RE: GG: Mozart

[Cynthia K Harris <ckh0003@jove.acs.unt.edu>]

I've been listening to the 4 CD's of Mozart Sonatas a lot lately, and I've
enjoyed them very, very much.

As a lifelong amateur pianist, I REALLY disliked these sonatas.  I found
them boring, uninspired, without much substance.  I would try to take time
to learn them, but just found no pleasure in playing them.  Then I heard
the Gould recordings and heard something in them that I never recognized
before.

My understanding of Gould's opinion of Mozart is that his music is
over-rated and that it got worse as Mozart developed his own style -- that
he preferred the earlier works (I can understand that).  In fact, I wonder
how many other pianists have the same opinions of Mozart held by Gould.  I
remember, when I first started playing these sonatas, I looked everywhere
for a recording of them and couldn't find them anywhere.  Even now, there
are many more recordings of Beethoven, Schubert, Haydn sonatas than
Mozart's. 

Gould said that he enjoyed playing the Mozart sonatas, and this is so
evident in the recordings. They are so joyous!  Yes, he made them his own.
Some are incredibly fast, some are unbelievably slow.  He arpeggiated
chords, didn't necessarily follow the dynamics as indicated.  But what he
did was make them interesting, fun. (Something I didn't know they could
be.)  He did exactly what needed to be done. What was it he said?  --
"gave them some vitamins"?????  

So, last weekend I pulled out my book of these Sonatas and played through
some of them again -- this time with Gould's interpretations running
through my mind.  For the first time, I enjoyed them!  Thanks Glenn!

Cyndie...