Glenn Gould - Beethoven 15 Variations and Fugue Op 35 (1/3)

[McGuywer]

Great talent, he has something from Norman Wisdom.

[bnull240]

@whneo97 @qwerty123400001 Both the part at 0:11 and 2:00 are from the fourth movement of eroica. The first one (0:11) is the bass line for the main theme (2:00), except without the harmonies. Beethoven used the theme in four pieces. This was the third, eroica was the fourth. The Creatures of Promethius was the second, and a really short dance, which consisted only of this theme (may have even gone un-published), was the first.

[yourmaker74]

my speakers dont go near loud enough for this

[andreybeci]

master

[TheImpressionnant]

This is the 2nd Beethoven song I've heard that I actually like.

[whneo97]

Wow he was so young o.o When was this recording taken?

[qwerty123400001]

At 0:11, that's part of the fourth movement of Eroica, too?

[whneo97]

@qwerty123400001 I don't think so. (;

[whneo97]

Wait, you mean at around 2:00? It sounds familiar to me though...

[goldencricket]

@whneo97 That section at 2:00 is almost identical to part of one of Mozart's sonatas.

[sbdude101]

Anyone know when this was recorded? In the mid to late 50's, perhaps?

[textusr1611]

long after the world and goulds critics are dead and gone ,,GLENN GOULD WILL STILL BE GOD!!!

[lsbrother]

If you went to a recital and the guy next to you made the same daft noises Gould does you'd probably want your money back!

[philateliceun]

@yougoddamnprick no he was alive, he is still the man.

[guanho]

anyone could suggest where i can get the dvd of this? thanks

[jsanders841]

Stravinski, Thank you very much for the Video. I'm trying to get some advertising for my Channel. I have all of Goulds Videos. Enjoy.

[mountainrico]

Such affection and obvious understanding of both the music as well as the instrument.... Gould has never ceased to amaze me with his depth of feeling and purposeful interpretation in every note. Awesome.

[30inventionman]

any1 know where I can get the sheets for this/'.][=-?

[nmrd123987]

@30inventionman 216.129.110.22/files/imglnks/u­simg/6/62/IMSLP93504-PMLP05827­-beeth_var_op35.pdf

have a great week:)

[NjallPiano]

Wow...

[crowjane911]

to people who are enchanted by magic names: this video demonstrates even his technical limits. when it needs a big capacity his hands lose power and, as a result can't produce a real sound. besides, as a musician he is even more questionable. i played it at age of 14, and i knew this piece was not transcendental. he is flawless when it can be played by a kid, and has troubles in keeping a tempo when it's a little harder. i wonder why so many visitors can't hear it.

[chaddyfromtheblock]

@crowjane911 sorry you cant realize that Gould knew what he wanted and was trying to execute, very honestly

[fiandrhi]

@crowjane911 All I can say is that his studio recording of this piece grabs me like no other. I think his interpretation is perfect there. This performance, made for TV, is similar in qualities, though not as good. I have heard a dozen or more pianists in this set and always find his the better. There is more to music making than technique. Richter in this piece is utterly without humor or charm, though much more powerful and assured. What good is that?

[conyuenluyt]

@crowjane911

I don't know. Perhaps if you put a recording up of yourself then people could make a comparison, but he sounds pretty good to me. One thing is think one is playing a piece well in the comfort of one's own living room, and another to do it on stage or in a recording studio.

[pupulique]

@crowjane911 You have a point, I think. There were more versatile pianists than Gould and more widly technically eqiped. I'm not happy with his many recordings too. His Mozart is a pure insanity. But some performances are dazzling, like the Goldberg Variations.

[beingstudlyforlife]

@TheSingingCello: thanks for your response! I shall look up the recommendation. I agree that it is probably to keep it sounding "improvisatory", or as you say it "still in the works". Thanks!

[TheSingingCello]

wow

[beingstudlyforlife]

Any idea why he skipped some repetitions and retained some? Please advice. Thanks.

[TheSingingCello]

@beingstudlyforlife For expressing greater modality in relation to playing it now instead of when or as it was written. he did this to achieve uniqueness in a lot of what he played, like expressing it as a composition still in the works, still viable for new thought. I personality think its what kept him interested.

