Scriabin sonata no. 5 Glen Gould

[firefws]

Gould is a very good interpreter of scriabin. A better recording would have given his justice.

[FunkBach]

This must be a joke? DREADFUL performance.

[cfwpiano]

This is amazing... The richness, the tone colors that he gets out just really blow my mind. This is a very crappy upload though, the sound quality is horrid. More people might've liked it if they listened to it on CD.

[sukkot54]

Christ yes Gould was a total romantic, amongst many other things.

[annefrankisaho]

Gould sucked at Scriabin. Somehow he turned one of the most turbulent pieces I've ever heard into naptime music.

[FOOFOOKITTY]

@annefrankisaho When Gould was a baby he might have sucked his THUMB but he certainly never sucked at Scriabin or any other composer of piano music! However, and no offense, but your screen ID certainly sucks.

[TRIXIE1001]

This sounds like me in my livingroom while I try to get the tempo up to where Scribin actually wanted it to be.

[elicandondo]

AS EVER (BUT IS THIS THAT I LIKE OF GOULD) HE IS EVER DIFFERENT :)

[Steinwaytoday]

Everyone is going to think I'm an idiot... but I prefer this version over Richters. lol

[briawnaanderson]

@Steinwaytoday I was just thinking the same thing after listening to them back to back.. :p I am not usually a Gould fan, but this is luscious.

[visionfugitiva]

Gould was a GENIUS, specially for Bach and barroque music. I dont think they are comparable, I also like more Richters interpretation because I think his sound is more convincent and expressive, Richter played almost all Scriabin works, he knew this composer very well and you can listen the results of that knowledge in his genius hands. But ask Richter...when he met Gould he was astonished! and he admitted Gould´s Bach was far better than his. They are just 2 of the greatest pianist of all tme

[Theonedue]

Wow, Ricther kicks both Horowitz and Goulds asses in this piece.

[chad410]

@Theonedue  more than possible

[cfwpiano]

@Theonedue God, why is music always a competition with assholes like you? STFU And enjoy Scriabin's genius.

[Theonedue]

If I heard Scriabin play his own piece, that would be the time I enjoyed HIS genius. Goulds interpretation of this piece is a little off the mark for me. Who said anything about a competition by the way?

[werq34ac]

it doesn't have richter's energy, but it has more finesse than him.

[pozsoz]

well this is a disgrace

[4785689]

na you upload the 2nd part? ;)

[perry1559]

Gould had odd ideas about how the tempi within a piece should be related mathematically. An approach that upset Bernstein a great deal with the Brahms First. This rather languid rendering of Scriabin 5 simply isn't "Russian" enough for some people. It is a quite valid and thought provoking interpretation nonetheless. Blasting through everything at top speed is not necessarily the most musical approach to everything.

[perry1559]

@micheldvorsky -Compare Gould's Prokofiev 7th to Argerich's. Radically different, both wonderful. She pulls out all the stops with that astounding control she has, and Gould's sounds like aural cubism.

[lovesGenet]

Sounds plodding and his deliberate tempo does not suit s. in my op. A crazy over-medicated man can't do it.He had not a true affinity for S. He has a lot of tonal resource that should be no surprise but it is. It is certainly better than his Chopin 3rd sonata . Gulda 's Bach playing is fantastic.

[KABRIS1]

@lovesGenet No one plays Bach like Gould, and Goulda does not have Bach's timing.

[ibclappin]

he seems to have changed the timing of the notes, he has completely changed the piece. i did not like it at all.

[demosj]

Very lethargic playing.

[diuleelomei]

Heard so many versions of this sonata... The best belongs to Horowitz's one. This one is too slow.

[chad410]

Im afraid it is

[Matteo7419]

I'm sorry: I have the complete recordings of GG, with all the private recordings and definitely this is not his recording of the Scriabin Sonata. I'd like to know where you found it. This is a fake.

[leverkuhn67]

A fake??? My god... Gould recorded it for a radio broadcast. You can find it in the GG edition (Gould plays Chopin, Mendelssohn and Scriabine).

[Matteo7419]

I'm sorry again: the Scriabin sonata that appears in that album is the only one he recorded in 1970 in NY. He never played this sonata for the radio or fot the tv.

[wayneredhart]

@Matteo7419 Idiot.

[Matteo7419]

@wayneredhart ??? Why? What's your problem?

[wayneredhart]

@Matteo7419 You seem to think you are something of an expert, yet you are unfamiliar with this recording? It was released by Sony. What possible reason do you have to claim he never played this on the radio? Perhaps you have personally scoured the complete archives? Well, clearly not, if you never stumbled across this very widely known performance.

