apéritif with one of the variations playing in the bg while he calmly dines on a fancy dish of people. then in fromage, hannibal plays the aria variation on the harpsichord after his fight with tobias, presumably to return to a state of stasis.

the next time we hear aria, it is a piano rendition in kō no mono when will and hannibal ritualistically devour the ortolans. it seems that will is a calming, grounding force for hannibal and it eventually becomes their shared melody. heartbreakingly, a song called "bloodfest" by brian reitzell which is based on the variations plays in dolce (when hannigram reunites in the uffizi gallery) and in digestivo (when they talk in the cabin after escaping muskrat farm).

a similar slowed down version plays in the series finale called "the wrath of the lamb, pt. 2 / bach aria, pt. 2" when will/hannibal are in the glass house, right before they defeat francis. even throughout the series, there are variations to the variations such as this, as well as hannibal's own composition "suite no. 4 - III. sarabande: la d'aubonne" by antoine forqueray & christophe rousset, which has similar vibes to the goldberg variations. perhaps inspired by them?

but the body of music isn't simply used as a calming metaphor or an ode to will - rather, it is a deeper, existential contemplation that was nicely summed up by jeremy denk & donald francis tovey: (Hannibal Lecter's Guide To The 'Goldberg Variations'; NPR):

the goldberg variations are a representation of a cycle, a reflection, a "becoming" of sorts; a longing to be free but also a cautionary tale that once someone is seen for who they truly are, there is no turning back. and in the blink of an eye, this beautiful lie that we call life is over.

[cosmonautroger]

Glenn Gould, Bach's Goldberg Variations, 1981

[x-files-scripts]

The X-Files - “The Goldberg Variation”

Written by Jeffrey Bell

August 9, 1999 (WHITE)

Deleted scene: Scully’s freezing motel room...

In this early draft, Scully is “amazed at how wonderfully different” she and Mulder are...

Alternate ending:

[agent-troi]

it’s so funny how scully was the first one to suggest that henry weems “just got lucky” but as soon as mulder starts to think she’s right she’s immediately skeptical😂

[earhartsease]

watching the x files ep the goldberg variation and wtf this kid is shia labeouf - we almost never watch the closing titles for cast credits but this one leapt out at us

also turns out we've been misspelling his name for years because the french speaker in us insisted it should be bœuf - seeing how his name is really spelled hurts but we'll deal

[backintimeforstuff]

The Goldberg Variation MY BELOVED :') <33

[frogsmulder]

Scully is the type of girl to call her crush stupid (affectionate) whilst trying to hide a massive grin

[xfilesfanficexchange]

Hands-On Activities

Author: @agent-troi​ For: @ingridgradient​ Mulder and Scully tackle a home repair project. Ao3 Link

#XFFlickedSwitch2023 2/27

[journalofanobody]

Goldberg Variations: Aria

[sanjerina]

Shuffle your 'on repeat' playlist and post the first ten tracks, then tag ten people

I was tagged by @heresluck!

I don’t really have an “on repeat” playlist, so I threw together my different favorite playlists (mostly sorted by vibe, emotion, or which fandom I associate with which songs) and shuffled them into a giant “list of bangers to belt in the car.” I skipped repeated artists (look, Ani DiFranco’s late 90s-early 00’s run was *formative*)

(1) Because the Night (Live MTV Unplugged) - 10,000 Maniacs

(2) Parachute (Serbian Ghenea mix) - Ingrid Michaelson

(3) Darkness, Darkness - Richard Shindell

(4) Hail Mary Shy of Redemption- Eddie From Ohio

(5) Pick Yer Nose - Ani Difranco

(6) When I Go - Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer

(7) Ladder - Joan Osborne

(8) You Gotta Be - Des’ree

(9) Pilentze Pee (Pilentze Sings) - Bulgarian Women’s Chorus

(10) Scarborough Fair - The King’s Singers ft. Manuel Barrueco

I feel 2000s pop is underrepresented in this sample, so please allow the additions of the first two that shuffled up:

(11) Sober - P!nk

(12) If I Were a Boy - Beyoncé

The most played non-Hamilton musical on my iPhone is either the 2009 Idina Menzel/Josh Groban CHESS or the 1998 OST for THE PRINCE OF EGYPT. That feels representative.

The most played classical piece is the 1955 version of Glenn Gould playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations, which is directly wired to affect my nervous system like Valium.

If you have noticed that I haven’t listened to much new music, well spotted! @heresluck and @kouredios are working on me, as are a couple of other friends, but I have been remiss about putting together new playlists, as I have spent most of the last two years listening to audiobooks (especially the Murderbot Diaries and the Goblin Emperor books).

Tagging @megastoat, @cincoseis, @white-throated-packrat, @fremedon, @agentreynard, @dsudis , @changingthingslikeleaves, @bgoodg and @cereta if they’ve thus far escaped being tagged by someone else and would like to play. But anyone is welcome!

[insteading]

When Stede is sitting alone at the beach in "Act of Grace," and remembering Mary and the kids, we hear Bach Goldberg Variation #25 in the background. I don't know who the pianist is, but Glenn Gould said of this variation, looking back at his own 1955 recording, "This variation ... wears its heart on its sleeve. It seems to say, 'Please take note. This is tragedy.' It doesn't have the dignity to bear its suffering with a hint of quiet resignation."

Which I suspect is not far from what Stede would say in response to his own internal monologue: that he's been self-dramatizing (e.g., talking about the bill having come due earlier in the episode), when he wishes he could muster quiet resignation.

I don't think the second Badminton brother drunkenly self-destructing in front of him is the thing that pushes Stede to return to his wife and kids. I think he's already decided to go. Which I don't at all see as at odds with kissing Ed back, or telling him, "You make Stede happy": I think Stede has simply decided that his own happiness is insignificant compared to his responsibilities. (And in attempting to return to a life that never fit him very well, he hurts himself, Ed, and his family.)

[x-files-scripts]

The X-Files - “The Goldberg Variation”

Written by Jeffrey Bell

August 13, 1999 (PINK)

Has Scully been stood up?

Trimmed lines: Scully realizes what Henry is sticking around for...

Cut lines: Henry felt directly responsible for Richie’s condition...

Trimmed lines: Henry has to put things right...

Alternate ending: Mulder shows up just when it’s all over...

[agent-troi]

OH MY GOD THIS IS THAT WEEMS GUY FROM THE GOLDBERG VARIATION

[wickershells]

I missed nbc Hannibal’s 11 year anniversary. Might as well kill myself

[backintimeforstuff]

WHAT do you MEAN that little kid in the Goldberg Variation is Shia LaBeouf ????? ????? excu s e m e ????