[TheSingingCello]

@beingstudlyforlife Here, also if your interested look up, "Glenn Gould on Recording - Yehudi Menuhin Music of Man". He explains a bit of why he is doing this in so much of what he plays.

[Chaliamusiclover]

Where ever Gleen went to a porformance he always took his espacial char with him. After watching a documentary about Glenn Gould a week ago I was really wowed in the way he played the piano.

[Rugghead98]

Possibly Gould's finest performance.

[sakulamusic]

so nice ~

[UNORIGINALdot3x]

he's fun to watch :P and listen to of course

[edwinstar100]

I am struck, mostly, by his brilliant playing, his posture and the size of his hands. It is like he is over-seeing his hands, directing them in a disconnected way. Yet, he is totally in the music. Kind of autistic-like. Whatever works, and it does, thanks for posting.

[therealbenphelps]

Simply indescribable musicianship.I can't watch this enough.

[cirosuperiore]

what an awkward style of playing, what great music...phenomenal

[spinoza1111]

I find the phrase "honours what the composer wrote" ridiculous in context, because in fact Beethoven rebelled against the very notion that the lower orders should "honour" their "betters", a notion that is preserved in the notion that we must "honour" the composer by slavishly following scores *not knowable to be definitive*.

What would be the point in even listening to a performance in which the performer set out, like some sort of silly ass scientist or butterfly collector, to reproduce?

[IngridHexerl]

WONDERFUL

THANK YOU VERY MUCH

[chiehwenwang]

I did not know the combined strength of Beethoven and Gould is so artistically overwhelming. By the way, it made me even think that Gould was better at Beethoven than at Bach.

[chiehwenwang]

I did not know the combined strength of Beethoven and Gould is so artistically overwhelming.

[DolfLoneWolf]

More purity than that: impossible.

[purplepeoplepurple]

Wonderful music-making. However, it should be pointed out that Gould, typically for him, takes a good number of liberties with the score. In the opening piece (Introduzione), for example, he plays all the half notes staccato. In the second part of each of the next five variations he omits the repeat in four of them (A Due, A Tre and A Quattro) while keeping it in one (Tema). Then in Var. 2 he skips the repeat again. And so on. An "individual" performance. Just so no one takes this as a standard

[spinoza1111]

@purplepeoplepurple Why do we need a "standard" performance? Musical performance is not an industrial activity which needs to be "to-rule".

The very notion of "standard" performance, with its nasty little pretense of respect for the composer, is actually a collective vanity, for it is based on nothing more than the oral, and after Edison recorded, tradition of a group which doesn't include the composer, especially before Edison. It is the least common denominator opinion of a bunch of idiots.

[purplepeoplepurple]

@spinoza1111 - I had a feeling I might that kind of reply and wondered whether I shouldn't have phrased my comment differently. By "standard" I meant played in a way that honours what the composer wrote. Gould plays wonderfully, but people who are not familiar with this work should be aware that he does not always follow the score. Why disagree insult when you disagree with someone?

[spinoza1111]

@purplepeoplepurple Are you certain that the printed score from the music publisher corresponds to any surviving manuscript? You're the expert, apparently, but my understanding is that in addition to "the intentions of the composer", which in Beethoven's case may be lost, there is also an oral tradition which Gould seems, to me, to have stepped outside.

My layperson's understanding is that music notation is simply not accurate enough to specify original intentions.

[spinoza1111]

@purplepeoplepurple The question is whether the performer should strive to be, not an artist, but a machine. I think it's clear that while Gould wanted very much to use technology, he didn't want to be either a machine or a performing monkey. He wanted to be a free human being, unsubordinate to inferior people using his genius to make money. And this expresses the very spirit of the music he's playing here: don't tread on me.

[arturon111]

Arrau plays these variations the BEST

[nmrd123987]

I think it might very be the hardest piece for Piano Beethoven wrote I ever heard..

[mauiboynokaoi]

@nmrd123987 Go search Sonata Pathetique 1st Movement played by gould.

[1Janny1]

I love watching Glenn's head roll rhythmically about, eyes closed, smiling. He was indeed a happy man here. Let him have his peculiarities. Love it that he was so much a part of the music that he could not help that his rather muffled baritone join in the ride too. He did try they say, but it was tough. Apparently G G and his humming were somewhat "attached at the hip". Good for SONY, CBC and whoever else for accommodating him in recording Mr Gould. Glenn Gould was a unique total!

