Richard Goode

Aged sixty-three, the American pianist Richard Goode is at the height of his powers. Nonetheless, he chose to take a 'sabbatical' for a few months to give his technique an overhaul and more especially to study new repertoire. What makes Goode such an exceptional pianist is that he constantly strives for clear simplicity and beauty of sound. Goode's mastery rises far above a total control of touch and sound. Behind it all lies a great feel for rhetoric, and the structure is hidden. Goode penetrates deeply into the score, and tries to understand the composer's musical ideas and their coherence. Every tone and phrase takes shape, direction and meaning within a solid entity. An incomprehensible ease.