Glenn Gould is an artist that has been pretty much part of my life. I don't think I have ever lived in a household where there wasn't a Glenn Gould recording somewhere within 10 feet away from me. The intense beauty of his piano playing is hypontic as well as sensual.
As you can see in this film footage:
Young Glenn Gould Plays Bach
Gould refused to play for a live audience sometime in the late 50's. He felt the live stage wasn't the proper place to make music. Instead he focuses on making music in the recording studio (his favorite medium), radio broadcasts, and some TV work
Gould - Bach's Brandenburg Concerto
Watching Gould play Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto you can see all the passion in his face. It sort of reminds me of the famous Georges Bataille image in "Tears of Eros" of the Chinese man being tortured to death and his face has that bliss expression.
Gould has the same expression. See the film:
Glenn Gould: Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto
Glenn Gould talks about the process of the recording studio and how recordings are so different from the live perspective.
Probably one of the most interesting articles Rolling Stone published was the interview with Glenn Gould by Jonathan Cott.
Soon after the publication of the interviews in the magazine it became a book.
One of the many interesting things he brings up is his love for Tony Hatch's "Downtown" performed by Petula Clark.
It seems to be the only pop song he liked....
Posts
1 comment:
the great film
32 short films about glenn gould
for those who dont know
i once "won' a free cappucino in a brooklyn cafe
for identifying goulds version of bachs goildberg variations..he recorded it 2x..the latter being choicest
Post a Comment