Re: Behind the scenes?

[Anne Smith <smithqa@nexicom.net>]

An answer to one question:

> How many attempts did it usually take for GG to make a recording of a
piece? Was
> he as skillful and stable as to play once and approve the recording right
away?

People who worked with Glenn Gould said that he took a great many takes
before he approved a recording.  This does not mean that he made a lot of
mistakes.
He was very fussy about technical details.  He was always experimenting with
microphone positions.
A musician can make a flawless recording and still not be satisfied.  There
is much more involved than playing the correct notes at the correct time.
Sometimes a pianist has more energy in one take.  Maybe one hand is slightly
too loud or soft.  There are hundreds of reasons why one take is better than
another.  Many of these things can't be put into words.  Sometimes you just
can't play as well today as you did yesterday.  Sometimes you  get lucky and
you make magic.  Sometimes you don't.

GG often spliced several takes together to get the recording that he wanted.
Many critics call this cheating.  I don't.  It's not a competition.  He
wanted to make the best recordings possible.  There was much more involved
than playing the piano.  That is why his recordings are so superior.

Anne