Glenn Gould's Goldberg Variations

Brian commented on The Bach Hour | Classical New England on 05.31.11
Thanks for adding your thoughts Will and Richard. Your comments have captured the two sides of the fascination with Glenn Gould, in my opinion. If you have a chance, visit the "About The Bach Hour" page linked above to see the trailer for "Genius Within," the recent movie about Gould. It may or may not make you like his interpretations any better, but I think its a terrific window into his psychology and personality.

Wil commented on The Bach Hour | Classical New England on 05.30.11
The unadulterated worship of Glenn Gould is something Iv never quite been able to understand. His playing never fails to get in the way of the music, and the funny little quirks of his "interpretations" always made him a recording engineers nightmare, from the vocal accompaniments to the request for the special furniture, in my opinionshave always shown him up to be the charlatan he obviously was.

Richard commented on The Bach Hour | Classical New England on 05.30.11
Glen Gould has twice recorded Bachs Goldberg Variationsthe first on vinyl back in the 1950s,the second shortly before his death in the late 1980s on tape. It is fascinating to hear both, his fresh and vibrant early version compared with the mellow one released later in his career. We also have his wonderful French and English Suites and Partitas all on records as well which I have collected over the years and still preserve as treasures. RICHARD MAC CRACKEN. Acton, Ma

Brian commented on The Bach Hour | Classical New England on 02.07.11
Thank you Roger! Im so glad to hear that you look forward to the show each week. I agree, the Gould Goldberg Variations are phenomenal, like no other performances. And yet there are so many amazing performances of that piece! Always more to explore when it comes to Bach...

Roger commented on The Bach Hour | Classical New England on 02.06.11
Bach is my alltime favorite composer, so each week I eagerly anticipate "The Bach Hour." The recent episode with Bach on harp was stunning. And this evening, featuring the Goldberg Variations interpreted by Gould it does not get a whole lot better than that. Thank you to Brian McCreath for such delight!