Re: GG on WC :)

[Anne Smith <smithqa@nexicom.net>]

I disagree with Juozas about Wendy Carlos.  I don't know which article you
are referring to in your post.  This is from the August 1980 edition of
Contemporary Keyboard:
"I find Carlos's level of imagination absolutely extraordinary.  That is not
always true, I think, of people who work with synthesizers.  But with
Carlos, there is a sense of musicality that so overrides the techniques
involved that I find myself sitting there and laughing -- which I mean as
the highest compliment I could pay.  There's a sense of humour about
Carlos's work that appeals to me very much."

I agree with what Glenn Gould said.  I bought "Switched on Bach" back in the
days when Wendy was Walter.  I had heard it at a friend's house.  All the
little and big Bach pieces that I had learned on the piano came to life for
me that day.  Bach was fun.  I bought my first Carlos recording before I
bought any Glenn Gould recordings.
I have heard from many people that Wendy Carlos was the artist that turned
them on to Bach.  For this alone, he/she should be applauded.

I am quite sure that GG was serious about recommending this record for
recording of the decade.
Anne

----- Original Message -----
From: Juozas Rimas <JuozasRimas@TAKAS.LT>
To: <F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU>
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2001 1:04 PM
Subject: GG on WC :)


> I've just read Gould's article on Wendy Carlos. Frankly, I didn't know
what she
> was before - I was interested in electronic music several years ago but
never
> reached her and when I got hooked on Bach, I somehow didn't reach her from
this
> end too. And that's fine by me :)
>
> Was Gould joking/writing sarcastically or was he serious? I can think of
only
> two reasons why he was so kind ("a recording of the decade"?):
> 1. Electronic music was still very unusual back then and the mix with Bach
was
> absolutely original - the sounds different from any other performance of
Bach
> ever.
> 2. Gould dreamed of having the voice separation that only computer may
produce
> (I listened to some Carlos and heard things that can be barely heard in
the
> usual recordings - and I got one voice in the middle, one on the left,
another
> on the right etc - freaky).
>
> Voice separation is a great thing, one of the main Gould's valuable
traits. But
> he has a load of other good traits (capability of playing very slowly and
> tenderly or fast and vigorously, very clean trills etc, great momentum,
creative
> alternating of staccato/legato and so on and so forth).
> So how could he seriously marvel at a frigging junk that happened to have
one
> good feature?
>
> Juozas Rimas Jr (not the one playing)
> http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/141/juozas_rimas.html
>