Glenn Gould

Glenn Gould

Goldberg Variations
I do not need to tell anyone about Glenn Gould. His Bach Goldberg Variations are legendary and almost every classical listener has a copy of either his mono or stereo version. You can easily compare now that they have issued both in a convenient set (right pic). There is little question that Gould probes the MUSIC a lot deeper in the stereo remake, which is the one I prefer (original cover in left pic). Gould has recorded almost all of Bach's keyboard music, all in his inimitable fashion, but none to me reaches the profundity of the stereo Goldberg.

Do you really need Gould's Beethoven and Mozart sonatas? IMHO not really. For his idiosyncracies, they are as much pain as joy to listen to!

As an eccentric, Gould took pleasure in trashing classics and promoting little known music. Hence, he was a formidable exponent of little known piano literature. Berg, Hindemeth, Gibbons, Sibelius, etc. Aside from Bach, these are the composers Gould played the best.

To me, there is one composer that Gould plays without peer, and surprise, he's Brahms! This is really little known. Many years ago, when I bought a copy of his Brahms Intermezzi I was astounded by the delicate sentiments Gould brought to these pieces, and I played the LP (original cover shown) many times in one go. To me these miniatures are Gould's finest achievements. He later recorded digitally the Ballades and all the Brahms are grouped together in various releases. However, these miniatures are the ones you should really listen to. Gould as romantic? You bet! I am not a great fan of Brahms' piano music, but THIS performance is supreme; I have not heard anything that can replace it. Desert island selection.

After playing the immem clip above, if you like to hear more intermezzi,
click here