What I learned about Glenn Gould

during the intermission at the sunday night jazz concert, i noticed a display in the lobby about various performers who performed at the concert hall throughout history. you can listen to some performances on headphones and follow photos that match. i must say that the solitude and muffle that comes with putting on a pair of headphones was very appealing after three days of touring the city.

one selection at this display was an intro by leonard bernstein just before glenn gould came onstage to perform with his symphony. leonard bernstein posed the question of who's in charge - the conductor or the soloist? he went on to say that it goes both ways and that he brings this up because he wants the audience to know that for this performance, he was allowing glenn gould to be in charge. he disagrees with glenn gould's interpretation of the brahms piece they are about to perform and that he doesn't want anyone to mistake this interpretation for his own. however, he feels that glenn gould's talent and importance as an artist outweighs his own feelings about brahms and that he is honored to work with glenn gould.

when i got back to my seat, i immediately asked my brother david to tell me about glenn gould. this is what he told me: glenn gould was a child prodigy whose sound was very unique, who played bach in a way no other pianist played bach; that he was reclusive and sat low, kind of hunkered down in front of the keyboard; that he was canadian, and that some say he predicted his own death.