this was recorded for TV in 1982. it was one of the first commercial digital recordings.

gould's first recording of the goldberg variations (1955) made him famous for his unusual style. he hummed to himself while playing. he later quit performing live because he was too nervous.

this version is slower and deeper than his first recording. he died a few months later, at the age of 50.

Fantastic find! This is my all-time favorite piece...I wish it had the whole thing.

When my son started taking piano (ie. was forced) a few years ago, he innocently asked if he could ever stop the lessons. I told him that of course he could. He asked when. "When you can play the Goldberg Variations," I quipped. He agreed.

Since then, he has learned to check the terms of an agreement.

you can find the whole piece (in parts) on youtube...

Clearly he is hacking.

Sony (who acquired CBS Records or Columbia, if you remember back in the days of LPs) released reams of Glenn Gould video performances on VHS and laser disc as part of the Glenn Gould Edition back in the 90s. I picked up the laser discs for a song at various record stores around the country right when DVDs were coming out. Needless to say, these haven't been re-released.

Watching this performance of the Goldberg Variations is a religious experience of sorts, although the jarring camera angle shifts do eventually get old. The CBC started recording Gould for broadcast on TV back in the 50s, and these performances, ones that could not be edited for perfection show just how talented he was.

Also, Gould didn't give up live performances because of his nerves. Rather, he simply hated live performances and wrote and commented on this extensively. He felt that the whole experience was degrading and that being in front of an audience was an impediment to presenting his ideal vision of a work. Tape and the recording studio explicitly enabled this.

One little bit of trivia about this performance: Gould's usual piano was a Steinway (CD 318), but it was irreparably damaged during transit when some movers dropped it. He made a trip to the Ostrovsky Piano Company in NYC to find a new instrument, but didn't find any that he liked. Before leaving through a back corridor, he spotted a much used Yamaha that no one wanted him to play. Needless to say, he tried the instrument and the rest is history. It's the piano he plays in this recording.

wow, thanks!

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