[Matteo7419]

@wayneredhart My dear friend, firts of all I'd like to know wich volume of the Sony Edition you're talking about, 'cause I've the complete Sony Edition and I can't find it. Second thing, I've the complete discografy of GG, included many private recordings of him playing at his home. So, definitely, I think I'm "expert" enough to say this is not GG playing the Scriabin 5th on the radio. If yoy have this recording, please tell me the label and the number of catalogue, so I can find it. Thank you.

[wayneredhart]

@Matteo7419 It's from the same volume that has Scriabin's 3rd sonata and Chopin's 3rd etc- in the original Sony issue of the complete GG edition. If your discography does not include this widely known recording then it must be an extremely poor one. As for your being an "expert", you can't even tell from the style of playing that this is Gould? Could it be any more obvious?

[Matteo7419]

@wayneredhart Well, actually I obviously have this recording. That's 52622 of Sony Edition with Chopin 3rd on radio 1970 and the Scriabin Sonatas, but the 5th was not recorded for the radio, but at 30th Street Studio on July 1970. He never played this Sonata for the radio and I could'nt understand the correspondence with Sony Edition and the volume you're speaking about. This is a Studio recording, but the audio quality of the post in terrible.

[wayneredhart]

@Matteo7419 Poor sound, yes, but that doesn't make the performane any less obviously that of Gould, whether it was for the radio or made in a studio. Sorry, I misread your point about the radio, thinking you were denying that he had ever recorded this. However, I'm still rather suprised that a self-proclaimed 'expert' would pronounce this to be fake, simply because of slightly dodgy sound quality. The style is unmistakable.

[trntlobne]

@chad410 This definitely is NOT Gould, a total fake!

[chad410]

@trntlobne certainly is

[The3lse]

This interpretation is practically backwards to me. While this is Scriabin, and at this point in his life, we begin to lose many previous conventions, the four movement structure of the Sonata form is still present. But Gould plays the 1st and 3rd movements with somewhat less rubato than other recordings and the 2nd and 4th movements at half the intended Presto. I don't want to say this is devoid of emotion, but it feels almost as if Gould has replaced Scriabin's melodic ideas with his own.

[The3lse]

Granted, supplanting one's own ideas of musicality into the piece is fundamental to being a great performer, but there seems to be a loss of Scriabin's soul that is substituted with Gould's interpretation.

[cpdavidzas]

its too slow for my taste. this feeling of longing is really long-ing..It's not anxious enough nor excited. it seems timid.

yes, very clear and beautiful texture. but so is hamlin and he plays it much more excitingly

[jeremiemichael1]

Where is the ending??

[robbiethemann]

@jeremiemichael1

he hasn't finished playing it yet...

[GeorgeMaxwellDuPre]

I like it. I never heard this work before.

[kempff95]

I don't like it.

This is TOO gould .

I MUCH admirer stanislav neahaus interpretation .

[chad410]

I like it but I don t know why

[flibbertergibbet]

Now this guy's really got the mystical longing & hope of the piece, and we can hear ALL the notes and textures, unlike Richter. Extraordinary atmosphere!

[nniuqn]

elemental beauty fixed in chronatic divine gould present

[kiasmus]

Gould is of course excellent, but as always he is a little capricious. Check for example 1:58 on -all momentum is lost. I think there is a clear cut between the introduction, where the piece generates a sort of cumulative energy, and the first theme, where the force should be progressively displayed. In my opinion, no one performs this sonata with the demonic ivresse and sheer command of the overall structure of Sviatoslav Richter.

[thesillycunt]

Is "ivresse" a misspelling or is it a real (English) word? Never heard of it, and I am a voracious (English) reader.

[kiasmus]

Although I've seen the word in some english texts, "ivresse" is a french word literally meaning "intoxication" and "drunkness", but also conveying the literary sense of ecstatic abandonment. (A thousand apologies for the sheer pedantry.)

[MadamePukengkay]

You should also apologize for being a show-off.

[kiasmus]

I do.

[ksrucin]

we're missing the last 5 1/2 pages...

[sll10]

This sounds like it's in slow motion and under water!

[SSSLAWWWA]

So I agree with you!

[SSSLAWWWA]

As for me I don't think Gould was a romantic. Here we see something "beethovenian" of some sort... I prefer far Sofronitsky, Merzhanov, Ashkenazy - that's what romantics means for me.

[chad410]

I didn t say this was my prefered pianist. far from it.  But this was posted for historic purposes and shows he has great respect for this composer . of course it s missing a bit of passion .I think

[SSSLAWWWA]

That's my reply - I was wrong when posting. I agree!

[KABRIS1]

@chad410

I think that is correct that, Gould placed more importance on polyphony and form.

Another important fact is, the importance that Gould place on timing. No other pianist has Gould's timing. Romantic interpreters tend to play much more rubato than Gould, perhaps this is why people find his playing to be "cold". Listen to his Goldberg Variations. Gould's interpretation of the, "Goldberg Variations" is one of the most sensitive things that I have ever heard, played with perfect timing.

