Glenn Gould - String Quartet No. 1 (1960)APE -
44100Hz Stereo 1411Kbps - 1 TrackGould's String Quartet "Op. 1" is a rich essay in the vein of the twilight of late Romanticism/early Modernism. It's a synthesis of late Beethoven, Wagner, Bruckner, Brahms, Richard Strauss, Mahler, Reger, Franck, and early Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern. A substantial work, it runs about 36 mins. Here it is given an earnest reading by the first chairs of the Cleveland SO in 1960.
GG's SQ is composed in the key of f minor--a somewhat unusual key sometimes explored by Mozart (Fantasy K.608) and Beethoven (Piano Sonata, Op.57; String Quartet Op.95). GG says of the key of f minor: "[it has] a certain obliqueness . . . halfway between complex and stable, between upright and lascivious, between gray and highly tinted."
Gould conceived of the piece as being very abstract--almost indifferent to the string quartet medium. He performed it himself on the piano.
The work has been both highly praised and harshly critizied. Gould himself was very self-effacing and almost sheepish in his reception of praise or condemnation of the piece, but ultimately he was quite satisfied with it, deigning not to revise it in later years.
It stands as a monument to his own personal ethos, and stands on its own as an unique work of art. Certainly is can be enjoyed by enthusiasts of Strauss' string works; Franck's SQ; Reger's SQs; Bruckner's Quintet; Schoenberg's 1st SQ; and Berg's SQ "Op. 3."
Sergei Rachmaninoff - 14 Romances, Op.34
Glenn Gould - String Quartet No. 1 (1960)
Mozart - Concertante Symphonie für Violine und ViolaK. 364, E♭ major
The Violin and Viola by Yehudi Menuhin and William Primrose is an extraordinary lucid and practical guide to two of the world's most beautiful instruments by two absolute masters. Here the legendary Menuhin presents the reader with profound insights from a lifetime's experience with every aspect of the violin: the relationship between the violin and the violinist, physical and mental preparation for playing (including Mr. Menuhin's own Yogic exercises), practicing, and technique. He discusses the violinist as orchestral player, as soloist, and as recitalist - with reflections on accidents, applause, and critics. And he offers his unique, illuminating knowledge of the violinist's repertoire, as well as his own inimitable ideas of interpretation with particular emphasis on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. An outstanding feature of this Guide is the transcriptions from tapes of Mr. Menuhin's private lessons, made at his renowned music school at Stoke d'Abernon, England - which shed a rare light on the familiar and unfamiliar for pupils and readers both. William Primrose, perhaps the most highly regarded violist today, presents a witty and profound section on the viola, covering its history, technique, repertoire, interpretation, teaching, and ensemble and solo playing.
