RE: GG's orthodox interpretations

[Martin J Smith <martinj.smith@bbc.co.uk>]

Seems a bit harsh on Glenn to leave out the Mozart Sonatas from the
unorthodox list, since he clearly made such efforts to make them his own.

Have a good weekend everyone,

Martin

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Bradley P Lehman [SMTP:bpl@umich.edu]
> Sent:	Friday, January 22, 1999 3:55 PM
> To:	Andrew Lance
> Cc:	f_minor@email.rutgers.edu
> Subject:	GG's orthodox interpretations
> 
> On Thu, 21 Jan 1999, Andrew Lance wrote:
> 
> > So, I'll ask again--does this mean that Gould's 
> > playing of the toccata's ARE unorthodox?
> 
> Sounds like an interesting survey question.  In the opinion of f_minor
> members, which GG interpretations could be considered orthodox?
> 
> For a starter, here's my list:
> 
> Bach partitas 1, 5, 6 (mostly)
> Beethoven concertos 2, 3
> Schoenberg piano concerto (maybe)
> Berg sonata (maybe)
> Schoenberg solo works
> Haydn Eb sonata - early recording only
> Krenek sonata (maybe)
> Some of the Brahms intermezzi
> Some of the lieder recordings (maybe)
> Beethoven sonatas 8, 9, 10, 12 (maybe), 14, 15, 18, 22, 24
> Hindemith sonatas (maybe)
> Some of the Beethoven bagatelles
> Prokofiev sonata 7 (maybe)
> Bizet Chromatic Variations and Nocturne (hard to tell what's orthodox
>    here)
> Grieg sonata (maybe)
> Hindemith brass sonatas (maybe)
> Sibelius Sonatine and Kyllikki (maybe)
> Strauss sonata and Five Pieces (maybe)
> The live Salzburg Goldbergs, and maybe also the 1954 CBC version
> 
> [anybody have more to add?]
> 
> ---
> 
> And just because I'd consider a GG record unorthodox, that doesn't mean I
> don't like it!  GG is interesting precisely because he is often very
> challenging and brings out new insights.  Sometimes he probes and
> illuminates in normal directions, sometimes in highly abnormal directions.
> *All* of the GG recordings are worth listening to.
> 
> For "particularly delightful but unorthodox" I'd list the Wagner disc, the
> Byrd/Gibbons disc, the Bach viola da gamba sonatas, most of the WTC, the
> 1955 Goldbergs, Partitas 2-4, the Mozart concerto 24, the Mozart sonata 11
> in A (!) and KV533/494 in F, many of the Beethoven sonatas, the Bach
> D-major concerto, and the late set of Haydn sonatas.  For "especially
> interesting, unorthodox, but too danged gloomy or intellectually
> controlled," the 1981 Goldbergs and the Brahms Ballades/Rhapsodies disc.
> 
> If the question is instead about "definitive" interpretations, the only GG
> records I'd consider in that category would be maybe the Schoenberg solo
> works and a few of the Brahms intermezzi, plus perhaps the Hindemith brass
> sonatas.  By "definitive" I suppose I mean here a very strict standard:
> the interpretation is orthodox *and* shows remarkably more clarity and
> insight than most competing versions.  That is, a recording where GG is
> out to play the music thoroughly from the inside, on its own terms,
> instead of imposing another intellectual or interpretive agenda on top of
> it.
> 
> As always, everyone else's mileage may vary.
> 
> Bradley Lehman ~ Harrisonburg VA, USA ~ 38.45716N+78.94565W
> bpl@umich.edu ~ http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl/