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Since everyone is debating the quality of recorded pianists, I would like to hear some opinions of Liszt's transcription of Beethovens 5th Symphony by Glenn Gould. I have listened to a number of recordings of this piece and find Gould's to be my favorite. Although, I am not particularly a big fan of Gould except for his Bach. As well who is your favorite pianist for Liszt?
#1485351 - 07/31/1005:03 PMRe: Liszt, Gould, and Beethoven
[Re: PianonaiP]
Victor25
1000 Post Club Member
Registered: 05/30/09
Posts: 1676
Loc: The Netherlands
Is there also a piano transcription of Beethoven's 7th symphony 2nd movt ?
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Currently working on: Perfecting the Op 2/1, studying the 27/2 last movement. Chopin Nocturne 32/2 and Posth. C#m, 'Raindrop' prelude and Etude 10/9 Repetoire: Beethoven op 2/1, 10/1(1st, 2nd), 13, 14/1, 27/1(1st, 2nd), 27/2, 28(1st, 2nd), 31/2(1st, 3rd), 49/1, 49/2, 78(1st), 79, 90, 101(1st)
#1485381 - 07/31/1005:46 PMRe: Liszt, Gould, and Beethoven
[Re: PianonaiP]
Mark_C
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Registered: 11/11/09
Posts: 14773
Loc: New York
I love Gould's recording of it. But the best part of that recording was the notes that Gould wrote for it.
Or at least I think he wrote them. It's a bunch of stupid critical and psychoanalytic stuff about his playing a Beethoven symphony on the piano. I could never tell for sure if the stuff was his creation or real articles by other people. I assumed it was him having fun, mainly because the psychoanalytic stuff was so laughably absurd. But then much of that kind of thing really is.
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"Everything I say is my opinion, including the facts." :-)
#1485414 - 07/31/1006:54 PMRe: Liszt, Gould, and Beethoven
[Re: PianonaiP]
WinsomeAllegretto
500 Post Club Member
Registered: 07/18/10
Posts: 760
Haha, it sounds even better if you have two videos of it up at once and you start one about 3 seconds after the other. Makes for a very perplexing and fascinating echo....Oops...
#1485420 - 07/31/1007:01 PMRe: Liszt, Gould, and Beethoven
[Re: PianonaiP]
Mark_C
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Registered: 11/11/09
Posts: 14773
Loc: New York
I'd love to post the notes (or a link) but it seems not to be on the net.
If you can find the album at a reasonable price, the notes themselves are worth it.
For what it's worth, I see that a bunch of people are offering it on eBay.
P.S. I did find this -- from a book, talking a little about these notes and with an excerpt.
I see that the notes were a put-on -- parody stuff written by Gould. The "psychiatrist" who supposedly wrote the psychoanalytic thing was named "S. F. Lemming." If you google that name you get quite a few webpages that talk about this.
Edited by Mark_C (07/31/1007:09 PM)
_________________________
"Everything I say is my opinion, including the facts." :-)
I see. I think I might actually pick up the book you linked to as well. I knew Gould was a little batty, but inventing psychiatrists sets him to a new standard in my mind ha ha.
A great reason why I liked this rendition (as well as some other Gould performances), is that he makes every note very distinctive, and especially, every line and voice too. It's crazy how he can make a piano sound like that.
_________________________ Working on: Franck - Violin Sonata Liszt - Ballade no. 2 Schumann - Fantasie Rachmaninoff- Concerto no.2
#1485495 - 07/31/1008:48 PMRe: Liszt, Gould, and Beethoven
[Re: Mark_C]
stores
5000 Post Club Member
Registered: 12/28/09
Posts: 5782
Loc: Here, as opposed to there
Originally Posted By: Mark_C
I'd love to post the notes (or a link) but it seems not to be on the net.
If you can find the album at a reasonable price, the notes themselves are worth it.
For what it's worth, I see that a bunch of people are offering it on eBay.
P.S. I did find this -- from a book, talking a little about these notes and with an excerpt.
I see that the notes were a put-on -- parody stuff written by Gould. The "psychiatrist" who supposedly wrote the psychoanalytic thing was named "S. F. Lemming." If you google that name you get quite a few webpages that talk about this.
Yes, Gould, loved to do things like that, Mark. For as much of a complete crackpot as he often was, watching some of his TV and radio work is very, very interesting. You should pick up "Wondrous Strange". I think you'd enjoy it.