[nicodagger]

@1Janny1 Absolutely! As a musician myself, I feel that if one DOESN'T feel that kind of joy in ones music, whether interpreting others' or ones own, then "one" shouldn't even bother to play in the first place. I know that Ludwig would have appreciated Glenn very much, recognized a kindred spirit.

[maxreger100]

@link1628

C'est la même chose!

[Johannes999999999]

I do not like it when performers are overly dramatic. However, Glenn Gould is so talented that it difficult to criticise anything he does. Fantastic performance of some early Beethoven.

[chimptest]

Fantastic Thanks for posting. However, from all the writings and interviews I've read about Glenn, he despised this kind of showmanship. Well, I guess one needs to make a living in order to eat. He stopped performing after age 32 and spent all his time in the studio. He actually didn't care much for Mozart, nor Beethoven, as he thought they ushered in a kind of frivolous display of virtuosity expected from the pianist.

[unagondolaunremo]

wonderful, the music and the performance

[Offshoreorganbuilder]

Amazing playing. I still HATE the mumblings in the background, though. Still ... what a technique!

[stephengnelson]

wwwhoooa this is even better than Richter's version

[ivanoschen]

Brilliant fugue!

[link1628]

Le thème ressemble fortement à celui du premier mouvement de la 7ème symphonie de Beethoven non ?

[realisticspeakers]

Glenn Gould is a god when it comes to Bach. But, I'm sorry, when it comes to Beethoven he simply destroys it. All kinds of soul in the show but disappointing in the sound.

[puddingpimp]

I was listening to some Glen Gould recordings and I could never work out what the weird murmurs were, this video makes it clear they are him singing quietly to the music, how quaint. What an excellent piano performance.

[zabki22]

Thank you very much!

[hebrefrenic]

So flawed a man, so very human but the music that comes from him is greater than we could hope for in a lifetime of trying. I can only hope another will come along and surpass him- I think he would wish the same. hebefrenic

[kurbinalkurbikurben]

One day I will visit your grave and pay my respects as you are the true Bach of our times !!!

[DesertAnnie]

Ah-hh!! In a word; "AWESOME"!!!!

[Voime09]

Playing with the soul

[spinoza1111]

He does make goofy faces, like Jerry Lewis. But it all comes out so perfectly.

It all comes out so perfectly from the clown

Who pulls out a long roll of ticker tape

On which is written,

Oh come and dance with me.

[pila406]

55,000 views Exactly :D.

Beautiful interpretation! And composition of-course.

[Yoshi5020]

Wow, I love Gould's interpretation at 5:23 ! (I'm assuming it's the sort of interpretation people get up in arms about, calling it "insulting"). Hard to describe-- overly bright, like a music box gone mad? Great touch.

[tagexing]

Gosh, this is good!

[Gsus665]

@tagexing ^^ to call gould "good" is like to say the sun is warm :)

[Gsus665]

He is always looking at his hands as if he can´t believe what they can do himself :)

[spinoza1111]

The tears of the Philistine are the laughter of the Gods, Laughter benign and shrewd, And Dionysius died for your sins Upon the bitter rood. Ludwig knew a fuguey tune Let it have his way with him Read the blighter as a rune Nothing really scared him. So come now and dance with me Upon the threshing floor Of the starry galaxy It's Katie bar the door.

[bedmanz]

3:05 - 3:20

[jackyetmichele]

aimez-vous,? moi j'aime; profonde , limpide à l'ouie cela est doux merci ....

[bedmanz]

3:18-3:22 part from moonlight sonata 3rd mvn. WTF ??

[twolegsnotail]

to bedmanz

WTF?!! Composers constantly 'plagiarize' themselves. If an idea is good once it's good twice and thrice. No argument there.

[123pouding321]

To Interlochenfan: It was NOT Ormandy but George Szell who said "this nut is a genius". And it was not in Philadelphia but in Cleveland that it happened. Gould never got along with Szell and demanded that another conductor would accompany him the subsequent years. That's why Louis Lane was the conductor whenever Gould returned to Cleveland.

