That was just absolutely stunning!!!! Easily the best I've heard it played. Gould was out of this world. Genius only the masters could write for. I'm awed and humbled by that performance. My god
Other pianists may possibly also have envisioned such a "Presto agitato" tempo, but to actually play it that fast? Another matter entirely, I'm afraid. We never heard it this fast because it's literally beyond human ability.That's why we are fortunate to have Gould.
I have listened to this many times by many pianists and personally I thought ValentinaLlisitsa rendition was the best until I heard this tonight.He plays it on another level I didn't know was possible. Gould was simply unbelievable.You can tell it was totally effortless for him. I am in shock !!!
In regard to the comments about the tempo of this recording, I would just say it is likely that Gould takes this movement at an extremely high rate of speed partly because he usually interpreted in a very structural, "big-picture" way. An overly strong emphasis on structure or "flow" has the possibility of taking away from some of the "charm" or "elegance" of any composition, but Gould's playing was always absolutely wonderful nevertheless. For me, he was very unique, and one of the few greatest pianists of all time.
Right, the tempo indication in the Beethoven score is absolutely a fast one. But remember, the indications in most scores, especially the farther back in music history one goes, are indefinite, relative, and open to interpretation by the individual performer. Anyway, simple explanations are often good, but sometimes we may need more. I was just commenting above to give some possible context about the speed of Gould's recording (A key word in my comment above is "partly.") My main teacher in New York City was a personal friend of Glenn Gould, and I have studied Gould's life extensively, since I really loved his playing even when I was a small child. We know for a fact that Glenn enjoyed the recording process itself, often doing his own recording, splicing of the tapes, manipulation of sound such as volume, balance, speed, etc. It is not outside the realm of possibility that Gould recorded this and changed things afterwards, including the speed, because he did these kind of things and enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, Gould even wanted to market a product where somebody would buy a vinyl record, take it home, and manipulate the sound themselves electronically to suit their taste and interpretation. As far as I know, this product was never created. But Gould enjoyed doing these type of things, sometimes just to make a "point." Just a thought- trying to help out since people were talking about the speed here. Best wishes to you. David M. Ward
I am reading extensively (obsessively?) about Gould right now.... and "speed" has never been mentioned as one of the things he manipulated with technology.
You do have excellent taste. I'll admit I wasn't expecting to see *Monster* on there too. A true psychological masterpiece, and one of the very few manga I can digest.
Andras Schiff also got the tempos right. Gould seems to play this mov faster though (Anyone got full recording sonata no14 of Gould/Schiff? I'd love to listen it)
+Randy well gould simply takes everything even more literal.literally than schiff does. He interprets presto not only as fast but as as fast as possible. I think it's an interesting take on this piece.
Agreed. I actually get more out of Gould's interpretation than I do out of other pianists'. I am a big fan of Solomon, though. No better classic interpreter of Beethoven.
+Naomi Claes La musique de Beethoven va avec tout. J'avais envie de faire un clip avec les couvertures de mes BDs qui défilent, il me fallait quelque chose de rapide pour cadrer un petit peu avec le rythme de défilement des couverture. L’interprétation de Gould m'a semblé parfaite pour ça.
