It's insane how people say things like Liszt and Chopin were beyond Gould's technical abilities. The only difference with this is that it hasn't been recorded in a huge hall like most Chopin seems to be
You can compare this interpretation with this situation: a beautiful girl that is sitting on a little picnic rug in a field full of flowers, whilst stroking her long curly hair, and then you ask: I noticed that my body is physically attracted to yours, wanna fuck? That's how I feel about this interpretation, the soulless approach to it. And I do like Glenn Gould btw, I only wished he didn't destroy the beauty of these romantic pieces.
Thank you so much for posting this. Gould has given a purist (almost Calvinist, one could say) interpretation that leaves excessive pedal, rubato, and other rhetorical flourishes aside. The result is remarkably effective. Glenn was a genious.
If anyone has any doubt of Glenn Gould's technique, only needs to listen to this movement. While puriest will oudoubtedly critisize his interpretation as being well outside the acceptable bounderies of performance practice for Chopin's works, one cannot but marvel at the clarity of execution, even at that tempo. Many pianists who have recorded this piece tend to overshadow their sloppy techinque with the sustain pedal. Not Gould.
Well... playing and listening to the music is an unstopped discourse about ways of interpretation. Some pianists avoided Chopin and Gould is definitely not 'his man' too. I totally don' t like it but thanks for the uploader, it was important experience.
Haha, this interpretation is quite funny. After all it's not that bad, quite listenable :) Oh yes, Gould was anti-romantic, but hear his Brahms - ballades and intermezzi. Personally, I love them - the sound, articulation, phrases, everything is there.
I understand a lot of people are used to the less exposed interpretations of this sonata, but listening to it like this you are able to hear every single note with clarity. Everybody has a preference of how much the interpreter should inject into a performance and how much should be left to let the notes speak for themselves, so if this isn't to your taste it can at least be a baseline to work from when doing your own interpretation.
Hey... you can really feel the music going somewhere in his recording. I think I get what he's doing and it seems to work, at least from my unimportant perspective! Anyhow, you can hear how Chopin was influenced by Beethoven in this recording and his voicing is amazing!
Actually, I feel he was held back by anticipating criticism that he wouldn't be sticking to the musical notation enough. The excitement of the beginning kind of loses steam in the middle-- I think it could have benefited from MORE staccato, playing with the bouncy rhythm by suddenly altering between staccato and legato; making the whole thing generally more dramatic (and fun)!
Really original. We here every single note. Colours and dynamics must of course pay the price for such a linear, polifonic version. But it's a consistent and totally legitime interpretation.
Like everything else of Gould's, this is absolutely fascinating and completely legitimate. Whether one likes him or not is quite irrelevant. That he at some point should turn to the music if Chopin is completely logical. After all, Chopin always said, the only thing he practiced, except for his own music, was J. S. Bach. It's wonderful to hear this music played as polyphony and counterpoint (which it is) rather than the usual simplistic melody&accompaniment homophony, which it is not.
@philateliceun hes playing chopin as bach and imo thats the worst way to play chopin. there is no spirit in this which sucks. try to look beyond the fact of who is playing and try to listen to whats actually there before you start praising it
@033muil No spirit? You should try being a bit more humble and regard your own opinion as an opinion and not fact. I can understand you don't like his interpretation but saying its average is really just being a obnoxious asshole.
It definitely is Gould playing. In an interview with Tim Page he said: "I don't think he [Chopin] is a very good composer. I played the Op. 58 when I was younger, just to see how it would feel. It didn't feel very good, so I've never bothered to play any more Chopin."
Totally disappointing rendition as compared to Gould's Bach. Technically perfect but does not feel Chopin's spirit. Too less dramatic, cannot hear the increasing density of the music which comes from using shorter and shorter notes in left hand after each return of the theme. Too little (anti-romantic) dynamic changes, accented chords sound anemic where they should be brave and majestic.
For me, Glenn totally spoiled this piece and loses e.g. with Rafal Blechacz
@chrish12345 i guess we can agree to disagree .. imo this sounds very little like gould .. also i think a gould chopin recording would have made more of a statement at the time
Wow, Gould's playing here is as bad as his Bach performances! What I love about Gould is the way during his life he managed to take everyone for a ride and convinced the gullible that he actually had something interesting to say! This recording (like his Goldberg recordings) is certainly a quite extraordinary achievement - to play this great work and not feel one note of it is nothing short of miraculous!
A video just to say how marvellous, magnificient he was.. He was what he was playing, he was his music...that's way he's so special. The only incredible way he had to communicate himself, who he was... In every single note, he put everything...
Very original interpretation. After listening Beethoven's Appassionata, where Glenn Gould seems to play against Beethoven, I was prepared to a shocking interpretation, because I know he doesn't like Chopin. It was not so. I repeat: very original and interesting, but not shocking. In any case, he is really a genious.
each pianist has a composer they feel most affinitive for. Gould plays Bach like no other, but on the other hand, plays everyone else like Bach. Ashkenazy does the same with Rachmaninoff. everything he plays sounds like Rachmaninoff. his forte is always fff. no difference here
@Vesivian Why? What does Glenn Gould performing a Chopin sonata have to do with Bach? Oh wait, is this more of that monkey see monkey do bullshit ... probably.
@EMPERORMIKI umm... cleary your that guy who see's money shit, because if you've done your homework you should know that Glenn Gould was like a modern day Bach, both his technique and style of playing interpreted best to be that of bachs playing, so of course Vesivian comment was completely appropriate mate. now stop picking of the top comments and just listen to Glenn be a genious!
@cultralfreak what is a modern day Bach? You know Gould died in '82 right ... not exactly modern. So he played Bach well by popular opinion ... what does that have to do with a Chopin sonata? I adore most of the Gould Beethoven sonata recordings and never once did the name Bach cross my mind. Perhaps Beethoven being the by far the better composer doesn't allow easy generalizations, whereas a lesser composer like Chopin allows such dumb comments, from likewise dumb people. The music matters
@EMPERORMIKI Did you really just write "a lesser composer like Chopin" or is there a typo in there someplace? If not then you've earned inclusion in the category you named: "dumb comments, from likewise dumb people."
