Bach's Goldberg Variations

Of Bach's solo keyboard works, the Goldberg Variations rank at or near the top, a work with an Aria and 30 variations. While there are many recordings on harpsichord or other period keyboards like a pianoforte, my favorites happen to be modern piano performances. My introduction to Bach's Goldberg came in 1982 with the purchase of Glenn Gould's 1981 digital remake of his landmark 1955 recording. Having never heard the original, I had no basis to judge Gould's new interpretation as good, bad, or even to compare it to other artists interpretations. Let me state now that with Gould, you really love or dislike his performances, he does not just play, but puts on a performance, and in actuality may not be what the composer originally intended, but it doesn't really matter in my opinion.

Why should it make a difference which recording I listened to first? Well, if you love a particular record and it is the only version you have, you tend to set in your mind that this is the 'right' way to perform it, whether it is a 'good' recording or not. In hindsight, I am glad to have approached this work with Gould's 1981 as the 'definitive' performance. I am under no illusion that what he did had anything to do with Bach's intentions, or that the 1981 playing is not full of Gould's sometimes bizarre takes on a particular movement. But it is those particular quirks that made me love this piece, and allows me to hear things in it that I would not have appreciated had I heard the 1955 or another recording first. 

Gould's 1981 recording is a radical departure from his earlier one, and in many ways these are not even the same work. Where the 1955 zips along at a practically impossible speed and is treated more or less as one long work, the 1981 thoughtfully takes each section individually, and the contrast can be jarring. Some movements are played at half the speed in the remake. Now whether he sped up in 1955 or slowed down in 1981 is again subject to interpretation. It is easy with an iPod to play both recordings at once, and alternate each CD, playing track 1 of the 1955, then track 1 of the 1981, track 2 1955, track 2 1981, etc. You never feel like you have repeated a track, and on occasion it sounds like you are not even listening to the same work.

Right now I am listening to the 1955 and the 1981 like this, with Murray Perahia's 2000 recording thrown in too as a comparison. I have listened to other recordings, but always end up with the Gould 1981 or 1955, so it was time to once again visit another performer to see if it would stand up. On a track-by-track basis, sometimes Perahia's playing matches Gould's 1955, sometimes the 1981, and others are his own take. One major difference is that Gould rarely took any of Bach's repeats, and Perahia seems to take them all. Not a bad thing, but makes the recording a lot longer. But this is not a fair way to listen to a recording, just an interesting comparison, especially with the two Gould recordings.

To anyone who is a newcomer to this work, I have always had some reservations about recommending Gould, especially the 1981 recording, since there is a lot of Gould mixed in with the Bach. He has a tendency to sing along with his playing, and it is quite audible in the 1981 set. However, Sony released the 'State of Wonder' collection with both the 1955 and 1981 versions in one set a while back, and this is the set I recommend. I lean toward the 1955 as a more 'pure' performance, but the 1981 has so much to offer too. If you are so inclined, go with Gould's set and I feel you will get a lot out of your choice. The 1955 is great, although the sound quality is mono but decent, and the 1981 sounds better, with a much closer piano sound, but you do get the humming of Gould. If this bothers you, Murray Perahia's recording is the way to go. The playing is a little 'soft' for a Baroque work, but still the best alternative in my opinion to the Gould. Perahia's recording is a lot longer because of the repeats, but still quite enjoyable. The piano is not too close, and the piano tone is nice and warm.

RECORDINGS:
Glenn Gould: State of Wonder, 1955 and 1981 recordings
Murray Perahia: Goldberg Variations

Video of Gould playing Bach's Goldberg Variations 1964

Aria
Variation 3 (Canon at the Unison)
Variation 6 (Canon at the 2nd)
Variation 9 (Canon at the 3rd)
Variation 12 (Canon at the 4th)
Variation 15 (Canon at the 5th)
Variation 27 (Canon at the 9th)

Video of Gould playing Bach's Goldberg Variations 1981

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