|
''Bach: The Goldberg Variations'' is the 1955 debut album of the Canadian classical pianist Glenn Gould. An interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach's ''Goldberg Variations'' (BWV 988), the work launched Gould's career as a renowned international pianist, and became one of the most well-known piano recordings.〔 Sales were "astonishing" for a classical album: it was reported to have sold 40,000 copies by 1960, and had sold more than 100,000 by the time of Gould's death in 1982. By year 2000, the sale of his 1981 recording of the ''Goldberg Variations'' exceeded two million copies.〔Michael Stegemann, Glenn Gould: Bach for the 21st century, introduction to ''Glenn Gould, The Complete Bach Collection'', p. 5, Sony Classical〕 At the time of the album's release, Bach's ''Goldberg Variations''—a set of 30 contrapuntal variations beginning and ending with an aria—was outside the standard piano repertoire, having been recorded on the instrument only a few times before, either on small labels or unreleased.〔 The work was considered esoteric and technically demanding, requiring awkward hand crossing in various places when played on a piano. Gould's album both established the ''Goldberg Variations'' within the contemporary classical repertoire and made him an internationally famous pianist nearly "overnight".〔 First played in concert by Gould in 1954, the composition was a staple of Gould's performances in the years following the recording. == Recording process == The recordings were made in 1955 at Columbia Records 30th Street studio in Manhattan over four days between June 10 and June 16, a few weeks after Gould signed his contract. Columbia Masterworks Records, the company's classical music division, released the album in January 1956. ''Bach: The Goldberg Variations'' became Columbia's bestselling classical album and earned Gould an international reputation. The record is now in the catalog of Sony Classical Records. At least one record-company executive questioned Gould's choice of the then-obscure ''Goldberg Variations'' for his recorded debut. In a 1981 interview, Gould reflected on the studio's situation: "I think the objections () had, which were mild and expressed in a most friendly fashion, were quite logical. I was twenty-two years old and proposed doing my recording debut with the Goldberg Variations, which was supposed to be the private preserve, of, perhaps, Wanda Landowska or someone of that generation and stature. They thought that possibly some more modest undertaking was advisable."〔 "Interview 8"〕 Then aged 22, Gould was confident and assertive about his work, and prevailed in the decision as to what he would record for his debut—having also ensured that his contract granted him artistic freedom. Columbia recognized his talent and tolerated his eccentricities; on June 25 the company issued a good-natured press release describing Gould's unique habits and accoutrements. He brought to the studio a special piano chair, bottles of pills, and unseasonal winter clothing; once there, he would soak his hands and arms in very hot water for twenty minutes before playing.〔 Gould often had trouble finding a piano he liked; the ''Variations'' were recorded on a Steinway piano he had acquired in 1955 (model CD 19),〔(Glenn Gould From A to Z )〕 which had been shipped around the northeastern United States for his concerts. The album gained attention for Gould's unique pianistic method, which incorporated a finger technique involving great clarity of articulation (a "detached ''staccatissimo''"), even at great speed, and little sustaining pedal. Gould's piano teacher, Alberto Guerrero, had encouraged Gould to practice "finger tapping", which required very slowly tapping the fingers of the playing hand with the free hand. According to Guerrero, tapping taught the pianist an economy of muscle movement that would enable precision at high speeds. Gould "tapped" each Goldberg variation before recording it, which took about 32 hours. The extreme tempi of the 1955 performance made for a short record, as did Gould's decision not to play many of the repeats (each Goldberg variation consists of two parts, traditionally played in an A–A–B–B format). The length of a performance of the ''Goldberg Variations'' can therefore vary drastically: Gould's 1955 recording is 38 minutes 34 seconds long, while his reconsidered, slower 1981 version (see below) is 51:18. By way of contrast, fellow Canadian Angela Hewitt's 1999 record is 78:32. The artist's ability to perfect his work in the studio—what Gould called "take-twoness"—attracted Gould from the beginning. He recorded no fewer than 21 versions of the introductory aria before being satisfied.〔Kingwell, book jacket. See chapter 21, "Takes".〕 Over the course of his career, Gould became more and more interested in the creative possibilities of the studio. Gould wrote the liner notes to the recording. Concluding his back-cover essay on the ''Goldberg Variations'', he wrote: "It is, in short, music which observes neither end nor beginning, music with neither real climax nor real resolution, music which, like Baudelaire's lovers, 'rests lightly on the wings of the unchecked wind.' It has, then, unity through intuitive perception, unity born of craft and scrutiny, mellowed by mastery achieved, and revealed to us here, as so rarely in art, in the vision of subconscious design exulting upon a pinnacle of potency." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bach: The Goldberg Variations (Glenn Gould recording)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|