@gtimny Yes, top tier composers are Beethoven, Bach, and Ives. 2nd tier Brahams, and lots of 20th century masters Bartok, Shostakovich, Schoenberg, Debussy. 3rd is Mozart, Haydn, Chopin, Reich, the majority of 20th century composers. 4th is most english composers and finally the 5th tier is Glass, Copland, Stravinsky, and everyone else. When people say Gould transforms music into Bach they find fault with Gould without considering it may be the music itself that is weak.
@EMPERORMIKI I guess I should have realized that someone using the name "Emperor" Miki would be both delusional and arrogant, but honestly, if you only realized what a fool you sound like.
@EMPERORMIKI Someone hasn't done their homework. Don't classify composers/musicians, they all deserved to be respected equally for their lifelong dedication to the art. Though some composers may have achieved much greater than others, i.e Bach compared to Rzewski, they both deserved to be respected for their hard work and effort.
OMG HOW HAVE I NEVER LISTENED TO THIS BEFORE, it is absolutely brilliant! how?? was anybody even doing anything like this in 1844, that's the same year as the wedding march from midsummer night's dream! (good, but not revolutionary)
To my knowledge, this is his only official recording of Chopin. The only Schumann he recorded was the Piano Quintet (there's a fugue in the last movement). The recording was on Youtube, but seems to have been taken down...
@ChesterFlamenco Scholar Charles Rosen argued that Chopin's music essentially parallels Bach's incredible organization and polyphony in a more complex web. Bach was VERY influential to Chopin.
So what if he plays it like Bach in some instances? Many pianists play Chopin exactly as they play Rachmaninoff (Argerich is notorious for doing that), which is equally incorrect, if not moreso.
@1980NewWave EXACTLY. Chopin LOVED Bach, arrived in Paris with a copy of his WTC under his arm. Bach was his god. Maybe Chopin played a lot like his idol, like Gould does here?
@bugsfan Chopin played Bach every day... even when he was supposed to practice his own pieces for recital he would lock himself in and just play Bach. If I'm not mistaken, this is all before even Mendelssohn revived Bach to fame.
It's very simple, Gould was experimenting with perfect equality of sound of the hands, as is expected in Bach; however, with Chopin there MUST be interplay and great dynamic contrast between the parts and the phrases. Gould plays this with little or no inflection. Can one argue against Gould being an excellent pianist? No! Can one say this interpretation is poor? Yes!
Abominable. No rubato, no legato, no inflection--come on, people, where's the MUSIC? This is one of the most perfect pieces ever written, and he makes it sound like a Cramer etude played boringly! If Gould finds this music uninteresting, he should leave it in his living room, not on record.
@keenanonie and you, as well, should leave this recording and enjoy other great performers performing this great piece and maybe don't waste your time commenting in a interpretation you don't like ;)
@tomatoreaper Are only positive comments allowed? Paradox, disagreement, and healthy dialogue are the stuff of learning. Instead of broaching the topic of whether or not negative comments are appropriate on youtube, why not state why my comment has apparently offended your sensibilities? After all, Gould stated openly that his quirky interpretive decisions were sometimes made for the very sake of being different, and I'm sure he'd be delighted to know that this recording has set people talking.
@tomatoreaper You don't get it. You still haven't offered the courtesy of stating your opinion of the critical substance of my original comment. Not that you're obliged to, but I can't understand why you have taken it upon yourself to make this all so personal! And no, it most definitely did not take me 1 hour to craft my response.
apparaently, gould thought he was too good to give a shit about the cresendos and slurs as well as many more markings in the score and decided it would be better if he changed them to the opposite.
hell, gould is much more talented than chopin and beethoven anyway.
@fuckshitass911 I love Gould,but i must agree,Gould should have do it sometimes as it´s written and don´t try to be unnecessarily original at all hazards,with the deepest respect to him,i don´t like this execution..
@fuckshitass911 I love Gould,but i must agree,Gould should have do it sometimes as it´s written and don´t try to be unnecessarily original at all hazards,with the deepest respect to him,i don´t like this execution..
@Barbapippo I rebuke your reality. I pray that Chopin well-be. How dare you pervert your mind with this idea. You disgust me and his peace and piece. Sickens me to think that "people' speak such of about things.
Romantic music just doesn't fit Gould. He plays Bach with 100 times the passion than he does with that of Chopin. Not to say that all of Chopin's music is "passionate", but he doesn't seem very into it to me. Not to mention it sounds like he's making fun of it sometimes. Like the beginning, and the rubato into the coda...
@beaucourt33 He plays the partiture written by Chopin very faithfully, perhaps more faithfully than other pianists.
For example, the "non legato" at the beginning isn't an offence to the original score: it prescribes non legato for the l.h. and legato for the r.h., without pedaling. Moreover, his 4 against 3 rhytms are more evident...
I waver on this, but at least sometimes think this movement is a failure for Chopin, for many reasons. The commentator who says this is like a product of software, is rather astute. Gould makes it more so. It is certainly Chopin-atypical, and that is why Gould messes with it, and the result is at least somewhat intiguing. Can you imagine Gould trying a mazurka?
I agree with the comments that suggest that Chopin did a lot more than be a "Romantic" composer. Does Chopin write massive showman-like chords with intent on effect? Rarely if ever. In almost all his works, as in this piece, the notation clearly presents multiple voicing and meaning. Makes you realize what a bunch of eh what we read in books is.
Wow, it sounds like the early versions of the note editing program Finale (now that they added the "Human Playback" thing, it produces much better results).
What a lot of people don't realize is Chopin himself disliked romanticism and greatly admired Bach. We've been conditioned for decades by many pianists who have chosen to heavily romanticize Chopin's music and these kinds of interpretations are what most have come to expect nowadays. Heck, I often play them that way myself! The only thing Glenn Gould has done here which runs against the mainstream grain is following Chopin's own notated instructions. Perhaps a little cold, but not incorrect.
@Tronam I wouldn't go as far as to say that Chopin "disliked" Romanticism, but he certainly saw an inadequacy in his own composing and that of his contemporaries. I like to think Gould was seeing the same thing and sort of filling in the gaps for him, but then again I don't entirely understand his style and this is all just speculation on my part.
