GG's version of the last movement of Chopin's Bm

[jerry and judy <jerbidoc@zianet.com>]

In article <794sg7$anu$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,
  skipfreeman@my-dejanews.com wrote:

> One of the
> performances would seem to represent someone in full control of their
> faculties, while the other could only represent someone who has gone
> stark-raving mad.
>
> Care to take a guess as to which is which?

Gould's version of the last movement of Chopin's B Minor sonata is the one
that would seem to represent a madman - and therein lies evidence of Gould's
utter sanity and of his extraordinary musicianship. For note that I did not
mean that one of either Gould or Rubinstein must have been madman. I meant
that if music is to be seen as representing the inner state of a man then the
state of such a man that Gould's performance of this movement represents
would be one of madness, the madness of one driven to an abyss of darkness
and despair.

After all of the conflicts that have occured in previous movements (and there
are many), the man of Gould's performance has reached his wit's end due to
the many and various obstacles that have been placed in his path. He
struggles against all odds to overcome his trials and tribulations, but he
has great difficulty in doing so. Does he succeed? That is hard to determine.
All that is certain is that as the two final, crashing chords crash their way
down, he takes a great leap - but has he lept into that abyss or does he leap
for joy on the edge of it?

Now, I do not believe that Chopin's sonata was intended to be program music
or anything of the kind, so I do not propose that the above be taken
literally and I do not take it thusly. And whether music can represent the
inner state of a man, I do not know or care. The description I have given is
simply one that I might offer if forced to convey something of Gould's
performance of Chopin's music to someone who has not heard it.

-Skip