Customer Reviews

...And Serenity

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I own almost all of Glenn Gould's Bach recordings, and if you want that, don't get this (it only has two excerpts, and these are hardly representative of his definitive Bach recordings). However, Bach is not the point of this disc; the reason why I was interested in it was that I wanted to experience how Gould plays some of the composers which he claimed to have great admiration for. I wanted to get a taste of Gould's Brahms, and Strauss, while at the same time understanding how he plays Scriabin and Grieg. I was not disappointed; it is a great disk filled with extraordinarily beautiful music. This disk shows that Gould can master many of the middle to late romantics just as easily as he can Bach and Schoenberg(and for me, this disk did one of its other jobs as well, I recently bought the complete set of Gould's Brahms recordings - so in opposition to the previous reviewer: good job Sony). Overall a worthwhile Gould sampler set for all lovers of music.

A bit out of characteristic for Glenn Gould's style, but the selection and the performances are nonethless stunning. My favorite is the opening piece by Bach, although Brahm's and Strauss works are just as captivating. It's evident that the pianist is malleable to diverse interpretation and artistry.

I did NOT buy this for the Goldberg Variations but for the overall mood of the CD and how it showcased the quentessential Gould. If you can't abide the admittedly strange eccentricies, phrasing and inner voices of the pianist then by all means - don't buy the album. But for those who want an individualistic but sincere interpretation of seductive music for the pianoforte, this is a winner.

To all who saw The 32 Variations of Glenn Gould, I was reminded of the scene in the hotel room when he plays the recording for the awed cleaning lady and fades into a world of his own as he slowly became the music. One this for sure - in an age in which it is nearly impossible to differentiate one "great" pianist by another, Gould is an exception. In fact, I find the signature playing of the old artists - Bolet, Richter, Horowitz, Rubinstein - preferable to the ultra-technical but totally interchangeable artists of today.

There is no "best" of the CD - all are miniature portraits as unique as their interpreter. I loved the Brahms despite the slight hum or maybe because of it. Do I think Scriabin would have played the Deux Morceaux like this? No, but I think he would have appreciated Gould's interpretation and that is the whole point. If the pianist has a valid artistic reason for his view of a piece, we may or may not agree with its presentation but we cannot argue with its sincerity.

The other reviews seem to have missed the point of this disc: it's simply a culled set of GG's recordings of SLOW pieces for a totally relaxed listening experience. Hence we have adagios, andandes, largos, sarabandes, etc. This follows on the heels of Karajan's Adagio series which seem to have been successful.

This is a lovely set and there's nothing wrong with it.

If you're a fan of Glenn Gould's Goldberg Variation recordings, you'll find much to admire here. His performance of well-chosen classics never fail to put me in a meditative state.

Yesterday I played this music to patients on a mental health unit at a long term care facility in San Francisco. A former composer from Julliard was deeply touched moving and conducting in the air to every note. There is a divine sensitivity here.

This is a superb and mostly down-tempo collection of some wonderful compositions played beautifully.

I have listened this CD almost 100 times in the last decade and have yet to tire of it. But who's counting?

What initially attracted me to this album were the less common recordings of Gould. The recording quality is incredible, however the recording engineers had the silly idea of secluding Gould's humming to one side of the headphones for some tracks instead of both sides, which makes it far more noticeable.

The performances here by Gould are beautiful. This album is a good example of Glenn Gould's rare ability to expand the slow movements while retaining the music's songful quality. You get to hear Glenn Gould playing music of the romantic era. Although, it is said that Gould was not too fond of romantic music in general, you could not tell from this album. Gould possessed another rare gift. And that is the ability to play poetically without over-romanticizing the music.

I personally do not prefer listening to 60 minutes of slow music which is all roughly the same tempo without much contrast. But if you do, then by all means buy this album. After listening to the Strauss sonata, I was somewhat irritated that they only included one movement. It is so well played that it would leave the more serious listeners wanting more. Another downside is that this album comes without a CD pamphlet. Those are always nice to read.

Leave it to the bean counters at Sony to accomplish the previously unimaginable: reducing Bach and Glenn Gould into Muzak™.

If you are interested in Gould's Bach recordings, start with his '81 (not the '56) recording of the Goldberg Variations or his Partitas. His French Suites are also excellent and are among Gould's more "normal" recordings. If you just want to learn and to understand Bach, stay away from Gould. That is because Gould's Bach recordings are far from the norm, although his musical ideas are always stimulating and at times controversial. I love his Bach dearly but it is an acquired taste. Gould played Bach to challenge his listeners to rethink the composer. Gould did not play Bach so that intellectually lazy morons can listen to it while taking their bubble baths.

One star for this idiotic album because Amazon's dialog box lacks the option to choose anything less.

If you just want background music, try Yanni.

Ok, not the most sophisticated review but.... I can't get past the humming. Plus he isn't a very good hummer. Oscar Peterson - now there is a good hummer. I am listening to Genn's CD as I write this and the guy is still humming away - didn't he know they were recording? Maybe I am missing something here - is humming along with Brahms really OK? No more Glenn for me. I like my classical piano hum free.