Glenn Gould: A state of Wonder : Bach : The Complete Goldberg Variations 1955 & 1981

Glenn Gould : A state of Wonder
Bach : The Complete Goldberg Variations 1955 and 1981
2CDs + 1CD Bonus

"It was his 1955 recording of the Goldberg Variations (reviewed September) which rocketed the then 25-year-old Canadian pianist Glenn Gould to fame, instantly establishing him as a pre-eminent, if highly individual, interpreter of the music of JS Bach."

CD1 - Bach : The Complete Goldberg Variations, 1955 Recording
01. Aria [0:01:53.00]
02. Variation 1 [0:00:45.10]
03. Variation 2 [0:00:37.20]
04. Variation 3. Canon on the unison [0:00:54.55]
05. Variation 4 [0:00:29.12]
06. Variation 5 [0:00:37.08]
07. Variation 6. Canon on the second [0:00:34.12]
08. Variation 7 [0:01:08.03]
09. Variation 8 [0:00:45.37]
10. Variation 9. Canon on the third [0:00:37.68]
11. Variation 10. Fughetta [0:00:42.62]
12. Variation 11 [0:00:54.40]
13. Variation 12. Canon on the fourth [0:00:55.65]
14. Variation 13 [0:02:10.40]
15. Variation 14 [0:00:58.63]
16. Variation 15. Canon on the fifth [0:02:16.42]
17. Variation 16. Overture [0:01:17.23]
18. Variation 17 [0:00:53.05]
19. Variation 18. Canon on the sixth [0:00:46.10]
20. Variation 19 [0:00:42.45]
21. Variation 20 [0:00:47.37]
22. Variation 21. Canon on the seventh [0:01:42.30]
23. Variation 22. Alla breve [0:00:42.13]
24. Variation 23 [0:00:54.32]
25. Variation 24. Canon on the octave [0:00:56.63]
26. Variation 25 [0:06:28.12]
27. Variation 26 [0:00:52.10]
28. Variation 27. Canon on the ninth [0:00:49.43]
29. Variation 28 [0:01:10.57]
30. Variation 29 [0:01:00.15]
31. Variation 30. Quodlibet [0:00:48.03]
32. Aria da capo (Reprise) [0:02:11.40]


CD2 - Bach : The Complete Goldberg Variations, 1981 Recording
01. Aria [0:03:05.30]
02. Variation 1 [0:01:10.30]
03. Variation 2 [0:00:49.00]
04. Variation 3. Canon on the unison [0:01:30.65]
05. Variation 4 [0:00:50.35]
06. Variation 5 [0:00:37.10]
07. Variation 6. Canon on the second [0:00:40.07]
08. Variation 7 [0:01:16.03]
09. Variation 8 [0:00:53.60]
10. Variation 9. Canon on the third [0:00:59.27]
11. Variation 10. Fughetta [0:01:04.18]
12. Variation 11 [0:00:53.27]
13. Variation 12. Canon on the fourth [0:01:38.10]
14. Variation 13 [0:02:38.13]
15. Variation 14 [0:01:04.65]
16. Variation 15. Canon on the fifth [0:05:01.22]
17. Variation 16. Overture [0:01:38.15]
18. Variation 17 [0:00:54.05]
19. Variation 18. Canon on the sixth [0:01:03.08]
20. Variation 19 [0:01:03.05]
21. Variation 20 [0:00:49.52]
22. Variation 21. Canon on the seventh [0:02:13.03]
23. Variation 22. Alla breve [0:01:03.10]
24. Variation 23 [0:00:58.05]
25. Variation 24. Canon on the octave [0:01:44.00]
26. Variation 25 [0:06:02.37]
27. Variation 26 [0:00:51.63]
28. Variation 27. Canon on the ninth [0:01:21.27]
29. Variation 28 [0:01:03.18]
30. Variation 29 [0:01:01.55]
31. Variation 30. Quodlibet [0:01:30.25]
32. Aria da capo (Reprise) [0:03:50.45]


