Glenn Gould’s funeral march for Beethoven
mainThe composer died on March 26, 1827.
The pianist had a special affinity with the marche funèbre from Sonata No. 12 in A-Flat Major, Op. 26:
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Good innings, then.
Is it true that Beethoven’s head (skull) was exchanged?
I heard this on the radio today:
https://www.br-klassik.de/aktuell/news-kritik/beethoven-tod-unsterbliches-genie-graphic-novel-100.html
There are reports that, in 1888, during the exhumation (for scientific curiosity) and reburial of Beethoven’s remains in Vienna, Bruckner, who was observing proceedings, jumped into the grave and grabbed the skull before being dragged out again. But, during the struggle, a lens fell out of his eyeglasses. So, to this day, Beethoven’s remains are most likely adorned with part of Bruckner’s spectacles.
This sounds like something our friend John Borstlap would do!
I would never jump into an open grave, at least not with my monocle in place.
I believe that was Haydn.
Haydn skull saga:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haydn%27s_head
Hayden died before Beethoven, so…no.
Lamest article I have read in my entire life. Two sentences long. Pathetic.
Beautiful music but it is not Beethoven…
It most certainly is.
There’s an A natural at the end of bar 5 (at 0.26) I haven’t heard before…It’s quite funky, but really don’t think it’s correct
As Ricardo notes, Haydn’s head was stolen after his death, and when he was exhumed to be reburied, a headless corpse was in the coffin. The head was replaced, but it turned out to be the wrong one, and the real Haydn head was found years later. The body was exhumed AGAIN and the proper head included.
Apparently, Haydn’s body is now buried with TWO heads in the coffin.
So the new graphic novel about Beethoven’s death and funeral is all fake history?
The BR radio review states that all of Beethoven’s hair was cut off (for souvenirs) and that the head was replaced more than once.
Dull and boring does not begin to describe this pointless
outing.
I listened through to the end.
My concentration levels have improved since lockdown.
So much drama. Are you sure about all of this burial & reburial. Maybe musicians really are nuts. (I is one)
“Special affinity”? Hardly. Although this isn’t as ridiculous as his rendition of the opening movements of the Pathetique or Appassionata Sonatas (to say nothing of his Mozart sonatas), this is pretty weak as far as Beethoven playing goes.
As for the funeral march from the Op. 26 Sonata, Richter is most memorable – as he is with the rest of the work.
I agree on Richter for Sonata No.12 in A-flat, Op. s6, especially the funeral march, particularly those drum ruffles in the trio. ven Even Ste. Wanda Landowska of all people plays it better than Gould on her quite successful piano roll, as she does everything else.