A State of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations (1955 & 1981)

I recently picked up a large collection of Gould recordings on CD including this Goldberg set and although I've been a serious Classical listener for years I'd never really had the chance to sit down and evaluate the legendary Glenn Gould.

The result is that I really don't care if this is "correct" Bach or not. I really don't even care if this is "Classical" music. It's simply great music played brilliantly. The humming doesn't bother me at all; I listen to plenty of jazz and I'm comfortable with performers acting and sounding like deeply involved human beings when playing music they love. This lack of emotion some complain about just isn't apparent--Gould was obviously working a magical balancing act, revealing the emotion while simultaneously revealing the genius of the craft. The two aspects are tied together anyway.

I can't believe some people are still complaining about these wonderful recordings.

Finding something new to say about the legendary '55 Gould Goldberg is like trying to come up with something new to say about Davis' Kind Of Blue, Coltrane's A Love Supreme, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper, Hendrix's Are You Experienced? or Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited. Gould's contribution to the history of recorded music is simply that revolutionary. The more important question may be: How does it hold up? Let's answer that question with another question - does the Sistine Chapel hold up? Suffice to say that the '55 Goldberg is something that I will turn to throughout my lifetime - for it's brashness of vision, vitality, energy brimming over the edge, and supreme musicality. No mistaking, we enter Gould's world when we stick the disc in the player - snobs may gripe that it's not really Bach's world. That makes Gould the ultimate auteur of Bach's music - in fact, he may just be the Martin Scorsese of the great pianists. To listen to this time and again is to rediscover the pure joy of musicmaking. Here it is then, Gould the iconoclast, the passionate oddball genius, the great Anti-Tureck.

As for the '81 Gould Goldberg, it is an epic journey worthy of Gilgamesh. Brashness is replaced with reverence. Wild energy is replaced with precision and the intense concentration of a great mathematician. Bach's architecture is clarified by the hands of a searching intellect. No other recording illuminates so greatly what the left hand is doing in the Goldberg. It is a bravura bass performance. A personal stamp is left on every variation. Gould makes the keyboard sing, like voices interacting and responding to each other. The pivotal Variation 25 is the epitome of Gould - searching, epic, spontaneous yet deliberate - I swear it could be Thelonius Monk playing! The final quodlibet is a joyful dance - something in the nature of Matisse's Dance paintings. And to arrive back to the Aria is something altogether profound - the end of an epic journey, yet with so many questions unanswered that one must embark on the journey again. At less than 20 bucks, this is the bargain of the century. You can't afford not to have it. *****

Other references: Top recommendation from Rough Guide, Jim Svejda's classical guides and Classical Music: Third Ear; Recommended by NPR Guide, Gramophone and Penguin Guide. *one of Gramophone's 100 Greatest Recordings* *NY Times Essential Library 100*

Bach is sometimes dismissed by people who claim that he was a "mere musical scientist," who was not "passionate" enough.

Well, in these performances by the troubled genius, Glen Gould, it is not simply Bach's precision and elegance, but his rich humanity and emotional profundity that are fully on display.

Mr. Gould takes his occasional liberties, of course, with the tempi especially, so that Bach purists will have their opportunities to raise an eyebrow. Yet there is always musical intelligence and understanding behind Gould's choices, together with the maturing sensitivity of a great interpreter of Bach's music for the twentieth century and a troubled, but ultimately successful artist.

These recordings are not to be missed.

I love both the 1955 and 1981 performances. This is a collection I will treasure for the rest of my life. The packaging (except for the flimsy cardboard) is incredible... sound quality A+ (for the years they were recorded in), essays and playing. This made me a Gould fan for life. Oh my God!!

I have loved Gould's first recording of the Goldberg Variations for 30 years. I was delighted when the 81 re-recording came out. To this day, I can't tell which one I enjoy more. Gould is a great Bach master for me, and I regard Bach as the great master of all music. As Pablo Casals said, "Bach is my best friend. He is the god of music." Gould has mastered Bach's keyboard works. I even enjoy hearing him hum in the background of his recordings of the WTC. These are wonderful recordings.