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Glenn Gould

4231 Views 11 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  DW
I think Glenn Gould deserves it to get an own thread.

The book I am reading is German, but it's amazing that you also can get this spreading impression through a translation, but must have a look on original, too.

The English version must be "The Glenn Gould Reader" edited by Tim Page. You will find it in Amazon, I think.

Also an interesting point: Gould and conducters. He didn't like to play with many conducters and later when he said bye to the concert life and only recorded he played even rarely with conducters.

Those one he liked to play with were: Stokowski, Golschmann, Krips, and Karajan.

Stokowski yes! Thats an interesting fact. Is Stokowski known also with energetic and free interpretations. The opposite - especially for Gould - Toscanini. He compares that to the Europians Mengelberg and Weingartner. Weingartner as enthusiast and Mengelberg the correct human. Stokowski was nearer to his character...and Stokowski who didnt like to play with soloist recorded with him the Beethoven 5 th!

Golschmann and Gould were a perfect double, they recorded Bach piano concerts. Golschmann followed the intensions of Glenny, so it was a good deal.
With Krips he made Beethoven concerts, 5 th excluded, quasi a remake to record even this concert with Stokowski later.

Must take a look to that book about pianists and violinists. I like reading interviews because they show you a real person and you learn much about his character, more maybe than in articles.
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U can't keep a whale in a fish tank. Well, Glenn+Stokowski... 2 whales in the ocean. LOL...
A very nice metaphor. And that is exactly the point!

"Fantasia! - i like that movie. My personal favourite is the dance of the hours by Ponchielli. The pics are so ingenious and funny (crocodiles at the end :p). Of course not to forget Magician's apprentice with Mickey. Bachs Toccata and Fugue is a good instrumentation, but the pics aren't that interesting for me.

Hey Daniel? Are U german or English?
I am German. Thanks for the compliment anyway :).
Tell us more about those inteviews :)

To go on with Gould...i am in a passage about cutting in recordings. Gould had the opinion that cutting is usefull to make a perfect version, there he stood outsite the opinion of many, that recordings should be done in big section to keep the main phrase and energy..... Gould thought that it is kept also with cutting, that's the art to cut.

Myself i disagree with Gould, recordings should be done more in bigger parts because the energy flow is also cut otherwise :(

What do you think?
Originally posted by Sebas@Sep 5 2004, 05:42 PM
I do consider Glenn Gould to be a musical genius. The best book I read about him is "Glenn Gould, the tragedy and extacy of a genius" by Peter Ostwald.
I don't know this book, but really must get a copy of it. Sounds interesting.

Interesting your point with cutting. Besides all critics, Gould is usually respected for his Bach. But why is an interesting question. His first great recording with Bach were the Goldberg variations 1955, and that was a bestseller. Maybe one reason which made him a "Bach" specialist.

But I think what you said "reinvented" is really another great point: If you look to the Bach playing before Gould, it was more Romantic, or lets say not really clear and articulated, Gould brought back a clear line which only makes sense in Bach in my eyes, what do you think?
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