now the one composer that Glenn Gould REALLY avoided, was Stravinsky...
oh, come now, remko, the list is much longer than that.
sh
Yes, wasn't it Gould who once said, "The problem with Mozart wasn't that he wrote too few works, but too many"? The man was definitely free with his critical bon mots. Here's some news of potential interest to Gould fans, even those who already own one or the other (or both) of his Goldberg Variations recordings. This was my column for Billboard a few weeks ago: === NORTHERN EXPOSURE  In 1955, 22-year-old Canadian pianist Glenn Gould entered the Columbia recording studios not long after making his U.S. performance debut in Washington, DC. For his debut release, he waxed an incandescent version of BachÂs Goldberg Variations that was fiery, fleet, and marked by the unmistakable verve of youth. The recording became an immediate bestseller and virtually assured GouldÂs fame all by itself. Gould revisited the Goldbergs in 1981, embracing the fledgling digital recording technology with a dramatic, ruminative (some might say idiosyncratic) rendition nearly 20 minutes longer than its predecessor. Both recordings have remained in print continually since they were issued. On July 8 in New York City, the Sony Music GroupÂs much-lauded catalog division Legacy offered the first glimpse of an ambitious new reissue series dedicated to GouldÂs ouevre. The initial release, titled Glenn Gould  The Complete Goldberg Variations (1955 & 1981): A State of Wonder, features both of GouldÂs Goldberg recordings, packaged with the lavish attention to detail and unique bonuses for which Legacy has garnered its reputation. Legacy will issue the 3-disc set at a suggested retail price of $19.98 on September 3, roughly coinciding with the 70th anniversary of GouldÂs birth (Sept. 25) and the 20th anniversary of his death (Oct. 4). More than simply compelling classical music consumers to replace staple recordings they already own, A State of Wonder marks LegacyÂs first serious stride towards the ambitious goal it set for itself when it pacted with Sony Classical earlier this year (The Classical Score, Billboard, March 9, 2002). The company hopes to bring some of the larger-than-life classical artists whose works lie in SonyÂs vaults, from Gould and Leonard Bernstein to Igor Stravinsky and Aaron Copland, to the same kind of widespread popular attention that welcomed previous Legacy initiatives devoted to Robert Johnson, Miles Davis and Johnny Cash. Legacy VP of A&R Steve Berkowitz laments that most non-classical aficionados know Gould only as a peculiar character who wore a slouch hat, coat and gloves in summertime. He hopes to re-introduce the pianist as a pioneering visionary who paved the way for many familiar pop artists. During the preview, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and Gould expert Tim Page noted that GouldÂs interest in tape editing anticipated subsequent efforts by the Beatles and the Beach Boys, while Berkowitz cast Gould as the spiritual godfather of such contemporary artists as Prince and Moby for his studio-honed perfection achieved in isolation. ÂGould was a very independent thinker, and he created a world for himself that was in some ways free of the bonds that were dictated in the classical world, Berkowitz says. ÂHe played this music the way he wanted to, he didn t go on tour [after 1964], and he was very unusual in the way that he dealt with the public and the press. He basically answered to no one but himself and his own pursuit of the creation of art. We thought that this was an incredible and appealing story that to a large degree has not been told outside of the classical music world. Still, Legacy has also gone to extraordinary lengths to make A State of Wonder enticing to knowledgeable classical consumers as well. The 1955 recording was remastered with 24-bit technology. Even more elaborate steps were taken to improve the sound of the 1981 rendition: Instead of the airless, brittle-sounding early digital master tape, Legacy turned to a previously unused analog backup tape. Using production notes from the original session and sophisticated software, a team led by reissue producer Louise de la Fuente painstakingly recreated GouldÂs exacting edits. The improvement in sound quality, marked by richer overtones and increased ambience, is dramatic. A third disc will contain a rare 50-minute radio interview conducted by Page (who scripted the Âinformal chat under GouldÂs scrupulous supervision) in which the pianist discusses both of his Goldberg recordings, along with more than 12 minutes of newly unearthed studio banter and impromptu playing from the original 1955 session tapes. Those bonuses reveal still more about an enigmatic master whose legacy continues to grow, while the performances reaffirm the artistry upon which that legacy was built. === (Incidentally, though there wasn't room to include this in the article, in one of the bits of "studio banter and impromptu playing" I mentioned, Gould demonstrates the meaning of the term "quodlibet" to his studio team by simultaneously playing "God Save the Queen" and "The Star-Spangled Banner," which he casually mentions as "something I came up with in the bathtub," if my memory serves me right. The really dramatic thing is that you can hear the 22-year-old pianist immediately taking control of the recording: By just a few minutes in, he's calling his own takes and dictating his concerns to the veteran Columbia producers. And the interview reveals a droll - and sometimes unintentionally corny - comedic wit.) Steve Smith ssmith36@sprynet.com