BaL 18.02.12 - Bach Goldberg Variations

[Thropplenoggin]

It is Sony Classical's Glenn Gould Edition, recorded digitally in 1981. I find it electric...

This is the only Glenn Gould I have.

I dig the Beach Boy harmonies he does in that one. (Actually, I don't.) Smart Alec comments aside, I would be interested in someone explaining the extraordinary difference in timings between the '55 and '81 recordings, like in the first Aria, for instance.

[visualnickmos]

I dig the Beach Boy harmonies he does in that one. (Actually, I don't.) Smart Alec comments aside, I would be interested in someone explaining the extraordinary difference in timings between the '55 and '81 recordings, like in the first Aria, for instance.

I'm no Bach/Goldberg/Gould "anorak" so know nothing about timings, technical correctness, harmonies, or whatever. I just know I like what I hear. I always hear something new and fresh each time I listen.

PS I love the Beach Boys as well

[antongould]

Looking for detail in Kevin Bazzana's excellent "The Life and Art of Glenn Gould" it says ....

"....he grew increasingly fond of exploring proportional tempos in the music he played - that is , creating mathematically precise rhythmic relationships between different movements or parts of a piece. His 1981 recording .....is the best known case...."

"In 1955 Gould took no repeats but in 1981 he repeated the first strain in the nine canons and in four other variations that feature formal counterpoint...."

Neither of which I really understand but he did say he found the 1951 version " too pianistic.." and "...just too fast for comfort..."!

Also I had forgotten until reading this again that sadly within a week of the release of the 1981 version GG was dead.

[charles t]

(If not already posted)...A version performed on a Bernard Aubertin organ at Eglise St-Louis (etc.), Paris.

For those of us who still fly under the SACD (Super-Audio-Compact-Disc) banner.

[antongould]

On this morning's Breakfast the star feature, which we all listen to of course, Your Call - was with a GG devotee and the Beach Boy and other sides of him were discussed. The view was you either love him or hate him ........I'm not so sure.

I was warming to the caller until he called SMP " a typical BBC person"!!

[Thropplenoggin]

I second the recommendation for Ekaterina Dershavina, available here new for £2.69! Beautiful fluid, pellucid playing without excessive 'fancy-pants' twiddling ornamentation. A pure but not dry approach.

This is a work that I struggled and struggled to get into, but this, paired with Perahia, offer two excellent, accessible visions of the work.

[BBMmk2]

SMP does say a few gaffs. i remember once(I think it were her), when she said about calling Black Dyke Band, Black Dyke Colliery Band!!

I have 2 versions on harpsichord and piano. I( do rather like this on piano though?

[DracoM]

Bach: Goldberg Variations

I've just re-discovered my CD of Ralph Kirkpatrick playing the Goldbergs.

Where might the Kirkpatrick reading rate in a survey of the work?

[umslopogaas]

I got to know the Goldbergs from a two LP set played by Helmut Walcha. I have Kirkpatrick's version on Archiv LP. I imagine that recording for Archiv would mean his reading was scrupulously faithful to what was then regarded as historically accurate, authentic performance. By contrast, I also have Glen Gould (on CD) and though I am a great fan of Gould, I doubt the HIP brigade like him very much. As well as Gould (five versions) I have Malcolm, Weissenberg, Landowska, Rosen and Arrau. For harpsichord I'd probably go for Walcha, for piano one of Gould's versions. Not that I am averse to any of those listed.

[BBMmk2]

Richard Egarr, for me!

[umslopogaas]

bbm I dont know this performance by Egarr, please give CD codes.

[Pulcinella]

bbm I dont know this performance by Egarr, please give CD codes.

Hey Presto!

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Harmonia%2BMundi/HMU907425%252F26

[Dave2002]

Estafani seems flavour of the month - https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...ew-harpsichord

I wanted to get Rosalyn Tureck's versions, as she did versions on the piano and also on the harpsichord, but I never got round to it.
Trevor Pinnock's version from years ago is very good. I have several others - Rosen and Gould on piano, included.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Estafani seems flavour of the month - https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...ew-harpsichord.

Herbert von Karajan is booked on next week's Record Review to voice his opinion of this disc.

[Tony Halstead]

Estafani seems flavour of the month - https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...ew-harpsichord

I wanted to get Rosalyn Tureck's versions, as she did versions on the piano and also on the harpsichord, but I never got round to it.
Trevor Pinnock's version from years ago is very good. I have several others - Rosen and Gould on piano, included.

George Malcolm for me!
No doubt I'm biased because I had some lessons with him... but if you temporarily put 'HIPP' out of the frame, you just have to admire his audacious use of every single gadget and tweak that is available on the huge Robert Goble 'revivalist' harpsichord with its 8 pedals, with their 'half-hitch' and their potential for 'crescendo' and 'diminuendo' effects. The awesome end result, although not 'authentic', is above all MUSICAL, and no less authentic than playing the Goldbergs on a modern piano.