Gould, State of Wonder...nay, the Goldbergs in 1810!

[Bradley P Lehman <bpl@UMICH.EDU>]

http://www.salon.com/audio/music/2002/11/12/gould/index.html

"Gould burst onto the scene in 1955 at the age of 22 with his first
recording -- Bach's "Goldberg Variations." The youthful vigor with which
Gould played Bach was more important than his gorgeous technical
proficiency in turning this eccentric, skinny pianist into a pop idol. In
this breakthrough recording, we hear 18th century odes to God that were
written for the harpsichord instead played on piano with bebop influences
by a quirky hipster. It was a breathtakingly original interpretation of
Bach (who knew the dowdy old German could swing?), and it helped introduce
the great composer's work to the Beat Generation."

Hmm.  Bebop, really?!  How about this next quote from elsewhere, showing
that ETA Hoffmann in 1810 already knew the Goldbergs by that "dowdy old
German" could swing?

"In that first story [by ETA Hoffmann about his fictional character
Kreisler], Kreisler finds himself coerced into playing something at a
soiree. Out of a pile of music offered to him, he chooses Bach's "Goldberg
Variations," and reaches the end of the work only to find that most of the
assembled guests have long since departed, and that the music has taken on
a life of its own:

"The quarto leaves suddenly stretched themselves into a giant folio in
which a thousand imitations and developments of the theme were written,
which I had to play. The notes came to life, and sparkled and leaped
around me; an electric fire passed through my fingertips onto the keys.
The spirit from which it emanated left my imagination far behind; a thick
fragrance hung around the whole room, as the candles burned lower and
lower; from time to time I could make out a nose, or a pair of eyes, but
they vanished at once... Should a real musician be so tormented with music
as I have been tormented today, and am so often tormented?"


(From the booklet notes of the new recording of Schumann's "Kreisleriana"
by Mark Swartzentruber, http://www.solorecords.co.uk)


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