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The Continuing Cult of Glenn Gould, Deserved or Not
NYT ^ | 11/24/07 | BERNARD HOLLAND

Posted on 11/24/2007 8:43:24 AM PST by Borges

When Glenn Gould died unexpectedly in 1982, a victim of a stroke at the unseemly age of 50, his red-hot reputation had calmed to a simmer. Gould, a sufferer from extreme stage fright but a winner in the stock market, had quit performing in public 18 years earlier, using the proceeds of his financial ventures to soften the burdens of early retirement. Much of his time later was spent with television projects in his native Toronto, not all of which had to do with the piano.

In death, Gould came to life. Music business operatives appeared suddenly and in hordes, claiming hitherto unnoticed intimacy with the great man and eager to share their experiences in articles, interviews and books. It was amazing how many had known Gould so well, spent so many hours exchanging deep thoughts during marathon middle-of-the-night phone calls to area code 416.

Maybe they also belonged to the tens of thousands who were present at the infamous premiere of Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” or the opening night of “My Fair Lady.” The less privileged had to fall back on the newly spruced-up Gould recordings rushed into rerelease. Record companies that had not been paying much attention introduced great piles of discs into the marketplace, from big-ticket items of Bach and Beethoven down to the sweepings that Gould had left behind in the studio.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: glenngould

1 posted on 11/24/2007 8:43:25 AM PST by Borges
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To: sitetest

PING


2 posted on 11/24/2007 8:43:44 AM PST by Borges
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To: Borges

Just bought Simone Dinnerstein’s “Goldberg”. WOW!

(That WOW is not only for her playing, but for her looks as well. If I knew how, I’d post her picture.


3 posted on 11/24/2007 9:37:57 AM PST by mozarky2 (Ya never stand so tall as when ya stoop to stomp a statist!)
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To: mozarky2

My contribution to Les Belles Artes.

4 posted on 11/24/2007 10:08:36 AM PST by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: Borges

Interesting article. One of my favorites, along with Youri Egorov.


5 posted on 11/24/2007 10:19:23 AM PST by Rocko ( "Where's the global warming? It's freezing in here." -- Bob Dylan)
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To: Borges; .30Carbine; 1rudeboy; 2nd Bn, 11th Mar; 31R1O; ADemocratNoMore; afraidfortherepublic; ...

Dear Borges,

Thanks for the ping!

Classical Music Ping List ping!

If you want on or off this list, let me know via FR e-mail.

Thanks,

sitetest


6 posted on 11/24/2007 5:07:31 PM PST by sitetest (If Roe is not overturned, no unborn child will ever be protected in law.)
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To: sitetest

I love his last Goldberg Variations. I have not beard a lot but some of his other work is quirky.


7 posted on 11/24/2007 5:16:44 PM PST by Norman Bates
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To: Borges
Do you think Gould’s experimental piece with four voices talking, resembling a fugue, I believe, was inspired by John Lennon’s Revolution #9? I know he didn’t think much about the Beatles but the similarities are striking.
8 posted on 11/25/2007 2:41:27 AM PST by Blind Eye Jones
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To: Blind Eye Jones

I don’t know but Gould set the stage for some of the Beatles gestures (longish hair, retreating from concert life (in 1964, 2 years before the Beatles)...regarding using the recording studio as an art in itself).


9 posted on 11/25/2007 7:50:42 AM PST by Borges
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Comment #10 Removed by Moderator

To: FrPR

LOL, I meant “heard.”

They certainly are a triumph.


11 posted on 11/25/2007 10:29:10 AM PST by Norman Bates
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