[InterlochenFan]

Thanks for the clarification! Regardless, he was right...

[InterlochenFan]

WOW!!!

When Gould came to play a concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy said in a rehearsal break,"This genius is a nut!" At the end of rehearsal, Ormandy concluded "this nut is a genius!"

[3212333222333]

I love this piece - and I love how Gould plays it! Awesome post.

[gouldschonberg]

memorabile interpretazione di grandissima sensibilta'

[qwertyqwerty00000001]

Brings back memories from the good ol' days. I think when I proposed to my wife we was listenin' to this. Wonder where she is now.

[wjf1950]

Happy b-day glenn

[ThePhilosorpheus]

I have never seen such a tremendous precision before.. precision and soul, which most pianists aren´t able to combine.. i´m convinced that he is the best of our time now

[olosw]

@ThePhilosorpheus One hundred percent agree. Glenn is the best recorded pianist ever.

[joyleemorr]

Anyone know the maker of this piano?

[marcel499]

Almost certainly Steinway & Sons.

[adams82683]

marcel499 is correct - Gould for most of his life played on a Steinway piano, the famous CD318. (pretty sure that's the one he's using here). CD318 was badly damaged late in his life while being moved and for his famous 1981 Goldberg recording he used a Yamaha.

[adams82683]

Actually, he did for his 1981 recording of the Goldberg Variations. His Steinway CD318 was badly damaged in a moving accident and it was never restored to his original liking, so he had to find another piano and settled on a Yamaha. This is what I read in at least two different highly respected Gould biographies so unless on the infinitesimal chance the authors (who knew Gould personally) got the information wrong, he did indeed record on one.

[adams82683]

Just found several sites corroborating the fact that Gould did indeed use a Yahama for the 1981 recording of Goldbergs. You should get your facts straight before attemtping to refute someone whom you believe has made a false statement. Doing research helps with that I've discovered.

[Matteo7419]

Yes he did. He bought two Yamaha and recorded on one of those pianos the 1981 Goldberg and the Haydn last Six Sonatas. I'm not sure about the Strauss recording, but I think he recorded it with two different pianos (a Steinway and a Yamaha) then equalizing to obtain a sound uniformity.

[joyleemorr]

Having done a small amount of research that I should have done previously, the piano in this video has a small Steinway logo with Steinway & Sons in small lettering underneath the logo, not easily readable to me.

In the photos I've looked at, GG's piano has STEINWAY in large letters without the logo showing, easily readable.

To me, whatever piano he played, it sounds wonderful.

[pianistaclasico]

My piano teacher told me that humming what you are playing, would actually make piano playing sound better.

[jcyl141104]

sound better to whom though? ;D

[username1p]

what did beethoven do all day, just play piano, if so, how many hours.

[heyaidkwhut]

Well obviously he wrote more than just piano pieces ;)

[gorillabelly1]

Twenty five.

[jojopooo]

it's gorgeous

[Wardjezz]

I love this performance, he really is a brilliant pianist!

[jerdoe]

I cant believe I never heard of this dude,.the crest of human potential.

[zxcvuiop45]

glenn gould is THE MAN

[jambratz]

I honestly don't know how he plays 6:50.

So many pianist would have pounded out the left hand attempting clarity. No one has Gould's unique technique

[joyleemorr]

Sorry, I thought I hit the "reply" to John11inch's comment.

[jlfnetto]

I always liked Glenn Gould's Interpretations.

[flakjakit]

Wonderful music by a wonderful pianist! Long live YouTube! I do wonder about his use of the sustaining pedal. Does he need it so often? Sometimes it looks like he's just touching it on the first beat of each bar, almost as if he's tapping out the rhythm on the pedal rather than really pedaling. Am I mistaken?

[skybirdnomad]

I think it is a subtle motion for subtle textures and expressions. Glenn Gould is good, very very good, and to me that means that to him all aspects of piano playing are unified into a whole, so he's probably not thinking "ok, now I need pedal, now I don't", but rather feeling moved to make a certain subtil quality in sound, he executes subtil movemtents; he feels a tiny touch of the pedal here and there.

[GUARDONISSIMO1]

Yes..and I believe this "tapping" is an heritage of his baroque backround. In which ambiance he obviously wanted the sounds at them purest and essential, without "useless" romantic vibrations, which would have prevented from capturing the geometries of the former music.

