Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Glenn Gould :: Bach: The Goldberg Variations [SACD]

A classic recording beautifully presented

01/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Glenn Gould's 1981 digital recording of the "Goldberg" variations, his last recording, is here beautifully transfered using the DSD process onto SACD. It sounds better than the original LP or CD release or subsequent re-releases. As with the other recordings in this series, Sony lets us hear all of the musical information on the original digital tape, which could not be brought out fully due to the well-known limitations of the CD format.This is a titanic and iconoclastic performance by Gould. He takes on a powerful intellectual and musical journey through Bach's aria and thirty variations, so that when the aria is repeated at the end, it is a measure of how far we have come.Gould's well-known habit of vocalizing over the music is very much in evidence here and brought out clearly by the DSD transfer. It is almost as if Gould is supplying a vocal obbligato to the piano lines! Some might find this annoying, but personally I find it very moving -- almost as if Gould can't resist breaking out into song as he plays -- almost like an autonomous response. This is unusual in Western music, but very common in (say) Indian classical music, where the performer often sings along (either aloud or to himself) as he plays the instrument.I would very highly recommend this recording to anyone interested in becoming familiar with the work of Glenn Gould and who is seeking a powerful and inspired performance of this great masterpiece."

Fine Sound Engineering

jamescroak | New York, NY USA | 01/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those of you feeling their way into Super-Audio CD, one will note the unevenness of the sound engineering of many reissues in this new format, most are extraordinary but some are simply a compressed file reprinted for SACD. Rest assured that the sound engineers did their job well for the late Mr. Gould. I have listened to the 44khz CD version of this recording a hundred times over a dozen years. But with this SACD I was hearing more, much more. Put this one high on your list!"

Gould breaks all molds

John L. Anderson | Lynchburg, VA United States | 02/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Glenn Gould burst onto the world's classical stage in the late 1950s with a recording of the Goldbergs and in the early 1980s decided to revisit that monumental Bach composition. Why -- he said that he'd learned over the years that he'd made mistakes with the first recording and wanted to correct them. He thought he'd rushed through them too fast, muddled the fingering and pedaling and shown too much youthful exuberance. What came out in 1981 was a more melancholic, slower-paced Goldberg, no less a virtuoso performance than 1955's. And with hindsight, it's almost prescient of Gould to have decided to re-record the piece at this time: He died less than a year after the recording's 1981 release. Bach autographed all his compositions, dedicating them "all to the glory of God." When you're listening to Gould perform the Goldbergs in this recording, it's impossible to believe for a moment that the genius who created the music and the genius performing it simply evolved all by themselves from the primordial ooze billions of years ago. For all your friends who doubt the existence of omnipotent, all-loving God, just pop in this SACD, sit back and the music will convince them of the error of their ways. Enjoy."