GLENN GLOUD

[Joy]

Originally posted by m:
Hi Joy,

Well, I found it on the web. I haven't read all of it yet but I guess that's the story I wanted to tell.
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mwatts/glenn/lennie.html

m.

Thanks for that interesting article, m. I wonder what he meant by an 'unorthodox performance'? I would like to hear that one too! You say you heard it? What made it so different or 'special' as you say?

Joy


[This message has been edited by Joy (edited February 24, 2003).]

[m]

Well, from what I do remember, the articulation was more like a Bach concerto, not a romantic Brahms one.

[SR]

I too found Gould to be very mechanical. In my opinion he was far more a technician than musician. He also finds my disfavor with his well known Mozart statement. According to Mr Gould "Mozart was a poor composer who died too late (35) rather than too early"

Gould himself stated he would perform and record till age 50, then retire. He did so and died at age 51. Too late, or too early ?

Steve

[John Rasmussen]

I enjoyed the recorded speech very much. Now, I agree with what others have said about Mr. Gould (mechanical, dry), with the added comment that his tempos could be very artificial-sounding and he added lots of "expressive" tempo changes without having any real flexibility. But Leonard Bernstein's quote was much different than I thought it would be; he obviously had serious disagreements with Mr. Gould but his generosity is obvious. One sees why the Maestro was such a beloved musician (aside from his musical gifts).

Has anyone actually heard the recording? I haven't!

[Chaszz]

Hearing Brahms played like Bach would be quite an experience.

I have to say that Gould is the only artist who can make me sit still for Bach's Goldberg Variations. In spite of my love for Bach, I ususally find the Goldbergs too dull. But under Gould's strange touch, they become mesmerizing for me. I also have, somewhere under the seat in my car along with a lot of other odds and ends, a casette of Gould playing a Beethoven sonata that I like. Unfortunately I don't remember which sonata.

To me, his technique can seem cold and mechanical, but under the right circumstances can be magical and hypnotic. I've experienced it both ways.

There's also a recording of him conducting a Wagner overture, and playing transcriptions he made for piano of three other Wagner orchestral pieces, that I have to buy sometime. That may be stranger even than him playing Brahms.