becoming

Jeremy Eichler is Looking for clues to a pianist’s afterlife, in which he rightly identifies Gould’s retreat in order to be (truly and rightly) heard:

The deeper paradox behind his controversial withdrawal from the concert stage, behind his scathing remarks about audiences and his love of solitude, was that it coexisted with a desperate urge to communicate intimately with his listeners. “There is no greater community of spirit than that between the artist and the listener at home, communing with the music,” he wrote. And he actually seemed to mean it. Beyond the brilliant pianism and the charismatic eccentricity, Gould’s enduring allure may also stem from the way he withdrew – just as so many have today – embubbling himself in technology, without resigning himself to the isolation and solipsism that would become such a mixed inheritance of the digital revolution.

Read it all here.

Test your authenticity for being GG’s fan by taking the “Glenn Gould Trivia” quiz from CBC online.

[HT: the well tempered blog]

From the well tempered blog:

Sony Classical recently issued “Glenn Gould: The Complete Original Jacket Collection,” an 80-CD, limited edition boxed set of all the studio recordings the pianist made for Columbia and CBS Masterworks. Each remastered disc is a miniature replica of the original vinyl LP, retaining the original cover art and the original couplings of repertory.

[link] [Purchase]

Need I say more? (click image for video)

[CBC Radio 2]

Horace, you obviously are leaving at the wrong time!!!

Glenn Gould: The Sounds of Genius will trace his development from child prodigy to international concert star to recording and media artist pioneer. Along the way, it will recall his surprising departure from the concert scene, and examine the personal charisma and idiosyncrasies that helped make him a cultural icon.

The Exhibition

In 2007, the 75th anniversary of his birth, Gould’s remarkable story will be told in this major exhibition developed by the Canadian Museum of Civilization in partnership with Library and Archives Canada.

Glenn Gould: The Sounds of Genius will feature sound recordings, taped interviews and videos, as well as an impressive array of artifacts, including Gould’s beloved Steinway piano and the specially modified folding chair on which he sat while playing.

The exhibition also brings together, for the first time, a large collection of Gould’s letters, manuscripts, publicity posters and personal items. Throughout the exhibition, Gould speaks to us through his writings, media productions and music.

An Evening with Glenn Gould

An Evening with Glenn Gould – directed by John McGreevy – is a brilliant celebration, on stage and film, of Canada’s most internationally celebrated musician. Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the birth of Toronto-born Glenn Gould as well as the 25th anniversary of his death, this intriguing double bill was created by Mr. McGreevy, a Toronto filmmaker, and a friend and colleague of Mr. Gould.

The evening begins with Ted Dykstra starring as Glenn Gould in an original play (with music) about the last night of Gould’s life — a night as sublime and fascinating as the artist himself.). The play will be followed by a screening of John McGreevy’s award-winning 1979 documentary, Glenn Gould’s Toronto. This 43-minute film was originally part of the acclaimed Cities series, in which thirteen remarkable people reveal their most memorable city.

An Evening with Glenn Gould was commissioned by Luminato, the Toronto Festival of Arts & Creativity, and produced by the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto.

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Hey, seriously, anyone interested in going to see this Exhibition in Ottawa Museum of Civilization and NAC?

While I still don’t know if this video is copyright or is in public domain, it is just too tempting for me NOT to link it:

The late Glenn Gould, playing the Goldberg Variations by J S Bach

Just don’t know what to make of it at this point. Even though I first blog about it 2 years ago.

In 1955, a young and promising pianist recorded Bach’s monumental Goldberg’s Variations. When released in 1956, this recording made him a star, and then into a legend.

His name is Glenn Gould.

What is unfortunate of that recording is that it is trapped in the sound-world of the 50’s. How can you improve on something that is locked forever in monaural sound? The recording which was made at the CBS studio that year now posed a great challenge to all music fans and sound engineers.

Then in September 25, 2006, Zenph Studios recorded its debut re-performance to standing ovations in the CBC’s famed Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, which would have been Glenn Gould’s 74th birthday.

The technology is simple enough to understand: Audio recordings are turned back into “live” performances, precisely replicating what was originally recorded. A software-based process discovers how every note would have been played, extracting the musical nuances of a recorded performance and storing the data in a high-resolution data file (Hi-res MIDI). Re-performance files are then played back using a real acoustic grand piano fitted with sophisticated computers and hardware, letting the listener “sit in the room” as if he or she were there when the original recording was made. Most importantly, the re-performance can be recorded afresh, using the latest microphones and recording techniques, to modernize monophonic or poor-quality recordings of beloved performances.

The result is a new recording of the 1955 performance in 2007!

I have not finish listening to the whole album. But it is certainly different, I can at least tell you that. It is definitely Gould’s playing, and yet it is not — no more of his signature humming at the back; some new notes are accented and some are softened. It is like looking at a hybrid — you just don’t know what to make of it or how to approach it. You lack the language to describe what you are looking at, or in this case, listening to. And you feel very perplexed.

I feel quite perplexed.

But it definitely worths the US$13.99 price tag!

Give it a try, and let me know what you think.