A State of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations (1955 & 1981)
|
List Price: Our Price: $12.72 You Save: $3.27 (20%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $10.18 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for A State of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations (1955 & 1981)
Free Music Review: Masterful performance
Hit: 5 Stars
This may be the best classical performance of the 20th century. I play this CD very often, and it was my intro to Bach's Goldberg Variations. I've listened to other versions, but always come back to it. Gould's abbreviated and sometimes hyper-accelerated renditions of these keyboard masterpieces are like perfect jewels. His phrasing of the opening Aria is pensive and joyous, a little essay unto itself. And then you plunge into the first variation. As they go by (most under a minute), you wonder, as Gould did in the liner notes, how these pieces are in any way related to the Aria which spawned them. You hear rumors of the chord progression, traces of the harmonies, echoes of the bass line. Each note is crystalline pure (sometimes one set of his fingers are playing staccato while the other, somehow, sounds pedalled--how'd he do that?) This double-CD set is amazing, and a must for anyone seeking a new world of music in the realm of baroque and classical music.Free Music Review: Two Interpretations, Each Brilliant
Hit: 5 Stars
I really can't say which version of the Variations I like best. Luckily there is no reason to choose now that I have both, and how appropriate to have two variations of the Variations. Of course the sound of the 1981 version is vastly superior, but the 1955 recording sounds to my ear very good for the era. (Gould was a stickler for recording quality, of course.)
After reading some reviews I was a little disappointed in the long interview that constitutes the majority of the third disk. I don't care for the interviewer's or Gould's bad acting. But let me hasten to add that the content of the analysis of the performance in the interview is really fascinating and deepened my respect for the thought behind Gould's work. The outtakes are also great, as other reviewers have mentioned. I'm very happy this disk was included.
In a nutshell, I just don't see how any classical music fan can live without these CDs.
Free Music Review: Amazing!
Hit: 5 Stars
I recently picked up a large collection of Gould recordings on CD including this Goldberg set and although I've been a serious Classical listener for years I'd never really had the chance to sit down and evaluate the legendary Glenn Gould.
The result is that I really don't care if this is "correct" Bach or not. I really don't even care if this is "Classical" music. It's simply great music played brilliantly. The humming doesn't bother me at all; I listen to plenty of jazz and I'm comfortable with performers acting and sounding like deeply involved human beings when playing music they love. This lack of emotion some complain about just isn't apparent--Gould was obviously working a magical balancing act, revealing the emotion while simultaneously revealing the genius of the craft. The two aspects are tied together anyway.
I can't believe some people are still complaining about these wonderful recordings.
Free Music Review: Superior
Hit: 5 Stars
Forget witty titles for this review, as it does not need them: Simply put, The Goldberg Variations, as played by Glenn Gould, is one of the best musical sets that I have in possession. Gould uses his own mastery of the piano to make this music something of his own. The re-mastering and re-issuing of the Goldberg Variations finally does the music justice: Its clarity is unsurpassed, each key and note sounding as if the piano were right in the room. Gould's ability to play Bach is excellent - he brings his own techniques to the bench, crafting each note and variation differently than any other pianist. Undoubtedly, Gould is one of the most talanted Bach players in the public eye. The remastering allows the listener to hear the intricacies of his music, and turns a formerly horrendous recording (from 1955) into a clear masterpiece.
Very much worth the twenty dollars (or so) that this CD set costs. Buy without inhibition.
Free Music Review: A Life-Affirming Adventure
Hit: 5 Stars
If you are new to Bach and Gould, "A State of Wonder" offers you a life-affirming adventure. This 3-disc package includes Glenn Gould's 1955 recording of the Goldberg Variations, with raw exuberance and breakneck speed. Disc 2 contains his 1981 reinterpretation, and this music has never sounded more divinely beautiful to this perpetual Bach student. Disc 3 is icing on the cake, featuring Gould's professorial zeal and musical logic (also lame but endearing humor). If you love the Goldberg--and I passionately hope you will--then curiosity will lead you to superb piano versions by Andras Schiff and Murray Perahia, and Wanda Landowska on the harpsichord. For further Bachian "wonder," Artur Schnabel's recording of the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue is awesome. Gould's Bach, however, remains my favorite. As for the brouhaha about his sometimes audible humming, I love it: Glenn lives!