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Gould

When it rains so hard like today and feels like doing absolutely nothing, I just sit and listen to music that is so simple and delicate like Glenn Gould's version of William Byrd.
How delicate his touch is...hard to believe that it's performed on a modern piano.

    

Glenn Gould... a Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th century... widely known for his unusual habits like humming rather quite loudly during his performances, and wearing heavy clothing like coats and gloves in hot summer. He "rejected most of the standard Romantic piano literature and shunned the music of several of its composers, notably Franz Liszt, Robert Schumann, and Frédéric Chopin."
Ha, ha, ha... very funny.
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He didn't like performing in public, saying that he didn't want to be like a "performing monkey."
Well, sometimes when I'm attending celebrated concert artists' performances, somehow even I can't help but wondering whether I'm there to be awed by their techniques or artistry, the latter should be the most important thing, but we tend to be so "deaf" we have to actually see their technicality.
What happened to artistry and sonority that keeps ringing deep inside us?
I hope I'm making sense here037.gif
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Whatever his personality was, his artistry and approaches toward music is still hauting to so many classical music lovers including me.
There's no one like Glenn Gould, no matter how hard people try to play like him.
No one has his techniques and eccentric approaches to music like him...
Absolutely no one. What a true artist Glenn Gould was.


    


カナダ出身のピアニスト、Glenn Gould(グレン・グールド;1932-1982)の音楽に対するアプローチの深さは、いまだに心に突き刺さるほどです。今日のような雨の日、または災害の時、気が滅入ってしまう時、Gouldの演奏するWilliam Byrd(ウィリアム・バード;1543-1623)の曲を聴くと、心が洗われるよう・・・
Gouldは低い姿勢で足を組み、うるさいほどに鼻歌を歌いながら演奏することで有名。また、コンサートなどの公の場での演奏に否定的で、演奏会では、演奏者と聴衆は平等な関係を失っていると言っていたほど・・・ テクニックばかりをひけらかす演奏は、もはや芸術ではなくサーカスのサルのようだと。だから、録音技術が発達してからは、演奏会の意味が無くなった・・・と。
確かに、有名なピアニストのコンサートに行くたび、どうしても目で見る視覚効果ばかりが先立ち、指の動きばかりに目が行く。会場の左側の席が早く売れるのがこの理由。けど、音とその芸術性を楽しむのに視覚効果が必要かどうか・・・だったら、自分は録音のみで芸術を極めるといった感じだったのがGould。そうね・・・私もその感覚を覚えたことがあるけど、その場の雰囲気を味わうのも楽しい。照明効果、演奏家の服装、演奏前の独特な緊張感・・・これらもある意味必要な芸術性なのかもしれない。

何度聴いても、Glenn Gouldの弾く音のクリアさ、バランスの良さ、確かに「ん???」と首をひねってしまわざるを得ない時もあるけど、その全部がGlenn Gould・・・鳥肌が立つ。

400年以上も前に作られた曲でも、今でも廃れることない芸術性・・・それがクラシック音楽の魅力です。

by ecc_nagai | 2011-06-24 08:19 | Piano:ピアノ