Glenn Gould plays Orlando Gibbons - Fantasy in C major

Orlando Gibbons (1583 - 1625) belongs to the generation of English composers that followed that of William Byrd, forty years his senior, who had died in 1623. He was a chorister at King's College, Cambridge, where his elder brother was Master of the Choristers, and later became a gentleman of the Chapel Royal, which he served as an organist and to which he later added the position of organist at Westminster Abbey. He wrote music for the Church of England, madrigals, consort music and keyboard works.

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[thesilentgate]

The CD that this comes from is, without a doubt, one of the best purchases I've ever made.

[amadeus9man]

I agree, as this is most likely in my top 5. Several of Glenn's albums have that quality to them that makes price unimportant as the staggering amount of times it will be listened to blots that right out of one's mind.

[alipitogen]

I don't know where I'm placed amid all the simultaneous worship and derision that goes on about Glenn Gould but I'm moved by his playing. I think I can offer a reason why -and I'm sure I am not the first to say it. He decided to restrict his art to recording and the acoustic which then usually surrounded him was such to give the impression that he was close to you in some way.There is something so intimate and personal that things are more easily forgiven. I do not often hear much to forgive.

[mattbod]

The piano gives an added depth and contrast and expression to the piece. I am sure Gibbons and Bach (Gibbons was a keyboard virtuoso too) and the like if they were to be shot forward in time would be very impressed with the modern concert grand and the interpretation of their works by great pianists like Gould.Indeed reports of Bach testing an early Silbermann piano stated that "he praised, indeed admired its tone but found it weak in the high register and too hard to play"(heavy action)

[mattbod]

I second all that has been said about Glenn Gould. The fact that this shy man preferred the recording studio to the concert platform gives his performances a special intimacy. Sony also has to be praised for getting such a lovely crisp clean sound from old tape recordings. I love the playing of Bach on the harpsichord but i disagree with the vigorous opinions of the late (and much missed already) Gustav Leonhardt who said this repertoire should never be played on the piano.

[kenkim5]

@NemoProkofiev551 I thought GG said that Gibbons was his favorite composer, not that he was the "greatest".

[jeanbaptistelulli]

@amadeus9man : definitely agree

[harpsinth]

you must be kiding about the quality of this recording and choice of instrument...

anyway, those are the days of " pianolatry " . please /watch?v=Ij5iMkk_Z4k

[Yoshi5020]

@NemoProkofiev551

Though Gould was always critical of a composer's competence-- in particular, he thought the keyboard was best suited for "counterpoint"-- it probably just comes down to personal taste; the best expression of ones "soul", so to speak.

[Amunhotep4th]

The more I listen to Glenn Gould the more I am impressed. This man was a literal keyboard genius. He was eccentric to say the least but that adds to the "wonderment" of his creative ability.