Pt2/3 Bach Inventions

For the record, I knew Gould's version before Nikolayeva's, and so on some level hers struck me as a reply and correction to Gould's. The celebrated speed of the 13th, for instance; as with Gould's humming, the novelty wears off after repeated listenings. It is well-known that, for all their simplicity, it takes a keen musical sensibility to truly perform these pieces; it is not necessary to use them as tornado-like displays of velocity or virtuosity. Sometimes I think that Gould fans (and I am one of them) give him too much leniency within his eccentricity--he is not infallible and to my ear at least (probably because of all of Bach's keyboard works, the Two- and Three-Part Inventions are my most familiar, and the ones that I have heard the greatest number of renditions of) Gould falters here.

Put another way, I have Gould's and Nikolayeva's versions, and Nikolayeva's gets played far, far, far more often, because of how it musically affects me. Gould's, I nod my head and say, "Yes." With Nikolayeva's, I hit replay, smile and just feel all uplifted, even as I am intellectually wowed by her playing.

Yet, if the listener can get past these idiosyncrasies, s/he will find that at the core, Gould was an outstanding pianist beyond any doubt. He may play some pieces so fast that they go by in under a minute, and his humming may detract from the emotional effect that people hope to gain by listening to this music, but there is not a note out of place - and many a pianist may tell you that that can be hard to achieve in much of Bach's music. Opinions are bound to differ, but when I listen to this recording I often sense that Gould is letting his joy in this music shine through above all else - it matters little that he reinterprets it in his own way; that is arguably the case when any musician plays from a score that was, after all, written by another musician.

There have been numerous recordings of Bach's keyboard works, and many are far superior in terms of the quality of instrument used, or performance practice adopted by the player. (Angela Hewitt's recordings on Hyperion are often the most praised, in no small part because of her outstanding accuracy and beauty of tone.) Yet of all I've heard, few come close to the unique personality of Gould; it is most strange, yet in a way most magical to hear. This programme of the Inventions and Sinfonias - exquisite miniatures rather than an extended work - is ideal in which to hear Gould's deeply personal Bach playing.
Unusual and interesting...