Fabulous

The Beethoven Sonata is fabulous. The begining of the third movement is perhaps the best I've heard. The Mozart is also excellent and even the sound is pretty good for 1958 radio.

Cobblers and Lasts

TimMason

There is not enough of Gould on the samples of the Mozart piece to get an idea of what he does with it. However, he often plays Mozart with a sneer, and sets out to show his contempt for the composer. Not pretty listening.

That's not a review, it's a plug.

EMUSIC-01652969

Be serious - write a proper review, please.

Beethoven's 31st

gigue

The recording of Beethoven's 31st is particularly fine here. In his youth, Gould often played fiendishly fast (the Haydn on this recording is a good example); yet the Beethoven on this disc is sensitively nuanced.

I Like Gould

sattvam

I am not an expert on the piano. Most find Gould through Bach French Suites etc. There is no doubt that Gould is a powerful and deep player. Very Spirited backing by the Swedes.

A Mixed Blessing

SoNotASonata

First off, I'll say that if you like Glenn Gould, this is a must-download. There is a really nice variety of repertoire covered here, including not only Mozart and Beethoven but also one of Haydn's greatest piano sonatas and the important Op. 1 sonata of Berg. And I do like Gould; he has done some excellent renderings of Bach. Personally, though, I don't think he's a strong interpreter of classical-era music. He always seems to treat it flippantly, to my ear. This is a matter of personal preference, though; if you don't mind that he uses eccentric tempos and adds in notes of his own choosing, this is an intriguing program indeed. The sound quality is okay but for obvious reasons not as clear as a more modern recording. I guess it comes down to this: if you like Gould, get this disc; if you're not a fan, it would be better to get other renditions of these works, such as Jeno Jando or Ronald Brautigam doing the Haydn sonata (these days called No. 59, not No. 49), both on eMusic.