The Voyager Golden Record was a gift from humanity to the cosmos. And it is also a gift to humanity.
In 1977, NASA launched two spacecraft, Voyager I and II, on a grand tour of the solar system and beyond, into the mysteries of interstellar space. Mounted to each of these spacecraft is a stunning golden phonograph record, an interstellar message to introduce our civilization to extraterrestrials who might encounter the probes, perhaps billions of years from now.

In 1956 Glenn Gould’s first Columbia Masterworks release, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, took the music world by storm and immediately established the 23-year-old Canadian pianist as one of the most brilliant, original, charismatic and provocative classical performers of his time. Sixty years later, Gould’s prolific recorded output remains a stimulating presence, thanks to Sony Classical’s newly remastered collection of his complete authorized recordings. "The Sound of Glenn Gould" presents highlights from this definitive presentation of the legendary pianist’s discography.

"Bach: The Goldberg Variations" is the 1955 debut album of the Canadian classical pianist Glenn Gould. An interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations (BWV 988), the work launched Gould's career as a renowned international pianist, and became one of the most well-known piano recordings. Sales were "astonishing" for a classical album: it was reported to have sold 40,000 copies by 1960, and had sold more than 100,000 by the time of Gould's death in 1982.

With this sampler, you will come to know what it truly means to achieve the ultimate download experience via nine tracks encoded in professional-quality 96/24 audio, all handpicked for your maximum enjoyment and enlightenment. In short, it’s what great sound is all about. If you’ve never been engrossed by music this way before - or even if you’re a veteran of the compression wars - you’re in for quite a treat. Happy listening. Ready, set, immerse!

“Canada's a place to live comfortably, amicably, and with reasonable anonymity”. Thus Gould's response to a Toronto Telegram survey on “Canada Day”. The recording of these three works appeared during Canada's centennial celebrations on 1 July 1967.