Glenn Gould On Television - The Complete Cbc Broad

Gould, Glenn

DVD 1A 1. LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: “Allegro con brio” from Piano Concerto Number 1 in C Major, Op. 15 Paul Scherman, CBC Symphony Orchestra, Glenn Gould Glenn Gould’s original cadenza and earliest surviving television broadcast performance From “Heure de Concert,” first broadcast on December 16, 1954 2. Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita No. 5 (BM Vol 3) (partial) - Glenn Gould From the Chrysler Festival, originally broadcast on February 20, 1957 3. JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH: Concerto for Piano (Harpsichord) and Orchestra, No 1 BWV 1052 in D Minor Thomas Mayer, Ottawa Philharmonic, Glenn Gould From “Heure de Concert,” first broadcast on November 22, 1956 4. GUSTAV MAHLER: “Urlicht” from Symphony No. 2, 4th Movement, Glenn Gould Conductor, Maureen Forrester From the Chrysler Festival, originally broadcast on February 20, 1957. First known television footage of Glenn Gould conducting. 5. Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto No. 5 in F Minor for Piano and Orchestra, BWV 1056 (Second and Third Movements) Geoffrey Waddington, CBC Orchestra, Glenn Gould From Special: Address and Music for the Queen, October 13, 1957. This was the first time that Queen Elizabeth made use of live television to speak directly to her people. 6. J.S BACH: Partita No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 826 Glenn Gould in rehearsal, 1958 check date – could be from June 1959 recording session (Caning) 7. LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: Piano No. 17 (The Tempest) I. Largo – Allegro II. Adagio III. Allegretto From recording session July/September 1960 (FACT CHECK) 8. GLENN GOULD and ALEX TREBEK – Interview Segment beginning with “I detest audiences” From Intertel: “The Culture Explosion” (November 9, 1966). Includes Zubin Mehta talking about Gould. 9. LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: Thirty-Two Variations in C Minor, WoO 89 From Festival: To Everyman His Own Bach (March 29, 1967). THIS CAN BE OMITTED, since it is part of Humphrey Burton program – Disc 5A 10. GLENN GOULD: In Conversation LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: “Allegro ma non troppo” from Symphony no. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 From “Telescope: Variations on Glenn Gould” (May 8, 1969). Glenn Gould discusses the musicality of man, how electronic equipment is revolutionizing ideas about what is considered musical and why he chose to leave the concert stage. Includes segments from “The Idea of North.” 11. Johann Sebastian Bach: The Well-Tempered Klavier Book II: Prelude and Fugue No. 14 in F Sharp Minor, BWV 883 (Harpsichord) Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in C Sharp Major, BWV 872 (Piano) Prelude and Fugue No 22 in B Flat Minor, BWV 891 (Piano) Prelude and Fugue No 9 in E Major, BWV 878 (Harpsichord) From CBC Special – The World of Music: The Well-Tempered Listener, broadcast on February 18 1970. 12 – 15. GLENN GOULD as Sir Nigel Twitt-Thornwaite, Dr. Karlheinz Klopweisser, and Myron Chianti First broadcast as commercials for the Musicamera Series (1974). 1B Festival 61: The Subject is Beethoven (Original Broadcast: February 6, 1961) Ludwig van Beethoven: 15 Piano Variations, Opus 35 Eroica Theme and Fugue [BM Vol 1] Sonata for Cello and Piano, Opus 69 (With Leonard Rose) This is the first thematic television special in which Gould appears as both performer and commentator. Glenn Gould speaks about and performs the music of Beethoven and accompanies Leonard Rose on cello. 2A SUNDAY CONCERT: MUSIC IN THE U.S.S.R. (Original Broadcast: January 14, 1962) Dmitri Shostakovich: Quintet for Piano and Strings in G Minor, Op. 57, performed by Sinfonia String Quartet of Cleveland and Glenn Gould SergeY Prokofiev: Sonata in B Flat Major, Op. 83, No. 7 Glenn Gould appears as performer and commentator, tracing the development of style in Russian Music. During his discussions, Gould performs short excerpts from the compositions of Mikhail Glinka, Mily Balakirev, and Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky. 2B SUNDAY CONCERT: GLENN GOULD ON BACH (Original Broadcast: April 8, 1962) Johann Sebastian Bach: “Fugue” from “St. Anne” Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Major, BWV 552. The Art of the Fugue, BWV 1080 Cantata No. 54, “Widerstehe doch der Sünde,” BWV 54 with Russell Oberlin and Chamber Ensemble Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050' with violinist Oscar Shumsky, flutist Julius Baker Gould discusses the influence and architecture of Bach’s music and his own philosophy of classical music. Performed works also include organ solos recorded at All Saints Church in Toronto. 