 |
Glenn Gould - Art of the Fugue - 70th Anniversary Edition
List Price: $9.99Our Price: $7.05You Save: $2.94 (29%)Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Music CD See more CD details
CD DetailsArtist: Glenn Gould Composer: Bach Edition: Music CD Format: Limited Edition, Original recording remastered CD Release Date: 2002-09-03 Music Label: Sony Soundtracks: - Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 1
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 2
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 3
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 4
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 5
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 6 (a 4, im Stile francese)
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 7 (a 4, per Augmentationem et
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 8 (a 3)
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 9 (a 4, alla Duodecima)
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 1
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 2
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 4
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 9 (a 4, alla Duodecima)
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 11 (a 4)
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 13 (a 3)
- Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue), for keyboard (or other instruments), BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 14 (Fuga a 3 Soggetti) unfini
- Prelude and Fugue on the name of 'B-A-C-H,' for keyboard in B flat major (doubtful; perhaps by J.C. Kittel), BWV 898
Music reviews of Art of the Fugue - 70th Anniversary EditionMusic Review: The Best Bach Interpreter of the Century Rating: 5 Stars
I absolutely love all the works played by Glenn Gould. Why 3 stars then? For a long time I have loved every work that Gould brought to life and I still absolutely love them. However, "The Art of the Fugue" really made me see some of Glenn's dark side. The flaw is that his high speeds have absolutely no excuse on this marvelous piece of creation. It is true that Gould is the best pianist when it comes to playing Bach, but to understand what I mean, go and listen to Contrapunctus IV by some other performer who plays it much slower than Glenn. I personally recommend especially the trumpet version. It will blow your mind and convince you that Gould's performance of this piece was really hiding its magnificent beauty and drama. It is simply not possible to express something so breathtakingly dramatic by playing it staccato and also too fast. Have you ever seen someone who had a great loss crying by short stops and very fast? I don't suppose so. And the comparison is very fair because all the instruments, especially the piano, were created to resemble the human voice. `Art of the Fugue' is nothing like the Goldberg Variations where Gould's touch made the music beautiful, especially the first slow movement (which he actually plays very slowly and hence compensates for the staccato). It is much more dramatic and the performer's first goal must be to convey the drama to the listener.
Who am I to judge Glenn? I just have had the privilege to listen closely to titans like S. Richter, E. Gilels, A. Rubinstein, A.Schnabel, S. Rachmaninoff, V. Horowitz, and many others. Not to mention that so far I have listened to the complete works of over 40 composers. Again, Glenn Gould plays beautifully, especially Bach's faster pieces, where even Emil Gilels and Sviatoslav Richter can't do such a precise and concise interpretation. But we must remember that Glenn is a great pianist, but a pianist that can't even match with the Genius of Johann Sebastian Bach (I have heard Glenn's compositions). It is ironic that listeners give so much credit to Gould that they absolutely forget that the only reason that he is able to play such beautiful pieces is because Bach has created them in the first place! With this in mind, we still can accept new ways of interpretation of Bach, BUT NOT TO THE POINT THAT IT DECREASES THE INTRINSIC VALUE OF BACH'S COMPOSITIONS. Glenn does not do this often, but it is shocking that he chose to show his over-interpretation on a work that is considered to be the most important one in the entire classical repertoire. If Glenn was made to play these pieces by his contractors then the flaws can be partially forgiven.
It all comes down to this: this work should by no means put Gould's abilities in question, since he is indeed the best Bach interpreter of this century. However, one must not be blinded and be focused on any singular performer for the interpretation of all the pieces in the classical repertoire - Gould might outdo Horowitz in performing the `Emperor Concerto' (Beethoven) and Gilels in playing Bach's `French Suites', but when it comes to pieces like Beethoven's "The Tempest," his staccato is not in its right medium and becomes a cat's play compared to the powerful fingers of Richter.
(I have heard over one hundred pieces by Gould and could barely notice his humming. Why? Because I hum with him! So please do not complain since a real classical listener should not even notice the humming. Imagine listening to someone talking and at the same time listening to Bach. As far as I am concerned, you shouldn't even be able to notice that that person even exists).
