Glenn Gould Plays Bach – 6 CD box reissue set – Sony Classical 8 86976 83932 1, TT: 6:23:17 *****:
As part of a series of multi-CD reissue packages, Sony Classical has remstered all the Gould recordings on Columbia of Bach for this six-CD boxed bargain-priced set. I should say first the remastering (or perhaps the recent enhancements in pressing CDs) has resulted in a slightly better sonic in all of these reissues. For one thing, you can hear Gould’s singing more clearly, which may not be a plus for some listeners.
While most of the selections are stereo, it is odd that only about half of the movements of the Goldberg Variations are stereo, the others are mono. Rather strange, flipping back and forth that way. The Fugue in F-sharp minor is also mono. By now we’re all used to the very unique way Gould played Bach, trying to emulate the harpsichord on the grand piano. Those who are deterred by his approach won’t want this, but to the rest of us it’s a quite different take on old J.S. that is mostly refreshing listening. The original recordings were made from 1957 to about 1980. This has the original Goldberg Variations that caused all the fuss, Gould’s later stereo recording of it is not included.
There is no note booklet provided, a bit of a disadvantage, considering that Gould was so adept at expressing himself in words worth reading. The first nine of the Contrapunctus of The Art of Fugue feature Gould on the pipe organ, while only 1, 2, 4, 9, 11, 13 & 14 are also heard on the piano. Altogether a valuable collection of the art of Glenn Gould in the music of J.S. Bach.
TrackList:
Disc One: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 The Well-Tempered Clavier II Fugue in F-sharp minor, BWV 883 Fugue in E Major, BWV 87 Disc Two: Two-Part Inventions & Three-Part Sinfonias BWV 772-801 Disc Three: Toccata in D Major, BWV 912 Toccata in F-sharp minor, BWV 910 Toccata in D minor, BWV 913 Toccata in C minor, BWV 911 Toccata in G minor, BWV 915 Toccata in G Major, BWV 916 Toccata in E minor, BWV 914 Disc Four: Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825 Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826 Partita No. 3 in A minor, BWV 827 Partita No. 4 in D Major, BWV 828 Partita No. 5 in G Major, BWV 829 Disc Five: Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830 Six Little Preludes, BWV 933-938 Prelude and Fughetta in D minor, BWV 899 Prelude and Fughetta in G Major, BWV 902 Nine Little Preludes, BWV 924-928, 930 Fugue in C Major, BWV 952 Fughetta in C minor, BWV 961 Fugue in C Major, BWV 953 Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 895 Prelude and Fughetta in E minor, BWV 900 Disc Six: The Art of the Fugue, BWV 1080 (Excerpts) Prelude and Fugue in B-flat Major on the name BACH, BWV 898 |
—John Sunier
