Re: GG "Moscow" live of Bach Sinfonias

[frank@clark.net]

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On Wed, 9 Oct 1996, Junichi Miyazawa wrote:

> In January 1994, Sony Classical in Tokyo
> asked me to write a linernotes for 
> the Japanese issue of
> "Glenn Gould Live in Salzburg and Moscow"
> of the GLENN GOULD EDITION
> (the world-wide catalogue number is SMK 52685;
> the number of the Japanese issue is SRCR 9500)
> 
> As for Bach's Sinfonia 2-15,
> I had my doubts about the date and place 
> of the recording.
> 
> Though the main office of Sony Classical 
> (and Michael Stegemann) declared
> that it is a live recording from Moscow 1957,
> I had a different info: it is a live recording from
> Wien.
> 
> So, I wrote a fax to Walter Homburger, the impressario,
> who had been with GG in Moscow on the tour of 1957,
> to make sure of the facts.
> Here I quote the main body of my latter to Walter
> dated January 21, 1994:
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> [Subject:] Glenn Gould's live recording: 14 Synfonias.
> 
> Dear Mr Homburger:
> 
> Here, I am writing down the notes on the issue.  
> If you have any facts for/against my conclusion, 
> please let me know.
> 
> Best wishes, 
> 
> Junichi Miyazawa
> 
> --
> 
> (I) The recording credit from the compact disc 
> (Sony Classical SMK 52685)
> 
> Bach's Three-Part Inventions (Sinfonias) Nos.2-15
> Produced by Moscow/Melodiya
> Live recording: Moscow, May 7, 1957; Mono
> 
> (II) My conclusion:
> 
> Recording place and date: 
> at least not May 7, 1957;
> possibly Wien, June 7, 1957.
> 
> If it is a Wien recording, the source is:
> Broadcast tape made by an Austrlian radio, 
> which was sent to the Moscow Radio and once made 
> into an LP by Melodiya.

The appendix of Gould's concerts in Otto Friedrich, _Glenn Gould: A Life
and Variations_ (New York: Random House, 1989) lists a Vienna concert on
June 7 which includes Bach fiftten Sinfonias; Webern variations. He
concertized in Berlin on May 24,25,26 (Beethoven PC 3, Carry-On, BPO)
and after June 7 in Montreal on August 20 (Brahms PfQn, with the Montreal
Quartet).

Note: The appendix does not pretend to be completely accurate
 
> (III) Reason:
> 
> (1) There was no recital of Gould found in Moscow 
> (and in Leningrad) the program of which included 
> Bach's Sinfonias.  In fact the May seventh recital 
> carried not Sinfonias but The Art of Fugue 
> (according to the two articles: one  is the report 
> by Mr Homburger for Toronto Star, the other is the 
> review article of a Russian newspaper Sovetskaya 
> Kul'tura, May 9, 1957, written by the late pianist 
> Tatyana Nikolaeva).

Friedrich says Partita #6; Op. 109; bERG

> (2) an testimony by Professor of Gnesin Music 
> Institute (Moscow), Vladimir Tropp, who wrote 
> the liner notes for the Melodiya original LP record of 
> Gould's Moscow Conservertory recital (May 12, 1957):
> 
> According to Mr Tropp, the Sinfonias were not 
> performed in Moscow; Melodiya got the Sinfonia tape 
> from the Moscow Radio, and the Moscow Radio got the 
> tape from an Austrian radio, which was recorded at the 
> recital in Wien, on June 7, 1957.
> 
> The Moscow Radio broadcasted the Sinfonia tape many 
> times.
> 
> With the Sinfonia, Beethoven's Sonata No.30 was also 
> broadcasted, which was also recorded in Wien at the same 
> recital.
> 
> Eventually, Melodiya made it into an LP record. 
> (Mr Tropp has a copy).
> 
> (IV) facts (for reference):
> 
> Gould's 8 concerts in Russia:
> 
> *May 7 (Moscow): Bach's The Art of Fugue, Partita No.6, 
> Beethoven's Sonata No.30, Berg's Sonata, 
> some variations from the Goldberg (bis).

Friedrich: Partita #6; Op. 109; Berg
 
> *May 8 (Moscow): Beethoven's Concerto No.4 with 
> Moscow Philharmonic conducted by Samuel Samosud.

Friedrich has Bach #1 also.
 
> *May 11 (Moscow): Bach's Goldberg, Brahms' Intermezzi, 
> Hindemith's Sonata.

No conflict with Friedrich, who says that there were two Brahms'
Intermezzi and the Hindemith was #3.
 
> *May 12 (Moscow): recital with lecture at the Moscow 
> Concervatory. 
> No Bach except some from the Goldberg (bis).

My disc also has Art of the Fugue nos. 1,4,2
 
> *May 14 (Leningrad): the same as in May 7

Friedrich repeats his own May 7.
 
> *May 16 (Leningrad): the same as in May 11.

Friedrich says Berg Sonata (rest unknown)
 
> *May 18 (Leningrad): Bach's Concerto No.1 and 
> Beethoven No.2 with Leningrad Concervatory Orchestra 
> conducted by Vladislav Slovak.

Agrees with Friedrich
 
> *May 19 (Leningrad): recital with lecture at the Leningrad Concervato
> ry.

Friedrich: "Informal student concert; program unknown"
 
> *Gould's recital in Wien, June 6:
> Bach's Sinfonias, Beethoven's Sonata No.30, 
> Webern's Variations.

Friedrich says June 7 but agrees on the works. June 7 was a Friday.
 
> *The number of the original Melodiya LP record of Gould's 
> Sinfonias:  D 7133/4 
> 
> The recording is supposed to have been released 
> in 1961.  Melodiya's monthly announcement Sovetskie
> dolgoigrayushie gramplastinki(No.3, 1961) covers the 
> new LP's from 7101 to 7391, although 7133/4 doesn't
> appear on the page because the  record was an 
> unauthorized source.

Possibly, but record companies frequently issue them out of their catalog
numerical order. 
 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> To my fax, Walter Homburger answered that
> he did not remember, so he could not
> say either yes or no, but my conclusion might
> be correct.  He said he would tell this matter
> to the people of Sony and GG Estate.
> I did not make sure if he did so or not.
> 
> I made a phone call to Vadimir Tropp and
> made it sure again.
> He told me some additional info:
> 1. The person who released the illeagal Melodia
> recordin of the Sinfonias was a director
> named the late Gendadi Kavalevski.

Melodiya issued many, many illegal recordings. I will list those with
Gould later.

> 2. Professor Tropp saw the tape of the 
> recording in the archives of the 
> broadcasting station with a credit of
> a recording of a festival in Wien 1957.
> 
> Anyway, I reported my research to the Sony Tokyo.  
> The person in charge of the disc told me I might 
> be right and allowed me to slightly mention my 
> hypothesis of the recording on the linernotes.  
> I don't know if he told the matter to the main 
> office of Sony Classical.
> 
> Junichi / junichi_miyazawa@msn.com

Thank you for your research. The differences are all resolved, except that
the Vienna concert may have been on June 7, not June 6.

Frank