Glenn Gould’s radio documentaries are still mesmerising
Listen to his ground-breaking “Solitude Trilogy” in a quiet moment of peace
IN HIS EARLY 30s and at the height of his powers, Glenn Gould announced in 1964 that he was retiring from public performance. Classical-music enthusiasts were stunned. Less than a decade before, the maverick pianist had delighted fans with his authoritative recording of J.S. Bach’s “Goldberg Variations”. Now, he declared, “the concert is dead”. In 1965 he accepted a job with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and rode the Muskeg Express as far as it would go, from Winnipeg to Churchill, Manitoba.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Tapestries of sound”
Culture April 9th 2022
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