@TaterGumfries He sure was. But since ''trying to shake things up'' is something absolutely anybody can do, I don't value that kind of attitude as a positive trait of interpretation when assessing a particular performance. Gould's mannerisms are what they are, mannerisms. It works quite well with older music because ''composers'' (that term doesn't have a clear meaning before 1800) didn't think of their works as a Mahler or Bartok, for instance. Interpretational bounds get more defined with time
I love Gould and his Bach is without peer. But he couldn't do everything and the very traits that made him a Bach master make him a rather awful romantic player.
This is played metronimically, heavily and is void of the grace, humor and drama a good player would give it. If you didn't know this was Gould playing, you'd think it was a machine.
I love Horowitz too, but have you ever heard his Beethoven? Listen to his Waldstein Sonata and you'll wonder why he bothered.
@eyefo I think a lot of people think Chopin must have played like Rubinstein, because Rubinstein set the standard in the 20th century and we've all heard his recordings. But Chopin actually was never without his metronome, and insisted on strict observation of time for his students. He wrote very explicitly everywhere he wanted ritardano, rallentando, etc., in his music. Maybe what you're referring to is not so much lack of metronome, but lack of the rubato we're used to hearing from Rubinstein.
The only person that comes close to playing Chopin as well as Gould is Arthur Rubinstein. And as far as I know, Gould only recorded 1 piece by Chopin. That's how well he plays this piece.
I dont know but people here dont want to assimilate performances with the soul,but just want to analise and make critics. ! I know it is a different performance but this sonata, especially this movement, is very same with a bunch os pianists! Gould is a teacher about the art of doing things differently ! It is an excelent performance and it is not an insult to chopin at all! Excelent pianist!
POR DIOS!!! GLENN GOULD NI TOCA BIEN CHOPIN NI BACH!!!.... jamás vió las ligaduras que tiene la partitura, y las fugas no es que se tocan stacatto tampoco!!! toca muy mal, toca todo muy rápido y el virtuosismo no es tocar rápido si no poder hacer musicalidad en otros aspectos. y graciosamente no lo toca al tempo que debería ser parece un alegro más que un Presto (aunque diga No tanto)... por dios no se como se hizo tan conocido este hombre, es muy pero muy mal pianista!!!
@fedechopin "Muy pero muy" malo pianista me parece un poco exagerado. Claro: esta version de la Sonata de Chopin es perfectamente "gouldiana" y el tbn sabia que no era correcta, pero no se puede hablar de el de esa manera. Ha sido definitivamente uno de los mejores musicos del siglo XX. Ademas, una pregunta: tu dices "la fugas no se tocan staccato tampoco", y porqué? Tienes tu alguna edicion de la musica barocca con indicaciones de fraseo o de matisses? Descutimos de Chopin.
The music as shown has BIG legato slurs over the notes, and Gould makes it sound as if it's a clattering sewing machine, most definitely NOT legato; an insult to Chopin.
@YYJBL@YYJBL I quite agree, although I'd call his playing from mes. 9-27 plain ridiculous. There are actually no Ped. markings for these measures but clearly, if you know your Chopin au fond, you know this is legato and not to be played détaché. The rest of the movement isn't very interesting neither since Gould's dislike with the music is so manifest. The guy for sure was nothing of the genius so many would like to think of him. His Emperor Concerto or Brahms No.1 should testify to this...
People, listen to it for what it is, not for what it should be. Gould has blessed us with his unique creativity. Any idiot can play what's on the page, it takes a genius to think outside the circle and come up with something as refreshing and unique as this. Bravo!
@ophelius111 One of the wisest comments on all of YouTube. It should be posted on all videos/recordings of great musicians playing, so we can just shut the door on all the inane debates.
@ophelius111 The reason people are criticizing this recording is that all Gould is doing is playing what's on the page, not thinking outside the circle. Unusually pedantic for Gould.
@demosj 'Playing what's on the page' meaning what Chopin wanted. So however pedantic he might have seemed, he was still expressing something very original and important, very difficult to fake.
I must admit I've always thought of Glenn Gould as mainly a Bach intrepreter. This is quite a revelation! Chopin playing without a lot of excess romantic mannerism. This is a case of "everybody to his/her own taste". I like it. I wonder if he recorded the entire sonata -- or ALL the sonatas? I'll have to do some "Googling" and find out.
That generation yes, but not the whole Romantic period. He actually loved late and some early romantic works and wished people like Mahler wrote more for the piano
I think Chopin and Liszt were great virtuosos, but aside from exploiting every angle of the instrument their compositions are so-so. Maybe Gould was "wrong" to play it in this way, but its the only interpretation I know of that dosent have weird tempo changes and a muddy left hand.
Whilst this interpretation is quite different from many other brilliant ones, I do find it the best. Gould keeps it simple. He takes the minimum of liberties with the timing, this results in a pulse, a powerful drive forward and ultimately creates the excitement of the movement. It takes a great pianist to move away from convention and create a masterpiece in the process. Gould often did this - where lesser pianists would have failed. Can anyone detect any wrong note(s)? I can't.
@AvidHobbyist Yes I guess you have a very good point about the possibilities for editing studio recordings - that Gould became an expert in. Still, with his live concert recordings I find him remarkably accurate.
This really isn't bad at all... in fact, its very clear. Does sound a bit Bach-like in the beginning, but it sorta loosens up towards the end. And I mean, Chopin LOVED Bach, so its not necessarily a bad thing.
Just to reiterate what "pianotonton" said in french....Gould's performance may begin in a Bach-like manner, but it does become more and more Chopin-esque towards the end. Almost as if the musical force of Chopin is too strong even for Gould to resist.
C'est amusant : après avoir commencé ce finale d'une façon détachée et lourdement scandée, il se fait avoir par la musique de Chopin et joue de façon de plus en plus naturelle jusqu'à la fin du mouvement ! Chopin est bien plus fort que Gould : le génie l'emporte toujours sur les faiseurs.
@pianotonton Je pense que c'est voulu, Glenn Gould n'est pas non plus un demeuré, si toi, tu t'en es rendu compte, je pense sérieusement que lui aussi, et si ça ne lui avait pas plu, il aurait évidemment modifié son interprétation.
Quant à cette dernière, c'est vrai qu'elle paraît tout à fait étrange, je préfère Glenn Gould chez Bach.
