This page records the provenance of my performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, recorded at Snape Maltings in November 1997. The recording has travelled widely since I made it available for public use, and I welcome that circulation. I publish these details for one reason only: the historical record should be accurate.
The recording needs no defence. Its history needs only to be stated truthfully.
The recording
J. S. Bach — Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
- Piano
- Shelley Katz
- Venue
- Snape Maltings Concert Hall
- Recorded
- 18–19 November 1997
- Producer
- Erik Smith
- Engineer
- Ken Blair
- Original identifier
- KATZ001
I recorded the work after performing it approximately forty-five times across Europe over a period of about two years. I financed the recording myself. Erik Smith produced the sessions and Ken Blair was the recording engineer. The original KATZ001 disc and brochure clearly identify those credits.
Publication and public availability
I first shared the complete recording privately online in February 2010. I published it publicly under my own name on Bandcamp on 24 November 2010. In June 2011, I gave the recording to Musopen for broad public use.
In our correspondence, Musopen’s Aaron Dunn asked whether its normal attribution—identifying the performer, linking to the performer’s website and providing a biographical page—was acceptable. I replied that I had no special requirements. My intention was to permit very broad reuse, including commercial reuse. That permission did not erase the identity of the performer or change the recording’s history.
Correct attribution
Correctly attributed use of the recording is welcome. The requested citation is:
J. S. Bach, Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 — Shelley Katz, piano; recorded at Snape Maltings Concert Hall, 18–19 November 1997; produced by Erik Smith; engineered by Ken Blair.
Correction of false attribution and metadata
In 2016, my 1997 performance was distributed under the name “Shelley Katz & G.H. Hat” with Viscount Classical Music metadata. The audio distributed is my 1997 performance.
The G.H. Hat/Viscount attribution and metadata are false. G.H. Hat did not perform in, remix, produce, engineer or otherwise participate in the recording. Viscount Classical Music had no part in creating, producing or originally releasing it. The correct historical credits remain Shelley Katz, piano; Erik Smith, producer; and Ken Blair, engineer.
Permission to use the recording did not confer permission to invent or assume artistic, production or provenance credits. I seek correction and proper separation of the historical records. I do not seek payment for uses made in reliance on the broad public-use permission.
Listen
Aria — Shelley Katz, piano; Snape Maltings, 1997
Catalogue or attribution errors concerning this recording may be reported through the Contact page.