Friedrich Gulda - A Classical Cat

Classical, jazz, and decidedly in-between...

WHEN IT COMES to the honor roll of great twentieth century pianists, there are names that burn brightly like Rubinstein, Horowitz and Richter amongst many. But also included in that number is Friedrich Gulda (1930-2000), a true master of the instrument and yet a classical conundrum. He was a virtuoso concert pianist but, when it came to jazz, he was a cat who could really lay it down. That’s a rare quality.

Either way you look at him, Gulda was one cool customer. Nothing quite prepares you for the sight of Gulda in his sloppy sweatshirt and trademark crocheted skull cap walking nonchalantly onto the stage to play Beethoven’s Emperor piano concerto with the Munich Philharmonic, the musicians decked out in their white-tie-and-tails finery. The juxtaposition between the formality of the music and the seemingly casual attitude of the soloist is refreshing, even amusing.

This was after all a performance in 1989 at the Munich Klaviersommer which sought to make connections between classical and improvised music. Gulda was one of the pioneers who sought to break down the strict boundaries between the different forms, his sartorial expression is just one symptom of this effort.

At the heart of this series of performances is Gulda’s solo concert at the same summer festival, where the pianist moves easily between his own compositions and improvisations into a perfectly rendered Mozart piano sonata, which he plays with as much precision and grace as any of the great classical interpreters. The effect is startling and surprising, throwing the Mozart into stark relief against his wilder excursions around the keyboard.

No one should doubt Friedrich Gulda’s pedigree in the classical field. He was born in Vienna in 1930, starting piano lessons at the age of seven. A precocious talent, he won the prestigious Geneva piano competition at the age of 16 and, four years later, he made his Carnegie Hall debut. But by the early fifties, Gulda started deviating from the traditional path for concert pianists of his caliber. He became interested in jazz and started sitting in with jazz bands, such as Dizzy Gillespie’s band, while he was touring as a recitalist. Shortly thereafter he started including jazz improvisations at his concerts and later would often change the listed program on a whim, which was not to everyone’s liking.

Gulda may have been eccentric, but when it came to playing the canonical works his interpretations were never jazzy or overwrought. Indeed, in one of the most intimate performances listed here, “Solo Flight,” Gulda plays Bach on a clavichord, the keyboard of choice for composers until the piano came along in the 19th century and replaced it. For this performance, Gulda demonstrates the unique qualities of the instrument (albeit amplified) with some precisely executed Bach prelude and fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier. He then moves onto the piano, segueing from Schubert to Debussy into his own jazz-inflected compositions.

In yet another solo outing, Gulda plays Mozart’s sonata in B-flat major - okay, so he’s sporting purple shades - but then he ups the ante by inviting jazz legend Herbie Hancock on stage for a dazzling two-piano duet, a double dose of dexterity, where Gulda easily holds his own with improvisations on “Night and Day” and “All Blues.” It’s a thrilling moment. That a white Viennese man with a classical profile can so thoroughly dig the jazz scene and deliver the goods, perhaps speaks to our prejudices about what a classical musician is supposed to do. (The pianist Bill Evans had a classical background but he was identified as a jazzman from the beginning.)

Maybe it’s not surprising, Gulda had a troubled relationship with the critics who couldn’t quite get a handle on this idiosyncratic talent. Likewise the classical world found his behavior sometimes exasperating and startling. Watching Gulda get down and groove with The Paradise Band - complete with sexy, gyrating dancers - it’s hard to believe that he’s also a man whose recordings of Bach’s well-tempered clavier and Beethoven’s piano sonatas are still considered to be exemplary. You have to hand it to him, the guy sure had chops. For a bona fide maestro, he was a classical cat.

- Damian Fowler

CLASSICAL, JAZZ, AND DECIDEDLY IN-BETWEEN

Friedrich Gulda in performance-- selected from Classical TV's extensive library of free videos:

• Friedrich Gulda with Herbie Hancock - This program features performances of Gulda's own work, Mozart's Piano Sonata in B-flat major, K. 333 and a selection from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. Gulda is joined by Herbie Hancock for jazz standards “Night and Day” and “All Blues.” FREE

• Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in E-flat Major, Op. 73 (“Emperor”) - with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra (which Gulda also conducts!) FREE

• Chopin Pour Ma Douce - recital including the Nine Preludes Op. 2, Nocturne Op. 62, No. 1, Barcarole Op. 60, and Berceuse Op. 57, in a historic live recording from the Munich Philharmonie FREE

• Mostly Mozart - recital including including the Fantasia in D minor, K. 397, Fantasia in C minor, K. 475, and Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor, K. 457. FREE

• Solo Flight - In a live recording from the Amerikahaus, Munich, Gulda reveals the versatility of his keyboard playing. On the clavichord he plays three preludes and fugues from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier; on the piano, his own re-working of Schubert's song “Der Wanderer,” ending with Debussy's Reflets dans l'eau and a selection of his own compositions. FREE

• The Paradise Dance Party - Gulda and The Paradise Trio team up with Vertigo, a techno DJ, for a wild musical experiment, creating jazz-techno fusion live on stage. In the audience, dancers "Gulda's Paradise Girls" add to the excitement of the event and no one in the house is left in their seat. FREE

• Friedrich Gulda with the Paradise Trio - In this live recording, Gulda is joined by Barbara Dennerlein (organ), Harry Sokal (saxophone), and Jojo Mayer (drums) for a set of jazz standards and improvisation. FREE

• Friedrich Gulda with Agnes Baltsa In Concert-- This unusual concert features Agnes Baltsa singing Mozart's “Ch'io mi scordi di te” K. 505, followed by extracts from Gulda's Preview of Things To Come, with the Munich Philharmonic, Baltsa, and the Joe Zawinul Syndicate. Narrative and explanations by Gulda.   FREE

• Friedrich Gulda with Chick Corea: The Meeting--Two virtuoso keyboard musicians meet for the first time in this 1992 concert, performing various improvisations and jazz standards and a unique version of Brahms's Wiegenlied.   FREE

• Friedrich Gulda: Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra-- The internationally-renowned cellist Heinrich Schiff joins member of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra as soloist for this concert performance of Gulda's concerto, which the composer conducts himself.  The concerto dates from 1980; for more about the compositions of this extraordinary musician, see the official Friedrich Gulda website.