Glenn Gould: The Russian Journey

Gould is hardly present in this DVD. You'll hear him playing, and you'll see a few shots, but that's pretty much it.And yet somehow this documentary manages to be so informative, so very moving. You'll hear what other pianists thought of Gould. Greats like Ashkenazy and Richter. You'll hear from people who were Moskow at the time Gould came to visit. You'll hear about the tremendous impact Gould had upon the lives he touched.This is one of my favorite documentaries on Gould.

To quote John Keats: "Oft of one wide expanse had I been told That deep-brow'd Homer ruled as his demesne; Yet did I never breathe its pure serene Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold"For many years I had heard of Glenn Gould, but really had no idea of his music until I saw "Glenn Gould Hereafter" by Bruno Monsangeon on TV in November, 2006. It was spellbinding. (Substitute Gould for Homer and Monsangeon for Chapman above and you will understand how I felt)I immediately ordered a number of DVDs and CDs of Gould ... all of them amazing.At times listening to his music is a spiritual experience: Goldberg Variation 30 (1982), for example. But this note is about Beethoven's Opus 126, Number 3, as performed by Glenn Gould on the DVD, "The Russian Journey."Gould personalizes the music of Bach and Beethoven, etc, but does so in the most respectful way. He honors the composers with his interpretations, and I am sure they would be honored also.Gould's playing of Beethoven's Bagatelle Opus 126, Number 3 is almost astonishing in its depth and sensitivity. One feels at one with the universe watching it and listening to it. What an experience. As amazing as Gould's performance is, he almost underdoes it. He never goes for cheap showmanship, but his rapture? trance? ecstasy? transcendence? is there for all the world to see.Do yourself a favor. Venture into Gould's orbit.WestCoastJoe

This is a pretty good effort with very limited materials. A reconstruction through contemporary photos and archival material and also some very interesting and charming interview material by russian pianists deeply affected by Gould's revolutionary (excuse the pun) visit. Gould's visit, the first by a notable pianist and from the unknown Canada to boot, was like a breath of fresh to Russian musicians who lived within the appalling restrictions of a totalitarian state. Gould was rapturously received not only because of his amazing talent and pianism but also because of what he represented - an ideal of artistic freedom and independence.Sadly, there are no contemporary recordings and no film footage!!! That is of course what we all wait for but it never comes. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this doco very much.Rob

A fascinating account of Gould's journey to Russia. I would highly recommend to anyone interested in the pianist and classical music/ movements.

marvellous trip in Russia with the genious Glenn Gould, dvd arrived very quickly.

IT'S A VERY GOOD DVDIT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND IT IN FRANCEHAVE A GOOD DAYTHANKSPASCAL STRIPPOLI

For anyone who is familiar with any of the other more established films on Glenn Gould, this production from 2002 will be sadly disappointing. I was expecting to see footage of Gould actually performing in Moscow and Leningrad ... but that is exactly what is noticeably absent from this 'documentary'. Instead, we see the same telegrams from the embassy that we have seen before, ... the same letters from adoring Russian fans we have seen before ... and lots of interviews with people who either did or did not attend the actual concerts, reminiscing on what they remember of the event from 50 years ago.The makers were so short of actual footage to make up an hour, they resorted to hiring someone to look like Gould, complete with leather gloves, coat and hat, and then filmed 'him' walking around the tourist sites of Moscow and Leningrad, which I personally find corny, and in poor taste, if not ridiculous. Need a few more minutes of footage? Who can we interview? Ah - find some students in Russia at the con ... "And what do YOU think of Mr Gould?" "And YOU?", ... "And YOU?". And when that got tiresome, they headed over to the awful statue of Gould sitting on a park bench in Toronto, and filmed that instead ... from behind, from the front, the left shoe, and then the right.Not exactly profound, nor revealing. In essence, nothing new. Frankly, I am surprised that it is possible to create such a boring and dull production about such an exciting and enigmatic figure as GG. One would be much better off buying the CDs of the Leningrad and Moscow performances (both superb) if you do not already have them. At least that contains Glenn Gould playing the piano.