[frtac]

@SSSLAWWWA Gould plays in a traditional way, with the melody standing out against the background. but Richter incorporates the melody within the background, so that the melody, by being hardly noticeable as such, demands more work and focus from the listener, a more modern approach of making music ( I think). If your brain accepts the challenge, you get more involved, and the pleasure reward is better. thats why i like Richter's more than gould's.

[SSSLAWWWA]

@frtac As for me, it's impossible to compare Richter and Gould in this sonata. Gould's playing here is a kind of nonsence at all. I heard Gould always wanted to see a musical "form", so his rec. like this one are some "search" for a "form". I only can wish that no one else will ever go that way. Music first, not a "form" and all things like that.

[Kalen1457]

I think Gould is best at bach than any other composer...

[chad410]

actually I think he makes this tiresome sonata come to life also :P

[crowdmaker]

Tiresome?! Eh, this sonata's not for everyone... But i love it, and of course Gould does very interesting things with it. Just like the Prokofiev sonata no. 7. He should have recorded more modern music, but to be fair, he did record quite a bit.

[squishym]

Try Horowit'z interpretation of this sonata - like Gould, he preserves the rhythm and form but he seems to put a lot more energy and adventuresome spirit into it.

[klinsha8]

ELINIDARA, you misunderstand my comment. .My fault, surely.

I think Gould IS a great virtuoso, one of the greatest, but he IS much than this.

CHEERS( for you too AZIMUTH595).

Both of you are so young...and I love Greece).

[klinsha8]

I was not beeing sarcastic, only a litle bit.

I love Glenn Gould,  and I really think he always considers himself as a peer of all the great composers, even Bach.HE WAS A MUSICIAN, NOT A PERFORMER ONLY.

[chad410]

yep. i don t like this sonata at all, but like the playing in a bizare way.

[MrAsungot]

Sultanov's is better than Richer's.

[chad410]

ok im sure yes.

[perdipe]

Gould the romantic... ;)) Thanks

[kevasman]

Painfully slow and obvious wrongs note learned! Pretty bad.

[klinsha8]

Who cares about scriabine? Gould always knew how THE COMPOSERS should written their musics, IF POSSIBLE. And for this, he is not just a pianist. HE IS THE MUSIC ITSELF.

[AZIMUTH595]

To klinsha8: I care about Scriabin... So do I for every single composer.

[Ellinidara]

Sorry,isn't Gould a pianist?I respect every opinion,but its so difficult for me to accept your affirmation.He often can crazy recordings,but remains an incredible virtuoso...

[michieldpiano]

where is the music???

[elmauro]

this is personally my favorite interpretation because he makes such a lush and involved work so legible like no-others do. richter's interpretation is formidable, but it doesn't sound like he owns the piece to me.

[NOSEhow2LIV]

Surprisingly entertaining,(only if one already knows how the piece goes).A typical GG destruction job,funereal tempi,hair-raising mis-readings(3.54>>..ye gods!)All probably on purpose.A huge achievement,to reduce THE most exciting work in the literature to a grey,flat,dismal trudge. ThankGod the ending cut off, YT's uploading probably went into terminal depression,and decided spontaneously it had had enuf.UGH! Thanx anyway.

[chad410]

this was only for historical purpose. Some of Goulds playing is boring I agree too. but this was a work usually sledge hammered through to the extent that I could never hear the polyphony. I guess I can though here.

[vcupiano]

Richter's version is far superior

[caaliin]

this is NOT RIGHT!! i know there's no strictly 'right' way to play something...but he obviously wasn't reading the music. this is supposed to be EXCITING - a poem of ecstasy - but its just 'romantic'. half the piece is supposed to be presto! as well as that he gets notes wrong...which would be excuseable if he had done it by mistake, but it sounds like he's done it on purpose.

[MichalGresl]

I must agree with CAALIIN..

This is practice tempo, Glen:-) It is not Scriabin..I have CD with Hakon Austbo with Scriabin ten sonatas-IT IS RIGHT!

[chad410]

well for historic purpose it s good to place up here with other rec. I think hondestly if you didn t know it was Gould though you might like it a little

[polskaczech]

The best interpretation, like only Sofronitky

played before, but with more sentiment.

[coasterman16]

WHY IS THE END CUT OFF!!!

[clubsandwedge]

Gould didn't exactly shy away from romantic works. What probably occurred to him was that there was a substantial amount of childishness going on around the romantic period. People would come to concerts and boo if the work contained a new chord. The majority wanted to cling onto the sonata form etc etc. Gould was a pioneer of new music as well as old, but because of the people's hostile attitudes towards new music, the music then was restricted.. perhaps that's why he shyed away from them

[chad410]

Horowitz said all music was romantic by nature.

[luiarthur]

pretty interesting

[spv88]

thanks