Glenn Gould conducts Mahler
mainThe soloist is Maureen Forrester.
Chrysler Festival, 1957
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Gould’s interpretation is just fine. His conducting style reminds me of Abbado, although his haircut reminds me of Shemp Howard.
And Maureen Forrester is, as she always is, sublime.
I’d love to hear opinions of orchestral musicians who watched Gould here. I rather like what I hear, but I am no Mahler fan, so not the best judge.
Maureen Forester is really the star here, if I might be forgiven for saying so. If the recording is 1957 then she is aged only 27. Gould (aged 25) looks as if he might not be that easy to play for, over-emphasizing brass articulations and not always clear. Fascinating recording. Forester’s last recording, a CBC G&S highlights was made in 1994. Amazing artist. Two of Canada’s greatest in this video. Thanks so much for posting.
Bramwell: so great to see your comment…we LOVE and miss you hear in LA!
Good to hear from you maestro! Would love to see you at SPAC again!
He was 25 years old at the time, and Forrester was 27. He looked 25 but with that horrible makeup and clothes, Forrester looked 30 years older!
Magnificent performance and I’m glad you made me aware of this. 🙂
Yeah, well. You can’t be good at everything.
Beautiful, and totally unexpected on this slightly
rainy day, that is so like an
English rainy day. Thank you for posting.
The late Maureen Forreeter, a fellow Canadian of Gould’s, is always great to hear in Mahler or anything else.
Maureen Forrester was born and grew up in Montréal. She gave her debut recital at the local YWCA in 1953 and made her concert debut in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Montréal Symphony Orchestra under Otto Klemperer. She made her New York City debut in Town Hall in 1956. Bruno Walter invited her to sing for him; he was looking for the right contralto for a performance and recording of the Mahler Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection”. This was the start of a warm relationship with great rapport. Walter had been a student of Mahler, and he trained Forrester in interpretation of his works. She performed at Walter’s farewell performances with the New York Philharmonic in 1957. I had the pleasure of interviewing her about Glenn Gould; she was totally in awe of his genius.