Glenn Gould
The most renowned Canadian classical performer of the 20th century, pianist Glenn Gould remains one of the most fascinating and celebrated figures in all of music, the archetypal riddle wrapped inside an enigma wrapped inside a conundrum. A former child prodigy, his piano artistry was unparalleled, yet he often received less recognition as a virtuoso than as a troubled eccentric; a disconnected recluse notorious for such odd habits as wearing a wool topcoat in the dog days of summer, Gould was a sight to behold even in live performances -- seated on a low chair and slumped over the keyboard, humming (sometimes singing) audibly to himself as he played, all the while conducting with his free hand. Gould's impossible technique and singular behavior were so hotly debated by scholars that often it seemed that his actual skills were negligible; perhaps it's not surprising that at the age of just 31, he left public performance behind forever, turning instead to broadcasting and writing, as well as an almost obsessive exploration of modern recording technology. Gould was born in Toronto, Ontario, on September 25, 1932, the product of a musical family that included his father, an amateur violinist, and his mother, a pianist and organist; Edvard Grieg was a distant relation as well. Even at the age of three, Gould evidenced prodigious skills -- in addition to his absolute pitch, he was already able to read staff notation, and just two years later he authored his first compositions. At the age of ten, he began lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, and in 1944 took home the piano trophy from the annual Kiwanis Music Festival, the only such contest he ever entered in response to his strong opposition to the idea of competitive performance. In 1945, Gould passed his associateship examination as a solo performer at the Royal Conservatory; that same year he offered his first public performance on the organ, a concert reviewed under the headline "Boy, Age 12, Shows Genius as Organist." At the age of 14, Gould made his debut as soloist at a Royal Conservatory orchestral performance of Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto. His first public recital was in 1947, and featured works by Scarlatti, Beethoven, Chopin, and Liszt; his debut network radio recital followed over CBC airwaves in 1950, and marked the beginning of his long relationship with broadcasting and recording. In early 1955, Gould made his New York debut, and within hours signed with Columbia's Masterworks imprint. His first recording, a performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations, became an instant best-seller, and he went on to make over 60 more recordings for the label in the years to follow. In 1957, Gould toured Europe, and at the peak of Cold War tensions he became the first North American ever to perform in the Soviet Union. His concert career continued to great success during the early '60s, but in Los Angeles on April 10, 1964 -- with no advance warning, and without fanfare -- he delivered his final public performance. Gould's decision to retire from live performances was in part a result of his desire to focus more of his energies on writing, broadcasting, composing, and conducting; his first major new project was a "sound documentary" called The Idea of North, a philosophical musing on the meaning of northern existence. Keeping in contact with the outside world primarily over the telephone, Gould was often out of the spotlight for long periods of time, but in 1981 he broke with his long tradition of not re-recording material to return to the work with which he remained most closely identified, the Goldberg Variations; his decision was motivated in large part by the vast improvements in technology during the quarter century that separated the two recordings. Months later, he formed a Toronto chamber orchestra, serving as their conductor on a recording of Wagner's Siegfried Idyll; it was his last major work -- Gould died on October 4, 1982, after suffering a stroke. He was just 50 years old. ~ Jason Ankeny
Similar artists
-
The 1955 Goldberg Variations - Birth of a Legend
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 1 jan. 1956
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Partitas Nos. 5 & 6 (2015 Remastered Version)
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 11 sep. 2015
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glenn Gould Plays Bach, Vol. 7: Violin Sonatas, BWV 1014-1019 & Viola da gamba Sonatas, BWV 1027-1029
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 18 okt. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Sonatas Nos. 14, 17 & 18 & Fantasia in C Minor, K. 475 (Remastered)
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 11 sep. 2015
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glenn Gould plays Renaissance & Baroque Music
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 3 sep. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glenn Gould plays Hindemith: 3 Piano Sonatas; 5 Sonatas for Brass & Piano; Das Marienleben
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 3 sep. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Glenn Gould Silver Jubilee Album - Gould Remastered
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 11 sep. 2015
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
GLENN GOULD - THE RYUICHI SAKAMOTO SELECTION [Complete Version]
Klassiek - Released by Sony Music Labels Inc. on 21 sep. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glenn Gould Plays Sonatas, Fantasies & Variations
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 3 sep. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glenn Gould plays Bach: The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (1959 Live)
Klassiek - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 19 mei 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3/Sibelius Symphonie No. 5
Herbert von Karajan, Glenn Gould, Berliner Philharmoniker
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 11 apr. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: 4 Ballades, 2 Rhapsodies & Intermezzi
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 3 sep. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glenn Gould plays Beethoven: 32 Variations WoO 80; "Eroica" Variations op. 35; 6 Variations op. 34; Bagatelles op. 33 & op. 126; Piano Sonata No. 24 "À Thérèse"
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 3 sep. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glenn Gould - The Acoustic Orchestrations - Works by Scriabin and Sibelius
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 21 sep. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Sound of Glenn Gould
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 11 sep. 2015
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glenn Gould Edition VII: Berg/Krenek/Webern/Ravel/Debussy
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 27 jun. 1995
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glenn Gould in Concert: Salzburg 1959 (Bach); Moscow 1957 (Bach); Lenningrad 1957 (Bach, Beethoven)
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 3 sep. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Toccatas, BWV 910-916
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 23 mrt. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Piano Concerto Bwv 1052 - Goldberg Variations
Klassiek - Released by Urania on 11 aug. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Glenn Gould joue Bach
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 20 apr. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
32 Short Films About Glenn Gould: The Sound of Genius (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 22 mrt. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo