Zenph Glenn Gould Re-Performance
Bach's Goldberg Variations CD Review
Jun 23, 2007 Sarah Canice Funke
Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1955 Performance), Glenn Gould, Zenph Re-Performance
Zenph, a North Carolina-based software company, has released a crisper version of the beloved Gould interpretation of Bach's Goldberg Variations. Zenph's new "re-performance" technology allows a computer to "transcribe" an original recording into a detailed software program. The program can then be used to manipulate an acoustic piano in order to produce an exact replica of the original. The program is capable of minute precision, able to pick up the subtle variations of Gould's touch on the piano. Zenph calls the technique "re-performance" because it completely recreates Gould's performance rather than just cleaning the static off the original recordings.
The difference is audible. A brief comparison of the original and the re-performance demonstrates that Zenph's technology is capable of duplicating Gould very closely. But while the original recording sounds somewhat muffled, the re-performance, relying on better acoustic technology, resonates with a striking clarity and brilliance.
Glenn Gould
Glenn Gould (1932-1982) was a Canadian pianist famous for an eccentric performance style (he often hummed along as he hunched over his instrument). Autistic and shy, he retired from public performance in 1964. His 1955 recording of the Goldberg Variations has never been out of print since its original release. However, Gould eventually disliked his first interpretation and recorded the Variations a second time in 1981, shortly before he died of a stroke.
Bach's Goldberg Variations
J.S. Bach, the most widely known of the Bach family musicians, blended intellectual counterpoint and beautiful, unending melody. His Goldberg Variations are based on a Sarabande from the Anna Magdalena Notebook. The work is organized meticulously:
- 30 variations are sandwiched between the opening Aria and the closing recapitulation of the Aria.
- The variations can be divided into 10 sets, with the third variation in each set arranged as a canon. The first canon repeats at the unison, the second canon repeats at the second, and so forth for 9 canons (Bach was fond of groups of 3).
- The final 3 variations end with a Quodlibet that quotes 2 folk tunes, including the humorous "Cabbage and turnips have driven me away, Had my mother cooked meat, I'd have chosen to stay."
- The 30 variations maintain the same bass progression and rhythm found in the Sarabande, but digress from the original melody.
- Using just about every technique common to the time period (Invention, Fughetta, French Overture, Trio Sonata, Toccata, and Free Variation), the piece is widely chosen to represent the height of Baroque composition.
The mathematical complexity of the Variations also fascinates analysts, several of whom have tried to discover mystical meaning in the work.
For further analysis of the Goldberg Variations:
Yo Tomita: The "Goldberg" Variations
Glenn Gould: Program Notes for 1955 Performance
Buy a copy of Zenph's Re-Performance of Glenn Gould.
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