I felt a little bad about criticizing Canadian pianist Glenn Gould's playing of the Mozart sonatas, on the occasion of that composer's 252nd birthday. Now I feel I need to make amends. So, below are links to Glenn Gould performing J.S. Bach's Partita No. 4 in D major, BWV 828.The keyboard Partitas (there are six of them, originally published in the late 1720s) are suites of short pieces derived from French dance forms, as indicated by the movement titles. Bach composed a number of such works for various instruments. The music is ingenious and sublime and these performances are unparalleled, as are all of Glenn Gould's Bach recordings. Additionally the YouTube transfers are close to as good as they get, no pixellation and with the audio in near perfect sync with the pictures.
Apart from his sheer brilliance, they also highlight a few of Glenn Gould's numerous eccentricities, including the humming, the self-conducting, and the famous battered dining room chair with its legs sawn off.
Enjoy, and marvel. 2008 is the Year of Glenn Gould.
I. Ouverture (4:51) II. Allemande (5:44) III. Courante (3:14)
IV. Aria (1:14) V. Sarabande (5:15) VI. Menuet (1:18)
VII. Gigue (1:23)
