I don't have this set yet. Here is a thought. Many people believe that the Goldberg Variations should be played (and listened to) as a seamless whole. In other words, there should be no track numbers at all. You roll from one right into the next. As to the silences you refer to, in my Urtext of the GVs some, but not all, of the Variations have a fermata sign on the double bar line at the end. It seems to me that most performers would not have a measured or fixed amount of time for these pauses. How they felt that particular day would determine how long they paused. Often times you find performers playing only the Aria and 4 or 5 Variations. This upsets these people. Other people chop up the work and go so far as to mix up the order of the Variations. James ----- Original Message ----- From: Iori Fujita Sent: September 17, 2002 9:26 AM To: F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU Subject: A State of Mal Wonder (JI bought "A State of Wonder" with a great expectation. And it made me confused. In fact the New 81 year edition is not authentic. Who on earth has got the permission to make this false version? Glenn Gould would not have allowed it to be published.
(B (JThe problem is that there are no intervals between the first aria and the first variation, between one variation and the next.
(B (J
(B (JThe time length between one variation and another is important.
(B (JAfter the first aria finishes, then the first variation starts and then ends, and the next variation starts..... The interval between one and another, let's say it the length of the silence, is an important factor for performance. Gould's silences or timings are excellent. The time length depends on the characters of the previous part and next part. We have to listen much carefully to the silences of performances. However it is not clear how to determine the time length of silence. If there is one thing, it could be the continuity of the rhythm. Of course one and next usually have a different tempo and/or rhythm, but there should be an inner and unseen continuity. The performance of Glenn Gould has an inevitable 'space'.
(B (J
(B (JWho the hell could neglect all these spaces of silence?
(B (J
(B (Jimyfujita
(B (J (B
Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
|