3A FESTIVAL: RICHARD STRAUSS – A PERSONAL VIEW (Original Broadcast: October 15, 1962) Richard Strauss: “Cacillie,” Op 27 No. 2 – performed by Lois Marshall, accompanied by Gould Sonata in E Flat Major for Violin and Piano, Op. 18 – performed by Oscar Shumsky and Gould “Ophelia Lieder”, Op. 67 Nos 1,2 and 3, performed by Lois Marshall, accompanied by Gould Der Bürger als Edelmann, Op. 60 - performed by a 33-piece orchestra conducted by Shumsky “Beim Schlafengehen,” from Four Last Songs' Hosted by Glenn Gould, featuring Canadian soprano Lois Marshall and American violinist Oscar Shumsky, who perform and discuss the music of Richard Strauss. 3B FESTIVAL: THE ANATOMY OF THE FUGUE (Original Broadcast: March 4, 1963) LUCA MARENZIO: “Spring Returns” - Elizabeth Benson-Guy, Lillian Smith-Weichel, Patricia Rideout, Gordon Wry, and Edgar Murdoch Johann Sebastian Bach: The Well Tempered Clavier, Book II Fugue No. 7 in E Flat Major, BWV 876' [BM Vol 4] (Piano) Fugue No. 22 in B Flat Minor, BWV 891, [BM Vol 3] (Piano) WOLFGANG Amadeus Mozart: Adagio and Fugue in C Minor, K. 546,' performed by the Canadian String Quartet, Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A Flat Major, Op. 110, (Two last movements) Paul Hindemith: Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Flat Major, last movement GLENN GOULD: “So You Want to Write a Fugue” performed by Elizabeth Benson-Guy, Patricia Rideout, Gordon Wry, Edgar Murdoch, and the Canadian String Quartet, directed by Victor Di Bello. 4A Festival: Concerti for Four Wednesdays, No. 1, “Anthology of Variation” (Original Broadcast: June 3, 1964) LUDWIG VAN Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109 Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck: Fantasia Chromatica for Keyboard in D Johann Sebastian Bach: “Nine canons, including 'Aria' and 'Quodlibet' “ from Goldberg Variations ANTON Webern: Variations for Piano, Op. 27 Gould plays and discusses the music of the composers listed above. 4B Festival: Duo - Glenn Gould and Yehudi Menuhin (Original Broadcast: May 18, 1966) Johann Sebastian Bach: Sonata No 4 for Violin and Keyboard, BWV 1017 ARNOLD SCHOENBERG: Fantasia, Op. 47 LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata No. 10 in G, Op. 96, No. 10 Yehudi Menuhin and Glenn Gould discuss and perform the works of the above composers. 5A Conversations with Glenn Gould (Original Broadcast: March 15, 1966) Humphrey Burton Interview, Part One: Bach Gould performs Beethoven's '32 Variations on an Original Theme in C Minor' and other musical excerpts. 5B Conversations with Glenn Gould (Original Broadcast: March 22, 1966) Humphrey Burton Interview, Part Two: Beethoven Gould discusses his interpretation of the music of Beethoven, performing fragments throughout. 6A Conversations with Glenn Gould (Original Broadcast: April 5, 1966) Humphrey Burton Interview, Part Three: Arnold Schoenberg Gould discusses why he believes that Schoenberg, above all modern composers, will achieve immortality. Performs diverse musical excerpts throughout. 6B Conversations with Glenn Gould (Original Broadcast: April 19, 1966) Humphrey Burton Interview, Part Four: Richard Strauss Gould discusses his affection for the music of Richard Strauss, performing excerpts from the composer’s long life. 7A Music for a Sunday Afternoon: Mozart and Beethoven (Original Broadcast: March 19, 1967) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Sonata, K 333 Ludwig van Beethoven: 32 Variations in C minor Sonata no. 17 in D minor, The Tempest Glenn Gould speaks about and performs the music of Beethoven, providing his thoughts on why Beethoven is so central to the western musical experience. 