Musical memories

 As was certainly the case with many other people, my first exposure to Bach's "Goldberg" Variations came via a recording of Glenn Gould's iconic 1955 CBS recording. Gould's interpretation featured beautiful polyphonic playing with quick tempi and no repeats. The Aria and 32 variations fit easily on an LP and sold like hotcakes, making him an international star, whereas he had previously been more of an insider tip.  My first copy of the LP was purchased at the record store where I was working in 1985. If I had heard (of) the music before then, I can't recall. I thought Gould's playing was exciting and some of the variations pretty. Gould re-recorded the variations for CBS in 1981, shortly before his death at the age of 50. This recording stands out from most others on the market for being among the slowest. He had long retired from giving live performances, opting for the recording studio to preserve his status as a major figure in the world of music. He ...

  It all started with her. Mary Przypyszny was a fabulous pianist and also happened to be a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority, of which I was a big brother. Anyway, Mary played not only Chopin's Nocturne on several occasions my sophomore year of college but also Debussy's first book of  Images,  including what would become one of my favorite pieces, "Reflets dans l'eau."  I do have a way of jumping from one topic to the next, but that just shows how so many of my musical experiences arise from one source and are often interconnected. Enough about me - now Chopin!  At our college the music department scheduled a student recital nearly every Friday noon in Ewell Hall. This forum provided the mature players an opportunity to play in front of audiences and to get feedback or simply to gain experience on stage. Mary played this Nocturne at one of these recitals and I swore I'd never heard anything so beautiful before. A month later she played it in a master class g...