Unedited Studio Session Takes from June 6 & 9, 1955 from Inventions and Sinfonias, BWV 772-801; Sinfonia No. 8 in F Major, BWV 794
Unedited Studio Session Takes from June 6 & 9, 1955 from Inventions and Sinfonias, BWV 772-801; Sinfonia No. 15 in B Minor, BWV 801
Unedited Studio Session Takes from June 6 & 9, 1955 from Inventions and Sinfonias, BWV 772-801; Sinfonia No. 9 in F Minor, BWV 795
This new reissue of Glenn Gould's recording of Bach's Inventions enshrines one of his finest ventures into the work of the composer with whom Gould is indelibly identified. In the hands of most other keyboard artists these... more » miniatures sound like student exercises, but Gould gives each one an individual profile, finding more to savor. As always with Gould, you'll notice details and secondary accompaniments often buried in a welter of notes. But you'll also find charm, as in the Sixth Invention; introspection, as in several of the Sinfonias, and lightening finger work, each note precisely articulated. The net result is a vivacity and listenability not always associated with these pieces. Gould's reading of the Sinfonia No. 9, played with spare beauty, is, like so much else here, very special for the intimacy it evokes. Fillers include some previously unreleased Sinfonias and unedited takes from the recording sessions that illustrate the pianist's perfectionism. Perhaps best of all, the remastered sound is much better than that on previous issues of the disc. --Dan Davis« less
This new reissue of Glenn Gould's recording of Bach's Inventions enshrines one of his finest ventures into the work of the composer with whom Gould is indelibly identified. In the hands of most other keyboard artists these miniatures sound like student exercises, but Gould gives each one an individual profile, finding more to savor. As always with Gould, you'll notice details and secondary accompaniments often buried in a welter of notes. But you'll also find charm, as in the Sixth Invention; introspection, as in several of the Sinfonias, and lightening finger work, each note precisely articulated. The net result is a vivacity and listenability not always associated with these pieces. Gould's reading of the Sinfonia No. 9, played with spare beauty, is, like so much else here, very special for the intimacy it evokes. Fillers include some previously unreleased Sinfonias and unedited takes from the recording sessions that illustrate the pianist's perfectionism. Perhaps best of all, the remastered sound is much better than that on previous issues of the disc. --Dan Davis
CD Reviews
Brilliant
Michael McKay | 06/24/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Although the miniature Inventions and Sinfonias aren't the colossal technical masterworks of other Bach pieces like The Art of Fugue and the Goldberg Variations, they're just as emotional and thoughtful in their own way (you wouldn't criticize a sonnet for not having the narrative sweep of an epic poem). As always, Gould has great clarity and breathtaking virtuosity. But on this particular album, it has a musicality and charm that I sometimes find lacking in his other recordings; he seems to be having a great time performing these pieces. The extra material provides some interesting rethinking of three of the sinfonias, and the outtakes allow you to hear how Gould put them together
A great recording that is both emotionally and intellectually satisfying."
Reissued for the 17th time with greatly improved sound!
PH-50-NC | Southeast USA | 07/26/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Great recording. I'm not going to review Gould's playing here.
Amazon's editorial copy states "Perhaps best of all, the remastered sound is much better than that on previous issues of the disc". The "Glenn Gould Edition" from 1992 touted "High Definition Remastering", with Sony's patented "Super Bit Mapping" system. The implication was that all those craptacular late-1980s CD rushed to the market simply to fill the retail racks were a thing of the past, and Sony was doing it right--doing it, well...Super!!
Sigh...since that supposedly definitive "Glenn Gould Edition(TM)" of 1992, there's been the "70th Anniversary Edition" and a new "Sony Masterworks Edition". Always with the promise of better sound than the last time you ponied up for the same recording. I wish instead of touting basically meaningless jargon like "High Definition Remastering", CDs would come with disclaimers like "Engineer Joe Smith bumped up the upper-mid range frequencies to make the recording sound warmer, and added a touch of reverb as well", or "Engineer Mary Johnson stripped away all previous post-production effects and mastered this CD with completely neutral equalization, as her preference is for a dry, clean sound". That's what remastering comes down to--personal preferences by audio engineers as to how to equalize a give tape. It's not an objective science, something that is always improving as more digital bits become available in the equipment (mastering equipment hasn't improved at the breakneck pace that, say, laptop computers have over the last two decades).
This reissue may well sound better than the 1992 Glenn Gould edition. Or it might just sound different. I sure wish Sony (and all the major labels) would play it straight and simply tell people what the differences are, if they expect people to buy the same CD in three or four different editions.
Edit: In the case of the 1955 Goldberg variations, I prefer the sound of the earlier Glenn Gould Edition release to the recent 3-CD package that includes both of Gould's versions [though the 1981 'Goldberg Variations' did need to be remastered using the analog backup tape, and at least there Sony gave a clear description of the problem and rational for a reissue]. For the 1955 version, the earlier edition just sounds clearer and less tampered with, while the recent release sounds more distant and the notes less defined."
Glen Gould Magical Performance
David E. Haupt | Cedar Rapids, IA USA | 01/18/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Gould shows these tradtional pieces played by every serious piano student can be interpretted more than one way. Some that are usually played very fast, he plays slowly, and some that are usually played fast, are played really fast - as though with super human ability. He uses legato on some that often are played stacatto, and others that are usually legato are played stacatto. An old recording that is still fresh and imaginative."
Why did you leave us with this Mr. Gould?
Brian Clever | Oswego, IL USA | 06/13/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I'm very surprised that no other reviewer here has mentioned
the fact that Gould recorded these pieces with a defective piano
that had at least one clangy key. The piano was so bad that initially
CBS was going to withhold the release. Fortunately, Gould agreed to
write the liner notes himself and thereby saved the recording from
obscurity. Unfortunately, we are left with a masterpiece of diminished
quality. Certainly this is still a disc that must be owned, but be aware
it shows Glenn Gould at his egomaniacal worst.
5 stars for the perfomance, 0 stars for the piano."
Track Listings (36) - Disc #1