Performing the first movement of Bach’s Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052, with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic. Gould’s performance begins at 18:03.
Originally aired on January 31, 1960 on CBS Television as part of its Ford Presents series, this program was entitled “The Creative Performer.” The entire show is actually three performances — by Gould, the soprano Eileen Farrell (singing the “Suicidio!” aria from *La Gioconda*), & Igor Stravinsky (conducting the last three scenes of his ballet *The Firebird*) — punctuated with scintillating musicological lectures by Maestro-Professor Bernstein, who is arguably the star of the show.
Though I recommend watching the program in its entirety, here’s a time-stamped playlist, in case you’d like to jump to any given section:
1. Leonard Bernstein, on the vagaries of score notations: 0:00 – 12:56
2. Leonard Bernstein, intro to Gould: 12:57 – 18:02
3. Glenn Gould: 18:03 – 27:08
4. Leonard Bernstein, intro to Farrell: 27:09 – 33:46
5. Eileen Farrell: 33:47 – 38:24
6. Leonard Bernstein, intro to Stravinsky: 38:25 – 40:05
7. Igor Stravinsky: 40:06 – 51:06
8. Closing Credits: 51:07 – 52:24
Thanks go to two intrepid Gouldians who did the heavy lifting to track down, acquire, & beautifully digitize this rare masterpiece. Without them, we wouldn’t be here enjoying it.