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Re: Bach Toccata's
Andrew Lance wrote:
> I just purchased Glenn's recording of Bach's Toccata's, because I
> am learning the D Minor (BWV 913). Is it just me, or are Gould's
> tempo's relatively unorthodox? It seems to me, especially in the D
> Minor and the D Major, that the tempo's are excessivly slow.
> Nonetheless, Gould is my favorite player of Bach, and the
> counterpoint is brought out incredibly. I just have never heard
> these toccata's performed by anybody else, so I don't know how
> the "mainstream" interpretation with regard to tempo's goes.
Greetings to Andrew and the Collective:
I can't speak to the performance aspects, 'cause I've never attempted any
of these pieces, but I really like these particular GG recordings. I think
they represent some of the best *sounding* recordings done by GG & Kazdin
in the old Eaton Auditorium in Toronto. By this point, they had really learned
this room (how to mic it and CD318, etc.). Also, the recording gear (Ampex 1/4"
machines with Dolby A-type noise reduction) was pretty cutting-edge for that
time (mid-70s). I would argue that, in many ways, the sonics on this set are
actually superior to the later digital releases. I certainly prefer CD318,
even in
it's post-operative state, over the Yamaha GG used on the Goldbergs in '81.
(I know, I know....he was more interested in the *action*, but we don't really
listen to the action, do we?).
It's interesting to note that GG really *didn't* like these pieces much at all.
He was particularly critical of the fugues ("in need of a red editor's pen")
which he felt were very unwieldy precursors of GG's later masterworks
(like the Art of Fugue). What can I say? I really like these recordings and
I find the performances very convincing. Even though some of the fugues
do seem to go on forever, GG brings a real vitality to them. The slow parts,
on the other hand, have great drama and pathos. Very musical and very
Gouldian! A chacun son gout, mes amis.
cheers
jh