iTunes

Opening the iTunes Store.If iTunes doesn't open, click the iTunes application icon in your Dock or on your Windows desktop.
iTunes

iTunes is the world's easiest way to organize and add to your digital media collection.

We are unable to find iTunes on your computer. To preview and buy music from Bach: French Suites, BWV 812-817 (Glenn Gould Anniversary Edition) by Glenn Gould, download iTunes now.

Already have iTunes? Click I Have iTunes to open it now.

I Have iTunes Free Download
iTunes for Mac + PC

Bach: French Suites, BWV 812-817 (Glenn Gould Anniversary Edition)

Glenn Gould

View More By This Artist

Open iTunes to preview, buy, and download music.

Customer Reviews

Probably the Greatest Recording of the French Suites Ever

Gould's recording of the French Suites is simply masterful. Unless you are a purest, believing the suites should only be performed on the harpsichord, it is difficult to find any fault in this recording. Gould brings to life these six suites, which Bach originally gifted to his second wife upon their marriage. I've listened to dozens of versions of the French Suites and many sound mechanical and almost dull. Gould makes the music dance with free expression and joy in a way I'm sure Bach would have be pleased with. Although Gould is often given to extremes in his interpretations (especially in the most well known pieces), his interpretation of the French Suites is without excess. In virtually every piece he articulates each individual voice with such clarity, and in such concord with the other voices, that I often think at the end of a song, "Ah, so that is how it was meant to be played."

Inspired!

This is an invaluable addition to your Bach collection. Gould is in rare form here, his scintillating articulation, boundless energy, and contageous humor all at their peak. His sound has such a clarity here, not to mention a true warmth and glow. As a performer, he makes you constantly think, "Ah! Why didn't I think of that? Now I shall be accused of copying Gould if I even dare to play it that way!" :) Incidentally, the ornamentation of the sarabande from Suite no. 3 is simply inspired - what a unique and fresh approach to this oft overly-romanticized dance.

Confused

I will never understand this obsession people have with Glenn Gould. Many people here have referred to him as "masterful," but what is so masterful about playing some of the most beautiful music written for keyboard at break-neck speeds? I've bought four of his albums because he's all anybody ever recommends, and although the actual music is very beautiful, his recordings are nauseating.

First, he leaves out very basic ornamentation that even Bach would have expected. The piano he plays on, one that he had built to his own specifications, is supposed to sound like a harpsichord. The result is a very blocky staccato sound that practically hits you over the head. If he wanted an authentic period sound, why didn't he just play on an actual harpsichord? The piano has it's own unique sound, and trying to make it sound like a harpsichord just doesn't make sense. He would have been better off playing on a real harpsichord, than he was trying to create a harpsichord/piano hybrid. And, of course, don't even get me started on how fast he plays everything. There really is just no emotion in any of these pieces. When you play something that fast, you don't have time to enjoy any of Bach's counterpoint, and everything just flys by before you can even process what you just heard.

I think this infatuation with Glenn Gould is due to the fact that he does play everything really fast. During the twentieth century, performers tended to play baroque music very slow, and with no feeling, saving their emotion for music from the romantic era. As a response, you had people like Gould who played everything so fast, they captured peoples attention simply because they were playing out of the box. And although many people like to throw around the term "virtuoso" when referring to Gould, ask any classical music aficionado, even the ones who worship Gould, and they'll tell you Gould couldn't play Mozart to save his life. Why is that? Because people expect emotion from Mozart, which Gould could never deliver. Actually Gould criticized Mozart, Liszt, and Chopin during his life, but nobody ever mentions that.

We let him slide on Bach because "Baroque music naturally doesn't convey emotion." But now, with the growth in popularity of Period Performance, people are realizing that when played correctly, baroque music is very emotional. And that doesn't mean on a harpsichord, it means with the proper taste and technique, two things which Gould never had. If you want my opinion, Murray Perahia is unsurpassed in his piano recordings of Bach's works, and there are many other great recordings of these pieces on harpsichord. Stay away from these recordings though, unless your only purpose in buying them is to marvel at how fast each song is being played, although, at that point you'll be missing any real value these pieces holds.

Biography

Born: September 25, 1932 in Canada

Genre: Classical

Years Active: '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s

The most renowned Canadian classical performer of the 20th century, pianist Glenn Gould remains one of the most fascinating and celebrated figures in all of music, the archetypal riddle wrapped inside an enigma wrapped inside a conundrum. A former child prodigy, his piano artistry was unparalleled, yet he often received less recognition as a virtuoso than as a troubled eccentric; a disconnected recluse notorious for such odd habits as wearing a wool topcoat in the dog days of summer, Gould was a...
Full Bio

Top Albums and Songs By Glenn Gould

Listeners Also Bought

Bach: French Suites, BWV 812-817 (Glenn Gould Anniversary Edition), Glenn Gould
 View In iTunes
  • $9.99
  • Genres: Classical, Music
  • Released: Sep 03, 2002
  • ℗ 1973, 1974, 2002 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT

Customer Ratings

Essentials

Influencers

Contemporaries

Become a fan of the iTunes and App Store pages on Facebook for exclusive offers, the inside scoop on new apps and more.