The Canadian pianist Glenn Gould is to be soloist now and Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic in the performance of the Piano Concerto No 1 in D minor by Brahms D

I think Mr Bernstein will have something to say to the audience

So get down to the stage

Don't be frightened

Mr Gould is here

He will appear in a moment

I'm not um as you know in the habit of speaking on any concert except the Thursday night previews

But a curious situation has arisen which merits I think a word or two

You are about to hear a rather shall we say unorthodox performance of the Brahms D Minor Concerto D

A performance distinctly different from any I've ever heard or even dreamt of for that matter

In its remarkably broad tempi and its frequent departures from Brahms' dynamic indications

I cannot say I am in total agreement with Mr Gould's conception

I'm conducting it because Mr Gould is so valid and serious an artist

That I must take seriously anything he conceives in good faith

And his conception is interesting enough so that I feel you should hear it too

The answer is of course sometimes one sometimes the other depending on the people involved

But almost always the two manage to get together by persuasion or charm or even threats to achieve a unified performance

I have only once before in my life had to submit to a soloist's wholly new and incompatible concept and that was the last time I accompanied Mr Gould

But but this time the discrepancies between our views are so great that I feel I must make this small disclaimer

Then why to repeat the question am I conducting it

Why do I not make a minor scandal get a substitute soloist or let an assistant conduct

Because I am fascinated glad to have the chance for a new look at this much played work

Because what's more there are moments in Mr Gould's performance that emerge with astonishing freshness and conviction

Thirdly because we can all learn something from this extraordinary artist who is a thinking performer

And finally because there is in music what Dimitri Mitropoulos used to call the sportive element

That factor of curiosity adventure experiment

And I can assure you that it has been an adventure this week collaborating with Mr Gould on this Brahms concerto

And it's in this spirit of adventure that we now present it to you