Glenn Gould - Bach: The Goldberg Variations [LP]

AudioNautes Recordings Master Reel Tape Collection

Glenn Gould - Bach: The Goldberg Variations [LP]

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Availability: Pre Order - and - Shipping in November 2026 Glenn Gould - Bach: The Goldberg Variations A LEGENDARY DEBUT A few...

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Glenn Gould - Bach: The Goldberg Variations

A LEGENDARY DEBUT

A few years ago Fabio had a copy of the mono master of this legendary recording in my hands. But he didn’t have the opportunity to reach all the listeners it deserves so he is felt an inner need to make this record available again. He know that many more have – and still have – the record, so this is so unfair; but the trackdown research was fun.

The decision to reissue it is not only because he felt affection for this recording, but also respect for Glenn Gould as a true Goldberg interpreter, not merely a pianist.

For him he was the only one to completely “decode” Bach’s score, finding a coherent articulation, structure and soul that no other pianist – before him or later – has been able to convey. And he shows that a very young artist can make a momentous recording. Maybe that sends a message to the artists of today who think that experience is a great need to be a good artist because it would prevent misunderstandings. This recording does not seem to support that.

The search for this recording began for some weeks and finally Fabio succeeded by finding, first, two landmark Bach collectors and then specialised American record collectors, who guided me to the person that owned two pressings, the Columbia and American Epic records and to someone who worked at Columbia at that time. Their kindness, knowledge, and enthusiasm were essential, and for this I’ll always be grateful. After the long and often uncertain research, I could verify that both pressings are in very good condition. The American Epic pressings are probably closer to the original tape; the Columbia have more bass, a warmer sound but are slightly filtered by the 1950s technology, and I have chosen that one for this release. Now I’m proud to say that the needle is in the groove again, and I can be more confident that this amazing recording will be available for a long, long time … forever!

On this release, I’ve chosen to preserve the original packaging, including the liner notes, as documentation for the historical context. The editing of this reissue has been limited to unavoidable mechanical interventions so that the record could be playable. I could restore a little of what is lost in the mono tape that Columbia decided to use, so I’m happy with the final result, though I’m sure the unrestored tapes could sound even better.

On the inner sleeves I have put the original texts, the advertising, and the booklet notes. The first recording notes are the first one of the discography and they are quite simple but quite insightful so please, read them. In 1981, when the record was a huge hit, the new notes were written by the same person that introduced this record to me.

One of the special features of this extraordinary musician is the intellectual and technical conception of the work which is not only pianistical but also musical and structural. It emerges clearly by the way he manages musical phrasing, articulation, counterpoint and the architecture of the entire work. It is interesting to notice how this set of variations reveals a coherence of vision that goes far beyond technical execution. Each variation, although distinct in character, is part of a unified arc, shaped through timing, articulation and the handling music and silence. It is no coincidence that Gould described the Goldberg Variations as “one of the most perfect musical structures ever written”.

Gould is often defined by his technical innovations or his flamboyant style (Columbia Records, David Dubalensis [1936–2006] wrote this about Gould in the 1981 notes), but what strikes me most in this recording is his structural intelligence. Each variation is not an isolated piece, but a necessary element in a larger form, a building that grows naturally, like a musical argument. In this sense, Gould’s version has a clarity and an inner inevitability that few others achieve.

Could there be another Goldberg interpreter so faithful to the score text with such a sense of the structure, using some of the most brilliant tradition in this interpretation, keeping the repeats, he makes the variations to sound fresh and new, and playing them all in the correct sequence, using the 1750 version of the score as main reference (instead of the 1741 version, used by many, which has the variations out of sequence)? Maybe, but my first impression is that nobody could make a better and more complete interpretation. As Rudolf Serkin affirmed on his first hearing of this record: “Here is someone who has never played it like I do. He even makes me think that maybe I’ve played it wrong all these years”.

At the time of this recording (1954) Glenn Gould was a 22-year-old Canadian pianist, unknown to most people outside Canada. The recording was produced, engineered, and supervised by Fred Plaut, the legendary Columbia Records engineer who would go on to work with artists such as Miles Davis, Leonard Bernstein, and many others. The sessions took place on June 10 and 11, 1954, in the CBC Studio 2, Toronto, Canada, using a single microphone (a Neumann U-47) and a direct-to-disc recorder at 78 rpm.

This recording, released in 1955, became an instant success in both North America and Europe, and was soon hailed as a new benchmark for Bach interpretation. It revitalized interest in the Goldberg Variations, introduced a new generation to the work, and firmly established Gould as one of the most original and influential musicians of the 20th century.

Since its release, it has never been out of the catalog of Columbia. It has been reissued many times and in different formats: 78 rpm discs, LPs, reel-to-reel tapes, 8-track, cassettes, and CDs. It has inspired countless articles, books, and academic analyses. In 1981, Gould himself recorded a new version for CBS/Sony, approaching the work from a different perspective. While the 1955 recording remains the more impulsive and radical, the 1981 version offers a more reflective and mature reading.

Whether you are new to this recording or returning to it, I hope you can experience for yourself why it remains one of the most important and beloved classical recordings in history. Thank you for joining me on this journey, and for helping to keep Glenn Gould’s legacy alive.

THIS IS A MONO VINYL THAT HAS BEEN OPTIMISED FOR STEREO CARTRIDGES. IT MAY GIVE DIFFERENT RESULT IF USED WITH A MONO CARTRIDGE.

70th Anniversary - Numbered Limited Edition - Mono One-Step

Label: AudioNautes Recordings

Genre: Classical

Product No: AN-2612

Availability: Pre Order

Category: 180 Gram Vinyl Record

Shipping: In November 2026

Tracklist:

Side A:

1. Aria

2. Variatio 1 a 1 Clav.

3. Variatio 2 a 1 Clav.

4. Variatio 3 a 1 Clav. Canone all’ Unisuono

5. Variatio 4 a 1 Clav.

6. Variatio 5 a 1 ovvero 2 Clav.

7. Variatio 6 a 1 Clav. Canone alla Seconda

8. Variatio 7 a 1 ovvero 2 Clav. Al tempo di Giga

9. Variatio 8 a 2 Clav.

10. Variatio 9 a 1 Clav. Canone alla Terza

11. Variatio 10 a 1 Clav. Fughetta

12. Variatio 11 a 2 Clav.

13. Variatio 12 Canone alla Quarta

14. Variatio 13 a 2 Clav.

15. Variatio 14 a 2 Clav.

16. Variatio 15 a 1 Clav. Canone alla Quinta in moto contrario. Andante

17. Variatio 16 a 1 Clav. Ouverture

18. Variatio 17 a 2 Clav.

19. Variatio 18 a 1 Clav. Canone alla Sesta

Side B:

1. Variatio 19 a 1 Clav.

2. Variatio 20 a 2 Clav.

3. Variatio 21 Canone alla Settima

4. Variatio 22 a 1 Clav. Alla Breve

5. Variatio 23 a 2 Clav.

6. Variatio 24 a 1 Clav. Canone all’ Ottava

7. Variatio 25 a 2 Clav.

8. Variatio 26 a 2 Clav.

9. Variatio 27 a 2 Clav. Canone alla Nona

10. Variatio 28 a 2 Clav.

11. Variatio 29 a 1 ovvero 2 Clav.

12. Variatio 30 a 1 Clav. Quodlibet

13. Aria da capo

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