actually, there is something very peculiar, or elusive about the gould repertoire. which might explain why he stuck with the eroica variations as opposed to the diabelli. ( and i am aware of all the lofty accolades re : the diabelli including von bulow's ) when you play the literature that gould specialized in, it's uplifting mentally and physically challenging. it's totally enjoyable along the way. ( i would probably exclude schoenberg here, but that's my fault. my mind simply can't enjoy the listening or playing journey here. my inadequacy i'm afraid-- maybe more years to grow will help . but generally pieces like the goldberg, beethoven fourth , etc etc are wonderful emotional and physical soul mates. many of the great works, i.e. schubert, ( i'm ready for the responses !) simply are not. i don't know. this is just my opinion. who knows. but, maybe for the pianists out there, try the comparison over a few years and see what you think. it should be interesting. michael
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