The best version of this I've ever heard. It's a march, not a horse-race, as someone else said here, most players try to speed through it, and you don't get any of the really good special effects that Mozart placed in there. Gould was a madman, but a genius madman ... he knew that tempo was a big factor in rethinking a piece, which is what he loved to do. So he played the Moonlight Sonata way faster than most pianists had played it, to reveal it's inner passion and movement, and played the Turkish March way slower than most pianists had played it, to reveal the brilliance of Mozart's writing.
With this tempo it sounds like Turkish music, no joke. I’m Turkish. Edit: A better way of putting it is that it sounds closer to a turkish march at this tempo than the faster tempo it’s commonly played at. Although “rondo alla turca” more accurately translates to “rondo in a turkish style”, the left hand accompaniment mimics the drums of a march. Please ignore my foolish comments in this thread, people have rightly corrected me.
Not sure if anybody’s talked about this but check out how at 2:15 he switches the voicing of the octave to the lower note, making the melody sound like it’s dropped an octave.
The genius of this man is lost on many,he personified musical genius. His life was filled with extraordinary accomplishments and yet he never managed to achieve what many of us take for granted,a normal life. Rest in peace Glenn,you've made a believer out of many of us. Your light is still shining bright.
It's the incredible precision of Gould's touch that gets me. Every note slightly detached, but the timing and dynamics are so even, it's obvious even if you didn't know it was Gould, you would know it's the playing of a master pianist.
Detached and precise, yes, and yet also warm and richly textured. Whereas that style would sound empty and hollow under the hands of anyone but a master, in Gould’s hands it sounds like wedding bells!!! Just incredible🤩
Sometimes I get discouraged about something or other but listening to Glenn Gould always puts me in a hopeful mood. No other pianist or music can do that except Glenn's.
I never cared for this piece until I heard Gould's version. It may not be "correct", but it definitely works for me. The other versions I've heard seem more like athletic performances than musical performances to me: "Look how fast I can play without making any mistakes!"
Well, Gould's version is the real interpretation of the sonata, as I believe. I do not find anything incorrect in is playing. He has been always my favorite.
If you see the actual rhythm of the real Turkish Janissary march that inspired Mozart to write the Rondo Alla Turca, the beat Gould uses actually matches it.
Such clarity, you can hear every note. There is no jumbling, no rushing, and the humour comes to the fore. Yes, the tempo is sedate, but Gould courted controversy. As an historical recording, this is Terribly important.
It's always an amazing experience discovering a "new" piece within a piece of music that you thought you know all too well, and Gould works that wonder right here. The parts in major key are so out of how this piece is usually played, yet so in character of Mozart. Thank you for uploading this!
This is one the most unique interpretation I've heard. It really gives you the time to feel every note. Goul was a brilliant interpreter of classical music
I think most of the commentators agree that Mr Gould wanted us to hear the music anew, but what was new and had been overlooked by musicologists and pianists alike? The clue, I think, lies in the first four notes of the movement, which was played detached, distinct and staccato-like. He wanted us to move away from the idea that these four notes are just an ornament. In fact, these four notes form a motif repeated and transformed many times; and the F sharp minor section, often called an episode, is in fact an upside image of these notes. You can hear the connection in Gould's performance but not in other faster versions.Mozart is well known to write deceptively simple music that can be appreciated on multiple levels. Lang Lang's interpretation is pure and innocent joy. Someone noted that Glenn Gould made it sound like poor Turks marching home after losing a battle. Actually, the Turkish part is the triumphant parts in A major. Amazingly, Mozart started the movement softly (p), nervously in the minor key and ended with a Turkish triumphal march in A major. Mozart clearly wanted this contrast, which is as stunning a reversal as the night-to-day and the evil-to-good transformation in the Magic Flute. Just as Zarathustra (Sorastro) turned out to be the good guy, the Turks beat the infidels in this movement.Gould's was undoubtedly a post-modern reading, capturing the drama, psychology and depth of the music like no other.
+JaseBach I can appreciate that somebody who has had formal training in music might hear music in a totally different way than somebody, like me, who enjoys music for the pure enjoyment it brings me. I kind of feel sad that, something that is supposed to be purely emotional, now becomes purely intellectual where instead of just appreciating a persons interpretation that comes from their soul, now becomes an exercise in analyzing the addition or omission of a note.
+Jill Bould I am sure that to people who can appreciate music (or anything, for that matter) at an intellectual level, strong emotion is involved as a result of strong intellectualism displayed.
Now THAT is a performance worthy of Mozart.. It seems all other pianists treat it like an ornamental toy a court jester would juggle. (example: Lang Lang). Gould makes it into a work of Art and it thrilled me to hear it taken seriously. Kudos to Gould!
Fascinating - doesn't matter if you are listening to this for the first or the umpteen time. Never fails to bring a whimsical, wolfish grin to your face! His rhythm is impossibly appropriate and SO tight! You can hate it but you can't fault it at all! Bravo!
for me this has some outstanding peace/calmness (in German: Ruhe) and - like you said clarity. its like the power of a stream/river (In German Bach). what means poise?
What I like about this is: Gould understands that a "march" (for the time) is something that is played as a band performs it while marching down through town ... one hears it in the distance ... it gets louder as it approaches ... and diminishes as it passes ... much like Beethoven's Turkish March - this is brilliant in its execution to the A-major section.
Only in your imagination, particularly because you are not Turkish, nor do you seem to know that the score says allegretto, not andante, nor have you listened to how a Turkish march sounded back in Mozart's day.
The music sounds more Greek to me than Turkish which is not surprising because Greece was under the Ottomans in Mozart's times. The awareness of Greece and Greek was pretty low in those times; he could not have called it Greek March. Glenn Gould was a genius.
@@MrHackTheGibson No need to describe.th-cam.com/video/JRbLyq52DTc/w-d-xo.html Here's what it sounded like. And checking the tempo marks what do you know it's at about 100 as opposed to Goulds 93ish. Gould is probably the pianist who has gotten closest to the true tempo of this style. Clearly you have never heard a march if you believe this to be andante speed
I've always loved this piece and am a relative newcomer to Glen Gould's playing, but hearing this I am quite amazed at how delicate yet expressive and powerful it sounds. I'm now hearing it in a totally different light. Thanks Glen Gould.
i think people really miss whats the real beauty of this version. sure, the tempo is slowed down, but gould's use of dynamics and his staccato techniques are sooo on point. every part of the sheet music that demands to be repeated he does it differently everytime, adding incredible movement just by legatoing a certain note, or changing the dynamics (see 1:15 for instant pleasure).
What a surprise. Gould plays the theme like a childrens' song, delaying each note a bit. Even the arpeggios in the refrain sound like fun for the kids. Wonderful
I keep hearing bouzouki lines in this piece. Greece was part of Turkey in Mozart's time so it could not be named Greek March. The bouzouki. of course came later, but I can still hear it, especially in Gould's tempo. There must have existed Greek music in Mozart's time that were leading to what we know today. .
The technique and dynamics are FLAWLESS. You can get away with murder playing super fast (i.e. Lang Lang). But played like this, you expose every tiny flaw in your playing. And Gould plays it like Orpheus.
This is absolutely perfect as you say. It paints a picture in sound. People think Gould didn't like Mozart but I think this shows that he understood Mozart perfectly and treated him with great respect. Gould is showing that this piece is all about the ornamentation, and he brings that into clear focus. Lang Lang plays this piece like Porky Pig.
I prefer this version than Lang Lang's but I will say that the tempo Lang Lang chose (possibly to push himself to his limit) he plays at very well and accurate. But yes, all that speed sacrifices the detail that you otherwise can get at the tempo Gould chose. I just think too many pianist's try play it fast without being capable to still make it sound like music.
Lots of discussion in the comments about Gould's intention when choosing this tempo. Just to make it clear, he talks about it in an interview broadcasted on BBC, if you buy it on amazon, it's dvd5, second part. To sum up : He hated the turkish march, never played it as a kid just because it was overplayed. He wanted the public to be shocked for the sake of it. He still thinks that it sounds good this way, but not better than with the usual tempo. He wants everything to sounds like Bach. (Hence a very loud left hand, but this is not specific to this piece) Those are Gould's words, no need to speculate.
it was Gould's lifelong nature to tell outlandish lies to interviewers, he got a big charge out of people believing any bizarre thing he said. So just because you have GG's words on tape, doesn't at all mean he's telling the truth. He claimed he thought Mozart was a terrible composer. But listen to GG's Turkish Rondo -- these sounds can only come from deep musical love.
where do you get this idea he got a charge out of telling people bizarre things. he was erudite and sincere. what is your source for your bizarre and outlandish claim.
a decade or 2 on the Yahoo GG e-group f_minor. a good introduction to Gould's goofy relationships with people (and truth) is the bio-documentary "Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould" (1993). He was partially erudite; he distanced and isolated himself from most of the non-musical world. His sincerity seemed to depend on the rare meetings he had with those he regarded as his intellectual or artistic equals. (He phoned them for hours in the middle of the night.) You're in for a treat: a huge library's been written about Gould. I'm a great fan of his remarkable CBC radio documentaries, the first and most famous is "The Idea of North."
Yup, and that’s why you play that way during rehearsing at first. Once you’ve ironed out your mistakes, you increase speed. Gould seems to have skipped that part.
@@gretalturdberg5954 Gould could have obviously played at the prescribed speed, or faster. This is an interesting slow interpretation -- so clear, and you can hear with Glenn's voicings in the background -- that he's hearing 4-8 more voices to the piece! It's awesome.
Used to play this for students about to tackle the Turkish March, then we'd hear a few other interpretations, but I always loved to start with Gould. As Mr. MacKay says below, there is clarity, and no rushing. Didn't we all rush the hell out of this when we learned it? I know I did. Thank you for posting this seminal recording.
This should be the correct tempo, it's a March, not a run (except if the soldiers are running afar from the ennemy...), everyone uses this march to show how they can play fast, Gould, even if he does not like it, plays it much better than everyone else! Only to show them how it's done :)
Because that's how it's supposed to be. That's how Mozart wrote it and that's how the score is. They can change it however much they want, but don't say it should be played the way 1 guy plays it. Not Gould, not Lang Lang and not Say. Just Mozart.
