Glenn Gould Plays Bach & Scarlatti

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Domenico Scarlatti (Composer), Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (Composer), Johann Bernhard Bach (Composer), Glenn Gould (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Glenn Gould
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Johann Bernhard Bach
• Audio CD (February 25, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000028NP
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,036 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #97 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Keyboard > Organ

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars BWV 974, October 18, 2001

By 

V. Vo "concert goer" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Glenn Gould Plays Bach & Scarlatti (Audio CD)

When you look at the pieces that are in this CD, you might think that these were leftovers. Yet, this CD has one of the most stunning pieces that I think Glenn Gould has ever recorded.

The Concerto in d after A. Marcello, BWV 974 is not one of Bach's more popular and well-known keyboard works. Yet in the hands of Glenn Gould, it is played with a sincerity that is completely profound. Listening to the second movement of this "concerto" has to be one of the moving experiences that I ever had. It is undoubtedly one of the best in the Glenn Gould discography.

Also, after hearing the three Scarlatti sonatas, you'll wonder why he didn't record more of them. It's played with a childish glee that is a joy to listen to. The L. 413 sonata is piece that you'll listen to repeatedly.

Alas, the "infamous" version of the Chromatic Fantasy is in this CD as well. It's not a horrible interpretation like what most people tend to say, but you wonder what in the world Glenn Gould was doing with his left hand.

Overall, the BWV 974 alone makes this CD worth the purchase. It is a stunning recording.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed bag of Gould is both delightful and maddening, August 12, 2000

By 

Molly the Cat "Meow" (the USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glenn Gould Plays Bach & Scarlatti (Audio CD)

This is a very mixed bag of Glenn Gould's miscellaneous recordings, some of which appeared on his "Silver Jubilee" album in 1980, some of which had stayed in the vault until this release fifteen years after his death. Most of the J.S. Bach works are good (BWV 974 is particularly splendid), the Scarlatti not bad, the Emanuel Bach sonata rather bizarre (what kind of eccentric arpeggio is that first chord in movement one???), and the "Chromatic Fantasy" BWV 903 and the BWV 906 Fantasy are in my opinion disasters.

Incidentally, I can see why the previous reviewer was confused about BWV 903; the liner notes are, as he says, not all that clear regarding the fugue (though the jewel case correctly lists only the fantasy as included on the CD); it is probable that Gould never did record the fugue, as BWV 903 is a work which he loudly deplored and loathed. BWV 906, however, does say on the CD's track list "Fantasy (and Fugue)," rather nonsensically as this fugue does not appear, either--but there the reason is probably that Bach's fugue is unfinished (or, as Spitta thought, incompletely preserved), breaking off after 40+ bars, so Gould, like most artists, simply omitted it.

One of the oddest unexplained features of this disk is the fact that the Gould "Italian Concerto" is his 1959 version, rather than his c. 1980 version which has never yet been released to my knowledge (and which would make more sense on a disk with other "first releases"). Since the liner notes and some Gould bios I've read criticize the later recording as a total failure, one can only assume that it was so bad that Sony did not dare to dishonor Gould's memory by releasing it!

Gould fans will not be disappointed by this disk, nor will those interested in a justly-celebrated great pianist. But as for those eccentricities . . . you've now been warned!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No Fugue!, January 23, 2000

By 

Philip A. Johnson (Monterey, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glenn Gould Plays Bach & Scarlatti (Audio CD)

I specifically bought this album to hear Gould work his magic on the Chromatic Fantasy AND FUGUE. My enchantment at his performance of the Fantasy is matched only by my disappointment that the Fugue does not follow..Did he not record the fugue? The liner notes do not make this clear, mentioning only his "recording of the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue".