Beethoven

[hilde@uts.cc.utexas.edu (David L. Hildebrand)]

 Phil Garon wrote:

 How odd...what do you say of Gould's performances of Beethoven's
     sonatas?  I am, as many of you know, a big Glenn Gould fan but
     there are only certain works of Beethoven where Gould's interpretation
     pleases me.
 What I mean is, he takes tempos ridiculously fast or slow,
     depending on
     his own feelings about the works and, in many cases, his
     rendering of    pieces caused me at first to absolutely hate the works
until I  heard more convincing interpretations (Richard Goode, for one). (A
good      example is  Beethoven's Oups 14 #2- the Emajor piano sonata). The
rest are, INHO, absolutely ridiculous.
     [rest cut]

I agree with you, Phil. I am devoted to Gould for many things, but his
Beethoven, though different and curiously thought provoking (they bring out
the landscapes like a satellite photo does) do not speak to what I would
call "the emotional heart" of those works. There are exceptions, of course.
I find his interpretations of the Bagatelles (op. 33 and 126) quite
touching and in tune with the music. I also like his Appassionata. Not much
else stands out. I think Richard Goode is much better, and my favorite for
powerful and interest of interpretation is JOHN OGDON!!! (Check him out,
please!) Pollini is a bit to controlled (a la Gould); Schnabel is still the
granddaddy, IMHO.

Dave Hildebrand