Gould's Chromatic Fantasy

[jerry and judy <jerbidoc@zianet.com>]

Friends,

After decades of playing the Chromatic Fantasy (I'm just an amateur), I
never quite understood it as any more than a youthful (and chimerical)
exploration of a free keyboard form and some possible 'effects'.  I had
read that it isn't a very early work, which didn't help its status in my
mind.
Recently, I picked up Gould's SMK 52620 solely for 'a' performance of the
Italian variations and the CPE sonata. But the performance of the Chromatic
caught my ear and impressed me by the way it's conceived and held together!
GG is in his virtuosic element!, but he focuses everything towards the
success of the piece, as a wide ranging statement.  The few Gouldian
eccentricities meld very well with the intended 'freeness'.

If you acquire this disc, I don't think you'll soon get tired of this music
making!  The Scarlatti is fresh, the CPE Bach is strong, and GG's love of
JSB is everywhere evident.

Does anyone else have a favorite Chromatic Fantasy that I could study for
comparison?  I have a few that I can't recommend as highly.

Jerry