Re: GG: Fingering, Memory

["Baldwin, Daniel" <baldwin@baermarks.com>]

Maybe this counts as not playing from memory (but by choice rather than
necessity): in the liner notes to the SONY recording of GG's (in)famous '62
concert performance of the Brahms 1st piano concerto with Lenny B. and the
NY Phil, one of the players who was in the orchestra for that concert says
that what he remembers most is that GG had the full orchestral score spread
out across the top of the piano, and it was very distracting when he went
through the contortions necessary to turn the pages. (BTW -- I happen to
think that GG's perf is emotionally very moving, and quite idiomatic. Of
course, he is especially great in the contrapuntal passages of the 3rd
movement.)

-----Original Message-----
From: Juozas Rimas [mailto:JuozasRimas@TAKAS.LT]
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2001 2:01 PM
To: F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU
Subject: Re: GG: Fingering, Memory


> I wonder how different Gould would have sounded if he'd played from score
> instead of always from memory.  He was already detail-oriented (but also
> sometimes arbitrary or capricious in detail, such as note lengths); would
> his performances have been even more detailed?  More imaginative?  Less
> imaginative?

So is it confirmed that he always played from memory? Both during his
concerts
AND studio recordings?

Juozas Rimas Jr
http://mp3.com/JuozasRimas