Bach: The Goldberg Variations 1955 Performance: Zenph Re-performance

Bach: The Goldberg Variations 1955 Performance: Zenph Re-performance

Bach: The Goldberg Variations 1955 Performance: Zenph Re-performance
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CD Details

Performer: Glenn Gould
Composer: Bach
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD
CD Release Date: 2007-05-29
Music Label: Sony Classics
Soundtracks:
  1. Aria
  2. Variation 1
  3. Variation 2
  4. Variation 3: Canon On The Unison
  5. Variation 4
  6. Variation 5
  7. Variation 6: Canon On The Second
  8. Variation 7
  9. Variation 8
  10. Variation 9: Canon On The Third
  11. Variation 10: Fughetta
  12. Variation 11
  13. Variation 12: Canon On The Fourth
  14. Variation 13
  15. Variation 14
  16. Variation 15: Canon On The Fifth
  17. Variation 16: Ouverture
  18. Variation 17
  19. Variation 18: Canon On The Sixth
  20. Variation 19
  21. Variation 20
  22. Variation 21: Canon On The Seventh
  23. Variation 22: Alla Breve
  24. Variation 23
  25. Variation 24: Canon On The Octave
  26. Variation 25
  27. Variation 26
  28. Variation 27: Canon On The Ninth
  29. Variation 28
  30. Variation 29
  31. Variation 30: Quodlibet
  32. Aria Da Capo
  33. Aria
  34. Variation 1
  35. Variation 2
  36. Variation 3: Canon On The Unison
  37. Variation 4
  38. Variation 5
  39. Variation 6: Canon On The Second
  40. Variation 7
  41. Variation 8
  42. Variation 9: Canon On The Third
  43. Variation 10: Fughetta
  44. Variation 11
  45. Variation 12: Canon On The Fourth
  46. Variation 13
  47. Variation 14
  48. Variation 15: Canon On The Fifth
  49. Variation 16: Ouverture
  50. Variation 17
  51. Variation 18: Canon On The Sixth
  52. Variation 19
  53. Variation 20
  54. Variation 21: Canon On The Seventh
  55. Variation 22: Alla Breve
  56. Variation 23
  57. Variation 24: Canon On The Octave
  58. Variation 25
  59. Variation 26
  60. Variation 27: Canon On The Ninth
  61. Variation 28
  62. Variation 29
  63. Variation 30: Quodlibet
  64. Aria Da Capo

Music reviews of Bach: The Goldberg Variations 1955 Performance: Zenph Re-performance

Music Review: Not Quite Gould Standard
Rating: 3 Stars

This is not the famous 1955 Glenn Gould debut recording but rather a "re-performance" of it. For this, the original mono recording was analyzed with the help of computer software by ZENPH Studios to determine exact timing, volume, and duration of each note as well as use of the piano pedals, and the resulting data was used to play a computer controlled acoustic grand piano, which was then in turn recorded with the latest equipment. The result is a recording that's much clearer than the 1955 mono recording and features an almost exact replication of the performance from that original album. As an added bonus, there is both a regular stereo version and a binaural stereo version (for headphone listening) of each track.

I found this CD at a store and, being a life-long Gould fan, bought it out of curiosity. My expectations weren't too high at first, but the liner notes and the list of people and companies involved peaked my interest. To be sure, the CD sounds beautiful, and the playing is definitely very close to Gould's. However, I would not recommend this for people who have never heard the original recording. The character of the music in this version has changed just enough to lose some of the excitement of the original. While all the notes may be played with the exact same timing, I'm not sure that the volume and key release are always correct. The playing sounds slightly smoothed-over and tame. This may also be caused by the fact that the sound of the Yamaha piano used is much rounder and less dry than the sound of Gould's original Steinway. Especially the up-tempo pieces have lost much of the "bounce" and the infectious, almost "toe-tapping" nature of the original. On direct comparison, many bass lines are less vigorous and the phrasing sounds smoother. The result is the sonic equivalent of turning a brilliant sketch into a very pretty finished painting, which nevertheless fails to capture the spontaneity and energy of the original.[...]

It's very interesting to compare the two recordings, and it's enjoyable to listen to this if you know the original, but it's sad to think that some people might see this as the "definitive" version of Gould's performance, which it certainly isn't. Most people interested in this probably know the 1955 recording, but if you've never heard it, get the original or even better "A State of Wonder", which includes both Glenn Gould recordings from 1955 and 1981.

Glenn Gould would have probably been very interested in this new technology, not the least as a way to get rid of his humming on his recordings, which he said he'd filter out if he could, but which true Gould fans enjoy as part of the experience. But I'm sure he would also have been quick to point out the discrepancies between this recording and his original. Had he been alive and involved in this recording, I'm sure it would have turned out perfect. Or he might have just sat down and played a totally different yet equally brilliant performance of the Goldberg Variations, as he did in his 1981 stereo recording. One of the stranger ideas in the liner notes for this CD is the concept that in the future this type of software could be used to create a "convincingly 'Gouldian' rendering of a piece Gould never actually played", which would be scary if it wasn't so silly, especially when talking about an artist like Gould, whose performances were driven by his amazing intellect and musical analysis, not by some kind of "style template" that could be applied to any piece. Sounds like the idea of making a movie with computer generated replicas of dead actors, which would be of limited use, not to mention creepy... - Luckily we aren't quite there yet, even if computers might be getting pretty close to "re-performing" a classic recording. But of course computers didn't even do that for this recording, they were just tools in the hands of a group of very talented technicians and artists working on this project. The result is a pretty amazing and enjoyable feat of music technology, but as a performance, I still prefer the original mono recording, hiss and all.
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