Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (The 1955 & 1981 Recordings)

Thanks to a potent mix of rhythmic precision and blinding-fast tempos—just listen to the lift-off of Variation 5—Glenn Gould burst onto the record industry's radar with his 1955 performance of this Bach masterwork. Appropriately, the pianist also closed his studio career with a more ruminative (yet still exciting) version, in 1981. Gould’s distinct intelligence, palpable in both takes, has inspired generations of Bach interpreters. And though you’ll likely have a preference among them (as well as your own opinions about Gould’s murmurings from the piano bench), you simply can’t have one performance and not the other. Inside the Album Booklet The booklet to Glenn Gould’s 1955 and 1981 recordings of the Goldberg Variations contains a detailed and illuminating essay on Bach’s monumental keyboard work, written by Gould himself. There is also a fascinating glimpse into the 1981 studio sessions by one of the recording’s producers, Samuel H. Carter, and portrait photographs of Gould from both periods. Album booklets are available in the latest version of Apple Music Classical, which you can download and enjoy as part of your Apple Music subscription. To access booklets, tap on the book icon at the top of your screen.