The recording industry of the 20th Century saw stars become legends and albums become icons of popular culture. Completed in a total of only four days and released in January 1956, Glenn Gould’s début recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations is without doubt one of the most significant and successful classical recordings in the history of the gramophone record.

Documenting with unprecedented completeness the events that unfolded in Columbia’s 30th Street Studio during those four key days in June 1955, the present release allows listeners for the very first time to join Glenn Gould, his producer Howard Scott and sound engineer Fred Plaut as one of the greatest recordings of all time came into existence.

Glenn Gould: The Goldberg Variations – The Complete Unreleased Recording Sessions is probably the most comprehensive special edition ever dedicated to a single classical music album. It features Glenn Gould’s complete recording sessions of Bach’s Goldberg Variations on 5 CDs (including the studio conversations between him and his producer), restored from the original ¼-inch analogue tapes and re mastered using 24 bit / 96 kHz technology, plus the final album on both CD and heavyweight 180g vinyl, as well as an extra CD Glenn Gould Discusses His Performances of the “Goldberg Variations” with Tim Page. The edition comes with a 90 x 60 cm (36 x 24") poster and a 280-page hard-cover coffee-table book, featuring 45 sensational, newly discovered photos from the recording sessions, the complete musical score, several essays and an extensive documentation – including facsimiles of more than 20 archival documents detailing how an analogue vinyl LP was recorded in the mid-1950s.

SET CONTENTS

DISC 1:
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 – The complete recording sessions June 1955
Aria, Takes 1–6
Variation 1, Takes 1–3; Remakes Takes 1–13
Variation 2, Takes 1–13
Variation 3, Takes 1–3
Variation 4, Takes 1–10
Variation 5, Takes 1–9

DISC 2:
Variation 6, Takes 1–16
Variation 7, Takes 1–5; Remakes Takes 1–10
Variation 8, Takes 1–3
Variation 9, Takes 1–10
Variation 10, Takes 1/2
Variation 11, Takes 1–8

DISC 3:
Variation 12, Takes 1–18
Variation 13, Take 1–5
Variation 14, Takes 1/2
Variation 15, Takes 1–6
Variation 16, Takes 1/2; Insert 1, Takes 1–3
Variation 17, Takes 1–4; Insert 1, Takes 1–5

DISC 4:
Variation 18, Takes 1–11
Variation 19, Takes 1–5
Variation 20, Takes 1–4
Variation 21, Takes 1–6; Insert 1 Takes 1/2
Variation 22, Takes 1–4; Insert 1
Variation 23, Takes 1–11; Remake Takes 1–3
Variation 24, Takes 1–12; Insert 1 Takes 1–4

DISC 5:
Variation 25, Takes 1/2
Variation 26, Takes 1–3; Insert 1 Take 1
Variation 27, Takes 1–4
Variation 28, Takes 1–4
Variation 29, Take 1
Variation 30, Takes 1–3
Aria, Remake Takes 1–12

DISC 6:
Glenn Gould Discusses his Performances of the “Goldberg Variations” with Tim Page

DISC 7:
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 – final edit

DISC 8:
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 – final edit (180 g vinyl)