How Glenn Gould Broke Classical Music
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- Опубликовано: 16 май 2024
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0:00 What could go wrong?
0:55 Chapter 1: Gould's Musical Hallucination
9:51 Chapter 2: Gould vs Orthodoxy
17:32 Chapter 3: Gould the Philosopher
26:08 Chapter 4: Gouldian Altered State
Listen to Gould's Brahms Concerto: glenngould.lnk.to/BrahmsPiano...
Check out Arved Ashby's book:
www.ucpress.edu/book/97805202...
benlaude.com/
/ benlawdy
Special thanks to Daniel Kurganov and Sasha Kasman for their assistance in the technical preparation and production of this video.
If classical music does not get more interpreters with Gould’s audacity, the audience will continue to wither.
Perfectly stated.
I could not agree more!!!! Yes!
Thats why we got dudes like olafsson. I very much think he is the modern gould
@@junlee7237 Vikingur is great!
And I agree that classical music really needs to shed the retardataire culture and bring outliers to the center, a big, messy bubbling cauldron of everything all at once.
As a person who merely listens to Classical music, I can say I had no idea that this would be controversial, and am baffled to have heard it at all! If I'm being honest, I got the impression that classical music just attracted very dull, unimaginative people to play and conduct, and all the creativity was in the composers, classical or contemporary. I have been immensely grateful to modern composers for breathing new life into classic works, like Max Richter's Vivaldi's The Four Seasons Recomposed. If more performers and conductors made more of an effort to interpret, there might be a reason to go to concert rather than listening to recordings.
As a 72-year-old, lifelong admirer of Gould, Bernstein, and Horowitz, I sat here the whole half hour in rapt attention and appreciation for the careful, incisive, broad, thorough and generous analysis offered - thank you! That said, the '55 Goldberg recording has always remained my platinum standard for ecstasy in motion.
I didn't like the 55' version, I loved the 82' version tho.
@@CanadianDivergentIt might very well be that I was 30 years old in '82, and had already passionately loved the '55 version for over a decade, before he recorded the later one. They're definitely both worth repeated hearings!
IMO, the 1959 Salzburg live performance is a much better version of the 55 recording. Also the few variations he performed in Moscow are definitely worth a listen!
@@fredsun9496Amazing, thanks! Proof that even in my 70s, I can discover new things previously unknown.
I've come to the conclusion that it depends on my mood at the moment.
I have to sit on the fence with this one but it's a fence with a cushion so the iron doesn't enter the soul!! Very comfortable experience.👍
Gould's most important contribution in my opinion isn't just his Bach, but the way he unabashedly approached radical reinterpretations of pieces. This is more important now than ever as so many pianists sound exactly the same. I recall Gould saying something along the lines of "Why would I play a piece exactly how someone else played it. The conventional interpretations have been recorded and are perfect in their own right."
Because not everyone likes showboating. I'd rather hear a dozen subtly different interpretations of a piece than one radically different. Yeah yeah I like punk music too and all that so I'm not against people trying to be outrageous, but I prefer my classical music to be about the composer not the player.
@@user-qb1sm3rk9r If they're described pre-presentation as such, then it seems more than fine. But for the situation here - it was largely that he didn't have the environmental capacity to do these sorts of variational performances, so had to take to them without reference/notice. But largely agreed, I do think there needs to be space for both however.
Did it ever once occur to you that the MASTER COMPOSERS had a specific idea in mind as to how THEIR creations should sound?
I'm an amateur admirer of Gould but I'm afraid I have been infected with fake news over the years ---
1. Did GG ever perform the Lizst Piano interpretations of Beethovens 7th ? Specifically the Allegretto ?
2. If you search on YT Allegretto - Lizst - Gould there is a video that pops up - (I will find the details and post it interested)
I think this video is mislabeled because I cannot find where he recorded any Lizst that is similar
Agreed, but also Bach is important, thanks to him, newer generations were interested in Bach (myself included) listened so many times "The art of the fugue"!
The critical response to Gould reminds me of this quotation from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. "Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius."
