Glenn Gould Plays Beethoven

[robert newman]

On youtube.com is a film of Glenn Gould talking of and playing Beethoven's Sonata Op.109

It is so extraordinary an interpretation that I wonder what others think of it. Perhaps you are all familiar with it (?) To me, it is astounding, revolutionary, amazing etc. Gould justifies his approach to this sonata early in the film by saying there is no point merely replicating what has been done before.

(I must admit being a great admirer of Glenn Gould).

Glenn Gould Plays Beethoven (part 1 of 2)

also

Glenn Gould Plays Beethoven (part 2 of 2)

RN


[This message has been edited by robert newman (edited 09-08-2006).]

[Chaszz]

Originally posted by robert newman:
On youtube.com is a film of Glenn Gould talking of and playing Beethoven's Sonata Op.109

It is so extraordinary an interpretation that I wonder what others think of it. Perhaps you are all familiar with it (?) To me, it is astounding, revolutionary, amazing etc. Gould justifies his approach to this sonata early in the film by saying there is no point merely replicating what has been done before.

(I must admit being a great admirer of Glenn Gould).

Glenn Gould Plays Beethoven (part 1 of 2)

also

Glenn Gould Plays Beethoven (part 2 of 2)

RN


[This message has been edited by robert newman (edited 09-08-2006).]

Thank you, Robert, for this wonderful link. What a great experience. And what a site, so much great music in videos. I see after doing a search that it has been mentioned in this forum before, but I'm not always here. Thank you again Robert for this great discovery.

Boy, I bet this is going to get panned by Rod.

[This message has been edited by Chaszz (edited 09-08-2006).]

[PDG]

Originally posted by Chaszz:
Thank you, Robert, for this wonderful link.

Where's the link? I see nothing...I'm like a blind man stumbling about in a coal cellar at night with the light off.

[PDG]

Originally posted by Chaszz:


Boy, I bet this is going to get panned by Rod.

Which probably means it deserves investigation!

[Rod]

Originally posted by Chaszz:


Boy, I bet this is going to get panned by Rod.

I'll pan it tonight, it's too early for dark thoughts.

------------------
"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[PDG]

I'm having dark thoughts in my coal cellar.....and I just tripped over a black cat wearing shades.

[robert newman]

Dear PDG,

Perhaps you are looking in the wrong place.

First, go to the website youtube.com

Second, after you have the page notice there is a bar called 'Search For'. Type into that box (which is perhaps 2 inches long and 1/3rd inch height) the following -

'Glenn Gould Plays Beethoven (part 1 of 2)

Then, click the button to the right called 'Search'

Wait

This will (I trust) bring up the video. You then click the video and wait.

The same for 'Glen Gould Plays Beethoven (part 2 of 2) etc.

It's a black and white film.

Regards

Robert

[Nightklavier]

Here you go, PDG.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PqgD05AwTg

[Athea]

Originally posted by Chaszz:
And what a site, so much great music in videos. I see after doing a search that it has been mentioned in this forum before, but I'm not always here. Thank you again Robert for this great discovery.

I too have discovered You Tube through this great site, and I would say you can find really valuable and excellent music videos here – yes, often surrounded or rather buried by draffish stuff – but if someone search with a bit of patience, he will surely find.

Oh, I am going to see Glenn

[Athea]

Originally posted by robert newman:

Dear PDG,

Perhaps you are looking in the wrong place.

First, go to the website youtube.com

Second, after you have the page notice there is a bar called 'Search For'. Type into that box (which is perhaps 2 inches long and 1/3rd inch height) the following -

'Glenn Gould Plays Beethoven (part 1 of 2)

Then, click the button to the right called 'Search'

Wait

This will (I trust) bring up the video. You then click the video and wait.

The same for 'Glen Gould Plays Beethoven (part 2 of 2) etc.

It's a black and white film.

Regards

Robert

If I always had such an instruction, I would be so happy...

[robert newman]

Dear Athea,

I am a reluctant convert to modern technology. Computers are not my thing. I'm one of those analogue men in a digital age !! Ha ! But that site is great, yes ? Hope you like the Glenn Gould Beethoven.

Robert

[sjwenger]

Thanks much for this link, and for the shortcut link. This is an extraordinary performance! I'd never heard Gould play Beethoven before, I thought he only played Bach : }

------------------
To learn about "The Port-Wine Sea," my parody of Patrick O'Brian's wonderful Aubrey-Maturin series, please contact me at
susanwenger@yahoo.com

To learn about "The Better Baby" book, ways to increase a baby's intelligence, health, and potentials, please use the same address.

[Peter]

Originally posted by sjwenger:
Thanks much for this link, and for the shortcut link. This is an extraordinary performance! I'd never heard Gould play Beethoven before, I thought he only played Bach : }

Yes it is extraordinary, and as much as I admire Gould, this is Gould not Beethoven - it simply is not what the composer wrote.


------------------
'Man know thyself'

[Nightklavier]

Gould played some strange stuff compared to the other "pop-pianists" of his age who were rehashing the same old Chopin and Liszt pieces that twenty other pianists record the same of.

Haydn, Grieg, Webern, Sibelius, Bizet, Prokofiev, Scriabin, and many others are just a few he tackles. But most of his recordings are of Bach. While I find his style bizarre and certainly unique, I actually don't care for his Bach interpretations at all. Bach's counterpoint is complex enough, so Gould's robotic and sometimes boring execution doesn't enhance the music to me.

To be fair, I haven't heard *most* of his Bach recordings; I just don't want to shell out that kind of money for the numerous Bach stuff I already have just to hear his interpretations. However, his Goldberg Variations and Partitas are stellar. The other stuff I heard (inventions, the French Suites) just seem kind of colorless and dull. But I haven't heard much else from him.

Also, I frankly don't like watching him play. I enjoyed the video Robert told us about, but mostly because of what Gould had to say before he played. When he does play, his body movement and uncontrollable facial gestures are too distracting. His rhythmic bobbing around while his jaw spasms up and down makes him look like a retard at the piano. I'm no great pianist, but I don't think that is an admirable way to play. Showing emotion and facial expressions is fine. However, his jaw bouncing up and down in a spasm and his swaying side-to-side like a metronome just makes it harder to take him seriously.

But hey, that's just me.

[robert newman]

I have quite a number of Glenn Gould recordings including the Bach toccatas and also the keyboard partitas.

I had the same mistrust of him and his antics when I first discovered him. But, as time went on and it became obvious that he was a uniquely talented pianist I started to appreciate him more and more. Gould is so often testing a piece to very limits of what is possible. For this alone he is a truly great pianist. Other times, I agree, he can be bland. His mannerisms I admit that I quite like. A small price to pay for such an incredible artist.