Glenn Gould - Art of Fugue (Bach)
  • 17 years ago
One of my favourite, favourite videos of Gould, from later in his career when he was at his best; the more oddball and reclusive the man became, the more nuanced and personal his playing became. Here, he plays from Bach's The Art of the Fugue, the clip culimating in Contrapunctus XIV, the so-called Unfinished Fugue. Rather than fade out or attempt to otherwise draw out the final bars (as some do), he chooses to abruptly finish, at full volume, with devastating impact. This is an achingly beautiful performance that takes my breath away every time I watch it.