wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

As this luxuriously packaged three-CD set reminds us, Glenn Gould’s two career-bracketing accounts of Bach's Goldberg Variations, from 1955 and 1981, continue to be among the most celebrated, most revered, and certainly most talked-about in the catalogue. Indeed, Gould was the first pianist to bring real flair and drama to repertoire that was supposedly stodgy and out of fashion. His career-making 1955 recording shocked traditionalists in its day, with its quicksilver clarity, broad structural liberties, and wide assortment of eccentricities (audible humming, often breakneck tempos). Gould’s stereo version -- his last recording for Columbia before his death in 1982 -- is much slower, lyrical and more inward in nature, though also not without idiosyncrasies: fierce staccatos, brutal accents, and so forth.

Two hear these two thought-provoking versions side-by-side, one really appreciates the contrasts and interpretive reconsiderations between the two versions. To be sure, this collection could have benefited by including at least two of his other versions of the Goldbergs: His 1954 CBC recording, and the 1959 Salzburg Festival performance (arguably his most enjoyable of the work) that Sony issued in 1994. Still, the set's real centerpiece is a third disc featuring an insightful interview with Tim Page, in which he discusses how his vision of the variations changed and why he felt compelled to record them a second time. We’re also treated to some curious outtakes from the 1955 session, including, one moment in which Gould improvises "God Save the King" and exhibits how it morphs into "The Star-Spangled Banner." The digital remastering of the '81 Goldbergs represents a major improvement in audio quality, making this a must have for any collection.

More about Glenn Gould

Available at Amazon.com A small percentage of the sale helps support WNYC.