Re: Gould's Orthodoxy

[neil@thump.org (Neil)]

On Fri, 22 Jan 1999 13:19:11 +0000, you wrote:

>his raises the question of whether Gould was
>unusually intellectual for a musician?  Any debate?

Not question in my mind that he was perhaps the most outwardly intellectual of
musicians; and no question that his performances were very much akin to him
airing his personal speculations about the music he played. 

But with Gould there always seems to be two forces which drive his
interpretations: spontaneity and analysis. The former always shines in live
performances where he lives the music; the later dominates the studio recordings
especially from about 1970 onwards. I think the balance is the crucial factor in
success or failure of GG performances.

i know I always cite this example but the Mozart sonata on the GG videos where
he demonstrates how the music "should" be played and then how he plans to play
it. Things go to plan for about 3 minutes he's in another world with just him
and the music and the most inspired performance is the result.

Any one agree with me ?

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