The sound of the Goldberg Variations as interpreted by Glenn Gould always seems to be the perfect morning music for me. It never, ever fails to take my awareness (I guess) to new levels as his playing evolves in ways that only Glenn Gould could accomplish.
It’s a 1981 recording that I have loaded into my laptop and I wonder if this is the session that a buddy of mine was allowed to sit in on. Mr. Gould was an eccentric to say the least and was VERY particular about EVERYTHING in his life and often demanded to have several pianos to choose from whenever he played. (This one is too soft, this one is too loud, this one has sticking keys… you get the idea.) He even carried his own chair with him folded up and tucked under his arm which gave him what he considered to be the ideal height for playing piano. 
He dressed for winter in the middle of summer but perhaps the idiosyncrasy that amuses me the most was that he sang to himself all through his playing. This drove the technicians crazy because they were unable to cover up his humming and whatnot on the recordings and they finally gave up trying to make him stop and just left it in as part of the character of the piece. He also refused to allow anyone in the same room with him while making these recordings which is why it is remarkable that my friend was allowed to sit in (out of sight) during one session. I guess they hit it off somehow so the master allowed the aficionado to remain.
Anyway, you youngsters out there have absolutely no idea who Glenn Gould was because he died far too young back in 1982. It was a stroke that got him at age 50 and it gives me pause when I realize that he was younger than me and accomplished so much in that time. (How does it appear to be so easy for some people?) It’s difficult to imagine that his playing could have gotten any better, but I just wonder what works he would be producing today if he were still around. Our loss for sure… but hey, you can still talk to him whenever you want as he is sitting on a bench outside CBC in Toronto just waiting for all of us to stop by. (This is a little bit strange in itself by the way because in his later years he became a recluse and avoided people as much as he could, talking only by telephone whenever possible.)Photo Credits: http://time4time.blogspot.com/2007/09/75-years-of-glenn-gould.html
http://www.castalie.fr/photo-2668-glenn-gould_jpg.html
http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/blog/2007/04/strange_statues_from_around_th.html
2 comments:
What a great post about my favourite musician. I am so intrigued by Glenn Gould, and don't mind his singing during his piano playing at all. I tell all my students to listen to his interpretations of Bach. Thanks so much.
Another piece he does that I really enjoy is the Hayden Piano Sonata in E Flat Major. The opening makes me feel as if the sound of my own breathing will somehow cause me to miss something. I'm glad to discover that there is another on Manitoulin that enjoys Mr. Gould as well.
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