Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Glenn Gould :: Bach: The Goldberg Variations

DA CAPO

DAVID BRYSON | Glossop Derbyshire England | 06/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sony's earlier release of this set, dating from as lately as 1992, is still available, but I'm sure they have some terribly good reason for reissuing it now. There is a reference to remastering of the sound, but I can't find out whether this is against the 1992 issue or the original one from 1955. The new disc sounds much like the old one to me, the sound of that was excellent (particularly for engineering now half a century old), and as for the performance...



This is the recording that first announced the Gould supernova to the musical world. He was 22 years old in 1955, he disavowed this account when he recorded the work again in 1981, but much as I admire the latter this is the one for me. It is historic in more ways than one. In the first place it restored Bach-playing on the piano to fashionable respectability, as even Rosalyn Tureck had not quite managed to do. In the second place it marked the debut of one of the greatest geniuses, I am in no doubt at all, that ever played the instrument. Gould was a scholar and intellectual (although an unpretentious one), and his feeling and respect for the spirit of Bach's style were as acute as his interpretative sense was imaginative. However what pinned everyone's ears back when Gould came on the scene was just his phenomenal skill as an executant. Michelangeli himself was not more of a perfectionist than Gould was, and the cut-diamond super-perfection of his runs, trills and ornaments remains a thing to astonish the listener even in an age of ultra-accomplished technicians of the instrument. He has never been to everyone's taste, so I have no way of knowing whether he will be to yours with his rocketing speeds in certain variations, but I simply can't get enough of him.



There is a minor extra with this new release, namely some snippets from the recording sessions. This bonus is of course interesting, given that we are dealing with a prodigy of quite the stature of Gould, but I can't hear it as any major event given this maestro's well-known talkativeness. It can do no possible harm quite obviously, and if it gets on your nerves nothing is easier than to skip it. Failing that, Sony still seem to have the 1992 set available. Gould died abruptly of a stroke shortly before his 50th birthday, leaving behind him a more generous recorded legacy than certain other maestros of comparable eminence whom I shall not name. We lost him while he was still at the summit of his powers, and I have no idea what his early loss has denied us, because his range was a lot wider than one sometimes sees suggested. One way or another, this is the performance that set the ball rolling. As with the 1992 set there are a couple of fugues from the 48 as fillers, and the mildly interesting new element may simply be there to pad out the playing time, as in this performance Gould does not play repeats in the variations. His own essay accompanies the set by way of a liner-note, and for all its PhD-student idiom its fascination is obvious and intense given its authorship. I have his later performance too, including the broadcast discussion in which he repudiates this performance. It may be that I shall someday come to hear the matter the way he did, but I very much doubt it. This is the performance for me."

Five Star Music, Performance.... One Star Recording

David M. Garrett | San Antonio, Texas USA | 03/30/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Marketing, or rather packaging is everything and the 1955 rendition of Gould's Goldberg Variations continues to resurface in different clothing, yet always the same, brilliant body of work. The music is superb, the play inspired, but the sound on this recording - remastered though it may be -- seems uneven, retaining the distinctive "hiss" of the original LP. This background noise is most distracting on the slower, quieter portions; less evident, if noticeable at all, on the faster, louder passages. Nevertheless, it is a landmark recording worth owning for historical value. Pricing is good; however, a few additional dollars will buy you a first order recording (e.g., Perahia; Gould's "A State of Wonder").



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Which Gould "Goldberg" Do You Buy Now?

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 10/05/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The marketing folks at Sony must be losing their minds and the proof is the creation of the new "Masterworks Expanded Edition" series. Quite honestly this new series is nothing special -- it features mostly repackaged product, and performances that in many cases are still available in their original incarnation(s). Sure, these new ones are remastered with the latest technology (or gimmick depending on how you look at it), "Direct Stream Digital" or "DSD," and they sell at mid-price. Plus, the music is incredible so I will grudgingly award four-stars. Overall though, the "Masterworks Expanded Edition" will confuse a lot of prospective buyers, especially when it comes to this latest reissue of Glenn Gould's 1955 "Goldberg Variations." This recording is often a launching point for music fans looking to get their feet wet in classical, and now they will look in the bins and have to figure out which of the four versions (of the exact same performance) to buy. In addition to the recently issued "A State of Wonder" collection, remember that the "Great Performances" and "Glenn Gould Edition" versions of the '55 Goldberg are still in-print and available. Well, this latest packaging job does look the coolest so it'll probably be a hit with the new, hip crowd, and will sell like hotcakes (?). Of course, those of us in the know are yet again painfully reminded of the questionable marketing decisions by the so-called guardians of our precious music."