It's insane how people say things like Liszt and Chopin were beyond Gould's technical abilities. The only difference with this is that it hasn't been recorded in a huge hall like most Chopin seems to be
bishopquack 2 weeks ago
You can compare this interpretation with this situation: a beautiful girl that is sitting on a little picnic rug in a field full of flowers, whilst stroking her long curly hair, and then you ask: I noticed that my body is physically attracted to yours, wanna fuck? That's how I feel about this interpretation, the soulless approach to it. And I do like Glenn Gould btw, I only wished he didn't destroy the beauty of these romantic pieces.
titusbeertsen 1 month ago
horrible
Erikk91 1 month ago
This is my favorite interpretation. Passionate, crystal clear, and well-controlled.
TripleRhu 1 month ago
peoples who said gould had no technic know they're wrong now
UrbanVivaldi 1 month ago
Thank you so much for posting this. Gould has given a purist (almost Calvinist, one could say) interpretation that leaves excessive pedal, rubato, and other rhetorical flourishes aside. The result is remarkably effective. Glenn was a genious.
dialecticon 2 months ago
if you listen first the interpretation of glenn, not want to hear other thing than this
erickingcastle 2 months ago
If anyone has any doubt of Glenn Gould's technique, only needs to listen to this movement. While puriest will oudoubtedly critisize his interpretation as being well outside the acceptable bounderies of performance practice for Chopin's works, one cannot but marvel at the clarity of execution, even at that tempo. Many pianists who have recorded this piece tend to overshadow their sloppy techinque with the sustain pedal. Not Gould.
Frozentoes1 2 months ago 2
How can you get this video ? Its great
lego10123 2 months ago
Well... playing and listening to the music is an unstopped discourse about ways of interpretation. Some pianists avoided Chopin and Gould is definitely not 'his man' too. I totally don' t like it but thanks for the uploader, it was important experience.
kamil3546 2 months ago
Not a big fan of Gould, his talent is enormous fer shure......but when he's on in the background I solve the sudokus quicker......go figger.
spookyben 2 months ago
Haha, this interpretation is quite funny. After all it's not that bad, quite listenable :) Oh yes, Gould was anti-romantic, but hear his Brahms - ballades and intermezzi. Personally, I love them - the sound, articulation, phrases, everything is there.
kaib015 2 months ago
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Interpretate a piece is a thing, doing the contrary of what is written is an another thing.
Too many times Gould abused of his fame.
Nemesi 3 months ago
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Nemesi 3 months ago
Im a metal guitar player but I always wanted to play like this. Ive been a glenn gould fan forever he is music
jonrusch92 3 months ago
it's ironic to think about how much they both loved bach, too.
jaho101 4 months ago
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I'd rather listen to this than the other 100 interpretations that'll doubtless sound like one another.
fenderbender92 4 months ago
I'd rather listen to this than the other 100 interpretations that'll doubtless sound like one another.
fenderbender92 4 months ago 8
Quite apart from being unique: the performance is musical and it sounds good. Provided that one keeps his mind and ears open, of course.
kingfaicl 4 months ago
@fenderbender92 Well said!!
dialecticon 2 months ago
I understand a lot of people are used to the less exposed interpretations of this sonata, but listening to it like this you are able to hear every single note with clarity. Everybody has a preference of how much the interpreter should inject into a performance and how much should be left to let the notes speak for themselves, so if this isn't to your taste it can at least be a baseline to work from when doing your own interpretation.
robertanthonyfarrell 4 months ago
Hey... you can really feel the music going somewhere in his recording. I think I get what he's doing and it seems to work, at least from my unimportant perspective! Anyhow, you can hear how Chopin was influenced by Beethoven in this recording and his voicing is amazing!
NemoProkofiev551 4 months ago
Actually, I feel he was held back by anticipating criticism that he wouldn't be sticking to the musical notation enough. The excitement of the beginning kind of loses steam in the middle-- I think it could have benefited from MORE staccato, playing with the bouncy rhythm by suddenly altering between staccato and legato; making the whole thing generally more dramatic (and fun)!
Yoshi5020 5 months ago
The piece is played with little feeling. It almost seems like a comical interpretation by Gould. He is poking fun at the romantic style.
filmudrzewa 5 months ago
Really original. We here every single note. Colours and dynamics must of course pay the price for such a linear, polifonic version. But it's a consistent and totally legitime interpretation.
pianofolle 5 months ago
It's good to have a unique interpretation rather than the same spirited ones.
cjcarrington97 5 months ago
Like everything else of Gould's, this is absolutely fascinating and completely legitimate. Whether one likes him or not is quite irrelevant. That he at some point should turn to the music if Chopin is completely logical. After all, Chopin always said, the only thing he practiced, except for his own music, was J. S. Bach. It's wonderful to hear this music played as polyphony and counterpoint (which it is) rather than the usual simplistic melody&accompaniment homophony, which it is not.
assindiastignani 6 months ago 2
Mamma mia! Non riesco ad ascoltarlaaaaaaaa!!!!
gbshoes 6 months ago
@gbshoes Perchè non capisci la scrittura ..... è la migliore esecuzione che si attiene al testo....
vivacecilia 5 months ago
strikingly... average :(
033muil 6 months ago
@033muil Average? LOL must suck being you.
philateliceun 5 months ago
@philateliceun hes playing chopin as bach and imo thats the worst way to play chopin. there is no spirit in this which sucks. try to look beyond the fact of who is playing and try to listen to whats actually there before you start praising it
033muil 5 months ago
@033muil No spirit? You should try being a bit more humble and regard your own opinion as an opinion and not fact. I can understand you don't like his interpretation but saying its average is really just being a obnoxious asshole.
philateliceun 5 months ago
Y las lugaduras???? Realmente Glenn Gould no era bueno para el piano. Se ve que no estudió mucho un poco de historia de la música...
fedechopin 6 months ago
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It definitely is Gould playing. In an interview with Tim Page he said: "I don't think he [Chopin] is a very good composer. I played the Op. 58 when I was younger, just to see how it would feel. It didn't feel very good, so I've never bothered to play any more Chopin."
alienalienss 6 months ago
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alienalienss 6 months ago
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alienalienss 6 months ago
looking at the music it doesnt look very difficult
anonymousQ45 6 months ago
@timmer7000 he played a few beethoven sonatas
anonymousQ45 6 months ago
Totally disappointing rendition as compared to Gould's Bach. Technically perfect but does not feel Chopin's spirit. Too less dramatic, cannot hear the increasing density of the music which comes from using shorter and shorter notes in left hand after each return of the theme. Too little (anti-romantic) dynamic changes, accented chords sound anemic where they should be brave and majestic.
