Glenn Gould – Bach: Preludes, Fughettas & Fugues (1980/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Glenn Gould – Bach: Preludes, Fughettas & Fugues (1980/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 40:43 minutes | 383 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Sony Classical

In December 1979 Gould’s longstanding producer Andrew Kazdin left Columbia. Gould produced his final recordings himself, beginning with this Bach album in January and February 1980. The cover shows Gould in the corner of a bare dilapidated room – more like the snapshot of a vagrant than the portrait of a pianistic genius. A doomsday scenario …

Glenn Gould could not have timed his professional entrance to the recording studio any better than with his première recording in 1955. Five years had passed since the lacquer disc medium had been retired and the industry had fully embraced tape recording.
The availability of digital tools for remastering and restoration has never been greater, or more refined. Yet everything starts with the original masters. Columbia Records kept very good archives of session logs, documenting which takes were recorded on which job reel, and to which musical work they belong. Gould often worked with the producer on choosing how the takes would be edited together, marking directly in the score where one take would end and the next would begin. The session reels were assembled into a “master edit reel.” If the master edit reel was mono or stereo, it would go directly to mastering, where the proper EQ (equalization) was applied for generating a “vinyl master.” If the master edit was three-track or higher, a master stereo mix would be made; this might be a generation before the vinyl master, should further vinyl EQ be necessary for LP manufacturing. Thankfully, the archives have preserved previous generations, so today we can ignore the numerous later copies and work with the original master edits.
In the remastering studio, we maintain original analogue Studer A80, A820 and A807 machines for playback of the Gould recordings. Most of these machines are modified by JRF Magnetics in order to ensure perfect reading from the playback head stack. The signal is converted to DSD via Mytek digital converters, all the while being monitored through Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus 802 series speakers (powered by Krell 600 watt amplification). This level of professional playback ensures that we hear exactly what was recorded at the studio without coloration and with greater clarity than even Glenn Gould had heard. The audio is treated in the computer using Cube-Tec restoration tools when needed, tools that allow us to remove such noises as electrical tics, pops, random studio noises, or even electrical buzzing.
Now, in 2015, we have accomplished a project that took more than three years: the analogue (and digital) remastering of Gould’s entire recorded legacy for Columbia. Remastering and restoration is not, however, a process of creating something new, but the art of bringing clarity and enhancement to the original masterpiece. Just as the restoration of the Sistine Chapel brought new life to Michelangelo’s paintings, so we’ve tried to bring new life to Glenn Gould’s recordings.

Tracklist:

01. Glenn Gould – 6 Little Preludes, BWV 933-938:Praeludium in C Major, BWV 933 (01:18)
02. Glenn Gould – 6 Little Preludes, BWV 933-938:Praeludium in C Minor, BWV 934 (03:33)
03. Glenn Gould – 6 Little Preludes, BWV 933-938:Praeludium in D Minor, BWV 935 (01:24)
04. Glenn Gould – 6 Little Preludes, BWV 933-938:Praeludium in D Major, BWV 936 (01:57)
05. Glenn Gould – 6 Little Preludes, BWV 933-938:Praeludium in E Major, BWV 937 (01:26)
06. Glenn Gould – 6 Little Preludes, BWV 933-938:Praeludium in E Minor, BWV 938 (02:56)
07. Glenn Gould – Prelude and Fughetta in D Minor, BWV 899:I. Prelude (01:33)
08. Glenn Gould – Prelude and Fughetta in D Minor, BWV 899:II. Fughetta (00:53)
09. Glenn Gould – Prelude and Fughetta in G Major, BWV 902 & Prelude in G Major, BWV 902a:Prelude in G Major, BWV 902 (03:20)
10. Glenn Gould – Prelude and Fughetta in G Major, BWV 902 & Prelude in G Major, BWV 902a:Prelude in G Major, BWV 902a (00:53)
11. Glenn Gould – Prelude and Fughetta in G Major, BWV 902 & Prelude in G Major, BWV 902a:Furghetta in G Major, BWV 902 (00:54)
12. Glenn Gould – 9 Little Preludes, BWV 924-932:Praeambulum in C Major, BWV 924 (01:45)
13. Glenn Gould – 9 Little Preludes, BWV 924-932:Praeambulum in F Major, BWV 927 (00:36)
14. Glenn Gould – 9 Little Preludes, BWV 924-932:Praeludium in D Minor, BWV 926 (00:48)
15. Glenn Gould – 9 Little Preludes, BWV 924-932:Praeludium in D Major, BWV 925 (00:55)
16. Glenn Gould – 9 Little Preludes, BWV 924-932:Praeludium in F Major, BWV 928 (01:08)
17. Glenn Gould – 9 Little Preludes, BWV 924-932:Praeambulum in G Minor, BWV 930 (03:19)
18. Glenn Gould – Three Little Fugues from “Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Bach”:Fugue in C Major, BWV 952 (01:16)
19. Glenn Gould – Three Little Fugues from “Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Bach”:Fughetta in C Minor, BVW 961 (02:25)
20. Glenn Gould – Three Little Fugues from “Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Bach”:Fugue in C Major, BWV 953 (01:17)
21. Glenn Gould – Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 895:I. Prelude (01:30)
22. Glenn Gould – Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 895:II. Fuga (01:41)
23. Glenn Gould – Prelude and Fughetta in E Minor, BWV 900:I. Prelude (01:27)
24. Glenn Gould – Prelude and Fughetta in E Minor, BWV 900:II. Fughetta (02:16)

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