Bach: The Goldberg Variations (Glenn Gould recording)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Bach: The Goldberg Variations is the 1955 debut album of the Canadian classical pianist Glenn Gould. An interpretation of Johann ebastian !ach"s Goldberg Variations #!W$ 9%%&, the 'ork launched Gould"s career as a reno'ned international pianist, and became one of the most 'ell(kno'n piano recordin)s.*1+ ales 'ere ,astonishin), for a classical album- it 'as reported to ha.e sold /0,000 copies by 1910, and had sold more than 100,000 by the time of Gould"s death in 19%2.*2+ !y year 2000, the sale of his 19%1 recordin) of the Goldberg Variations e3ceeded t'o million copies.*4+ At the time of the album"s release, !ach"s Goldberg Variations5a set of 40 contrapuntal .ariations be)innin) and endin) 'ith an aria5'as outside the standard piano repertoire, ha.in) been recorded on the instrument only a fe' times before, either on small labels or unreleased.*n 1+ 6he 'ork 'as considered esoteric*/+ and technically demandin), re7uirin) a'k'ard hand crossin) in .arious places 'hen played on a piano. Gould"s album both established the Goldberg Variations 'ithin the contemporary classical repertoire and made him an internationally famous pianist nearly ,o.erni)ht,. *5+ First played in concert by Gould in 195/, the composition 'as a staple of Gould"s performances in the years follo'in) the recordin).

Contents
1 8ecordin) process 2 8eappraisal 4 ee also / Footnotes /.1 9otes /.2 Citations /.4 !iblio)raphy 5 :3ternal links

Recording process
6he recordin)s 'ere made in 1955 at Columbia 8ecords 40th treet studio in ;anhattan o.er four days bet'een June 10 and June 11, a fe' 'eeks after Gould si)ned his contract. Columbia ;aster'orks 8ecords, the company"s classical music di.ision, released the album in January 1951. Bach: The Goldberg Variations became Columbia"s bestsellin) classical album and earned Gould an international reputation. 6he record is no' in the catalo) of ony Classical 8ecords. At least one record(company e3ecuti.e 7uestioned Gould"s choice of the then(obscure Goldberg Variations for his recorded debut. <n a 19%1 inter.ie', Gould reflected on the studio"s situation- ,< think the ob=ections *Columbia+ had, 'hich 'ere mild and e3pressed in a most friendly fashion, 'ere 7uite

lo)ical. < 'as t'enty(t'o years old and proposed doin) my recordin) debut 'ith the Goldber) $ariations, 'hich 'as supposed to be the pri.ate preser.e, of, perhaps, Wanda >ando'ska or someone of that )eneration and stature. 6hey thou)ht that possibly some more modest undertakin) 'as ad.isable.,*1+ 6hen a)ed 22, Gould 'as confident and asserti.e about his 'ork, and pre.ailed in the decision as to 'hat he 'ould record for his debut5ha.in) also ensured that his contract )ranted him artistic freedom. Columbia reco)ni?ed his talent and tolerated his eccentricities@ on June 25 the company issued a )ood(natured press release describin) Gould"s uni7ue habits and accoutrements. Ae brou)ht to the studio a special piano chair, bottles of pills, and unseasonal 'inter clothin)@ once there, he 'ould soak his hands and arms in .ery hot 'ater for t'enty minutes before playin).*/+ Gould often had trouble findin) a piano he liked@ the Variations 'ere recorded on a tein'ay piano he had ac7uired in 1955, 'hich had been shipped around the northeastern Bnited tates for his concerts. $ariation 1 ;enu 0-00 6he si3th .ariation #e3cerpt, second section& is a canon at the second. Problems playing this file? See media help. 6he album )ained attention for Gould"s uni7ue pianistic method, 'hich incorporated a fin)er techni7ue in.ol.in) )reat clarity of articulation #a ,detached staccatissimo,&, e.en at )reat speed, and little sustainin) pedal. Gould"s piano teacher, Alberto Guerrero, had encoura)ed Gould to practice ,fin)er tappin),, 'hich re7uired .ery slo'ly tappin) the fin)ers of the playin) hand 'ith the free hand. Accordin) to Guerrero, tappin) tau)ht the pianist an economy of muscle mo.ement that 'ould enable precision at hi)h speeds. Gould ,tapped, each Goldber) .ariation before recordin) it, 'hich took about 42 hours.*C+ 6he e3treme tempi of the 1955 performance made for a short record, as did Gould"s decision not to play many of the repeats #each Goldber) .ariation consists of t'o parts, traditionally played in an ADAD!D! format&. 6he len)th of a performance of the Goldberg Variations can therefore .ary drastically- Gould"s 1955 recordin) is 4% minutes 4/ seconds lon), 'hile his reconsidered, slo'er 19%1 .ersion #see belo'& is 51-1%. !y 'ay of contrast, fello' Canadian An)ela Ae'itt"s 1999 record is C%-42.*%+ 6he artist"s ability to perfect his 'ork in the studio5'hat Gould called ,take(t'oness,5attracted Gould from the be)innin). Ae recorded no fe'er than 21 .ersions of the introductory aria before bein) satisfied.*9+ E.er the course of his career, Gould became more and more interested in the creati.e possibilities of the studio. Gould 'rote the liner notes to the recordin). Concludin) his back(co.er essay on the Goldberg Variations, he 'rote- ,<t is, in short, music 'hich obser.es neither end nor be)innin), music 'ith neither real clima3 nor real resolution, music 'hich, like !audelaire"s lo.ers, "rests li)htly on the 'in)s of the unchecked 'ind." <t has, then, unity throu)h intuiti.e perception, unity born of craft and scrutiny, mello'ed by mastery achie.ed, and re.ealed to us here, as so rarely in art, in the .ision of subconscious desi)n e3ultin) upon a pinnacle of potency.,

