A State of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations (1955 & 1981)
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Free Music Notes for A State of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations (1955 & 1981)
Free Music Review: My State of 5 Stars
There is little one can say about perfection, once one has admitted the existence of it. Gould's intelligence and musical integrity shine through in every note of these two renditions. He takes a fearsomely technical encyclopaedic work and turns it into sheer poetry. As well, the interview with Tim Page contained on the third disk is fascinating, quirky and fun. We get to hear something of Gould's personality and thought patterns, which in his case is well worth while.The only thing I wondered was this: would it have been better to have arranged the selections alternately, taking each piece as played in 1955 and pairing it with the same piece from 1981? Then the contrasts between performances would have been more evident. This idea reminds me of a recording I have of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, in which each movement is presented in its piano version, followed immediately by Ravel's orchestration.
All in all, though, I think they chose the right approach for the Gould recordings; we are able to hear each version as a coherent whole, and how each movement contrasts with the ones before and after it.
This set of disks is a must-have for the collection of any pianist, at any level of ability.
Free Music Review: Must-Have Edition of Bach's Goldberg Variations
Hit: 5 Stars
I finally broke down and bought the double CD after having heard these renditions most of my life. Glenn Gould, virtuoso pianist, made two major recordings of Bach's Goldberg Variations. The first was as a technically precise and blisteringly fast youngster. The second, over a quarter of a century later, as a mature and reclusive, famous artist who performs in a slower, more expressive (and not particularly baroque) way. The tapes from the second session were remastered (the original '81 recordings were digitally recorded at an unsatisfactory bitrate), and the result is this CD collection which includes a third CD with a Gould interview and some extra material.
Some people are a little put off by the fact that in the later recording Gould lets himself hum along with the music he knows so well. I found it no more disturbing than the creak of a chair or the sound of fretwork or the drawing of a bow in a fine studio recording. In any event, I bounce between both performances now and look forward to enjoying them the rest of my years.
Free Music Review: A must for fans of piano, Glenn Gould, and classical music
Hit: 5 Stars
Eccentric Canadian pianist made his mark on the classical music world with his groundbreaking 1955 recording of Bach's "Goldberg Variations." Twenty-six years later, he recorded another landmark version of the classic piece. These two recordings are now available together with a third "bonus disc." Gould's performances are nothing short of stunning. There is a vast difference between the two -- the most obvious being that the later version is much slower and more expressive -- but they are both beautiful, moving recordings.
The bonus disc is almost worth the price of the whole thing! It consists mainly of a 1982 interview with Gould conducted by noted music critic Tim Page. Gould is funny, insightful, a bit self-deprecating, and even a little catty (he isn't crazy about, among other things, minimalism and Mozart). The interview is a pure joy and is the bonus disc is capped off with outtakes from the original 1955 "Goldberg" session.
Beautiful music, a piece of history, and all at a very reasonable price.
Free Music Review: Golden Goldberg, golden Gould.
Hit: 5 Stars
It's a matter of preference as to which 20th-century pianist made the most persuasive case for playing Bach on the piano. Rosalyn Tureck comes to mind, as do Murray Perahia and Andras Schiff, and certainly Busoni if you're thinking of transcriptions rather than recordings. But Glenn Gould, with his golden tone and flawless if eccentric technique, is the Bach pianist who remains most prominent in the public mind, even more than 20 years after his death. No Bach work demonstrated Gould's artistry to greater advantage than The Goldberg Variations, and having both his 1955 and 1981 versions in a single package is a delight. The 1955 version, recorded when he was only 23, is a masterpiece of effervescent, fleet-fingered joy in the making of music; the 1981 version, not surprisingly, is more deliberative, more cognizant of the music's inner voices. Personally, I prefer the 1955 version, for the same reasons that I prefer champagne to old-growth cabernet. But both are a must for any serious classical music CD collection.Free Music Review: Upgrade Your Collection
Hit: 5 Stars
A lot have already been said about both legendary performences recorded in 1955 and 1981. I personally prefer the 1981 version and I believe so does Glenn Gould himself. In this 3-CD set, the 1981 version is digitally remastered in 2002 directly from high-output analog tapes made simultaneously at that time and it indeed sounded a little richer to my ears. The third bonus CD timed for more than 63' includes interviews with Glenn Gould, where you will hear comparisons of the two versions, Glenn Gould sang some part of the Variations, studio outtakes, and "God Save the Queen". In additional to performence descriptions, the 23 page CD booklet includes several photoes and music scores with hand written notes used at the 1981 recording sessions. The only regret is the new 3-CD foldable case designed with paper cover which may not be the best quality material. Overall, this is great for collection or Upgrade your colllection if you already have both performences.