I'm not sure Peter Shaffer would agree. ("Amadeus" is a work of fiction, frankly admitted as such, but Shaffer probably did believe that mediocrity could recognize talent)
This is a nice sounding quip, but it’s a profoundly reductive and self-serving view
@@ugolombMy all time favourite movie, mainly because of that message! Yeah, mediocrity really can recognize genius, and that film made me come to terms with the fact that there are people incredibly better at anything I say I do well.
@@LAK_770 No, it describes the attitude of many critics toward Gould. Disagreeing with his approach and disliking it is fine, but to assume that there is no artistry at work is a failure by the critic. Gould would frequently provoke, but it is very evident that he was always trying to communicate something.
Gould was an incompetent narcissist cult leader. that's all he is. talks a lot, plays poorly. he is trash
That was my best 34 minutes spent on RUclips for a while. Thanks Ben!
Agreed!
I admit I have held a pretty snarky attitude about Glenn Gould’s musical interpretations and eccentricity. Thank you for introducing me to Glenn Gould in a different way - as someone who took time to examine the music he was playing, as someone who made people listen in an active way.
I appreciate this comment a lot! It's one thing to preach to the choir, but I'm perhaps more interested in sharing what is truly worthwhile in Gould even to those who'd otherwise stay far away.
@@benlawdy Your preaching skill is reaching an even bigger choir.
Well, it's funny you put it that way: Gould was a believer of where technology would go, enabling the listener to alter the music to meet their standards. He dreamed of records that one could play with the volume, timbre, tempo, voices and anything variable. He would probably love today's technology and experiment with it. Or he could detest it and have a solid reason for it. :P Predictability wasn't his thing, his thing was making other things... work, on a new level. His recordings aren't the holy grail, but I would argue his philosophy is.
I think a lot of informed people have objected to some of his artistic decisions on aesthetic grounds. There is no need to apologize for yjhthat. But I was always amazed by his skills, not only musiical but verbal as well. I read a collection of his essays a few decades ago and found it very entertaining, as well as insightful om a variety of musical topics seldom discussed.
Curiously GG enjoyed a very good reputation behind the Iron Curtain, which is interesting because of the general conservatism of taste in those parts, at that time and probably still now.
@@aimilios439 "......alter the music to meet their standards..."??????
RUclips at its best. Deep, thorough and fascinating. Well done.
The best thing about this video is that you didn't strawman those of us who don't love Gould. I tentatively clicked on this video and enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. Well done!
I'm disappointed that you didn't get the thorough strawmanning that you deserve.
@@DavoStreetNot sure if there is any sarcasm, but strawmanning is counter-productive.
Great video! Yes, Glenn could've spent his life worrying about pleasing people-but instead he chose to express himself, to allow us to hear classical music in meaningful ways we hadn't heard a thousand times before. Bravo to you both!
I couldn't agree more. Only a cretin would think he was in any way ruinous to classical music.
I have absolutely no music experience, never learned to read music or even play a musical instrument. All I have is my ears and that’s why I am here. I am just a regular guy who after reaching 40 plus years old I fell in the love with classical Piano. It started with Beethovens “Emperor” concerto. Then came the Goldberg Variations and much more followed. Much appreciate the greatness of Glenn Gould. Thanks Ben, I appreciate this video.
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This is very funny cause the video mentioned the author Murakami who had a character in his book Kafka on the shore who was a truck driver and also fell in love with classical music by way of Beethoven
Wonderful. The next step is to learn an instrument. Give it a try.
My mother was a young, fairly accomplished pianist during Gould's time and absolutely loved his audacity and musicianship.
I know close to nothing about classical music and you brought it to life so deftly. I picked up Gould’s Goldberg Variations Bach recording by chance from the public library. It brought me to my knees. I was flabbergasted and then to top it all off , I heard humming. I was like: who is humming along ? I loved it when I realized Gould himself hummed along. It made me more confident to listen to more classical music somehow. It brought it to me: a commoner with no knowledge or training in classical music. I love Gould for that.
Before I heard Glenn Gould, I liked Bach. After hearing Glenn Gould, I loved Bach more than any other composer. And mind you, not just Gould’s recordings. Glenn’s recordings gave me a framework on how to view Bach’s music, the counterpoint, the separate voices and so on. I feel the same way about his treatment of Brahms. Rhapsody in Bm anyone?
Ditto
Hear hear! Or is it Here, here! 100%.