For me, Glenn totally spoiled this piece and loses e.g. with Rafal Blechacz
pazdziochowaty 6 months ago
@timmer7000 this is definitely Gould: he played this Sonata for the CBC radio on July 23, 1970. I've the CD ;)
Matteo7419 6 months ago
Gould did record Chopin's B minor sonata, in 1970. It's definitely by him; who else could play it like this?
chendoIs 7 months ago
@chendoIs I stand corrected, Thank you much. If you're a Gould guy check out my channel.
jsanders841 7 months ago
Dont Think It's Glenn.
jsanders841 7 months ago
@jsanders841 I don't think this is Gould either. He never recorded Chopin and this doesn't even sound like his playing.
babyfade6606 7 months ago
@babyfade6606 it does sound like him plus he says in interviews that he toyed with Chopin in his youth
chrish12345 6 months ago
@chrish12345 i guess we can agree to disagree .. imo this sounds very little like gould .. also i think a gould chopin recording would have made more of a statement at the time
babyfade6606 6 months ago
Wow, Gould's playing here is as bad as his Bach performances! What I love about Gould is the way during his life he managed to take everyone for a ride and convinced the gullible that he actually had something interesting to say! This recording (like his Goldberg recordings) is certainly a quite extraordinary achievement - to play this great work and not feel one note of it is nothing short of miraculous!
totallycynical 7 months ago
I dont believe this is played by GG. He didnt like Chopin.
PiotrekChrobot 7 months ago
A video just to say how marvellous, magnificient he was.. He was what he was playing, he was his music...that's way he's so special. The only incredible way he had to communicate himself, who he was... In every single note, he put everything...
draconella1971 7 months ago
Very original interpretation. After listening Beethoven's Appassionata, where Glenn Gould seems to play against Beethoven, I was prepared to a shocking interpretation, because I know he doesn't like Chopin. It was not so. I repeat: very original and interesting, but not shocking. In any case, he is really a genious.
frankymountain 7 months ago 2
Actually, I reeeeeeally like how he interprets a lot of this!
OrangeSodaKing 7 months ago
lol
FirstPublicChannel 7 months ago
each pianist has a composer they feel most affinitive for. Gould plays Bach like no other, but on the other hand, plays everyone else like Bach. Ashkenazy does the same with Rachmaninoff. everything he plays sounds like Rachmaninoff. his forte is always fff. no difference here
anonymousQ45 8 months ago
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beethoven1357 8 months ago
When Chopin meets Bach.
Vesivian 8 months ago 35
@Vesivian When Chopin has the same writing of bach....this piece is a gigue!!!!!!!!
vivacecilia 5 months ago
@Vesivian Why? What does Glenn Gould performing a Chopin sonata have to do with Bach? Oh wait, is this more of that monkey see monkey do bullshit ... probably.
EMPERORMIKI 3 months ago
@EMPERORMIKI umm... cleary your that guy who see's money shit, because if you've done your homework you should know that Glenn Gould was like a modern day Bach, both his technique and style of playing interpreted best to be that of bachs playing, so of course Vesivian comment was completely appropriate mate. now stop picking of the top comments and just listen to Glenn be a genious!
cultralfreak 3 months ago
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EMPERORMIKI 3 months ago
@cultralfreak what is a modern day Bach? You know Gould died in '82 right ... not exactly modern. So he played Bach well by popular opinion ... what does that have to do with a Chopin sonata? I adore most of the Gould Beethoven sonata recordings and never once did the name Bach cross my mind. Perhaps Beethoven being the by far the better composer doesn't allow easy generalizations, whereas a lesser composer like Chopin allows such dumb comments, from likewise dumb people. The music matters
EMPERORMIKI 3 months ago
@EMPERORMIKI Did you really just write "a lesser composer like Chopin" or is there a typo in there someplace? If not then you've earned inclusion in the category you named: "dumb comments, from likewise dumb people."
gtimny 1 month ago
@gtimny Yes, top tier composers are Beethoven, Bach, and Ives. 2nd tier Brahams, and lots of 20th century masters Bartok, Shostakovich, Schoenberg, Debussy. 3rd is Mozart, Haydn, Chopin, Reich, the majority of 20th century composers. 4th is most english composers and finally the 5th tier is Glass, Copland, Stravinsky, and everyone else. When people say Gould transforms music into Bach they find fault with Gould without considering it may be the music itself that is weak.
EMPERORMIKI 1 month ago
@EMPERORMIKI I guess I should have realized that someone using the name "Emperor" Miki would be both delusional and arrogant, but honestly, if you only realized what a fool you sound like.
gtimny 1 month ago
@gtimny you are correct, Chopin really should be in the 4th tier.
EMPERORMIKI 1 month ago
@EMPERORMIKI Someone hasn't done their homework. Don't classify composers/musicians, they all deserved to be respected equally for their lifelong dedication to the art. Though some composers may have achieved much greater than others, i.e Bach compared to Rzewski, they both deserved to be respected for their hard work and effort.
Vesivian 2 weeks ago
@Vesivian do you consider Glass to be an equal of Beethoven?
EMPERORMIKI 2 weeks ago
@EMPERORMIKI Definitely not, by a far cry. But I do respect him for his dedication to music.
Vesivian 2 weeks ago
i thougt gould was an ANTi.chopin....i thought he hated romanticism in music!!
WHAT IS THIS????????????
ttomace 9 months ago
@ttomace he is, and he does. this is probably the least romantic interpretation of the piece i've ever heard!
fledgehog 8 months ago
Chuck Norris plays this with only looking at the piano
PabloDelRococo 9 months ago
@PabloDelRococo Wrong! he plays this blind folded!
260Studios 8 months ago
@260Studios Blind fold wouldn't be effective... He could use those eyes in the back of his head ;)
OrangeSodaKing 8 months ago
This is good! I wish there were pedal used when the B minor theme starts, but that's all I have to say, really.
OrangeSodaKing 9 months ago
Ficou parecendo Brahms !!!
