In this vintage radio show, originally broadcast on CBC AM in Nov. 1968, the brilliant Glenn Gould offers his take on the Moog synthesizer and Switched On Bach.
Gould raves about the album, which was released a month earlier in Oct. 1968, calling it ‘the record of the decade’ and ‘one of the great feats in keyboard performance’.
Gould interweaves interviews with synthesist and composer Wendy Carlos and others, discussing the album, the synthesizer and its implications for music.
Timeline:
0:00 Ken Haslam introduction
0:56 Glenn Gould introducion
5:25 On the Moog Synthesizer: interviews with Wendy Carlos and Jean Le Moyne
42:06 Glenn Gould conclusion
45:09 Ken Haslam credits
45:26 Ken Haslam introduces J.G. Parr [James Gordon Parr (May 26, 1927 – April 28, 2000)]
45:55 Parr lecture
59:52 Ken Haslam conclusion
via Bruce Cross
Ken Haslam has such a cool sounding voice, had to sample his entire intro.
Between this piece and the piece on Mutek-adjacent Sonic Circuits Expo, it sounds like Synthtopia is fulfilling its Canadian Content requirements. Whodathunkit? You can do #CanCon without Nickelback, Arcade Fire, or Barenaked Ladies?
This changes everything…
It’s so interesting Glen Gould loved this rather than snubbing it. It must have been amazing at the time hearing it with those new unheard sounds.
It makes sense to me that Glenn would have liked it, because he was an iconoclast himself. On top of that, Carlos got the notes right, which is job #1. If you do, Bach’s works will translate perfectly on any instrument, from harmonica to ukulele. Can’t say that for everyone. Thanks for posting this. Great interview.
Yes. To all of this.
Glenn Gould did some pretty interesting sound collage work. He was very much about exploring the recording studio and process… https://youtu.be/TwIbUdbVqQE
Excellent program. A timely celebration of the greatest synthesiser music ever made. Depressing to hear how inarticulate the modern world has become. Everyone here considering their words carefully and expecting the audience to understand what they are saying.
Those were the days (my friend I thought they would never end).