Re: GG: Handel

[kimmoor@mindspring.com (Kristen Immoor)]

>I'd swallow my principles however if the h'chord performance of the GFH
>sonatas is *really* -- **really** -- worth having. Help, as ever,
>appreciated.

        Assuming that you admire Gould performances more than harpsichord music, I'll go ahead and say oh definitely, I think the disc is marvellous. 
        However, let me add that I love it specifically because it has alot of "Gould energy." There are some places where he really "slams the keys into the beds" as one reviewer negatively put it, but that overabundance of energy is exactly what I like about the performance. Despite the reserved and "pointillistic" (Gould's word) line that comes from a harpsichord, you can really hear the keys being pounded, especially in the Gigues. Something about beating up on a harpsichord... very exciting. Also, the Allemande from the 1st A Major suite is worth the 10 UKp alone, it is quite beautiful. The WTC is from 1970 CBC TV, and performed on the dreaded harpsipiano. Not bad, but his singing is quite loud in a few places. All in all, I think this disc sums up an interesting non-piano experiment in Gould's career, and is worth owning.
(looking over it, this is the most unprofessional review I've ever done - sorry! :-)




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"I've never had to work very hard convincing myself of a hereafter. After all, don't you think it seems infinitely more plausible than its opposite... oblivion?"   -Glenn Gould