[Raasd]

hearing this lets me believe that mozart was a lucky beethoven

[onormichi]

Im so glad to see people finally leaving thier comments on this amazing piece Ive been listening to it forever one of my most favorites. love glenn and all his facial expressions

[LA30out]

I am not religious at all. I only meant "God bless him" in a common usage menaing that I'm glad we have these wonderful videos and example of fhis art

[Ohaddo]

I was drunk an in a strange mode of complaining.... sorry, i see it now. I love Glenn Gould also.

It was a strange outbreak from me. i should have delete it.

[LA30out]

I have problems with many of GG's interpretations as many others do. But here? Wonderful, joyous, virtuosic. A unique, sometimes perverse, mad hatter. God bless him.

[Ohaddo]

there is something really ugly connecting tallent with "God" " Beethoven had that sickness. Believing he was god sent. I love Beethovens music. But from God? no it was from Beethovens sick mind. Well, one cant complain.

But dont bring "God" into it.

[sui1696]

Just like you have the right to your belief, or lack thereof, he does too. Worst type of atheist is one that tries to force his beliefs on others... makes us no better than the religious nuts.

[Ohaddo]

Sui, you are right, just read an article that said that some atheist are not better than fundamentalists... so you got a point.

sorry if i offended someone...

Love from a Beethoven lover

[gordonsta2]

Wonderful beyond words.

[somedudeplayingpiano]

whaa, this is happy, didn't know beethoven whas happy. anyway, I think I go play some of his work now

[frenchmusician12]

Pure pleasure to listen to.

[beethomozart]

long live ludwig van. rending honor to the heroic symphony and so with the creatures of prometheus,these 15 variations and fugue are unique, a classic piece with a definite barroco taste,it calls attention specially the 7th variation:canon a la octava. Gould was unique

[sofiaclassic91]

bellissimo video!

[anonimomascherato]

Here's the joy of life, the sense of humor and the love for music of a man who understood perfectly himself and what wanted from life!

[John11inch]

Gould had a sense of humor?  o__o

[faraz1729]

Apparently, you have a sense of humor.

[John11inch]

Show me a video of Glenn Gould making a joke.

Good luck.

[faraz1729]

Nevermind. I spoke too soon.

[joyleemorr]

Check out some of the studio tapes, and others, where he played different funny characters, clothes and all. His "So you want to write a Fugue" is a joke on the fugue. There's also a tape where he sings to the animals in a zoo and makes jokes about their lack of appreciation. You just haven't looked at all the tapes.

[musicwriter83]

This is the finale to the Eroica.

[diditrich]

Someone who could master Bach and Schoenberg could certainly play Beethoven.

[trevjr]

haha repeats? are you nuts? for all of the Bach he played, it is said that Gould had outstanding technique, one of the best ever, but he chose to play Bach instead. this video proves that he was a true master and at a young age. just listen to the clarity, you cannot tell he is using the pedal. yes Beethoven was a big joker and Glenn is just enjoying it and bringing out all of the humor.

[superbemaison]

Richter once asked him 'Why don't you play the repeats?

Unacceptable!!!

Playing the repaeats enhances the music!!

Gould=unrespectfull of the music!!!

[Pvannortwick]

If there was ever somebody who knew Beethoven it was Gould! Superb.

[chrish12345]

oh dear, Beethoven was a joker wasn't he lol

[dariuscasan]

Muy bueno! glenn, cada dia que descubro un video suyo, me asombra aun mas. Un genio...

[diditrich]

Podía hacer lo que quería, y mejor.

[iguarni]

Incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ludwig720]

Sovrumano talento, un controllo della tastiera "assoluto"

[TheJoyfulPianist]

I recognize the themes of course. This is one of the best things I've heard in variation form! I'm playing it!

[mestreliszt]

wOW!! incrediblee!! pufss one of the best pianist of the history of coursee!! awesome!

[weikko79]

"pufss"?

[mestreliszt]

puffs?! qe puffs?! what talking about?!

[weikko79]

You wrote, "pufss one of the best pianist of the history of coursee!!"

For that matter, I'd like to know what "coursee" means.