RepertMousik 9 months ago
man this absoloutely amazing, its soo crazy to try and understand how he made the original pieces his own, truly a genious and fellow canadian!
jay2rocks 9 months ago
OMG HOW HAVE I NEVER LISTENED TO THIS BEFORE, it is absolutely brilliant! how?? was anybody even doing anything like this in 1844, that's the same year as the wedding march from midsummer night's dream! (good, but not revolutionary)
raphberry 9 months ago
magnifique, bravo Gould !
alcore3 9 months ago
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He is really restrained in his pedaling and think the results are quite good. The clarity is second to none for this piece.
Broopster5 10 months ago
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Broopster5 10 months ago
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We all know that IT ISN'T ORTHODOX
but it works¡¡¡ I love it¡¡
Heard de f#-g-f#-g-f#-g at 3:30 - 3:33 in the left hand¡¡¡ (highest notes in the arpeggios) this is a great two note midle voice
enriquem90 10 months ago
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enriquem90 10 months ago
To my knowledge, this is his only official recording of Chopin. The only Schumann he recorded was the Piano Quintet (there's a fugue in the last movement). The recording was on Youtube, but seems to have been taken down...
alienalienss 10 months ago
I love the first minute.
seoreb 10 months ago
@ChesterFlamenco Scholar Charles Rosen argued that Chopin's music essentially parallels Bach's incredible organization and polyphony in a more complex web. Bach was VERY influential to Chopin.
NimbleTurtle13 10 months ago
So what if he plays it like Bach in some instances? Many pianists play Chopin exactly as they play Rachmaninoff (Argerich is notorious for doing that), which is equally incorrect, if not moreso.
1980NewWave 11 months ago
@1980NewWave EXACTLY. Chopin LOVED Bach, arrived in Paris with a copy of his WTC under his arm. Bach was his god. Maybe Chopin played a lot like his idol, like Gould does here?
bugsfan 11 months ago
@bugsfan Chopin played Bach every day... even when he was supposed to practice his own pieces for recital he would lock himself in and just play Bach. If I'm not mistaken, this is all before even Mendelssohn revived Bach to fame.
NimbleTurtle13 10 months ago
The inspiration for this was Chopin's own opus 4, so Gould should have recorded it too, right?
fredericfranc 11 months ago
It's very simple, Gould was experimenting with perfect equality of sound of the hands, as is expected in Bach; however, with Chopin there MUST be interplay and great dynamic contrast between the parts and the phrases. Gould plays this with little or no inflection. Can one argue against Gould being an excellent pianist? No! Can one say this interpretation is poor? Yes!
Chopin1974l 11 months ago
Abominable. No rubato, no legato, no inflection--come on, people, where's the MUSIC? This is one of the most perfect pieces ever written, and he makes it sound like a Cramer etude played boringly! If Gould finds this music uninteresting, he should leave it in his living room, not on record.
keenanonie 1 year ago
@keenanonie and you, as well, should leave this recording and enjoy other great performers performing this great piece and maybe don't waste your time commenting in a interpretation you don't like ;)
tomatoreaper 1 year ago
@tomatoreaper Are only positive comments allowed? Paradox, disagreement, and healthy dialogue are the stuff of learning. Instead of broaching the topic of whether or not negative comments are appropriate on youtube, why not state why my comment has apparently offended your sensibilities? After all, Gould stated openly that his quirky interpretive decisions were sometimes made for the very sake of being different, and I'm sure he'd be delighted to know that this recording has set people talking.
keenanonie 11 months ago
@keenanonie i bet it took you at least 1 hour to properly build this comment.
actually im sure of it :D
feel free to express yourself telling me about my language and literature skills compared to yours
also, feel free to get mad ;)
tomatoreaper 11 months ago
@tomatoreaper You don't get it. You still haven't offered the courtesy of stating your opinion of the critical substance of my original comment. Not that you're obliged to, but I can't understand why you have taken it upon yourself to make this all so personal! And no, it most definitely did not take me 1 hour to craft my response.
keenanonie 11 months ago
apparaently, gould thought he was too good to give a shit about the cresendos and slurs as well as many more markings in the score and decided it would be better if he changed them to the opposite.
hell, gould is much more talented than chopin and beethoven anyway.
fuckshitass911 1 year ago
@fuckshitass911 much more talented then chopin and beethoven... you're retarded
Eric1029res 1 year ago
@Eric1029res
go to wikipedia
look at for the word IRONY
fuckshitass911 1 year ago
@fuckshitass911 ? Could you care to explain the irony in that statement. Maybe the word you are looking for is sarcasm...
Eric1029res 1 year ago
@fuckshitass911 I love Gould,but i must agree,Gould should have do it sometimes as it´s written and don´t try to be unnecessarily original at all hazards,with the deepest respect to him,i don´t like this execution..
magor665 11 months ago
@fuckshitass911 I love Gould,but i must agree,Gould should have do it sometimes as it´s written and don´t try to be unnecessarily original at all hazards,with the deepest respect to him,i don´t like this execution..
magor665 11 months ago
I think that, if there exists hell and Chopin is in it, the punishment for his guilts is being forced to listen to this recording ad infinitum...
Barbapippo 1 year ago 10
@Barbapippo I don't get it, for me this is an awesome recording.
tarquin161234 4 months ago
@Barbapippo hahahahahahaha
newFranzFerencLiszt 4 months ago
@Barbapippo I rebuke your reality. I pray that Chopin well-be. How dare you pervert your mind with this idea. You disgust me and his peace and piece. Sickens me to think that "people' speak such of about things.
OwlyEagles 4 months ago
Romantic music just doesn't fit Gould. He plays Bach with 100 times the passion than he does with that of Chopin. Not to say that all of Chopin's music is "passionate", but he doesn't seem very into it to me. Not to mention it sounds like he's making fun of it sometimes. Like the beginning, and the rubato into the coda...
bicsc7 1 year ago
@beaucourt33 He plays the partiture written by Chopin very faithfully, perhaps more faithfully than other pianists.
For example, the "non legato" at the beginning isn't an offence to the original score: it prescribes non legato for the l.h. and legato for the r.h., without pedaling. Moreover, his 4 against 3 rhytms are more evident...
EugenArbrakh 1 year ago
I love how he plays the notes almost the way they are put on the sheet. Only the large phrase-bows are not heeded constantly. Awesome.