7B Festival: Centennial Performance (Original Broadcast: November 15, 1967) Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto No. 7 in G Minor, BWV 1058 RICHARD STRAUSS: Burleske Starring Glenn Gould and featuring Audrey Glass and Claude Corbeil, this Centennial Performance is Gould’s first colour telecast. The Toronto Symphony is conducted by Vladimir Golschmann. 8A THE IDEA OF NORTH, Produced and Directed by Judith Pearlman (Original Broadcast: Aug 5, 1970) Hosted by Glenn Gould, The Idea of North follows a young university student who travels to the Canadian arctic. 8B SPECIAL: Beethoven Bi-Centennial Concert - Glenn Gould Plays Beethoven (Original Broadcast: December 9, 1970), LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: Bagatelle No 3 in E Flat Major, Op 226, Six Variations on an Original Theme in F Major, Op. 34, Piano Concerto No 5 in E Flat Major, Op. 73 – “Emperor” (With the Toronto Symphony, Karel Ancerl Conducting), Host Curtis Davis introduces the program, which celebrates the bicentenary birth of Beethoven. 9A Musicamera: Music In Our Time, Part 1: “The Age of Ecstasy: 1900-1910” (Original Broadcast: February 20, 1974), Alexander Scriabin: Prelude No. 1 in E Major, Opus 33, Prelude No. 3 in C Major, Opus 33, Prelude No. 3 in E Flat Major, Opus 45, Prelude No. 2 in F Major, Opus 49, Desir, Opus 57 No. 1, Caresse Dansée, Opus 57 No. 2 , Album Leaf, Opus 58, Claude Debussy: Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Piano, L.116, performed by clarinetist James Campbell, accompanied by Gould , Arnold Schoenberg: Songs for Voice and Piano, Op.6 -- “Traumleben.” “Verlassen' – “Verführung” and “Der Wanderer;” performed by soprano Helen Vanni, accompanied by Gould, Alban Berg: Piano Sonata in One Movement, Op.1, As host and featured performer, Glenn outlines the music of the twentieth century and relates it to the ideas and art of the period. 9B Musicamera: Music In Our Time, Part 2: “The Flight from Order: 1910-1920” (Original Broadcast: February 5, 1975), Sergey Prokofiev: “ Bagatelle” from Visions Fugitives, Op. 22, Richard Strauss: Three Ophelia Songs, Op. 57,' sung by soprano Roxolana Roslak, Arnold Schönberg: Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21,' sung by contralto Patricia Rideout and accompanied by Glenn Gould, violinist Adele Armin, flutist Suzanne Shulman, clarinetist James Campbell, cellist Coenraad Bloemendal, and bass clarinetist Peter Smith , Igor Stravinsky: L'Histoire du Soldat (Last four movements), narrated by Eric House, conducted by Borris Brott, and accompanied by bassoonist James McKay, trumpeter Fred Mills, double bassist Don Thompson, trombonist Eugene Watts, percussionist John Wyre, violinist Adele Armin, and clarinetist James Campbell; MAURICE RAVEL / GLENN GOULD (Transcription): La Valse, As host and performer, Glenn Gould continues to outline the music of the twentieth century. 10A Musicamera: Music In Our Time, PARt 3: “New Faces, Old Forms: 1920-1930” (Original Broadcast: November 26, 1975), Sir William Walton: Façade, featuring contralto Patricia Rideout with the studio orchestra conducted by Boris Brott, Paul Hindemith: Das Marienleben (selections) performed by soprano Roxolana Roslak, accompanied by Gould, Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 4 in C Major, Sz. 91, third and fourth movements, performed by the Orford String Quartet, Arnold Schoenberg: Suite for Piano, Op. 25, Aaron Copland: As It Fell Upon a Day, performed by clarinetist James Campbell, flautist Suzanne Shulman, and soprano Roxolana Roslak, Francis Poulenc: Aubade, performed by Gould with the studio orchestra conducted by Boris Brott, with dancers Robyn Lee, Jeremy Blanton, Debbie Smith, Ann Heinonen, Marlene Nazar, Amanda Vaughan, Lynda Ambler, and Carolyn Lismore. 10B Musicamera: Music In Our Time, Part 4: “The Artist as Artisan: 1930-1940” (Original Broadcast: December 14, 1977), Alfredo Casella: Due Ricercari Sul Nome B.A.C.H, Paul Hindemith: Sonata for Trumpet & Piano, performed by trumpeter Raymond Crisara , Ernst Krenek: “A Wanderer's Song in Autumn” from Songs of Later Years, sung by contralto Patricia Rideout, accompanied by Gould, Anton Webern: Concerto for Nine Instruments, conducted by Boris Brott Sergey Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 7 in B Flat Major, Op. 83, In the fourth and final installment of a planned seven episode series, Gould discusses the ideas, art and music of the period from 1930-1940.