His A major Intermezzo is simply divine.
@@owenbloomfield1177 Agreed! I am bowled over by all of his Brahms.
Scott Ross said Gould has absolutely no understanding of Bachs music.
Man, really enjoyed this video! Thanks for making it.
Ben this is really an exceptionally good video about Gould. I’ve been a massive fan as long as you have, but I wasn’t aware of some of the things you clarify in this video. Thanks for taking the time to explain things in such great detail!
It's awesome !! RUclips needs such a content! Thank u for brilliant work! Can't wait for next video!
I love Glenn Gould. After years of learning piano as a kid, I was able to listen to his recordings and it was the experience that finally unlocked truly my love of classical music.
We are so lucky that not only did he make so many piano recordings, he WROTE so many essays about music and did so many programs and interviews that one could almost feel like they know him as person, even though he has passed on decades ago. It feels to me like if I met Mr. Gould, there would be many things to ask him and he is always on my mind as a musician. He is so relevant still today that I can almost imagine him writing a response to this video!
Excellent essay! I just want to say it in my own words: The “Truth” Gould was reaching for is not “out there” in space somewhere. It’s in the score. It’s in the structure that Brahms wrote, which is incredibly complex and aspects of which can be revealed in many ways through the playing. You can’t communicate everything about a piece in one performance. So Gould was trying to show some of the structure that he felt had been glossed over or missed entirely by others. And I suppose the composer’s inspiration may have mystical aspects we can only guess at, but our study of the music is utterly down-to-earth.
Thank you, Ben. This was a great addition to my day.
Thank you for this wonderful video. I enjoyed your depth of discussion, how you illustrated your points with stories, the score, quote from others, snippets of a range of performances, you made it so easy to follow your thinking. When I needed to hear a version again, you provided it! Brilliant!
Incredible. Thanks for putting this out there.
Quite the video essay - well researched and produced. Good times and learning. My listening ears appreciate it.
Extremely enjoyable watch. Thank you!
Thank you for this in-depth analysis. What's more, the video has been prepared with so much attention to detail.
This is a great analysis very illuminating, it helps me to make sense of the beauty I find in Gould’s playing and why it touches my heart - thank you ❤️
Beautiful analysis and superb video, I wish RUclips had more stuff like this
this video healed my soul. i feel as though i was opened to such a different perspective than the one i was rigidly taught as a child. it brings me back to the times when i played moonlight sonata privately in a way i could emotionally connect to, but when forced to play in front of the teacher, it became forced and truly "machine-like." i haven't practiced the piano in a while, i've moved on to singing instead, but perhaps my old, strict regimen is what leads me to seek freedom in my voice today. gould's statement about music not being a momentary ejection of adrenaline but rather a beautiful state of serenity and wonder blew my mind.
thank you for this video. it was educational, thought provoking, and i've earned a deep respect for Glenn Gould. it didn't occur to me that it was 30 minutes long and i was absorbed the whole way through.
this was amazing please please please keep making videos like this, classical music needs more content like yours
Yes, this truly was the video that need to be made on the Glenn Gould controversy. It will clear up a lot of things about the Gould. I just posted some interesting comments on where I don't completely let him off the hook. But I truly garnered me more respect for the man's work. The comment are recent if you want to check them out above. // Also, you may want to take a peek at my music theory where show patterns of theme and emotion that come up depending on what key is used.
Take care! - Your, _Acoustic Rabbit Hole_
Thank you for this marvelous video. I am a longtime Gould fan, and you have humanized some of the magisterial mystery with your narrative. Of course, I am wiping away tears as I type this! Time to pull out the vinyl.
Really appreciate your perspective- well done 🚕
I came across this video by chance. I am someone who loves music, but has no particular knowledge in the field. I have always appreciated Glenn Gould's playing, and never really understood the controversy around him, I had always assumed it was based on his eccentricities. Despite having watched documentaries on Glenn Gould before, this is the first time I feel that I understand why I am captured by his playing, and what drove the controversy. This was a fantastic piece of film making, and your knowledge an dedication to the subject, highly impressive. There is just so much to think about, to consider, to ruminate over; I'll be watching this again. Thank you so much.
