GG: Allan's comments on Bernstein article

[Michael Arnowitt <arnowitt@sover.net>]

Allan wrote:

>[Tamara] Bernstein has clearly not listened to Gould's
>Brahms or else she could not have made the silly comment about Gould
>lacking feeling or expressiveness or warmth.
>

Or, probably much of his Bach.  What could be more expressive than his
playing in some of the slow movements of the Bach concerti, or the opening
movement of the sixth Partita in his performance on the Bruno Monsaingeon
film - which I regard as the finest Bach performance ever.  I watched it
three times at the Glenn Gould Gathering, and no one has played Bach with
more warmth or expression; to listen to it is to go on an amazing journey.
(Good news if you haven't seen it yet: Bruno says these 1974 films should be
out on video in about a year.)

A constant refrain by the critics at the conference was that Gould was a
museum piece, a product of the prevalent style of the 1950's that has no
relevance to the music scene of today.  I found many of their appraisals
(always stated without any supporting evidence for their dismissive claims)
extremely infuriating, so much so that I actually had to leave the hall at
one point, the discussion was on such a low level.  However, in an
appropriately Gouldian way, they had rigged up speakers so you could hear
the proceedings in the lobby to the hall...no escape... 

When I have some time I will write more about this, but for now, let me say
that I do believe that it is more the critics that are stuck in the
(literary) styles of past criticism, and that Gould's musical ideas have
been found to be extremely relevant to many, many pianists of today, if you
look beyond the half-dozen superstars that are all these critics apparently
use to measure "greatness" and "influence."  And, as Allan rightly points
out, Gould's playing style had an enormous influence on the entire early
music movement so praised by these same critics at the conference.

I could not help but chuckle at one of the items listed on the GGG schedule
for the first day:  a private meeting of critics, to be entitled "Our
Shrinking Profession," location to be determined.  Shrinking?  Good
riddance.  So much more exciting Gould's notion of the active listener, one
who needs no arbiter or guardian to the temple of riches that is our own
creativity.

Michael