I chose the 25th variation, which escapes the traditional narrative about the two recordings in that the 1981 version is actually played slightly faster than the 1955. The differences between the interpretations don’t concern tempo so much as phrasing and pulse. Gould’s 1955 recording is the sound of a confident young artist bending and manipulating the shape of the music. Every moment of tension is drawn out, and the pace slackens considerably on descending patterns, creating a tragic atmosphere. In 1981, Gould decided on a more sober interpretation, restoring rhythmic integrity with a steady pulse. Because the phrases have settled into a steady pattern, individual lines become much clearer, and the ear is drawn to the counterpoint. Rhythmic embellishments within each line become much more significant, given that they now constitute the entirety of the rhythmic interest. Without rubato, the dramatic character is replaced by something more serene and contemplative. The insistent left-hand line lends the harmony a sense of inevitability, unlike the unpredictable mood swings of the 1955 recording.

Whereas the 1955 interpretation is romantic, expressive, and soloistic, the 1981 version employs only very subtle variation in tempo and dynamics. In a sense, it’s the difference between an interpretation in which the performer inserts themselves into the music and one in which the performer tries to let the music speak for itself. In the former, the performer plays like a human subject expressing immediate human emotions like grief and joy, whereas the latter might evoke more ambiguous emotions, or perhaps none at all.