Customer Reviews

Images: Glenn Gould Plays Bach/Glenn Gould Plays Not Bach

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

glenn gould is, for my money, the finest interpreter of j.s. bach on record. the emotion he brings to any of bach's piano works wipes away, forever, the notion that bach wrote only "mathematical" compositions. this 2 cd set teases with snatches from gould's other albums. the photos in the enclosed booklet are silly. the comments in the same booklet are a tiny bit better than that. the only reason that i gave this album 2** was for gould's playing which cannot be dismissed. but: buy his other, complete albums. start with the double cd set of piano concerti or either recording he made of the "goldberg variations."

Glenn Gould is known primarily as an interpreter of the works of Bach, but he's done a lot more than that. So it's fitting that a two-disc compilation of Gould's work consists of a Bach-only disc and a second disc of non-Bach. Humorously titled "Glenn Gould Plays Bach" and "Glenn Gould Plays Not Bach," these discs show why Glenn Gould was such a revered pianist.

Anyone who's a fan of Gould (or classical piano in general) should know that he is probably most famous for definive interpretations of Bach's Goldberg Variations. Excerpts from that piece are included here (along with other Bach works). Hopefully, listeners will take it upon themselves to buy a complete recording of this piece after hearing it here. Gould's playing is simply amazing.

The second disc has Gould playing pieces by a number of composers, including Beethoven, Sibelius, Strauss, Haydn and many others.

This is a wonderful collection, with lovely packaging, excellent sound quality and superb performances.

Someone stole this CD from my car, and I've been trying to buy it everywhere & anywhere. The first CD (Bach only) is fantastic in the way it shows different aspects of Bach's music. Second CD is less thrilling because of the broad mix of composer - but that's OK because the 1st CD is awesome.

I absolutely love Glenn Gould. He was a true artists who interpreted music in his own original way and didn't care about what others thought. Usually, in fact, he played the "opposite" way--making slow songs fast, fast songs slows, and playing every melody with "staccatos."
Naturally, Gould is known for his unbelievable interpretations of Bach. This first CD (Glenn Gould plays Bach), is really a compilation of "greatest hits," so to speak. All these pieces are well-known to classical lovers (and pianists, like myself), but I think that people who aren't classical afficiandoes can enjoy this first CD very much (by the way, the best tracks on this CD are probably the Italian Concerto (particularly the third movement), the Goldberg Variations, and the Partita)
The second CD (Glenn Gould plays not Bach), is also very good. While he plays no J.S. Bach on this CD, he does manage to play some other baroque pieces (the Scarlatti, C.P.E. Bach, and Gibbons), so at first one might not be able to tell that this isn't just another Bach album. As for the other pieces on this CD, the Haydn is performed in a playful, "cutesy" manner that it is meant to have, I find the unusual versionos of the Brahms, Mozart, and Wagner enlightening (though I believe that it can be annoying to some without open minds. Gould's main flaw is that he never really liked to use the pedal where most thought it was needed.)I love the Emperor, though it seems out of place because it is the only orchestral piece. Finally, I believe that the Sibelius, and Prokofiev were some of Gould's favorite pieces (he plays them like he loves them, and they are probably the best tracks on this CD).

'Images' is the best sampler of Glenn Gould's take on J.S. Bach. It's a great way to get into Glenn Gould ... besides '32 Short Films ...' This album definitely deserves more than 2 stars. I do agree with the second review ... the 1st disc is great (Gould playing Bach) while the 2nd disc is mediocre (Gould playing other lesser composers works). One suggestion would be for Sony to come up with a Gould anthology that had an excellent sampling of both Gould's take on JS Bach and Beethoven (and perhaps Haydn). Any rate, this is a must have for both Gould fans and novices.

Glenn Gould adds astonishing depth to the performance of Bach. He is so moved by it himself, you can hear him humming in the backround. This humming is a very unique and charming part of his playing and makes his performance of this material even more special.