EDIT: After some years (7 years!), I am amending my original rating - it is definitely worth five stars. Yes, perhaps this recoding comes as a little dry, but it is supposed to be on the piano - after all, it was written for the harpsichord, which is as dry as it gets. In addition, this piece is so moving that the listener can often forget that this is not from the Romantic era. After years of listening to this piece, Gould's recording is the only one that I keep going back to - I just can't get tired of it.
If you'd like a more "romantic" approach to this piece (which is unlikely to be in Bach's style), you can try other pianists (I don't have any favorites other than Gould), or better yet, you can check out this piece on other instruments, such as the version for string quartet by Emerson Quarter or the orchestral version by Karl Munchinger. This is not to say that Gould's performance is not moving, but he takes the more lively approach to this piece EXCEPT, except in the mellifluous last (unifinshed) Contrapunctus 18: Fuga A 3 Soggetti. Gould caresses that piece so gently and dramatically on the piano that no other can match him on a keyboard. That alone deserves five stars.
More Art of the Fugue - 70th Anniversary Edition free music reviews: 1 2 3
|
 |
Winterscapesby London Philharmonic Prophetic Voice; Published: 2000-07; Audio CD; BookBest price: $2.74Price in other shops: $6.99
The Queen, the Bear, & the Bumblebeeby Dini Petty Children's Group; Published: 2001-03; Audio CD; BookBest price: $13.40Price in other shops: $13.98
Classical Kids - Beethoven Lives Upstairs CdrRelease date: 2000-04-05; Music CDBest price: $25.98
Tchaikovsky (Life and Works (Naxos))by Malcolm Sinclair, Jeremy Siepmann Naxos; Published: 2003-11; Audio CD; BookBest price: $35.99
Jose Carreras - Jose Carreras - Jubileum Concert [VHS]Sling Shot; Release date: 2000-04-18; VHS Tape; VHS VideoBest price: $5.87Price in other shops: $9.99
Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Nureyev, Park, Royal Ballet [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1997-09-09; VHS Tape; VHS VideoBest price: $29.94Price in other shops: $29.95
Rambert Dance Company - Lonely Town Lonley Street / Sergeant's Early Dream [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1997-10-28; VHS Tape; VHS VideoBest price: $24.99Price in other shops: $29.95
Winter Music: Composing the Northby John Luther Adams Wesleyan; Published: 2004-11-10; Hardcover; BookBest price: $19.75Price in other shops: $25.95
Puccini - La Fanciulla del West / Santi, Domingo, Neblett, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1999-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS VideoPrice in other shops: $29.95
Verdi - Falstaff / Giulini, Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1999-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS VideoBest price: $12.95Price in other shops: $29.95
|
Glenn Gould, Johann Sebastian Bach - The Glenn Gould Edition - Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book IIRelease date: 1994-01-11; Music CDBest price: $10.00Price in other shops: $19.98
Glenn Gould, Johann Sebastian Bach - The Glenn Gould Edition - Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book IRelease date: 1994-01-11; Music CDBest price: $12.91Price in other shops: $19.98
Bach, Glenn Gould - Partitas 4 5 & 6 - 70th Anniversary EditionRelease date: 2002-09-03; Music CDBest price: $6.85Price in other shops: $9.99
Beethoven: Piano SonatasRelease date: 2008-02-04; Music CDBest price: $2.85Price in other shops: $6.98
Bach, Glenn Gould - English Suites 1 2 & 3 - Anniversary EditionRelease date: 2002-09-03; Music CDBest price: $6.98Price in other shops: $9.99
Bach, Glenn Gould - Bach: The 6 French Suites, Glenn Gould Anniversary EditionRelease date: 2002-09-03; Music CDBest price: $7.22Price in other shops: $9.99
Bach, Glenn Gould - Bach: The Two and Three Part Inventions (Glen Gould Anniversary Edition)Release date: 2002-09-03; Music CDBest price: $8.24Price in other shops: $9.99
Emerson String Quartet, Johann Sebastian Bach - Bach: The Art of FugueBACH,J.S.; Release date: 2003-08-12; Music CDBest price: $8.95Price in other shops: $16.98
Bach, Glenn Gould - Partitas 1 2 & 3 - Anniversary EditionRelease date: 2002-09-03; Music CDBest price: $7.35Price in other shops: $9.99
A State of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations (1955 & 1981)Release date: 2002-09-03; Music CDBest price: $13.39Price in other shops: $15.99
|