Re: New Glenn Gould Release

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

>The first four recordings appear to be originally released on Hallmark
>RS3 in 1953. They were released on VOX TV 34792X in 1982, called The
>Young Glenn Gould, In Memorium, Vol 1. The Mozart pieces were probably
>originally released in 1983 on VOX TV 34793X The Young Glenn Gould, In
>Memorium Vol 2. The liner notes list the 1948 Italian Concerto as Gould's
>first recoding of Bach's music. The notes indicate the recording
>demonstrates a gifted student still finding his way. However, there are
>no other details regarding the 1948 recording. The information was
>checked with Nancy Canning's A Glenn Gould Catalog and from the listing
>in Glenn Gould: A Life and Variations.

Either somebody at VAI screwed up, or somebody at Vox and then again at
Fanfare did (when this exact collection has been issued twice before, as
I mentioned yesterday).

The Italian Concerto in this recording is played by Alberto GUERRERO in
1947 (not Glenn Gould in 1948), according to the Vox and Fanfare issues.

The Fanfare disc (1987) says it was "issued under the supervision of the
Sniderman Recordings Archive, University of Toronto, James Creighton,
archivist."

It has that same beginning quote: "The source material for these early
Glenn Gould performances (ferric oxide tape, commercial LP discs, and 78
rpm acetate cuttings) reflects the sound limitations of their day."  And
it continues: "A similar situation occurs with the J. S. Bach material
recorded by Gould's teacher, Alberto Guerrero."

So, either someone with VAI has deliberately reattributed the Italian
Concerto performance to Gould (whether honestly or not), or they're just
really sloppy.  Or else they've whacked the Guerrero performance out of
the package and really unearthed a previously unknown 1948 Gould
performance (unlikely).

The Italian Concerto performance on Fanfare doesn't sound _at all_ like
Gould to me.  The player (Guerrero) is much looser with tempo than in any
of the existing Gould recordings of anything.  He's also fairly careless
with some details, and (if I may hazard a guess) sounds right-handed, or
at least thoroughly focused on listening to his right hand.  Gould was
left-handed.


Bradley Lehman, Dayton VA
home: http://i.am/bpl  or  http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl
CD's: http://listen.to/bpl or http://www.mp3.com/bpl

"Music must cause fire to flare up from the spirit - and not only sparks
from the clavier...." - Alfred Cortot