Glenn Gould: A Musician in the Strictest Sense of the Word
By Majid Abbasi
(Edited by Penny Johnson)
It was during my final year of high school, that I first became acquainted with the work of Glenn Gould. The year was 1982, and as a young man living in Tehran, Iran, I recall coming across an article in a local publication, in which the news of the Canadian pianist’s premature death on the fourth of October, was made known to the world. For those of us hearing about Glenn Gould for the first time, his death marked the beginning of a growing fascination over one of history’s most multi-faceted personalities.
In the twenty-five years since his death, I have become familiar with the work of Glenn Gould. While I am not a pianist, nor have I had any formal musical training – I am a graphic designer who lives and works in Tehran, Iran – it seems fair to say that today there exists a far greater degree of public interest over Gould, than there had been during his lifetime. The heightened awareness can be accounted largely to the documentaries, and re-releases of old radio broadcasts that have circulated the globe. In the 1990’s, Sony Classical released all of the studio recordings of Gould, allowing audiences of a new generation to experience the individual style of interpretation by which Gould became famous. Today, recordings of Glenn Gould sell better than when he was alive, and his final recording of the Goldberg Variations has already sold over two million copies.Like many, I can recall hearing Glenn Gould for the first time. The Two and Three-Part Inventions of J. S. Bach, made for CBS in the 1960’s, left upon me a lasting impression together with the black and white cover shot of the young pianist. I have retained this image in my mind ever since, along with the music of the young genius whose eyes seemed to convey a mastery of refined manners. I recently added to my collection, the Piano Concerti of Beethoven, as well as the infamous recording of the Piano Concerto in D-minor by Brahms, and conducted by Leonard Bernstein. ??I can think of only a few pianists besides Glenn Gould – Vladimir Horowitz comes to mind – whose playing can be recognized merely by listening to a recording. The distinctive manner of interpretation by which Gould has become known, can be heard in each of his recorded performances, ranging from the works of William Byrd, to Arnold Schoenberg. One feels as though they are listening not to the music of the great masters, but rather to Glenn Gould himself. ??In keeping with the idea of “recomposing” staples of the keyboard repertoire, many listeners have and will continue to criticize the performances of Gould for their musical liberties. Some believe that the Sonatas of Mozart have been completely destroyed by the wild and unconventional interpretative decisions made by Gould. I am of the opinion that many of these musical warhorses have become so overplayed, that they have lost the ability to fascinate new ears. The eccentric performances of Gould on the other hand, offer the listener a chance to experience something new, fresh, and fascinating. As wild and daring as his interpretations of the Viennese Classicists were and still are, there can be no doubt that more than anything else, Glenn Gould will be remembered for his interpretations of the music of Bach. The names of Glenn Gould and Johann Sebastian Bach will forever remain intertwined in their pursuit of polyphonic perfection, for together they have opened up to audiences of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, new landscapes in polyphonic sound. Theirs is a legacy that will surely continue to fascinate audiences for many years to come.??Like many fans of Glenn Gould, I recently had the opportunity to visit the statue of this beloved Canadian icon, at the Glenn Gould Studio in Gould’s hometown of Toronto. Recalling his thoughtful pose, I became reminded of the fact that during Gould’s short career, he received not only the praise of critics and audiences from around the world, but also that of such musical giants as Arthur Rubinstein, Sviatoslav Richter, Van Cliburn, Jose Iturbi, Yehudi Menuhin, and Mstislav Rostropovich. ??Accompanied by his humming, and the gestures of a body that appeared to be in tune with the forces of life itself, the recorded output of Glenn Gould will always remain lively, transparent, and fascinating. As united as each and every one of Gould’s gestures, body movements, and vocal utterances were, there can be no question whatsoever that the artist was fully engulfed by his creative work and in this regard, he is to be remembered – in the absolute strictest sense of the word – as a musician of the highest powers.
Published on http://glenngould.ca/ August 23, 2008
http://glenngould.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=385&Itemid=1
www.glenngould.com
< back
