[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

GG's "The Theological Implications of Technology"??



Pickle me grandmother if H.E. Meyers didn't just say...

>How can anyone that has ever heard and appreciated Glen Gould play Bach on
>the piano conclude that Bach sounds ridulous on the piano?

There are some who might say "Glenn Gould is ridiculous on the
piano"...

<Quote> Gould's eccentricities are the stuff of legend: he sings
audibly as he plays; he always plays seated on a battered adjustable
chair which squeaks; when his right hand plays a solo passage he
conducts it with his left hand; his repertoire is devoid of Liszt,
Chopin and Rachmaninoff; instead he plays large doses of Bach; not
only does he play Bach on the piano in defiance of the current fashion
(ed: of 1980), he arpeggiates chords and articulates lines in patently
un-Baroque ways. While most pianists frown on tape splicing, Gould
openly advocates it and uses it with abandon. And if all this wasn't
enough, Gould retired from the concert stage in 1964, at the height of
his fame - not in a fit of temperment, but simply because there were
other things he wanted to spend his time on. </Quote>

The interview which followed appeared in Comtemporary Keyboard -
August 1980, and revealed Gould to be a witty and interesting
character. Worth noting (?) is the fact that Gould loved Wendy Carlos'
Switched On Bach when it came out and was the first to write a review
on it. He also produced a short documentary radio program at around
the same time called "The Theological Implications of Technology" to
coinside with the release of Carlos' album.

Oh, FTR, I happen to think Gould's piano interpretations of Bach are
great ;-)

 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Don't try and make me what I'm not
 I just get by with what I've got
 Live and let live is my advice
 If you've got questions, ask me nice." - Mose Allison

 Ken
 http://www.users.bigpond.com/zingari