Glenn Gould Plays Bach in order

During the late 1970s, Glenn Gould and filmmaker and musician Bruno Monsaingeon planned an extensive series of television films on the music of Bach. Broadcast between 1979 and 1981, the three films in the series deal with important themes that speak to the essence of Bach's music. Each of these films is composed in the form of a dialogue with French filmmaker and violinist Bruno Monsangeon, with the performance of the key piece in each film as the main focus. 3 films, 2h 53m in all, in release order.

1. 1
   

   The Question of Instrument

   1983 · 57 min

   Part I of the series "Glenn Gould Plays Bach" is devoted to Bach's "Art of Fugue." Gould's performance is followed by a lively repartee with Monsaingeon, in which the pianist provides dazzling insights illustrated by music examples. He explains, for example, why he plays some pieces extremely slowly, and bemoans the "musicological overkill" of scholars who insist that Bach's keyboard music should only be played on a harpsichord.

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2. 2
   

   An Art of the Fugue

   1983 · 58 min

   In Part II of the series "Glenn Gould Plays Bach", Gould concentrates on the fugal form in Bach's works, showing us how Bach uses keys like stops on an organ, and how they give him ideas and colours. He performs various fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier and reveals why he feels the "Art of Fugue" is the work that summed up Bach's life.

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3. 3
   

   The Goldberg Variations

   2007 · 58 min

   Part III in the series "Glenn Gould Plays Bach" spotlights Gould recording Bach's "Goldberg Variations" in a sound studio. In a brief introduction, he reminisces about his first recording of the pieces and explains why he wanted to record them again now, a quarter of a century later. It was to be his last recording of the "Goldberg Variations" and perhaps the last time he played the work: Glenn Gould died the year after the recording was made.

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