mozartiikodesu (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

It was Gould's concerns which can be sung on a piano. Playing an instrument is not moving a finger. There are many foolish pianists who create music on a keyboard. They will mistake, if the dish highest only with a finger can be performed. He does not create music on a keyboard. His music is breathing at back of his heart. His discovery is not new and is universal from ancient times.

eggory (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

beethoven is just an individual who wished to express a certain thing, gould another who at one time wished to show appretiation for beethoven's ideas, but only to an extent. it's not wrong to show what one would do with someone else's basic ideas. not disrespectful to choose not to be a demonstration of exactly what beethoven would sound like if he were there. judge gould's own way of playing some notes he didn't write, not how it compares to the original.

pianoplayersean (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

Interpreting the music is one thing, ignoring the score is another. We have to assume these composers knew what they were doing. If not, Gould should have written his own music (which apparently he did, although it was not very successful).

pianoplayersean (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

Ignoring the composers intent is a great disrespect to the composer. This is not to say the music should not be interpreted. Why would you assume that Bach would not analyze each piece he wrote? Did not Shakespeare analyze all of his plays? Music is language, when a performer changes the music they change the meaning. Music is capable of so much more than giving warm fuzzy feelings. It exists to express the depth of who we are.

eggory (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

composers have specific intents in their music and how exactly it should be played, at least generally. and some people want to do exactly what was originally intended, however putting your own spin on music you didn't write and people have heard before from others, is a different thing that can also be contributed to music

sonnym1 (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

Please, remember to listen & enjoy the music. Every one hears music in a diffetent way, there is no need to analyse each piece to bits......if it touches you, listen to it again, if it does not....move on. Had bach got stuck on analysing each peice he wrote, he wold not have written that quantity of music we are now blessed with...

pianoplayersean (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

I must admit that while I have heard His Mozart recordings, I have not studied them with the score. However, I have studied his Beethoven, Schoenberg, Berg, and countless other recordings with the score. In Goulds attempt to play something in a way that has never been heard before, he destroys the intent of the music (especially in Beethoven). His ambiguous rhythmic playing in Schoenberg weakens the power and structure of the music.

pianoplayersean (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

Phrasing in Mozart is more than where the slurs lie, and it has very little to do with the edition. Later editions were developed to help people who dont understand the tradition. And whether on not the markings are correct does not change the neccesary contour and direction of the line. I suppose you could argue that in Mozart its a matter of taste (for we have no proof). For me, Goulds playing loses the sensitivity and beauty of Mozart.

NiriuqK (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

if im rightly informed, gould never ignored mozarts original phrasing, but only the phrasings and markings later added by editors and publishers.. please correct me if im wrong, but thats what my former piano teacher told me..

pianoplayersean (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

Glenn Gould was a genius, but saying that no other pianist has ever played Mozart correctly is absurd. Ignoring dynamics, phrasing and tempo markings in Mozart (or just about any later composer), is worse than playing wrong notes. The liberties Gould takes with the music destroy the meaning and integrity of the music. For an artist to assume that they know better than the composer is not only incredibly arrogant, but disrespectful as well.