A 10 DVD set of never before released television appearances of Glenn Gould!
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Wholenote Discoveries - November 2011
The 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s were the halcyon days of the CBC. During those years the Corporation produced programs of the highest calibre for both their radio and television networks. All the Arts were covered: theatre, ballet, opera, etc. including live concerts, recitals and intelligent and informative talk shows. In those years, Glenn Gould developed from a young pianist of obvious talent into the world famous re-interpreter of Bach and Beethoven and others and, from time to time, he shared his views with the TV audience. SONY has issued a 10 DVD set which could correctly be dubbed The Wit and Wisdom of Glenn Gould, for it contains every one of those original, well-prepared programmes that centered around Gould playing music close to his heart. From 1961 performances were preceded by Gould’s spoken introduction and elaboration. I hurried into the set to watch disc five containing the 1966 Humphrey Burton Interviews in which Gould very persuasively argues for his radical, in some degree or another, performances of Bach and Beethoven. On the second disc of the Burton interviews, broadcast a few weeks later, Gould argues the case for Arnold Schoenberg as the composer whose music he places above Bartók, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, or anyone else in the 20th century (up 1966, of course). Finally, Gould chooses the music of Richard Strauss to discuss and find a place for in 20th century music. The earliest surviving video of Gould dates from December 1954 in which we hear and see him playing the first movement of Beethoven’s first piano concerto. On the same disc we jump to February 1957 and find him conducting an orchestra accompanying Maureen Forrester singing Urlicht. Sehr feierlich, aber schlicht: “O Roschen rot!” from the Mahler second symphony followed by Bach from 1957 and 1958 and from 1960 Beethoven’s “Tempest” sonata. Next, from 1961 The Eroica Variations and the third cello sonata with Leonard Rose, both of which are introduced and analysed by Mr. Gould. Throughout these 10 DVDs, although he painstakingly prepared his spoken comments he never comes across as a fussy pedant or a know-it-all. But, as we know, he did know it all. The mind boggles when faced with the breadth of his interests and passions. We find him working and playing with Yehudi Menuhin (1966), then the famous 1970 bicentennial concert when he stepped in at a moment’s notice to sub for Michelangeli playing the Emperor Concerto with the TSO under Karel Ancerl. There really is too much wonderful music and talk about music in this set to write about here. Other artists seen or heard in this collection include James Campbell, Roxolana Roslak, Boris Brott, Adele Armin, Suzanne Schulman, The Orford String Quartet, Russell Oberlin, Julius Baker, Oscar Shumsky, Lois Marshall, Elizabeth Benson-Guy, Gordon Wry, Vladimir Golschmann, Albert Pratz, Zubin Mehta and many others. The Judith Pearlman film The Idea of the North, narrated by Gould is here, too. This is a unique collection of unique performances and commentaries. Whether you remember Glenn Gould or not really doesn’t matter. Curiously, although available throughout the rest of the world, Sony Canada apparently declined to release the quite recent collection of Gould’s recordings of 12 Beethoven Sonatas and all five Piano Concertos. Newly re-mastered in an attractive six CD set at super-budget price, it would also have been a natural tie-in to the DVD set where many of them are referred to or discussed. Bruce Surtees

He blew out of Toronto in the early 1950s, a fresh young genius from the North, brimming over with energy, ideas and intelligence. By the time he reached his mid-20s, Glenn Gould had changed the way the world listened to the keyboard works of Johann Sebastian Bach; by the time of his fatal stroke in 1982, two days after he turned 50, this daring and visionary artist had successfully challenged many of the most cherished conventions of classical music. As a result, all these years later, Gould remains as central – as necessary -- to our experience today as when he was alive. All of Gould’s professional recordings have long been available; his articles, liner notes and letters have been collected and translated; his life has inspired biographies, memoirs, novels, plays, poetry and any number of idiosyncratic multi-media tributes. And yet there has been scanty representation of the dozens of film and television programs Gould made with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation over the course of what proved the longest and steadiest professional association of his life. Now this crucial omission has been repaired – and repaired