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BACH, J.S.: Goldberg Variations / Partita No. 5 (Gould) (1954-55)

Composer(s):Bach, Johann Sebastian
Artist(s) Gould, Glenn, piano
Period(s) Baroque (1600-1750)
Genre Classical Music
Category Instrumental
Catalogue 8.111247
Label Naxos Historical
Quality   320kbps
Album Price
 
MP3
USD 6.99
 

 


The Canadian pianist Glenn Gould burst onto the world’s musical stage in January 1955 when he made his United States recital début in Washington D.C. with Bach’s Goldberg Variations. His 1955 recording of the work is one of the most important and influential piano discs of the second half of the twentieth century, leading not only to a wider appreciation of Bach’s keyboard works by the general public but to a fundamental re-appraisal of how Bach should be played.When the recording was released the American Record Guide headed its review with ‘The Record Début of Glenn Gould a Keyboard Genius.’ With its great attention to clarity and detail, little use of the sustaining pedal, and sometimes rapid or

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Still Classic
Review By MM81676,May 2010

I hesitated to use the hoary cliché "classic," even to describe this wondrous musical experience. But that's still what it is. How many lives has this recording changed? Invariably for the the better, I should say. Even those who reject its maniacal perfectionism and hear calculation at the expense of expressivity acknowledge the sheer creativity of Gould's imagination.

I greatly prefer this version to the later recording. There are certain artists who seem to embody specific dimensions of life almost perfectly: Mozart, youthful innocence; later Beethoven, reflective maturity; Prokofieff, rebellious youthfulness. Part of the magic of Gould's performance is that he unites all of these, and more. You can still hear Gould impetuously sweeping aside the somber piety of playing more....



Review By Penguin Guide,January 2009

…Naxos have had the even better idea of coupling the 1955 Goldberg set with a stimulating broadcast performance of the G major Partita—a favourite works of Gold’s—dating from the year before. Both transfers are first class. It is also available on Sony in surround sound.

Review By , Gramophone,September 2007

And lastly, a 1950s benchmark and a record that forever altered the way we hear Bach's Goldberg Variations, Glenn Gould's 1955 CBS recording, elegant and exuberant, a fast-lane excursion that occasionally pauses for thought, very deep thought in the case of the 25th Variation. Naxos's excellent transfer is coupled with a confident Bach G major Partita from the previous year, when in terms of the wider public Gould was still a big event waiting to happen.




Review By David Denton, Naxos,March 2007

Probably no other recorded performance so dramatically polarised critical opinion than Glenn Gould's 1955 account of Bach's Goldberg Variations. The Canadian pianist was 23 at the time and had become besotted with the composer's genius in structuring music and his manipulation of contrapuntal lines that had perfect mathematical rectitude. That was to create the rhythmic exactness that places the performance as an unadorned representation of the printed page shorn of any personal involvement. Tempos were often quick, all repeats - which Gould deemed unnecessary - were omitted, the score truncated to just over 38 minutes in length. If that appears cool and calculating, no one could deny that he believed that this was the view the composer would

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