Probably one of the best RUclips videos on classical music I've seen to this day. Ben is also so genuine in his feelings.
Fantastic video, thanks so much for putting in the effort and sharing this with us. Subscribed!
Thanks a lot for this video, Ben! I felt like I waited for too long that someone was able to do this. Greaaat job!!!
Thank you for bringing us on this philosophical journey
Please do more of this 🙏 how incredible in-depth and entertaining analysis
Hey - I’ve been studying theory and history in preparation for me theory test. Thank you for making this video - you makes these composers and moments in time entertaining and memorable! Hoping to see more content like this
Thanks RUclips for these amazing recommendations & thank you for making this video. ❤
Love from India.
Thank you so much Ben, I felt like attending a great piano masterclass while watching the video!
This is brilliant.Thank you for the upload.
Amazing video !! Thanks Ben
This is next level content and production quality for videos about classical music 👏
What a wonderful analisys! Thank you so much.
Brilliantly researched and presented. I've never been a huge fan of Gould, but after seeing this, I appreciate him a bit more and understand more what drove him. Thanks for this.
Thanks. Fascinating. I especially loved the analysis of bringing out the inner voices (around minute 16 of the video).
Thanks so much for your terrific exploration of this performance. It made me happy on a cold spring day.
And thank you for everything you’ve done for the music world over the years! Your work has been always been inspirational to me.
@@benlawdy Thank you Ben. Should you ever get to NY it would be a pleasure to say hello. Best, Tim
Very interesting and amusing reflections.... at times you gave me the impression to be one one side, then on the other... At the end I got a sense of your stance on Gould's concept. I hope you'll make more videos like this. Bravo!
ben I have to say it is incredible what you are doing with your channel. This is incredible content. you did the right move leaving tone base
Loved the video and the deep dive into Gould's sometimes odd interpretation of pieces. Awesome work!
I’ve been waiting for someone to make a video like this
What a well done video-so interesting!
Fascinating! Interesting, educational and entertaining all at once! Thank you, Ben! Keep going!!
MOREEEEEEE. This was an amazing video, thank you! God bless you!
Hearing Horowitz next to Gould, it's just... stunning how much more evocative Gould's performance is. There's this emotional complexity to the way he interprets. It's so memorable and beautiful. I never understand the people who hear his versions and say such negative things. Gould really turns the music into a collaboration between himself and the original composer, and he's right-that is so much what separates a performance from a great recording. Anyone can play the music the way it's written and has been played before. It takes a true artist to turn the familiar new again, allowing the piece to almost be heard again for the first time, for new discoveries to be made in existing music.
Thank you for sharing this!!! I have been ambivalent about Gould for a long time. Hearing more of your informed perspective is very interesting and great content!
It means a lot to hear that. Gould isn't for everyone, but I do wish more people would try to understand him!
Exceptionnal work, thank you !!
amazing video. your passion flows through the entire 34 minutes. first time that i subscribe to a channel after 1 video.
I cannot put into words how thrilling this was to watch, as a trained pianist, a lover of the courageous Gould to stand up to convention and explore music with a freedon the music institutions, critics frown upon.
Heaven help them if he dared venture into jazz
As a lifelong Gould fan, I feel this is a video that you've wanted to make for a very long time and wow, you really did it!
Really impressed!!! Thank you very much for your great work!!!
Amazing video Ben!
Thank you. This was all fascinating, especially hearing the response of the audience at the end of that performance. The critics were not expressing what the audience felt!
I learn so much from your videos. Thank you
Congrats on 10k!🎉
Finally, youtube suggestions did something right. Wonderfully spent 34 minutes, thank you, Ben! Also I love the editing! When the video seemlessly transitioned from you to Berstein with that "why", I had to pause and savor the moment, it was really cool :D
ıt's a pleasure to watch your videos Ben. Your knowledge, insight and expertise are remarkable and you are a top video maker. Thank you.
I knew nothing about Gould beforehand but now I'm in love with his work.
the appeal isn't his performances, it's the *idea* of his performances. Good job, you fell for the appeal of a cult leader.