magnificently – with the 22 hours of material collected in The Complete CBC Broadcasts. At last it is possible to examine, admire and reappraise what Gould always considered some of his most significant and original life’s work, most of which has not been seen since it was first telecast. Almost a half-century on, it is hard to remember the shock with which Gould’s 1964 decision to abandon live performance was met. Had anybody bothered to listen, the pianist was ready with some plausible explanations. Briefly, he was tired of what he called the "non-take-two-ness" of the concert experience -- the inability of a performer to correct finger slips and other minor mistakes. He pointed out that most creative artists were able to tinker and perfect, but that a live performer had to recreate his work from scratch in every concert. The result, in his view, was a "tremendous conservatism" that made it difficult for an artist to learn and grow. In short, he thought that playing concerts had gotten in the way of making music. But let Gould make this case for himself, as he does in several of the films contained in this set. Listen as Gould and the British broadcaster and biographer enjoy each other’s company while delivering sage, witty analyses of Bach, Beethoven, Richard Strauss and Arnold Schoenberg. These are some of the best musical conversation ever recorded, and only a tiny fragment of them has been heard since the mid-1960s. Go back to 1954 and marvel at Gould’s performance of the first movement of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, complete with his own cadenza, when he was only 22, a year before his initial “Goldberg Variations” for Columbia Records made him the most famous young pianist in the world. At the other end, as he approached the end of his life, Gould took us, decade by decade, through some of the 20th century compositions that meant something to him – not just Strauss and Schoenberg but also Francis Poulenc and Ernst Krenek. And who else could have turned Ravel’s orchestral showpiece “La Valse” into such glittering and idiomatic piano music? The filmic expansion of Gould’s radio documentary “The Idea of North,” on which he worked with Judith Pearlman, now seems a distinguished addition to the literature of avant-garde cinema, as bracing and unmistakably of its time as the works of Godard -- from its opening shots of a sublimely gray Toronto Union Station through the ecstatic strains of the Sibelius Fifth Symphony that bring it to a close an hour later. And has there ever been a more spare and urgently dramatic rendition of Bach’s cantata “Widerstehe doch der Sunde” than the one offered by countertenor Russell Oberlin and Gould (playing his touch-sensitive “harpsipiano”) in 1962, the year that tensions in the “cold war” came close to incinerating the planet? These are only a few of the highlights of this collection: every viewer will find personal favorites. It is a triumphant vindication of Gould’s withdrawal from the stage and the new paths he forged instead of readying himself for yet another concert tour. And so, almost 30 years after his death, in one of his foremost bequests to our intellectual life, here is Glenn Gould – talking, playing, conducting, exploring, thinking aloud, laughing last and forever more. - Tim Page (2011)
Review for the Glenn Gould Set from the Toronto Star
GLENN GOULD Glenn Gould on Television: The Complete CBC Broadcasts, 1954-1977 (Sony Classical) Twenty-nine years after his death at age 50, Toronto pianist Glenn Gould is more popular than ever, around the world. At last count, there were 6,670 video clips of Gould in concert and conversation on YouTube. The video of his final 1981 recording of J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations has had nearly 1.7 million views. To celebrate what would have been Gould's 79th birthday this past Sunday, Sony Classical has released a 10-DVD box set featuring 19 hours of Gould on TV. Many clips from these broadcasts are on YouTube, but this is the first time they've been put into a larger context on DVD. Not only do we get the great works, Gould's coattails also reacquaint us with the great stars of his day, including Maureen Forrester, Lois Marshall and the Canadian String Quartet. There are many extraordinary performances from one of the first artists to understand and harness the power of the recorded performance. Gould's famous documentary, The Idea of North, is a magnificent symphony of ideas, imagery and sound, masterfully edited by someone who assembled concepts the way Bach composed. Gould's often wry and barbed commentary introduces each DVD. Even though the video quality is variable on the older material, this is an invaluable introduction to a national treasure, unmediated by a biographer or documentary filmmaker.

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