Reappraisal
Gould commented in a 1959 inter.ie' 'ith Alan 8ich that he had be)un to study the Goldberg Variations in about 1950. <t 'as one of the first 'orks that he had learned ,entirely 'ithout my

teacher,, and 'hich he had ,made up my mind about relati.ely *early+,. Ae noted that his performance .ie' of the Variations no' in.ol.ed slo'in) the piece do'n- ,*6hat+ is about the only musical chan)e that has )one on, but it implies, < think, possibly an approach of sli)htly )reater breadth no' than at that time... < 'as .ery much in a "let"s )et the sho' on the road and )et throu)h 'ith it" sort of mood *durin) the recordin)+. < felt that to lin)er unduly o.er anythin) 'ould be to take a'ay from a sort of o.erall unity of thin)s... <n part it 'as brou)ht about by a reaction a)ainst so much piano playin) 'hich < had heard and, in fact, part of the 'ay in 'hich < myself 'as tau)ht, 'hich 'as in the school of the 8omantic pianists of the CortotF chnabel tradition,.*10+ Gould later became more critical of his 1955 interpretation, e3pressin) reser.ations about its fast tempi and pianistic affectation. Ae found much of it ,=ust too fast for comfort,,*11+ and lamented the 25th .ariation, 'hich sounded ,like a Chopin nocturne,5to Gould, an undesirable 7uality. Ae continued, ,< can no lon)er reco)ni?e the person 'ho did that. 6o me today that piece has intensity 'ithout any sort of false )lamour. 9ot a pianistic or instrumental intensity, a spiritual intensity.,*12+ hortly before his death in 19%2, Gould re(recorded the Goldberg Variations di)itally and in stereo in the Columbia 40th treet tudio in 9e' Gork City. Ae lar)ely abandoned the sho'manship of the 1955 performance and replaced it 'ith a more introspecti.e interpretation that included more calculated phrasin) and ornamentation. For the 19%1 .ersion, Gould sou)ht to unify the .ariations differently, throu)h his choices of tempi- he played more of the repeats, and endea.oured to e3press proportional rhythmic relations bet'een the .ariations. Arri.in) 'ithin a year of his death, the 19%1 recordin) is popularly reco)ni?ed as ,autumnal,, a symbolic testament to Gould"s career.*14+ <n 2002, ony issued a three(compact(disc collection titled A State of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations !"" # !$ .*1+ <t includes the 1955 and 19%1 Goldberg recordin)s #the former remastered from analo)ue tapes&, and a third disc 'ith 1955 studio outtakes and a len)thy inter.ie' 'ith Gould documentarian and music critic 6im Ha)e. <n 2012, ony issued Glenn Go%ld& The Complete Bach Collection of // discs, in 'hich included four CIs and one I$I of Glenn Gould"s Goldber) $ariations recordin)s- CI1 for 1955 recordin), CI1/, 1955 recordin) re(channeled for stereo, CI41 for his 19%1 recordin) and CI42 for his li.e in al?bur) recordin)@ I$I1-Glenn Gould Hlays !ach-6he Goldber) $ariations.

See also