You are wrong my friend, a score does not exist by itself, it needs a performer to bring it to life, that's why we refer to "Arrau's Chopin" or "Barenboim's Chopin". I understand what you want to say, but I am afraid it does not work that way. A score is nothing, is the performer who decides what to do with it. I am a composer, I know what I am talking about, even I don't possess the truth of my own music if i am going to play it. Regards.
¡¡¡ Sorprendente !!! La calma , la serenidad, la limpieza , el equilibrio . la claridad , la luz , el amor que me transmite este intérprete . ¡¡¡ Magnífico !!!
I’ve marched more drill than I care to admit. Gould perfectly captures the EXACT spirit. Intention. Surety. Preparedness. Precision. Focus on the task at hand. Was not expecting to stumble across Gould playing the Alla Turka, but I’m glad I did.
ArtisticTrance yesss absolutely agreed as a hardcore Chopin fan this is really fresh and gorgeous, I don't even like this piece when gould isn't playing it he is that good
I like it because it is different than what I expected. I don't think Gould was particularly concerned whether others liked it or not. It was his interpretation at the moment he played it. Nothing more and nothing less.
Ted Oud I couldn't agree more, Ted. People can't seem to fathom this iteration done by Glenn Gould because the vast majority are so hell-bent on hearing this in blistering speeds instead of true artistic and even introspective precision that only the mastery of a keyboard genius can achieve. As you say, Glenn did it his way, and that's the only way to go.
Ted Oud Oh yes, yes, yes. I'm immediately struck because it's so *different* from what I expected. And on the heels of that is how *good* it sounds. It's not Mozart's version, by all means - it's Glenn Gould's. Love it or hate it. I love it. I especially love his guts in playing it this way. And doing it so well!
+Ted Oud it's different from others because it's the only right Mozart's interpretation and only Glenn Gould can do it because it's a genius not only a good pianist.
The speed of the music is the same as the Mehter Music that I have listened many times before.. Ah, yes, this is the first time I really enjoyed this piece! I was always wondering it mustn't be Mozart who intended to be played so fast we hear other playing it; now I know.. this is how the piece is supposed to be played. Thank you GG!
@@frenkyb123 "Gould made his own piece." But it's not his. It's Mozart's. Mozart gave instructions about how to execute it. Some of those instructions are black dots and some are words. Gould picked and chose which of those instructions he'd follow and which he'd ignore. That is disrespectful to Mozart.
@@jaspernatchez I agree with you. No Mozart, no Rondo ala turca, that is true. What I wanted to say is that a lot of people are playing this. But, nobody does it like Gould did. He added his own touch, slowing down tempo and all the other little but very important details which makes his version great.
Great performance of one of my favourite pieces. Slower tempo allows the expressive nature of each note ring out more. I like the original interpretation of this work. Great job. Bravo. I wish you were still here.
He really paints a sonic picture here with his crescendos and decrescendos, the march coming closer as the auditor is standing in the street. And yes, the tempos is perfect, dignified and stately.
Great stuff best version I have ever heard. All the notes very clearly played at the right tempo. It is a march and that is the speed soldiers march at not a Grand Prix race. Love all the ornaments and dynamics.
Is it just me or does the decrease in speed and extremely clear playing bring out some meditative feelings? It feels like I actually have the time to hear and understand what's going on and almost ride with the music throughout the piece.
+Isia Sooth I couldn't agree more, Isia. It's kind of an interesting irony here, considering Glenn usually blistered through these pieces and most musicians do this with this one in particular. Instead, Glenn chose to play it in a much slower, more introspective approach, which I absolutely love. :-)
He always does the opposite of the conventional way :p . This is not to say he was non-conformist for the sole purpose of non-conforming... only that he believed that most pieces have the potential to sound beautiful in many different ways and if so, one should offer something new and enlightening.
"I'm sorry but if you don't follow the score it sounds shittttyyyyyy" Yup. But it's more than that. To willfully disrespect a great composer who's dead and can't defend himself is disgusting.
This reading of music all but "played to death" is important. IMPORTANT! The more moderate tempo, for one thing, solves the problem of faster tempi leaving the major-key conclusion as "too abrupt". Moreover, the slower tempo elucidates how beautifully Mozart implied polyphony, with the fastidious economy of a true artist. "Zarathustra," you touch my heart, by showing that there is ALWAYS something more to be appreciated, of masterly music. Bravo!
Gould's articulation is beyond words. Along with the tempo, which I agree with you, it combined with his perfection of left hand articulation REALLY brings out the feeling. Same reason why I love that he doesn't pedal with Bach pieces, it almost feels staccato here at times but it makes the phrase come out rather than just being an accompanying background. Plus we all know Gould could play this faster than anyone if he had wanted too haha...
Thank you! This version is so different from all the others I have heard of this piece! I usually don't listen to piano music, but this recording has just made me understand what really means being a great and original pianist!
The wonder of this is that he brings a lightness of touch and highlit melody, with a deft sense of step, rhythm and march to something that in reality was a charge to war, battle and all the bloodletting, death, maiming and carnage, the dreadful suffering and torment that ensued. GG captures, enshrines Mozart's brilliant, humane transcription into a vein of humble, perceptive parody that escapes this horror, yet does not deny it.
when I listened to this for the first time - in my mind I was like "this is overrated".. now for last 6 months, i haven't listened to any other rendition of Rondo Alla Turca
![Mozart - Sonata for Two Pianos in D, K. 448 [complete]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tT9gT5bqi6Y/mqdefault.jpg)
The best version of this I've ever heard. It's a march, not a horse-race, as someone else said here, most players try to speed through it, and you don't get any of the really good special effects that Mozart placed in there. Gould was a madman, but a genius madman ... he knew that tempo was a big factor in rethinking a piece, which is what he loved to do. So he played the Moonlight Sonata way faster than most pianists had played it, to reveal it's inner passion and movement, and played the Turkish March way slower than most pianists had played it, to reveal the brilliance of Mozart's writing.
