We have now reached #8 on our journey toward the 50 greatest classical music recordings ever made. For this entry, I am cheating a bit because it is really two recordings. Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations played by legendary Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, both his landmark 1955 recording and his rethinking of the piece recorded in 1981.
The Composer
Johann Sebastian Bach (b. 1685 – d. 1750), considered by many to be THE greatest composer of all time, was a German composer of the baroque era. In his day, Bach was known more for being an organist than a composer. But Bach was extremely innovative and pioneering in his compositions, especially in his use of counterpoint (in music, counterpoint is how two or more musical lines interact when they are harmonically dependent on each other, but independent in melody and rhythm). The structure, logic, and complexity in Bach’s music reflect the rigor and ethic of his work. Bach wrote Masses, motets, cantatas, concertos, religious and sacred music, organ works, sinfonias, and sonatas for individual and mixed instruments. He was a prodigious composer, and although Bach’s music fell out of favor and out of use for many, many years, thank goodness his genius was recognized once again particularly in the twentieth century.
The Goldberg Variations
Bach’s Goldberg Variations, written for keyboard in approximately 1741, consist of an aria and 30 variations. Although there is some debate on the topic, it is thought the work was commissioned by J.G. Goldberg. Goldberg’s job was to perform for Count Keyserkingk. Keyserkingk, an insomniac, needed music to put him to sleep. Some accounts say that Bach was actually Goldberg’s teacher, and thus the variations would certainly have been well within the technical abilities of Goldberg. The piece presents daunting challenges to the performer, but the brilliant and complex colors of the work create an enjoyable listening experience. It is also thought Bach used as inspiration Domenico Scarlatti’s Essercizi (exercises) for keyboard from 1739, itself only for accomplished musicians.
What you hear as a result with the Goldberg Variations is a piece of timeless beauty and sophistication. Its apparent simplicity belies great complexity, and musicians for centuries have been engaged by the warmth, grace, and sublime intricacy of the work. It is noble yet calm, heartfelt yet playful, diverse yet unified as a whole. It is certainly one of the greatest compositions of the great J.S. Bach.
Glenn Gould
Glenn Gould (b. 1932 – d. 1982) was a unique and eccentric artist to say the least. While clearly a genius, and an artist of the highest order, his personal habits and idiosyncrasies were quite out of the ordinary. A pampered only-child raised by middle-class parents in Toronto, from an early age Gould clearly had remarkable talents, and entered the Toronto Conservatory of Music at age 11. Because his promise was recognized, eventually Gould was taken on as a pupil by the Chilean teacher Alberto Guerrero. Gould would later credit much of his playing style to working with Guerrero, and described his playing as not really striking the keys, but more “pulling them down”.
Gould became a sensation by the age of 16, playing concerts with major orchestras and touring Canada, and being broadcast over the CBC. He was soon in the studio recording, something he would do for the rest of his life. In 1955, Gould had his international breakthrough with his first recording for Columbia Masterworks records. His first recording was Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and Gould became a sensation almost overnight. Throughout the rest of his life, and also since his death, Gould has been known especially for his phenomenal playing of and his advocacy for the music of J.S. Bach.
Gould’s acclaim took him around the world for concert and recital performances. However, Gould never cared much for public performances, would often cancel at the last minute, and in 1964 he withdrew completely from all public performance. By this time, Gould had developed some fairly extreme hypochondria, and often used that as an excuse to cancel. Even so, he did have high blood pressure and other pains and ailments. Reportedly Gould disliked being touched, ate only one meal a day supplemented by biscuits and coffee, and would often frequent the same restaurant and order the exact same meal. When he made recordings in the studio, Gould would insist on the room being a specific temperature (often quite warm, as Gould disliked the cold), and he would often dress in coat, hat, and mittens even in very warm climates. Gould actively avoided social gatherings, and did not particularly like personal contact. From the point when he stopped touring and performing, he would rely mostly on letters and telephone for communication.
Gould always used the same chair that his father had made for performances, including often needing a rug under his feet. He had to be sitting exactly 14 inches from the floor, and the piano itself had to be an exact height which often meant raising it up on blocks. This better facilitated Gould’s manner of pulling down at the keys to play. Another habit that Gould never outgrew was that of singing or humming along to the music he was playing. Indeed, recording engineers often became perplexed and annoyed at this habit they could not break him from, and it was nearly impossible to remove his humming from the background of recordings. You can hear him very audibly on his second recording of the Goldberg Variations from 1981. Some listeners (myself included) find it almost intolerable when listening, but there it remains as part of his legacy.
The Recordings
We recognize both of Gould’s recordings of the Goldberg Variations as indispensable. The 1955 version clocks in at just a little over 38 minutes, very short for a classical album. Gould’s playing is incredible, sometimes taken at breathless speed, and yet still contains playing of remarkable depth and virtuosity. He chooses not to take any of the repeats, which also contributes to the short playing time. His style here could be said to be very staccato, and he uses no pedal. Clarity seems to the be the goal, and at times you get the sense he wanted to get through it all quickly. This recording is notable too for capturing the piano so clearly, particularly for 1955. It has never fallen out of the catalog of available recordings since its release.
The 1981 recording, made just about a year before his death, is quite different. Here he takes a considerably broader (slower) view of things, and takes some of the repeats where he chooses, and the timing is a little over 51 minutes. This later version is more nuanced, and even though a bit slower, still displays his mastery of technique and counterpoint. In some ways it is the more satisfying of the two recordings, but they are both astonishing in their own ways. Gould would claim that he didn’t recognize the person that recorded the 1955 version as the same one from 1981. He rather disavowed the earlier recording as immature and impulsive, and said that his younger self was reacting against the pianism in vogue at the time of dragging things out for romantic effect (Gould was averse to many of the more romantic composers, and refused to play many of their works).
Gould loved the studio process of recording, and was one of the first advocates of splicing different parts of different performances and putting them together for the best possible final product. While some at the time considered it somewhat fraudulent, as we know this practice became widespread in the recording industry not long after. So while he did not perform publicly after the age of 31, he still recorded quite a bit. Gould also did some composing and conducting, as well as contributing to musical journals and radio interviews about music and various composers. He was keen to express his own ideas about music.
Many of Gould’s other recordings, especially those of Bach, are well worth exploring if you can tolerate his background singing or humming. But it is his two recordings of the Goldberg Variations that will forever live in the list of greatest recordings of all time.
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