GG: Mistakes on Well Tempered Clavier ???!!!

[Xavier Otazu <xavier@fajnm1.am.ub.es>]

	Hello everybody!!!
	
 I am new in this list, and I have some questions to tell to all af you,
 experts in Glenn Gould.
 
 I think there is a mistake in the Glenn Gould recording of "Well
 Tempered Clavier".

 It is in Prelude number 10 Volume I, compass 16 (minute 1:18 of the
 CD track of this recording). There is a chord made by re-sharp and la in
 the second voice (contralto). There are many other chords along this
 prelude and Mr. Gould play them "together", at the same time, that is,
 not apergiating notes. But he doesn't play this re-sharp la quaver
 chord, he plays two semiquavers: he plays first a semiquaver re-sharp,
 and after a semiquaver la.
 
 I have the score of WTC and I look at the notes at the final of the
 book, and there is no problem with this chord from any of the
 manuscript sources.
 
 I also have the Sviatoslav Richter and Wanda Landowska recordings and
 they doesn't play them in semiquaver, they play a quaver chord, well
 Wanda Landowska plays an arpegiated chord.

 Some comments about this?

 
But to compensate this critics of Mr. Gould I have to say that he is my
preferred Bach piano player. I have listened, among others, Sviatoslav
Richter, J.L. Steuerman, Alfred Brendel and Tatiana Nikolaieva, too. But
Glenn Gould is the greatest, IMHO!!!!. In some moments I disagree with
him because of his speed in some pieces. I don't like so speedy
interpretations because I cannot hear the voices neither what is
"telling" each voice. It's too fast for me. But in other moments (the
more) he is the most clear, precise and expressive player. These past
days I was listening his Partitas recording. I think this recording is
greater even that his Well Tempered Clavier (hereafter, WTC). Sometimes
I like to listen music with the score in front of me, and then I can
follow each voice and, at the same time, listen and look to the music.
His WTC is admirable, when he is not in a hurry, he is playing each
voice paying the same atention, the tempo is constant, and the voices
flow in perfect harmony. But his partitas are greater. In spite of the
pieces (not too "bachian" to my taste, too many "french") I really enjoy
them when I am listening to him. Each voice has an independence respect
to the other voices that I never listened before. I can listen each
movement again and again and paying attention to one of the voices, and
it sounds like Mr. Gould is paying all his mind to this voice. After
listening the movement again and again, I wonder: "It's impossible that
his mind is paying attention to all the voices at the same time!!!". The
voices are clear, expressive, it is even possible to listen and follow
everyone of the notes of each voice without score (very difficult in
many recordings from other players). It's really the most impressive
recording I've ever listened from Glenn Gloud. I would summarize it in
three words: clarity, precision, and expression.

These next days I am going to listen (and read) again WTC and Goldberg
variations (another of my favourite recordings) in front of score.

I would like so much to get a hundreth of his mastery !!!


 (Excuses for my very poor english and for so long mail)



			Xavier
		
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Xavier Otazu-Porter

Departament d'Astronomia i Meteorologia
Facultat de Fisica
Universitat de Barcelona
Avgda. Diagonal 647
08028 Barcelona
SPAIN


xavier@fajnm1.am.ub.es
http://www.am.ub.es/~jorge/xavier/xavier.html

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