TFreckle 1 year ago
ahahahaahhahahah he must have really hated this song to play it like bach!
KevinBeethoven 1 year ago
Definitely not Chopin-esque. Still way cool to listen to.
royo90 1 year ago
legato legato legato.... Where is the legato?... is this Bach?
malditocalvo 1 year ago
I waver on this, but at least sometimes think this movement is a failure for Chopin, for many reasons. The commentator who says this is like a product of software, is rather astute. Gould makes it more so. It is certainly Chopin-atypical, and that is why Gould messes with it, and the result is at least somewhat intiguing. Can you imagine Gould trying a mazurka?
fredericfranc 1 year ago
Very U N I Q U E !
The55555SSSSS 1 year ago
I agree with the comments that suggest that Chopin did a lot more than be a "Romantic" composer. Does Chopin write massive showman-like chords with intent on effect? Rarely if ever. In almost all his works, as in this piece, the notation clearly presents multiple voicing and meaning. Makes you realize what a bunch of eh what we read in books is.
Cancrizans 1 year ago
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Je préfère quand on joue la partition écrite par Chopin.
beaucourt33 1 year ago
Je préfère quand on joue la partition écrite par Chopin.
beaucourt33 1 year ago
Wow, it sounds like the early versions of the note editing program Finale (now that they added the "Human Playback" thing, it produces much better results).
vivvpprof 1 year ago
he plays chopin the same way he plays bach, i don't like it very much but still one of the greatest pianist in the world
stuffcluster 1 year ago
He could play this sort of thing fairly well when he wanted to. For instance: /watch?v=UHyogQTs4Zo
alienalienss 1 year ago
I like his playing. It sounds more modern and can survive in 21st century.
TokyoDoggyDog 1 year ago
What a lot of people don't realize is Chopin himself disliked romanticism and greatly admired Bach. We've been conditioned for decades by many pianists who have chosen to heavily romanticize Chopin's music and these kinds of interpretations are what most have come to expect nowadays. Heck, I often play them that way myself! The only thing Glenn Gould has done here which runs against the mainstream grain is following Chopin's own notated instructions. Perhaps a little cold, but not incorrect.
Tronam 1 year ago
@Tronam I wouldn't go as far as to say that Chopin "disliked" Romanticism, but he certainly saw an inadequacy in his own composing and that of his contemporaries. I like to think Gould was seeing the same thing and sort of filling in the gaps for him, but then again I don't entirely understand his style and this is all just speculation on my part.
thequantumcollapse 1 year ago
very unique and technically brilliant but need some more phrasing and legato...otherwise, Great!
NightClash909 1 year ago
Bravo!
Tyronethe24th 1 year ago
He is doing a wonderful performance to make the melody understand the theme well, and buoy up.
This is Chopin who understands Bach.
mopomopo0125 1 year ago
Oh my god, is a machine!
pepeyjack 1 year ago
@TaterGumfries He sure was. But since ''trying to shake things up'' is something absolutely anybody can do, I don't value that kind of attitude as a positive trait of interpretation when assessing a particular performance. Gould's mannerisms are what they are, mannerisms. It works quite well with older music because ''composers'' (that term doesn't have a clear meaning before 1800) didn't think of their works as a Mahler or Bartok, for instance. Interpretational bounds get more defined with time
konigstephan 1 year ago
That boy was always tryin to shake thing up, weren't he?
TaterGumfries 1 year ago
some say Gould didnt like Chopin and played passive-aggressively.
His take is definitely different from main steam, but I enjoyed the clarity of the sound.
Mike1614b 1 year ago 2
A most interesting interpretation.
gerardbedecarter 1 year ago
wow never hear an interpretation quite like this.
unfortunately glenn goulds aspergers got in the way of this being as emotional as it should be.
scout6686 1 year ago
I love Gould and his Bach is without peer. But he couldn't do everything and the very traits that made him a Bach master make him a rather awful romantic player.
This is played metronimically, heavily and is void of the grace, humor and drama a good player would give it. If you didn't know this was Gould playing, you'd think it was a machine.
I love Horowitz too, but have you ever heard his Beethoven? Listen to his Waldstein Sonata and you'll wonder why he bothered.
eyefo 1 year ago
@eyefo I think a lot of people think Chopin must have played like Rubinstein, because Rubinstein set the standard in the 20th century and we've all heard his recordings. But Chopin actually was never without his metronome, and insisted on strict observation of time for his students. He wrote very explicitly everywhere he wanted ritardano, rallentando, etc., in his music. Maybe what you're referring to is not so much lack of metronome, but lack of the rubato we're used to hearing from Rubinstein.
beakt 1 year ago
Como ya han señalado, nadie es capaz de tocar a partir del 3:47 sin equivocarse ni una sola vez.
rolldito 1 year ago
The only person that comes close to playing Chopin as well as Gould is Arthur Rubinstein. And as far as I know, Gould only recorded 1 piece by Chopin. That's how well he plays this piece.
steamednotfried 1 year ago
I don't get it
progressivelife 1 year ago
I dont know but people here dont want to assimilate performances with the soul,but just want to analise and make critics. ! I know it is a different performance but this sonata, especially this movement, is very same with a bunch os pianists! Gould is a teacher about the art of doing things differently ! It is an excelent performance and it is not an insult to chopin at all! Excelent pianist!
MrIgorzaumm 1 year ago 7
POR DIOS!!! GLENN GOULD NI TOCA BIEN CHOPIN NI BACH!!!.... jamás vió las ligaduras que tiene la partitura, y las fugas no es que se tocan stacatto tampoco!!! toca muy mal, toca todo muy rápido y el virtuosismo no es tocar rápido si no poder hacer musicalidad en otros aspectos. y graciosamente no lo toca al tempo que debería ser parece un alegro más que un Presto (aunque diga No tanto)... por dios no se como se hizo tan conocido este hombre, es muy pero muy mal pianista!!!
fedechopin 1 year ago
@fedechopin "Muy pero muy" malo pianista me parece un poco exagerado. Claro: esta version de la Sonata de Chopin es perfectamente "gouldiana" y el tbn sabia que no era correcta, pero no se puede hablar de el de esa manera. Ha sido definitivamente uno de los mejores musicos del siglo XX. Ademas, una pregunta: tu dices "la fugas no se tocan staccato tampoco", y porqué? Tienes tu alguna edicion de la musica barocca con indicaciones de fraseo o de matisses? Descutimos de Chopin.