CD3 - A State of Wonder
01. Interview with Tim Page 1982 [0:50:54.42]
02. Studio Outtakes from 1955 Goldberg Variations Recording [0:12:32.05]

BBC music magazine;
Performance : *****
Sound : ****
Jed Distler

Little can be added to all the critical accolades heaped upon Glenn Gould’s Goldberg Variations, be it the pianist’s landmark 1955 disc debut or his similarly individual, though strikingly different 1981 remake. Both recordings remain catalogue cornerstones, having been repackaged and remastered a number of times. They are done so again to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Gould’s death and what would have been his 70th birthday. When the 1981 Goldberg first came out in September 1982 (just days before Gould died), it was marketed as an expensive audiophile product on account of its digital provenance. How ironic that the present reissue stems from a newly discovered analogue master tape, whose ‘warmer’ sound allegedly improves upon the limitations of early digital technology. Blind comparative listening on first-rate equipment, however, revealed Sony’s 20-bit Glenn Gould Edition transfer a little more defined in note attacks, while this rounder, mellower analogue transfer slightly compromised the characteristic ‘ping’ of Gould’s tone. By contrast, the 1955 Goldberg receives its clearest and cleanest transfer to date. A bonus disc contains unreleased alternate takes from these sessions, revealing a slower, arguably more compelling rendition of the Aria, and a sequence in which Gould demonstrates, to harmonically stunning effect, how one can contrapuntally combine the British and American national anthems. There is also a fascinating (albeit entirely pre-scripted) interview between Gould and writer Tim Page, in which the pianist discusses his theory of tempo relationships, Bach on the piano and other pertinent issues. While notable more recent Goldbergs from Murray Perahia (Sony) and András Schiff (Decca) offer all the repeats and more adventurous ornamentation, their virtues can never overshadow Gould’s classic recordings.

Gramophone magazine : Bryce Morrison

His truly astonishing performance was recorded in 1981, 26 years after Gould's legendary 1955 disc. Gould was not in the habit of re-recording but a growing unease with that earlier performance made him turn once again to a timeless masterpiece and try, via a radically altered outlook, for a more definitive account. By his own admission he had, during those intervening years, discovered 'slowness' or a meditative quality far removed from flashing fingers and pianistic glory. And it is this 'autumnal repose' that adds such a deeply imaginative dimension to Gould's unimpeded clarity and pin-point definition. The Aria is now mesmerically slow. The tremulous confidences of Variation 13 in the 1955 performance give way to something more forthright, more trenchantly and determinedly voiced, while Var. 19's previously light and dancing measures are humorously slow and precise. Variation 21 is painted in the boldest of oils, so to speak, and most importantly of all, Landowska's 'black pearl' (Var. 25) is far less romantically susceptible than before, has an almost confrontational assurance. The Aria's return, too, is overwhelming in its profound sense of solace and resolution.
Personally, I wouldn't want to be without either of Gould's recordings yet I have to say that the second is surely the finest. The recording is superb and how remarkable that what are arguably Gould's two greatest records should be his first and his last.

Classical CD Guide : "The First 20 of Your Classical Music Collection."

Legend has it that Bach wrote this set of variations for his student Goldberg to play for an insomniac Count. Scholarly research has shown that the legend is probably not true, and listening to the piece will affirm that conculsion -- it would be nearly impossible to fall asleep to it. Bach takes a simple aria and constructs a set of thirty variations on this theme, employing all of the keyboard styles of his time and ranging widely in mood before coming back to a restatement of the theme at the end. Glenn Gould, perhaps the most famous of all Bach interpreters, recorded the Goldbergs twice. The first recording, from 1955, is a virtuosic performance that revolutionized Bach keyboard playing, while the second, from 1981, is a far more introspective interpretation by an artist nearing the end of his life. This three-disc collection offers both recordings of the Goldbergs as well as a revealing inteview in which Gould discusses his performances.

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