Musical memories

The autograph of the first page of Op. 109 I'll never forget hearing Kathy Geralds, then a senior at William & Mary, play the first movement of this sonata at a noon recital at the beginning of my freshman year. Immediately afterwards, I was telling an upperclassman about how thrilling I found the sonata and when he asked which one she had played, I said, "Beethoven's 109th Sonata." He quickly clarified the difference for me between opus number and sonata number. It's a shame, though, that Ludwig didn't write 109 of them - this 250th jubilee year would have to last two years to fit them all in, but I think we've already had enough of 2020.  There's the playful first movement that refuses to allow the casual listener to comprehend it, contrasted by the short in-your-face second movement that only the greatest masters can perform transparently, and the ethereal, heavenly last movement of variations - something for everyone! Luckily, this piece is per...

 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 ...