@@Whatismusic123 Bro ur goofy
@@Whatismusic123or maybe it's because we all know the classical pieces and when gould plays them it sounds noticably different and that's cool?
it sounds noticably different because it's noticably bad. he just does things differently for the sake of being different, he never serves the music like a good pianist should. he makes a mockery of all music he plays. @@literallyjustgrass
Love the graphics in your video, as well as the content!!
Incredible video - thanks for sharing!
the Brahms 1 coda never fails to give me goosebumps, but listening Gould's rendition here might be the first time it's caused a lump in my throat (but maybe I'm just emotional since im listening to this in a quite hungry state). Great video!
The coda never gets old. Something about the pacing, the way it slowly unfolds/blooms, and then erupts. For me it has to have a strong pulse, no rushing, so of course Gould knocks it out of the park. And that rest he does that sounds like it will never is just ridiculously awesome - especially after an hour of playing like clockwork.
I have always loved this coda, especially because of Brahms' use of 2nds to make the harmonies so dense and gorgeous. What Gould does here is that the tempo lets those harmonies breathe. Many pianists bang the notes out and gallop through the coda. Gould let the tension build, and then there was that glorious release. The best interpretation of that coda I have heard in the 50+ years I have been listening to this piece!
Very insightful and entertaining; thank you for this.
Love this -- fascinating and entertaining analysis.
That is the most wonderful demonstration of music….i weep with Joy ….thank you !
Fantastic job here, Ben! You manage to bridge local questions of octave-speed with the broadest questions of how humans make sense of the world "out there," and you do so in a way that might have made Gould the pragmatist and "continuist" (?) proud. Thanks much.
Thank you Arved! Your book helped me clarify things I had been trying to make sense of for a long time. And we do need to find the right term for Gould. “Techno-utopian postmodern-modernist rhythmic-collectivist pragmatist” doesn’t really roll off the tongue.
@@benlawdysounds like a term Gould would approve of though, considering his own writing style. 😂
Well, "the last puritan" is short and sweet, but smacks more of prudish religion than non-prudish music making. @@benlawdy
Gracias por este estupendo video! Yo pienso que el grande André Watts es la misma alta clase que Glen Gould! Y no se porque no tiene la misma fama que G. Gould?! Que piensa Usted? Gracias!
8:40. I never realized this recording was AFTER the Bernstein. Huh. Thank you so much for this clear analysis of this particular performance. I have a great love of the Brahms 1st. And far and away, the Bernstein/Gould interpretation is my favourite (even among Gould's 3 surviving performances). I am not trained in music myself so I only feel what I feel, but the tension entrances me and at some parts (33:10 to the end: thank you for highlighting) my heart soars.❤
ok, this video is fascinating! Please, do make more!
Fascinating. Thanks for posting.
That ascending inner voice accentuated (around 15:40-58) was just magical. That REALLY made me sit up. Absolutely blazingly beautiful. I can see why you like it.
I don't want to make any comment on Gould (I just love his approach). Rather: your work is FANTASTIC. You make videos that help each of us refine our understanding of music. Rare stuff. Hats off!
What a beautiful artist he was! Deeply thinking and so articulate in his speech & writing ❤
Thank you for your videos🙏
Fascinating video. Thanks for making it
It was sad that Glenn Gould died too early too young. Had he lived longer, people would have understood him, not criticise!
Great video. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm with you on those inner voices. It's wondrous to hear them when you've never heard them before, even though you've heard the piece multiple times by other musicians. I've always enjoyed Gould inner tempo that he holds throughout a piece. I used to wonder why I was so attracted to his music. And my conclusion years ago was the pulse he kept that gave it that "American rhythm".
This is a great video
Not only on the content level - i loved the parallels to pragmatism - but i especially noticed how well this video was structured
I think video essays many times are one of two ways
Either it starts with one specific thing/topic/whatever and just stays there, just explaining or analysing it in detail but not going beyond the initial premise, which i find boring sometimes
Or it takes one thing as a jumping-of-point and then more or less abandoning it as one talks about the deeper thing behind the initial catch of the video, which is usually the type i tend to enjoy the most
I think this is the first time i saw these two approaches successfully combined.
