GG's orthodox interpretations

[Bradley P Lehman <bpl@umich.edu>]

On Thu, 21 Jan 1999, Andrew Lance wrote:

> So, I'll ask again--does this mean that Gould's 
> playing of the toccata's ARE unorthodox?

Sounds like an interesting survey question.  In the opinion of f_minor
members, which GG interpretations could be considered orthodox?

For a starter, here's my list:

Bach partitas 1, 5, 6 (mostly)
Beethoven concertos 2, 3
Schoenberg piano concerto (maybe)
Berg sonata (maybe)
Schoenberg solo works
Haydn Eb sonata - early recording only
Krenek sonata (maybe)
Some of the Brahms intermezzi
Some of the lieder recordings (maybe)
Beethoven sonatas 8, 9, 10, 12 (maybe), 14, 15, 18, 22, 24
Hindemith sonatas (maybe)
Some of the Beethoven bagatelles
Prokofiev sonata 7 (maybe)
Bizet Chromatic Variations and Nocturne (hard to tell what's orthodox
   here)
Grieg sonata (maybe)
Hindemith brass sonatas (maybe)
Sibelius Sonatine and Kyllikki (maybe)
Strauss sonata and Five Pieces (maybe)
The live Salzburg Goldbergs, and maybe also the 1954 CBC version

[anybody have more to add?]

---

And just because I'd consider a GG record unorthodox, that doesn't mean I
don't like it!  GG is interesting precisely because he is often very
challenging and brings out new insights.  Sometimes he probes and
illuminates in normal directions, sometimes in highly abnormal directions.
*All* of the GG recordings are worth listening to.

For "particularly delightful but unorthodox" I'd list the Wagner disc, the
Byrd/Gibbons disc, the Bach viola da gamba sonatas, most of the WTC, the
1955 Goldbergs, Partitas 2-4, the Mozart concerto 24, the Mozart sonata 11
in A (!) and KV533/494 in F, many of the Beethoven sonatas, the Bach
D-major concerto, and the late set of Haydn sonatas.  For "especially
interesting, unorthodox, but too danged gloomy or intellectually
controlled," the 1981 Goldbergs and the Brahms Ballades/Rhapsodies disc.

If the question is instead about "definitive" interpretations, the only GG
records I'd consider in that category would be maybe the Schoenberg solo
works and a few of the Brahms intermezzi, plus perhaps the Hindemith brass
sonatas.  By "definitive" I suppose I mean here a very strict standard:
the interpretation is orthodox *and* shows remarkably more clarity and
insight than most competing versions.  That is, a recording where GG is
out to play the music thoroughly from the inside, on its own terms,
instead of imposing another intellectual or interpretive agenda on top of
it.

As always, everyone else's mileage may vary.

Bradley Lehman ~ Harrisonburg VA, USA ~ 38.45716N+78.94565W
bpl@umich.edu ~ http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl/