Not to be contentious but I do not understand how Gould brings out Bach's core if he plays like this: Is this really the character Bach intended?I feel there are many other examples where I find his tempo and articulation choices very weird.
I feel there are many other examples where I find his tempo and articulation choices very weird.
Gould, to me, is sort of magnifying those subtle variations in the character of each measure and it brings out something that I think *was* part of what Bach had in mind (but he's dead so who knows, anyway).
Sometimes I think Schiff uses too much pedal, like his partitas and his Well-Tempered Klavier. And occasionally I don't feel like Schiff plays Bach. But Schiff plays well and I listen to most of his recordings.
About other pianists who play Bach well? Famous pianists like Argerich, Kissin, Horowitz, etc. play horribly. Lang Lang shouldn't touch Bach. Nicolas Economou was one of the best pianists who played Bach skillfully. I listen to his interpretations when I'm not listening to Gould or Schiff. I like Economou more than Schiff.A lot of unknown or less famous pianists satisfies, but I always find something off.
Am I just the only one who prefers Gould over Schiff? A pity . ~leethoven