Re: Goldberg opinion

[mwilliamson@alston.com]

        Well, that Golberg question is a hard one.  I like them both.  
        The 55 recording was impressive enough to make Gould a household 
        name; but in 81 Gould had taken another 26 years to think about 
        this music.  You have to respect that.
        
        You know, I have to say that, notwithstanding the differences in 
        the two recordings, and notwithstanding things like the 
        destruction of his piano that GG claimed to have had a marked 
        effect on his playing style, you have to credit GG for a good 
        deal of consistency and integrity throughout his career.  I 
        really believe that his overall approach to Bach (an "X-ray of 
        the music") did not change that much over his career.  Certainly 
        the rhythmic intensity and un-pedaled clarity of his playing is 
        something that you can hear in most of his recordings.

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Goldberg opinion
Author:  Jorgen.Lundmark@sundsvall.mail.telia.com at internet
Date:    1/29/97 2:32 PM


Hello all!
     
I have over some years found that peoples opinions of Gould's two studio 
Goldbergs very often tend to diverge. To put it bluntly, either you like 
the 1955 and "dismiss" the 1981 version or the opposite standpoint is 
appicable (please forgive me for this over-simplification; most 
commentators do of course develope their arguments in a more refined 
manner).
     
Otto Friedrich opted for the 1955 whereas Jim Aikin in his article in 
"Keyboard" 1983 held the opposite opinion. I am personally a firm 1981 
believer, which doesn't say I cannot appreciate the almost unstoppable 
flow of energy of the earlier rendition. The trascendental, if such a 
term is permissable, qualities of the 1981 recording makes it in my mind 
perhaps the best piano recording ever.
     
What do the rest of F_Minor think of these two cornerstones of the 
Gouldian discography?
     
My second question concerns Gould's performances of the three fugues of 
from "The Art of Fugue" in the "Glenn Gould Plays Bach" series. Along 
side the 1981 Goldberg and a few others recordings, I find these 
interpretations the high points of Gould's career. This is a view not 
shared by everyone. Let me quote Jens Hagestedt in his book "Wie spielt 
Glenn Gould". On page 12 he writes (freely translated): "Unworthy is also 
the meditative, restrained profunditiy, that Gould achieves in the last 
unfinnished contrapunctus of the "The Art of fugue"...".
     
To make a long story short: 1. Do any of you have opinions concerning 
the 1955 and 1981 "Goldberg variations"?
     
2. Do any of you have opinions concerning the three fugues from "The Art 
of Fugue" as showed in the "Glenn Gould Plays Bach" series?
     
Regards
J=F6rgen