Historic Recording, 1955

On this CD:

1. Rhapsody in Blue for piano & orchestra (orchestral version by F. Grofé)
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Rome Italian Radio Orchestra with Julius Katchen

2. Concerto in F, for piano & orchestra
Composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Rome Italian Radio Orchestra with Julius Katchen

3. Fantasia on Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, for orchestra
Composed by Earl Wild
Performed by Rome Italian Radio Orchestra

Tracks:

Goldberg Variations: Aria
Goldberg Variations: Variation 1
Goldberg Variations: Variation 2
Goldberg Variations: Variation 3
Goldberg Variations: Variation 4
Goldberg Variations: Variation 5
Goldberg Variations: Variation 6
Goldberg Variations: Variation 7
Goldberg Variations: Variation 8
Goldberg Variations: Variation 9
Goldberg Variations: Variation 10
Goldberg Variations: Variation 11
Goldberg Variations: Variation 12
Goldberg Variations: Variation 13
Goldberg Variations: Variation 14
Goldberg Variations: Variation 15
Goldberg Variations: Variation 16
Goldberg Variations: Variation 17
Goldberg Variations: Variation 18
Goldberg Variations: Variation 19
Goldberg Variations: Variation 20
Goldberg Variations: Variation 21
Goldberg Variations: Variation 22
Goldberg Variations: Variation 23
Goldberg Variations: Variation 24
Goldberg Variations: Variation 25
Goldberg Variations: Variation 26
Goldberg Variations: Variation 27
Goldberg Variations: Variation 28
Goldberg Variations: Variation 29
Goldberg Variations: Variation 30
Goldberg Variations: Aria da capo
Fugue In F-Sharp Minor
Fugue In E Major

Amazon.com

In the main, sonic differences between Sony Classical's 20-bit remastering of this landmark 1955 recording and its previous incarnation in the CBS Great Performances series (CBS MYK 38479) are subtle rather than striking. Tape hiss is reduced, while ambient studio noise is heightened, bringing Glenn Gould's trademark humming and squeaky chair more into the foreground. One can also perceive slight changes in microphone setups between certain variations. Gould completists, however, will want this Glenn Gould Edition transfer for two fugues recorded in 1957, drastically different from the pianist's perverse remakes 13 years later for his complete Well Tempered Clavier Book II. Any respectable piano collection, however, should include Gould's debut Goldbergs, at any price. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Astounding.......2007-07-21

I have a thing for Bach, and Glenn Gould really does the great composer justice. The entire recording is highly engaging, well done, and at times does not sound humanly possible. I am very impressed by this performance. This work, like much of Bach's compositions, is stimulating yet relaxing. It draws you in and if you follow it, it takes you on a journey. I highly recommend this disc to all Bach lovers.

Scintillating Performance!.......2007-06-19

Glenn Gould's quintessential 1955 performance of the Goldberg Variations is an absolute "must have" for every classical music library. His marvelous precision and alacrity are breath-taking! Gorgeous music.

Astounding performance - opening the doors to Bach!.......2007-04-18

Before the first time I heard Gould's first rendition of the Goldberg Variations, I used to think the music by Johann Sebastian Bach was too dry and intellectual and boring for my tastes (that was before discovering the excellent period-instrument performances) - but the lightning-fast, emotive, astounding rendition recorded by Gould made me reconsider that opinion. Yes, we hear his intrusive humming and the squeaking of the chair and such - that many consider a turn-off regarding Gould recordings - but I think they are part of the charm of the performance, and I don't find them distracting at all.

I really prefer this version instead of the second Golberg recording, more calm and controlled. If you never heard any music from Bach, this is the recording to begin with, I think.

A State of Wonder, Indeed........2006-04-09

There are three people who are responsible for the "resurrection" of the Goldberg variations, at least as far as the general publicis concerned: Wanda Landoska, Rosalyn Tureck, and Glenn Gould. Without them, the Goldberg Variations certainly would not get the attention they do, and may have ended up a curiosity music students discover on budget labels by performers seeking overblown and romantic interpetations or sterile "period correct" (in other words, uninformed) performances that leave listeners yawning. Instead, thanks to those three, the Goldberg is as well know even to the casual music listener as Beethoven's Pathetique or Mozart's Rondo a la Turka are.

Now, I certainly believe that Landowska's rendition is the most well informed, and even the most revolutionary in terms of true period correctness (she was the first to record it for the harpsichord and with correct baroque ornamentation), and she had a musicality that made the listener believe they were listening to an orchestra instead of just a single keyboardist. Tureck's interpretation is so dancelike and pleasant. It sounds so free and happy, I get the image that there are dancers on the keys of her piano. She was really the one that showed that the Goldberg Variations could be performed on a piano without reverting to the overly romanticized versions that had dominated up to that time.

It was Landowska and Tureck two that allowed for what is arguably the most famous interpretation of the Goldbergs: Glenn Gould's 1955 recording. Inspired by Landowska's passion for early music done right, and Tureck's justified piano performance that stood out head and shoulders above the others, Gould combined the best elements of the two and added his own rhythmic and dynamic perfection to create a masterpiece of a recording. His tempi were (in general) nearly twice as fast as most performers', indeed as his own 1981 recording, which, in places, I prefer (refer to variations 1,5,10,14,16, and 29), yet he is always in control and never sounds like he's straining to get to the next note. His staccato and light touch give it wonderful bell-like clarity, and it's the closest you'll get to a harpsichord recording on a piano. Yes, his 1981 recording is more mature, but it's a difference in interpretation than technical prowess, and I think the choice between the two comes down to mood, and even, as mentioned above, to the individual variations.

This recording was his first studio recording, presenting all the fire and passion of a twenty three year old showing the world that he's got something to prove. An odd choice for a first recording, most pianists would probably be forced into some half-hearted renditions of Chopin or Mozart, but Gould knew what he was doing. He must have known that the time was right for a Bach interpretation that paid homage to the greatness achieved in the past as well as one that strode confidently into the future, a future where (in a philosophy like Landowska's) old music was no longer quaint but revered and modern music didn't seek to "revolutionize" but instead sought to build upon. This was an increasingly prevalent attitude in the 1950's and 1960's thanks to people like Landowska, Harnoncourt, and, of course, Gould. We can see this philosophy in Durufle, De Falla (one of the first twentieth century composers to write for the harpsichord), and later Stravinsky. Gould's Goldbergs played no small part in Baroque's new birth. Do yourself a favor and get both of Gould's Goldbergs, Wanda Landowska's Goldbergs, and perhaps Koroliov's Goldbergs or Tatiana Nikolayeva's Goldbergs. You'll be quite glad you did.

The Marlon Brando of piano!.......2006-02-17

These Goldberg formally inaugurated the auspicious debut of this well famed pianist. Until that time Bach was played with such impeccable austerity and intellectuality that literally became a shock to listen a very young man -23- challenging all the musical conventionalisms and old precepts which turned around the conceptual steadiness and serious formalism at the moment to play Bach at the piano.

Gould made an incisive breakthrough and showed that the formality and the Dionysian spirit may habit together, without those bitter presumptions or austere poses.

He impregnated the Goldberg variations with Mediterranean jubilee, effusiveness and radiant greenness. And this posture influenced a whole generation in all fields.

So those Goldberg carry on its own trademark. A historical reference by all accounts.

Indispensable collection piece.