Striking Gould

In case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t really know much about classical music. It is a recent interest of mine and, while I dig it, I think my appreciation of it is still very superficial. This blog, therefore, is me learning out loud. Now, I have no business comparing myself to Glenn Gould, so I won’t even try. But I will say this: I believe his interpretations of the classics are also an example of learning out loud. Or possibly teaching out loud. His somewhat mechanical style is a very precise, technical way to explore the music he’s performing. It doesn’t always click with me on a deep, spiritual level, but he certainly had the capacity to illuminate a work on a nuts-and-bolts level. He was very interested in discovering the “architecture” of music, and as such, listening to his playing is a great way for a novice enthusiast like me to become acquainted with the structure of the composition without pesky sentiment and romantic notions getting in the way.

That being said, there is plenty of soul-nourishing goodness to be gotten from Glenn Gould’s Bach Recital: Italian Concerto, Partita No. 4,Concerto in F Major, Toccata in E Minor. I checked this CD out from the library in my neighborhood several months ago, and I believe it is my favorite Gould recording at this point. Here’s why: as always, the unparalleled precision and tonal separation that draws attention to the counterpoint is there in full force (he’s the greatest henpecker who ever lived), but I believe some genuine, honest-to-goodness emotion sneaks through. It is this striking balance that I find satisfying on a psychic plane. Something no other Gould recording has yet accomplished.

Maybe he was in a good mood that day. Maybe the recording technicians had just gotten a raise. Maybe a lot of things. All I know is that this is Bach at his most technically demanding and Gould at his most laid back. It’s as if, confronted with the daunting task of tackling the partitas especially, Gould decided to take the path of least resistance. He doesn’t argue or fight with the music before him, he surveys, he accommodates and eventually, submits to the piece. He’s powerless to improve upon it. This frees up the Canadian wunderkind to approach the music honestly and openly, resulting in a reverential performance that is free of pretense and full of loving nuance. Baroque music always has a sense of forward motion, but rarely – in my limited experience – has the journey been so stirring. I think, at his best, Gould shows us a very good way to approach Bach. It doesn’t need adornment, it just needs clarity.

Recording notes:
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Works: Partita No. 4 (BWV 828), Concerto in F Major (BWV 971), Toccata in E Minor (BWV 914)
Performer: Glenn Gould