Re: My personal state of wonder

[Dave L <mauve_mojo@YAHOO.COM>]

Hello Danielle,

--- Danielle <danielle@PRIESKA.CO.ZA> wrote:
> (i) the Gould voice.  Fascinating to hear him speak,
> with such insights and humour and so immensely
> lucid.  Unlike most (prob) I found him remarkably
> easy to listen to - with virtually no accent!  I
> loved the quodlibet, and just the sense of
> friendship with interviewer, and (palpably) of
> knowing what he wanted to communicate and his skill
> and control in doing so.  Now I need to get a video
> to see the mannerisms:  any suggestions?

To be honest, I found his humour to be rather
cringe-inducing; I think Tim Page (?) says something
to this effect in the liner notes. However, the
"serious" part of the interview was very interesting.

As for videos - there's always the Goldberg Variations
on DVD. Alternatively, see if you can borrow/find a
copy of the "Gould Variations" CD. The audio is a
questionable hotch-potch, but it does have a very
interesting multimedia section with some lengthy
videos of Gould being interviewed and some beautiful
performances of the Art of Fugue on piano (and
harpsipiano!). I don't know where these videos
originate from - perhaps someone else on the list can
elucidate...?

> (ii)  A great number of you have indicated that the
> early Goldberg was the one to make life worth
> living.  As one who has been immersed in the 81
> recording for over a year:  Yes, it was an absolute
> eye-opener, and I can now comprehend more of the
> ur-reasons for  the legend.  Matthew put it well:
> the building blocks.  The different tempi, phrasing
> and subtle quirkiness are a delight...the passion of
>  a young genius and his love for the music: and yet.
>  Perhaps one's reaction is related to where one is
> in terms of personal development:  the 2 recordings
> move me differently at diff times: that's nothing
> new.

Since hearing it, I've found the '55 recording not as
pleasing as the '81. There's no doubting the ability
of the young Gould, but a lot of it is just too
hurried for my liking. If, to my mind, something is
simply being played too fast or too slow, I find it
very difficult to ever properly enjoy it. I'm now
listening to Murray Perahia's and starting to like it
almost as much as GG's '81, although the reverb is a
little intrusive.

Regards,

David Lodge

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