You started with the Brahms concert and always came back to it throughout your expedition of context, goulds approach, philosophy, intentions and gould and his work itself and so on which seem to stray far from the initial concert
But the way you always found a way to get back without a big noticeable cut so that in the end you get the feeling that you watched a video which was about one specific concert basically all the way through but simultaneously was about goulds deeper philosophical approaches and intentions… incredible
So
I really liked this video xD
I think that it is the case that you, with these videos, give much more to music for the listener than you can even imagine. History seems available at our daily lives, almost present and vibrant and more alive than any particular news on the newspaper. Thank you so much for your work ❤
Very interesting and enjoyable video. I have never understood Gould - I am not sure I ever will - but this brings me a step closer to understanding other points of view of him. 👍🏼
Gould stood up for what he believed in and in so doing, dared to challenge Bernstein, which was rarely done. Bravo Gould!
Agreed. Gould was opposed to showing off. His was a more subtle approach. Rather than emphasising contrasts and over-dramatising a piece, he wanted it to be cohesive. Less immediately gratifying, maybe, but I prefer it.
Found you with this video, and subscribed for more and to see your backlog.
Loved it and it is inspiring.
What a great video. Instant fan of the channel. The host’s educated passion for Gould’s work shines through, but he’s also irreverent and funny. Bravo!!!
What a banger! I can see how much effort you put into this man, good job.
Thanks dude
What a great Video ! Love the editing, thank you for putting in so much effort !
Thank you! I need to start making shorter videos because I can’t help myself with the attention to detail… even 30 minute in when most people aren’t watching anymore
@@benlawdy I for sure watched the whole 30 minutes and enjoyed every minute of it ! Thanks again :)
@@benlawdyI don't mind 30 minutes at all when it's so engaging and informative!
@@Sanders-vd3tp thank you! But also, if my videos were shorter there would be more of them!
@@benlawdy Not to worry - your viewers have long attention spans and soak up the details without complaint. They are what make your videos stand out.
Very interesting. I knew a little about that Gould's episode, but this video goes beyond it, into a deep and exhaustive discussion about the matters of music composing and interpretation. Thanks!
Man, this is amazing, thanks! 👏👏👏
Amazing video on Glenn Gould. Just subscribed to the Patreon as well. What's crazy about Gould is you can make an entire 30-min video just on that single Brahms Concerto performance.
Gould is probably the most interesting pianist of the 20th century. People mostly know him for his eccentric takes on Bach, but even his Mozart, Beethoven, and Scriabin interpretations are beyond belief. I would love to see a series on Gould, or on pianists with unique interpretations in the future, something like that.
Thank you for subscribing. I have way too many videos to make about Gould… I haven’t even scratched the surface. Even this one had a ~5000 word script that had to chop in half to make it watchable. But I need to keep branching out haha. What would you like to see a video on?
@@benlawdy Really up to you. I like your videos that blend musical analysis, historical significance, and your own experiences. I think it would be wise to make different kinds of series, like one for pianists, one for different interpretations of the same work. Something like that.
I also noticed the different records on the wall, perhaps you can go over some of your favorite records or give some insight into the record label industry.
I hope more followers get attracted to your channel, seriously underrated content. I mean the production value for this Gould video alone is second to none.
@@5kyfall2017 thank you! I’m dedicated to growing it, so hopefully it’s just a matter of time.
@@benlawdyYou didn’t ask me, but I would love for you to do the 5000-word versions of whatever, when you feel it! Maybe a double-length “director’s cut” released after the shorter version?! I’ll bet a lot of folks who don’t think they want longform would jump right from this into More is More.
Such a great video, I learned so much. And I feel really inspired by this idea of Gould "bringing the pantheon down to Earth". Thanks for this great video as always Ben!
Thanks Robert!
So glad to have found this video and channel. Some really incisive and profound analysis of a fascinating, and I guess polarizing, subject. My interest in the continuing enigma of Glenn Gould is retriggered.
I love it! Keep up the good work.
The most important statement is when Gould says when we play a work, we don't reproduce the composers intent, but RECREATE it anew. And each time, the big question is, "Is it musical; does it work?" With Gould, the answer is always, "Yes!" and kudos to Bernstein for running with him and helping it work.
you are a great teacher
Piece of art, this video. Thx!!
That was.just wonderful!. I never knew what to make of Glenn....pls give us more of your work!!!!!!!❤❤❤❤❤😊🎉🎉