I am happy to discover that he plays my tempo, just a bit slower. He almost cynical again
So far so Gould.
i wish this could be a meme
Oh man, this is Gould.
Gould as gold, The Simpson’s.😁
that was clever lol
LOL
We all heard this piece so many times and yet this version seems so new and fresh!
GLOUD MY BOY GLOUD
Mind the mumbling !
Glenn Gould, for me, was a great piano genius. This version is unusual compared to other performers, but really brilliant at the same time.
dominoes37 I from hungary Budapest i love you turkey and people an music ♡♡♡♡Turkey Istanbul and Hungsry budapest =♡♡♡♡♡♡13.03.2017
Hava Sahin Mozart wasn't Turkish...
With this tempo it sounds like Turkish music, no joke. I’m Turkish.
Edit: A better way of putting it is that it sounds closer to a turkish march at this tempo than the faster tempo it’s commonly played at. Although “rondo alla turca” more accurately translates to “rondo in a turkish style”, the left hand accompaniment mimics the drums of a march. Please ignore my foolish comments in this thread, people have rightly corrected me.
sani heryarde görirem. ünlü olmuşsun knk
FLstudpiano Nerede?
@@yoshi_drinks_tea hatırlamıyorum.
@@anacharsis1070 sus yalançi!!!
yoshi_drinks_tea ur right i agree
Even though I’m not Turkish
We are lucky to be born after Mozart and Gould.
sure
but u are unlucky to be born before ME.
Not sure if anybody’s talked about this but check out how at 2:15 he switches the voicing of the octave to the lower note, making the melody sound like it’s dropped an octave.
The Gould voicing trick
Edit: I’m cophing it. I’m from Toronto, surely we have rights on it? Is the technique copyrighted?
Woah man wild to see you here in the comments, absolutely love your music and have your piano conerctos theme stuck in my head 24/7 :)
The genius of this man is lost on many,he personified musical genius.
His life was filled with extraordinary accomplishments and yet he never managed to achieve what many of us take for granted,a normal life.
Rest in peace Glenn,you've made a believer out of many of us.
Your light is still shining bright.
It's truly a shame you've been duped by this guy.
stucoy1 Pipe down, dullard
@@stucoy1 - lol
It's the incredible precision of Gould's touch that gets me. Every note slightly detached, but the timing and dynamics are so even, it's obvious even if you didn't know it was Gould, you would know it's the playing of a master pianist.
Detached and precise, yes, and yet also warm and richly textured. Whereas that style would sound empty and hollow under the hands of anyone but a master, in Gould’s hands it sounds like wedding bells!!! Just incredible🤩
Mr.Staccato 😢
Sometimes I get discouraged about something or other but listening to Glenn Gould always puts me in a hopeful mood. No other pianist or music can do that except Glenn's.
THE BEST VERSION I have ever heard. This is a MARCH not a horse race. Love it and the clarity of ALL the notes is for me just wonderful. :-)
Same
Ok so many people play it fast that it can be called Turkish Car Grand Prix
Really
Absolutely agree. There's so much hidden beauty in this piece that gets uncovered at a slower tempo.
Mozart were childish. Thus more tempo. I agreed on the clearity tho.
I never cared for this piece until I heard Gould's version. It may not be "correct", but it definitely works for me. The other versions I've heard seem more like athletic performances than musical performances to me: "Look how fast I can play without making any mistakes!"
I mean look at Lang Lang his interpretation is not a march but it’s a track meet
@@pianosbloxworld4460 Lang Lang is just blan blan - hot air
@@andrewvincenti2664 bruh
Well, Gould's version is the real interpretation of the sonata, as I believe. I do not find anything incorrect in is playing. He has been always my favorite.
If you see the actual rhythm of the real Turkish Janissary march that inspired Mozart to write the Rondo Alla Turca, the beat Gould uses actually matches it.
Mozart: play this legato
Gould: No I don't think I will
Can we play legato sound on clavichord? I don't know.
@@HowardTse Mozart used a fortepiano
@@musopaul5407 that depends on editions. Yet doing a little research I believe the original manuscript has legato markings.
@@HowardTse "Can we play legato sound on clavichord?" Yes.
Mozart to Glenn:"So I'm a little master?Show me!"
Such clarity, you can hear every note. There is no jumbling, no rushing, and the humour comes to the fore. Yes, the tempo is sedate, but Gould courted controversy. As an historical recording, this is Terribly important.
It is supposed to be a march, not a sprint.
It's always an amazing experience discovering a "new" piece within a piece of music that you thought you know all too well, and Gould works that wonder right here. The parts in major key are so out of how this piece is usually played, yet so in character of Mozart. Thank you for uploading this!
