Glenn Gould - The Goldberg Variations (1956), 5/10

Gould's performances are often criticized for their coldness. There are pieces on this record that are performed with flawless execution and impressive passion, but they are outnumbered by what I would call an academic performance of emotionally dry compositions. There is a similar feeling one experiences during a barrage of études for their academic precision, and while a slew of other music has similarly been called overly cerebral and ‘boring’, Gould transcends this limitation at times. There are études and ‘mathematical’ compositions with far more moving emotional swells, both high and low, than Bach’s Goldberg variations, but the technique behind Gould's presentations is admirable and irreproducible. This is by and far Gould’s most impressive and enjoyable recording to most. Yet these performances exist as frustratingly lacking in compassion and void of beauty beyond surface level impression. Sometimes mechanical playing works for the listener and sometimes it does not, unfortunately this recording does not exude the kind of beauty that universally reaches beyond Bach's compositions. Gould’s impressive and groundbreaking performance has essentially become a relic that is not worth returning to after a first encounter. There exist far too many touching pieces of classical music to listen to and discover beyond The Goldberg Variations.