Unheard Glenn Gould: Getting into Beethoven
mainFrom Gould friend Daniel Poulin:
On January 23/1951 a young Glenn Gould (18 y.o.) played for the first time at one of the Toronto Symphony major concerts. Sir Ernest MacMillan was the conductor and the work was Beethoven’s Concerto No 1 in C major, op.15. Gould had not yet composed his own cadenzas to the first and third movements. Beethoven wrote three different cadenzas for the Allegro con brio (first movement); Gould chose the shortest one lasting just a little over one minute. This recording is a transcription of a 78 rpm acetate disc from Gould’s personal collection. It was not intended for commercial release; therefore the sound quality is not of professional standard. The performance remains of very significant artistic and historical value.
The brilliant Glenn Gould. A star is born. Music is rejuvenated. Here he’s only 18 — the best is yet to come.
This now joins the other unheard Beethoven Firsts by Ania Dorfmann/Toscanini/NBC, Cortot/Desarzens/Lausanne Radio, Edwin Fischer in poor sound, Gieseking/Rosbaud, and Rachmaninoff, who played it in his last season, no recording.
And just posted, a very rare Cortot recording of the same concerto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMFzRixYmc0
Actually he was 18, to turn 19 in September. Sorry.
Correction: Gould was 19 y.o. (born Sept.25/1932).
es, Jan, that 1947 live performance by Alfred Cortot with Clemens Dezarsens and the Lausanne Radio Orchestra is a welcome souvenir. Lausanne was Cortot’s long-time home; he was born nearby in Nyon, Vaud, Switzerland, and. and died in Lausanne. My friend Bianca Rodinis, a student of Alfredo Casella and an early teacher of Dino Ciani, saw Cortot play it in Italy after WWII. He’s in good shape, no extravagances, but also no cadenza, just a chord and trill.
Timely, Jan. Tomorrow is the 59th anniversary of Cortot’s death. Gould died October 4, 1982.