This is one the most unique interpretation I've heard. It really gives you the time to feel every note. Goul was a brilliant interpreter of classical music
Goul? Scary thing? Goulish.
@@SStone-dm7es Hahahahah
I think most of the commentators agree that Mr Gould wanted us to hear the music anew, but what was new and had been overlooked by musicologists and pianists alike? The clue, I think, lies in the first four notes of the movement, which was played detached, distinct and staccato-like. He wanted us to move away from the idea that these four notes are just an ornament. In fact, these four notes form a motif repeated and transformed many times; and the F sharp minor section, often called an episode, is in fact an upside image of these notes. You can hear the connection in Gould's performance but not in other faster versions.Mozart is well known to write deceptively simple music that can be appreciated on multiple levels. Lang Lang's interpretation is pure and innocent joy. Someone noted that Glenn Gould made it sound like poor Turks marching home after losing a battle. Actually, the Turkish part is the triumphant parts in A major. Amazingly, Mozart started the movement softly (p), nervously in the minor key and ended with a Turkish triumphal march in A major. Mozart clearly wanted this contrast, which is as stunning a reversal as the night-to-day and the evil-to-good transformation in the Magic Flute. Just as Zarathustra (Sorastro) turned out to be the good guy, the Turks beat the infidels in this movement.Gould's was undoubtedly a post-modern reading, capturing the drama, psychology and depth of the music like no other.
+William Doubles Ignorance sure is bliss.
*your
+JaseBach I can appreciate that somebody who has had formal training in music might hear music in a totally different way than somebody, like me, who enjoys music for the pure enjoyment it brings me. I kind of feel sad that, something that is supposed to be purely emotional, now becomes purely intellectual where instead of just appreciating a persons interpretation that comes from their soul, now becomes an exercise in analyzing the addition or omission of a note.
and I do not mean this as a comment directed at you, but an over all observation.
+Jill Bould I am sure that to people who can appreciate music (or anything, for that matter) at an intellectual level, strong emotion is involved as a result of strong intellectualism displayed.
THANKS FOR THAT SPOILER ABOUT SARASTRO, MAN. GREAT. FUCKING. JOB. >:(
Now THAT is a performance worthy of Mozart.. It seems all other pianists treat it like an ornamental toy a court jester would juggle. (example: Lang Lang). Gould makes it into a work of Art and it thrilled me to hear it taken seriously. Kudos to Gould!
I don't think Mozart intended his march to be played so slow or in staccato. Certainly the score doesn't make that clear.
@@gretalturdberg5954 Bin sicher, Mozart hätte seine Freude an dieser Variation - er war ein "offener Geist"
Gould makes the music transparant. Wonderful pianist.
Fascinating - doesn't matter if you are listening to this for the first or the umpteen time. Never fails to bring a whimsical, wolfish grin to your face! His rhythm is impossibly appropriate and SO tight! You can hate it but you can't fault it at all! Bravo!
3:21 love this part. so lovely
I can see horses walking among soldiers in the parade and hear the horn bells here.
I am shocked at the clarity and the poise that comes through his play. Best Alla Turca ever!
for me this has some outstanding peace/calmness (in German: Ruhe) and - like you said clarity. its like the power of a stream/river (In German Bach). what means poise?
Harpsichord. He sounds like if he played the harpsichord.
What I like about this is: Gould understands that a "march" (for the time) is something that is played as a band performs it while marching down through town ... one hears it in the distance ... it gets louder as it approaches ... and diminishes as it passes ... much like Beethoven's Turkish March - this is brilliant in its execution to the A-major section.
His humming is my favourite part.
If it was good enough for Glenn, it's good enough for me!
Yrs ago I downloaded a bunch of his music for the Bach, not knowing who Glenn was... and I hated the humming. Now I love it!
Looooool
@TheTage Show sup tage
His humming is my least favourite part.
Must be the first time that Turkish March got me teary eyed. Just the changes in volume are pure genius.
me too..!!
And tempo
ahhhhhh!,,,,,,,,we could go on about Gould all day.....love it
Once again the genius of Glenn Gould in a crystal clear demonstration of why the total is so much more than the sum of its parts.
The notes are so clean, speed is perfect and I can hear voices of someone singing... hahaha love it
he used to sing while playing, it's his voice!
Ahahaha, I took of the headphones to make sure I was not hearing voices.
Eight years after I'm still singing
Glenn s voice😁
@@LuisJimenez-nd2pl but when you took them off, you still heard voices
The only pianist that played it like an actual Turkish March
Only in your imagination, particularly because you are not Turkish, nor do you seem to know that the score says allegretto, not andante, nor have you listened to how a Turkish march sounded back in Mozart's day.
@@gretalturdberg5954 Ok Mom
The music sounds more Greek to me than Turkish which is not surprising because Greece was under the Ottomans in Mozart's times. The awareness of Greece and Greek was pretty low in those times; he could not have called it Greek March. Glenn Gould was a genius.
@@gretalturdberg5954 Interesting! Since you were clearly around in Mozart's day, perhaps you can describe to us what a Turkish march sounded like?
@@MrHackTheGibson No need to describe.th-cam.com/video/JRbLyq52DTc/w-d-xo.html Here's what it sounded like. And checking the tempo marks what do you know it's at about 100 as opposed to Goulds 93ish. Gould is probably the pianist who has gotten closest to the true tempo of this style. Clearly you have never heard a march if you believe this to be andante speed
Glenn Gould is a precious stone in the world, being always serious, seeking harmony at its best.
I've always loved this piece and am a relative newcomer to Glen Gould's playing, but hearing this I am quite amazed at how delicate yet expressive and powerful it sounds. I'm now hearing it in a totally different light. Thanks Glen Gould.
He’s my favorite musician. Period. Living/dead, composer/performer, across all musical genres at all points in history up until today. The 🐐
i think people really miss whats the real beauty of this version. sure, the tempo is slowed down, but gould's use of dynamics and his staccato techniques are sooo on point. every part of the sheet music that demands to be repeated he does it differently everytime, adding incredible movement just by legatoing a certain note, or changing the dynamics (see 1:15 for instant pleasure).
What a surprise. Gould plays the theme like a childrens' song, delaying each note a bit. Even the arpeggios in the refrain sound like fun for the kids. Wonderful
A lovely selection of portraits of Gould. Thank you. Also, great humming in this recording. Wonderful.
I usually hate slower tempo versions of songs, but this one is amazing. So much detail and artistry. Glenn Gould was an incredible artist.
I keep hearing bouzouki lines in this piece. Greece was part of Turkey in Mozart's time so it could not be named Greek March. The bouzouki. of course came later, but I can still hear it, especially in Gould's tempo. There must have existed Greek music in Mozart's time that were leading to what we know today. .
This is the real Tempo for sure.
Pogorelich plays like that too! And even at faster tempo!!
The technique and dynamics are FLAWLESS. You can get away with murder playing super fast (i.e. Lang Lang). But played like this, you expose every tiny flaw in your playing. And Gould plays it like Orpheus.
This is absolutely perfect as you say. It paints a picture in sound. People think Gould didn't like Mozart but I think this shows that he understood Mozart perfectly and treated him with great respect. Gould is showing that this piece is all about the ornamentation, and he brings that into clear focus. Lang Lang plays this piece like Porky Pig.
I prefer this version than Lang Lang's but I will say that the tempo Lang Lang chose (possibly to push himself to his limit) he plays at very well and accurate. But yes, all that speed sacrifices the detail that you otherwise can get at the tempo Gould chose. I just think too many pianist's try play it fast without being capable to still make it sound like music.
PointyTailofSatan Lang lang is an amazing pianist, you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about.
@@maxime9006 Lang lang plays it fast, but he doesn't make mistakes, at least grievous ones. He is a world class pianist.
Jack Berg Exactly.
Only Gould could make this sound great at this tempo and with this type of articulation.
Jim Hendricks No, I can do it too
Lots of discussion in the comments about Gould's intention when choosing this tempo. Just to make it clear, he talks about it in an interview broadcasted on BBC, if you buy it on amazon, it's dvd5, second part.
To sum up :
He hated the turkish march, never played it as a kid just because it was overplayed.
He wanted the public to be shocked for the sake of it.
He still thinks that it sounds good this way, but not better than with the usual tempo.
He wants everything to sounds like Bach. (Hence a very loud left hand, but this is not specific to this piece)
Those are Gould's words, no need to speculate.
it was Gould's lifelong nature to tell outlandish lies to interviewers, he got a big charge out of people believing any bizarre thing he said. So just because you have GG's words on tape, doesn't at all mean he's telling the truth. He claimed he thought Mozart was a terrible composer. But listen to GG's Turkish Rondo -- these sounds can only come from deep musical love.
if I hadn´t heard him singing in it, I would have sworn, he treats turkish march like appassionata
where do you get this idea he got a charge out of telling people bizarre things. he was erudite and sincere. what is your source for your bizarre and outlandish claim.
a decade or 2 on the Yahoo GG e-group f_minor. a good introduction to Gould's goofy relationships with people (and truth) is the bio-documentary "Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould" (1993). He was partially erudite; he distanced and isolated himself from most of the non-musical world. His sincerity seemed to depend on the rare meetings he had with those he regarded as his intellectual or artistic equals. (He phoned them for hours in the middle of the night.) You're in for a treat: a huge library's been written about Gould. I'm a great fan of his remarkable CBC radio documentaries, the first and most famous is "The Idea of North."
Lara Rae yeah you re right... off course Gould hated Mozart , but Chopin more as he hated sentimentalism...
It's amazing how precise the tempo and dynamics are in this version. There is no hiding even the tiniest mistake when you play like this.
Yup, and that’s why you play that way during rehearsing at first. Once you’ve ironed out your mistakes, you increase speed. Gould seems to have skipped that part.
@@magicmulder Don't forget that it's a March.
@@magicmulder What compelling evidence exists to increase the tempo a single bpm above what Gould has done here?
Even if it wasn't his intent, here, I've always thought that Mozart's Turkish March was played too fast.
Now, I am satisfied. Thanks Glenn, I guess.
It is played too fast nowadays, but Gould plays it too slow as well.
@@gretalturdberg5954 Gould could have obviously played at the prescribed speed, or faster. This is an interesting slow interpretation -- so clear, and you can hear with Glenn's voicings in the background -- that he's hearing 4-8 more voices to the piece! It's awesome.
Used to play this for students about to tackle the Turkish March, then we'd hear a few other interpretations, but I always loved to start with Gould. As Mr. MacKay says below, there is clarity, and no rushing.
Didn't we all rush the hell out of this when we learned it? I know I did.
Thank you for posting this seminal recording.
This should be the correct tempo, it's a March, not a run (except if the soldiers are running afar from the ennemy...), everyone uses this march to show how they can play fast, Gould, even if he does not like it, plays it much better than everyone else! Only to show them how it's done :)
take all the reason, many pianists try to show off playing it as fast as they can. Gould was a great pianist
Because that's how it's supposed to be. That's how Mozart wrote it and that's how the score is. They can change it however much they want, but don't say it should be played the way 1 guy plays it. Not Gould, not Lang Lang and not Say. Just Mozart.
You are wrong my friend, a score does not exist by itself, it needs a performer to bring it to life, that's why we refer to "Arrau's Chopin" or "Barenboim's Chopin". I understand what you want to say, but I am afraid it does not work that way. A score is nothing, is the performer who decides what to do with it. I am a composer, I know what I am talking about, even I don't possess the truth of my own music if i am going to play it. Regards.
Sérgio Azeved
very good point
Just listen to it as it was the first time, don´t compare with any other version.. Them it´s absolutely beautifull.
+Juantxo Vega Exactly. I wouldn't try to compare, this is a beautiful music. I think I will learn the turkish march just to play it like that.
3:54 at this pace the final notes brings tears. A jouful reflection rather than a grand finale.
¡¡¡ Sorprendente !!! La calma , la serenidad, la limpieza , el equilibrio . la claridad , la luz , el amor que me transmite este intérprete . ¡¡¡ Magnífico !!!
I’ve marched more drill than I care to admit. Gould perfectly captures the EXACT spirit. Intention. Surety. Preparedness. Precision. Focus on the task at hand. Was not expecting to stumble across Gould playing the Alla Turka, but I’m glad I did.
It sounds SO MUCH BETTER THIS WAY
best interpretation ever
ArtisticTrance yesss absolutely agreed as a hardcore Chopin fan this is really fresh and gorgeous, I don't even like this piece when gould isn't playing it he is that good
no it isnt, but absolutely unique
Daniel Calfuan it actually sounds like a march tho
Daniel Calfuan
Yes it is :)
Try finding an interpretation by Wanda Landowska ( hope I've spelled that correctly ) - harpsichordist - sublime !
I like it because it is different than what I expected. I don't think Gould was particularly concerned whether others liked it or not. It was his interpretation at the moment he played it. Nothing more and nothing less.
Ted Oud I couldn't agree more, Ted. People can't seem to fathom this iteration done by Glenn Gould because the vast majority are so hell-bent on hearing this in blistering speeds instead of true artistic and even introspective precision that only the mastery of a keyboard genius can achieve. As you say, Glenn did it his way, and that's the only way to go.
thank you for saying this!!!! could not.agree. more !!! some people.they just too stupid to understand glenn.gould
Ted Oud Oh yes, yes, yes. I'm immediately struck because it's so *different* from what I expected. And on the heels of that is how *good* it sounds. It's not Mozart's version, by all means - it's Glenn Gould's. Love it or hate it. I love it. I especially love his guts in playing it this way. And doing it so well!
+Ted Oud it's different from others because it's the only right Mozart's interpretation and only Glenn Gould can do it because it's a genius not only a good pianist.
Ted Oud the music itself is good whatever so many comment it bad or good
OMG. this is the first time I have truly loved this piece. This is exactly how it should be played.
I adore the crispness of every note.
Such a delicate and precise touch! Magnificent!
So incredibly fresh, sincere, innocent, youthful. He’s all youth, rebellion. Gorgeous man inside and out.
Indeed, indeed, a march, a march!! Amazing that an interpretation such as this could exist. Thanks so much for the upload.
I love how introspectively he's picking through this piece, with such surgical precision. Beautiful. :-)
best interpretation i have ever heard of this magnificent piece
Mozart is such a beast to be able to compose this piece, and hail the Maestro Gould for this magnificent playing.
Just listen to the evenness and perfection of each note. Flawless.
The speed of the music is the same as the Mehter Music that I have listened many times before.. Ah, yes, this is the first time I really enjoyed this piece! I was always wondering it mustn't be Mozart who intended to be played so fast we hear other playing it; now I know.. this is how the piece is supposed to be played. Thank you GG!
absolute and perfect purity and clarity. Mozart would have approved. Gould is and will forever be the best pianist ever to play Bach.
I really prefer this version. Too many pianists race through it like it’s “Flight of the bumblebee.”
Mostly people just play the piece. Gould made his own piece.
Steve Mac I agree like for example listen to Lang Lang like seriously
I AGREEEEEEEEE!!!
@@frenkyb123 "Gould made his own piece." But it's not his. It's Mozart's. Mozart gave instructions about how to execute it. Some of those instructions are black dots and some are words. Gould picked and chose which of those instructions he'd follow and which he'd ignore. That is disrespectful to Mozart.
@@jaspernatchez I agree with you. No Mozart, no Rondo ala turca, that is true. What I wanted to say is that a lot of people are playing this. But, nobody does it like Gould did. He added his own touch, slowing down tempo and all the other little but very important details which makes his version great.
He plays it with feeling. That is important; that is what makes it music.
so Mozart who WROTE it at a faster tempo is an idiot right? aahahahahah
Great performance of one of my favourite pieces. Slower tempo allows the expressive nature of each note ring out more. I like the original interpretation of this work. Great job. Bravo. I wish you were still here.
absolute beauty
piano's not about how accurate or how skillful, or how many difficult songs one pianist can play. Gould is proving it
Best version I have ever heard. Greetings from Turkey.
He really paints a sonic picture here with his crescendos and decrescendos, the march coming closer as the auditor is standing in the street. And yes, the tempos is perfect, dignified and stately.
Great stuff best version I have ever heard. All the notes very clearly played at the right tempo. It is a march and that is the speed soldiers march at not a Grand Prix race. Love all the ornaments and dynamics.
I really like this version. It's more joyful than the standard versions you hear of this song. It has a "step" to it.
I love this.
Best Turkish March. perfect touch and perfect tempo!
Always so beautiful. Thanks, Mr. Gould, and his sponsor!
What a delightful touch! Also very profound interpretation!
Gould's incredible dynamic control and precision here is amazing. There is nowhere for faulty technique to hide when you play something this way.
Is it just me or does the decrease in speed and extremely clear playing bring out some meditative feelings? It feels like I actually have the time to hear and understand what's going on and almost ride with the music throughout the piece.
Haha I love Glenn Gould. He always surprises me with new interpretations ^^
I think I can play the piece at this tempo! Glenn Gould was a rare genius with amazing intuition, vision, interpretational power and imagination.
So crisp. So wonderful.
Who cares about the score? His interpretation is really beautiful. Love you Glenn!
+Isia Sooth I couldn't agree more, Isia. It's kind of an interesting irony here, considering Glenn usually blistered through these pieces and most musicians do this with this one in particular. Instead, Glenn chose to play it in a much slower, more introspective approach, which I absolutely love. :-)
He always does the opposite of the conventional way :p . This is not to say he was non-conformist for the sole purpose of non-conforming... only that he believed that most pieces have the potential to sound beautiful in many different ways and if so, one should offer something new and enlightening.
Isia Sooth He was very inteligent
I'm sorry but if you don't follow the score it sounds shittttyyyyyy
"I'm sorry but if you don't follow the score it sounds shittttyyyyyy" Yup. But it's more than that. To willfully disrespect a great composer who's dead and can't defend himself is disgusting.
Not even going to read a single comment. To me, this is just wonderful and by far the version I most enjoy listening to
That's all that really matters, isn't it?
Agreed.
technically you sort of read your own
Lovely version I have ever heard
magnifique et unique,
une redécouverte de cet opus sous les doigts de ce génie
un tempo lent que seul Gould a osé
Merci
Zarathustra grazie per il video. Una meraviglia di esecuzione e sempre commovente la voce di Gould in sottofondo. Grazie.
This reading of music all but "played to death" is important. IMPORTANT! The more moderate tempo, for one thing, solves the problem of faster tempi leaving the major-key conclusion as "too abrupt". Moreover, the slower tempo elucidates how beautifully Mozart implied polyphony, with the fastidious economy of a true artist. "Zarathustra," you touch my heart, by showing that there is ALWAYS something more to be appreciated, of masterly music. Bravo!
Gould's articulation is beyond words. Along with the tempo, which I agree with you, it combined with his perfection of left hand articulation REALLY brings out the feeling. Same reason why I love that he doesn't pedal with Bach pieces, it almost feels staccato here at times but it makes the phrase come out rather than just being an accompanying background. Plus we all know Gould could play this faster than anyone if he had wanted too haha...
Gould, thank you for making the notes distinguishable. I had a hunch that you would have such a version.
Absolutely magnificent!
I am surprised at the performance that the crystal of sound is so beautiful
You look amazing
Wow, for the first time in my life, I enjoy listening to this piece.
Never heard anything quite like it. GG is amazing.
So refreshing! Great performance
I just love how in some of the pieces he always slows the tempo a bit. Proof that speed isn't everything! This is brilliant!!!
Just listened to the langlang version.... Thank you Glenn.....
Thank you! This version is so different from all the others I have heard of this piece! I usually don't listen to piano music, but this recording has just made me understand what really means being a great and original pianist!
Love he is singing through the music👍
i love how glenn gould this is, one of all time greats in music.
Holy shit this interpretation is a mad work of a genius.
brilliant work of a mad genius
Best version i've ever heard!!!
The wonder of this is that he brings a lightness of touch and highlit melody, with a deft sense of step, rhythm and march to something that in reality was a charge to war, battle and all the bloodletting, death, maiming and carnage, the dreadful suffering and torment that ensued. GG captures, enshrines Mozart's brilliant, humane transcription into a vein of humble, perceptive parody that escapes this horror, yet does not deny it.
I love Glen Gould.. This tempo is do good you can hear everything
The sound of music reaches the soul and that is a virtue, no matter the attitudes.
in other words, that's the shit
It seems that you only know how to be musicians You do not understand the words . Your interpretation was magnificent, that is the most important.
Very nice, I love. Have never heard the Turkish march so delightful!
when I listened to this for the first time - in my mind I was like "this is overrated".. now for last 6 months, i haven't listened to any other rendition of Rondo Alla Turca
What an interpretation... no words....