Re: Glen Gould- Pro vs. Con

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

This was interesting to me, and I agree with most it.  It's interesting to
hear some 'non-fminors' describe their impressions of GG.  It's a thread on
RMC, I don't know how long it's been running.


>In article <19990731203613.04826.00005695@ng-bk1.aol.com>,
>Eecn <eecn@aol.com> wrote:
>>    As a relatively newcomer to the world of classical piano music, I would
>>appreciate some insight on Glen Gould. My friend says this pianist brings out
>>passioned fans/critics.
>>
>>1) To the supporters, why is he great? Which recordings support your
>>arguement?
>
>Great finger technique, high clarity, excellent separation of voices,
>rhythmic verve, and infectious ebullience when he's playing a piece
>he loves.  Among his best: Bach English Suites, Partitas, and the
>earlier Goldbergs.
>
>>2) To the critics, why is he over-rated?
>
>He had a deeply annoying fixation on playing everything differently
>from everyone else, whether it made any musical sense or not.  In many
>cases, this led to absurd tempos, crazy voicings, and just plain bizarre
>playing.  He's at his absolute worst in music he despised, in which he's
>deliberately parodistic: avoid his Mozart Sonatas and his Appassionata.
>His continuously grey piano tone is a definite detraction as well:
>he pooh-poohed the vaunted "burnished tone" of conventional pianists,
>but his own thin sound is particularly unpleasant in the romantic
>works he attempted.
>
>--


>Carl Tait                 IBM T. J. Watson Research Center
>cdtait@us.ibm.com         Yorktown Heights, NY  10598

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In article <37AA08B9.E2C5E780@home.com>, "D. Schreiber" <dschr@home.com> wrote:

Carl Tait's message says a lot of what I'd say, although I'm generally
more positive.

I heard one radio person here in Toronto say about one of Gould's Mozart
sonatas that it was certainly bad Mozart, yet it was the only version he
continued to listen to. For me Gould is an uncannily persuasive, even
compelling, performer. For example, I just can't listen to Schoenberg at
all - normally. Yet I enjoy VERY MUCH Gould's performance of S's solo
piano works.

An all-time favourite Gould recording of mine is his earlier album of
Brahms Intermezzi. My god does he plumb the depths!! After him, I can
hardly listen to anyone else's performances, they all seem so
nondescript and shallow. Gould just burrows deep, deep into me with
those pieces, in a way little other music does, except maybe the slow
movement of Beethoven's Op. 130 quartet.