|
Whenever I read that Gould was not much of a
chamber music player I think of this performance. This is one of the most
beautiful readings of a chamber piece I know. The slow movement alone is
among my desert island Gould items. The incredible rapport these players
had - watch the faces of the string players - the beauty of Gould's utterly
sympathetic and highly romantic tone, and the extraordinary sense of pulse
throughout all three movements make me wish that he recorded much more chamber
music. He captures the irony and satire of the outer movements
beautifully. The slow movement is the very essence of musical
_expression_. He talked about playing the Beethoven 3 with the Berlin Phil.
as if it were chamber music - this is what he meant. And to have this on
video - to me watching him in this performance convinces me of the complete
sincerity of his body _expression_ and its appropriateness to the music. It
is like watching Callas sing. This is music living and pulsating in every
part of his being. I don't recall reading any significant statements
of his on Shostakovich, and I have also followed this performance with the score
and noted his divergence from other readings of this great work. But I remember
Mahler's statement to the effect that everything is in the score, except what is
really important. What Gould added here I will always
treasure.
|