Monday 11 October 2010

EVENSONG: Glenn Gould plays Beethoven Emperor Concerto

This second movement was the subject of one of those Radio Four Soul Music programmes at the weekend - celebrities and experts discuss and dissect famous pieces of music, classical, jazz, popular, all sorts; sometimes you think Enough, Already, I know enough about Summertime, other times somebody crystalises for you, just in a phrase, what you have always known. On this occasion all the contributors had it down and I, stuck up the chimney, again, contended not just with chimney gymnastics, angina, diabetes, arthritis and my background level of apoplexy but also with sooty tears. 

This is the best clip I can find. I don't know enough to determine which is the best interpretation, there is probably, given the requisite virtuosity, an infinity of them, but even with Gould's distracting facials this one has the best sound of the dozen or so which I looked at.

If you can find ten minutes to listen for the first time or afresh to the sounds of Angels crying it will be, I humbly suggest, time very well spent.

The programme is probably on God's I-thing.


1 comment:

mrs narcolept said...

Beautiful.