_________________________
"And if we look at the works of J.S. Bach — a benevolent god to which all musicians should offer a prayer to defend themselves against mediocrity... -Debussy
"It's ok if you disagree with me. I can't force you to be right."
#1485496 - 07/31/1008:51 PMRe: Liszt, Gould, and Beethoven
[Re: Kuanpiano]
stores
5000 Post Club Member
Registered: 12/28/09
Posts: 5782
Loc: Here, as opposed to there
Originally Posted By: Kuanpiano
A great reason why I liked this rendition (as well as some other Gould performances), is that he makes every note very distinctive, and especially, every line and voice too. It's crazy how he can make a piano sound like that.
He had an ability to play polyphonically like no other pianist I've ever heard, but the pianos he played and the way he had them voiced DID help him immensely in this regard.
_________________________
"And if we look at the works of J.S. Bach — a benevolent god to which all musicians should offer a prayer to defend themselves against mediocrity... -Debussy
"It's ok if you disagree with me. I can't force you to be right."
#1485502 - 07/31/1009:04 PMRe: Liszt, Gould, and Beethoven
[Re: Mark_C]
stores
5000 Post Club Member
Registered: 12/28/09
Posts: 5782
Loc: Here, as opposed to there
Originally Posted By: Mark_C
I'd guess the pianos and the way they were voiced accounted for maybe 1% of what made his playing what it was.
All I know is, if I played on his piano, I'm sure I wouldn't have sounded much like him.
Maybe not like him, per se, but you'd be surprised at what you'd be able to do. I do agree, however, that the piano itself only HELPED.
_________________________
"And if we look at the works of J.S. Bach — a benevolent god to which all musicians should offer a prayer to defend themselves against mediocrity... -Debussy
"It's ok if you disagree with me. I can't force you to be right."
That's like the second last Horowitz piano, which was the one he used in his famous 1986 tours. I wonder what it'd be like to play that!! As well as the one he used in the 1970s, which sounds incredibly harsh. I wonder what he would have sounded like if he hadn't gotten the piano wrecked like that.
_________________________ Working on: Franck - Violin Sonata Liszt - Ballade no. 2 Schumann - Fantasie Rachmaninoff- Concerto no.2
#1485508 - 07/31/1009:19 PMRe: Liszt, Gould, and Beethoven
[Re: Kuanpiano]
Mark_C
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Registered: 11/11/09
Posts: 14773
Loc: New York
Originally Posted By: Kuanpiano
That's like the second last Horowitz piano, which was the one he used in his famous 1986 tours. I wonder what it'd be like to play that!! As well as the one he used in the 1970s, which sounds incredibly harsh. I wonder what he would have sounded like if he hadn't gotten the piano wrecked like that.
Rumor has it that for a while, one of those pianos (don't know which) was kept in the Steinway basement for performers to choose from -- and nobody ever picked it.
BTW......never heard about his piano being wrecked.....
_________________________
"Everything I say is my opinion, including the facts." :-)
I'd love to post the notes (or a link) but it seems not to be on the net.
If you can find the album at a reasonable price, the notes themselves are worth it.
For what it's worth, I see that a bunch of people are offering it on eBay.
P.S. I did find this -- from a book, talking a little about these notes and with an excerpt.
I see that the notes were a put-on -- parody stuff written by Gould. The "psychiatrist" who supposedly wrote the psychoanalytic thing was named "S. F. Lemming." If you google that name you get quite a few webpages that talk about this.
Yes! Ha ha ha.... Gould had many characters he played. I think he had a wonderful child-like sensibility.
#1485526 - 07/31/1010:19 PMRe: Liszt, Gould, and Beethoven
[Re: Kuanpiano]
stores
5000 Post Club Member
Registered: 12/28/09
Posts: 5782
Loc: Here, as opposed to there
Originally Posted By: Kuanpiano
That's like the second last Horowitz piano, which was the one he used in his famous 1986 tours. I wonder what it'd be like to play that!! As well as the one he used in the 1970s, which sounds incredibly harsh. I wonder what he would have sounded like if he hadn't gotten the piano wrecked like that.
I don't know if that piano is the one in the Steinway basement, but you could ask Angelina about playing his last one (I think that's right...have to ask her).
_________________________
"And if we look at the works of J.S. Bach — a benevolent god to which all musicians should offer a prayer to defend themselves against mediocrity... -Debussy
"It's ok if you disagree with me. I can't force you to be right."