Matteo7419 1 year ago
The music as shown has BIG legato slurs over the notes, and Gould makes it sound as if it's a clattering sewing machine, most definitely NOT legato; an insult to Chopin.
billyguns2 1 year ago
bach playing chopin ........no legato at all at the beginning....funny
YYJBL 1 year ago 2
@YYJBL @YYJBL I quite agree, although I'd call his playing from mes. 9-27 plain ridiculous. There are actually no Ped. markings for these measures but clearly, if you know your Chopin au fond, you know this is legato and not to be played détaché. The rest of the movement isn't very interesting neither since Gould's dislike with the music is so manifest. The guy for sure was nothing of the genius so many would like to think of him. His Emperor Concerto or Brahms No.1 should testify to this...
konigstephan 1 year ago
People, listen to it for what it is, not for what it should be. Gould has blessed us with his unique creativity. Any idiot can play what's on the page, it takes a genius to think outside the circle and come up with something as refreshing and unique as this. Bravo!
ophelius111 1 year ago 26
@ophelius111 Great comment.
nleytman 1 year ago
@ophelius111 One of the wisest comments on all of YouTube. It should be posted on all videos/recordings of great musicians playing, so we can just shut the door on all the inane debates.
beakt 11 months ago
@ophelius111
any idiot? but can you?
Amadeuswolfie 11 months ago
@ophelius111 The reason people are criticizing this recording is that all Gould is doing is playing what's on the page, not thinking outside the circle. Unusually pedantic for Gould.
demosj 9 months ago
@demosj 'Playing what's on the page' meaning what Chopin wanted. So however pedantic he might have seemed, he was still expressing something very original and important, very difficult to fake.
ophelius111 9 months ago
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@ophelius111 Yes, very clear, exactly what you want to hear.
nleytman 8 months ago
I must admit I've always thought of Glenn Gould as mainly a Bach intrepreter. This is quite a revelation! Chopin playing without a lot of excess romantic mannerism. This is a case of "everybody to his/her own taste". I like it. I wonder if he recorded the entire sonata -- or ALL the sonatas? I'll have to do some "Googling" and find out.
kraftpr 1 year ago
@kraftpr He has recorded this entire sonata. I just heard movement 1 on YouTube and it has the same share of negative criticism.
ophelius111 1 year ago
he definitely has the technique to play this perfectly though.. :)
Therachh3 1 year ago
Magical playing. He took out all the boring mannerisms normally used by many pianists, and transformed this into an exciting virtuoso performance.
stephenjoeagi 1 year ago
@alienalienss
That generation yes, but not the whole Romantic period. He actually loved late and some early romantic works and wished people like Mahler wrote more for the piano
clubsandwedge 1 year ago
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First minute he uses no pedal, then sits on the pedal for the rest of the piece without letting go. embarrassing recording.
SatanPanda 1 year ago
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SatanPanda 1 year ago
People can't hear this with a fresh mind.
Temptezt 1 year ago
this is a gorgeous recording!
maestroadam 1 year ago 15
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@maestroadam what the fuck are you saying!?!?!?!
newFranzFerencLiszt 1 year ago
@maestroadam ur mom tits are gorgeous, his is shit on fire yo
4785689 1 year ago
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newFranzFerencLiszt 1 year ago
@4785689 ???
maestroadam 1 year ago
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@maestroadam WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING??!?!?!?
newFranzFerencLiszt 1 year ago
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@maestroadam WHAT THE FUC*K ARE YOU SAYING!?!?
newFranzFerencLiszt 1 year ago
that's not bach
v4liumfrance 1 year ago
"I think Chopin and Liszt were great virtuosos, but aside from exploiting every angle of the instrument their compositions are so-so."
tarquin161234 1 year ago
I think Chopin and Liszt were great virtuosos, but aside from exploiting every angle of the instrument their compositions are so-so. Maybe Gould was "wrong" to play it in this way, but its the only interpretation I know of that dosent have weird tempo changes and a muddy left hand.
chaddyfromtheblock 1 year ago
Whilst this interpretation is quite different from many other brilliant ones, I do find it the best. Gould keeps it simple. He takes the minimum of liberties with the timing, this results in a pulse, a powerful drive forward and ultimately creates the excitement of the movement. It takes a great pianist to move away from convention and create a masterpiece in the process. Gould often did this - where lesser pianists would have failed. Can anyone detect any wrong note(s)? I can't.
scziffra 1 year ago
@scziffra That's because whenever Gould recorded a wrong note, or disliked some of his phrasing, he spliced the recordings.
AvidHobbyist 1 year ago
@AvidHobbyist Yes I guess you have a very good point about the possibilities for editing studio recordings - that Gould became an expert in. Still, with his live concert recordings I find him remarkably accurate.
scziffra 1 year ago
@scziffra yes gould had a very impressive technique
AvidHobbyist 1 year ago
This really isn't bad at all... in fact, its very clear. Does sound a bit Bach-like in the beginning, but it sorta loosens up towards the end. And I mean, Chopin LOVED Bach, so its not necessarily a bad thing.
cfwpiano 1 year ago
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existentialistically 1 year ago
Just to reiterate what "pianotonton" said in french....Gould's performance may begin in a Bach-like manner, but it does become more and more Chopin-esque towards the end. Almost as if the musical force of Chopin is too strong even for Gould to resist.
1980NewWave 1 year ago 3
C'est amusant : après avoir commencé ce finale d'une façon détachée et lourdement scandée, il se fait avoir par la musique de Chopin et joue de façon de plus en plus naturelle jusqu'à la fin du mouvement ! Chopin est bien plus fort que Gould : le génie l'emporte toujours sur les faiseurs.
pianotonton 1 year ago 2
@pianotonton Je pense que c'est voulu, Glenn Gould n'est pas non plus un demeuré, si toi, tu t'en es rendu compte, je pense sérieusement que lui aussi, et si ça ne lui avait pas plu, il aurait évidemment modifié son interprétation.
Quant à cette dernière, c'est vrai qu'elle paraît tout à fait étrange, je préfère Glenn Gould chez Bach.
UrbanVivaldi 1 year ago