The Great Gould

by Peter Goddard

In The Great Gould , the first book to be published in co-operation with the Glenn Gould Estate, Peter Goddard draws on Gould’s unpublished writings, interviews, and never-before-seen photographs, to present a startling new portrait of Gould, the man and the musician.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Music

178 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 19, 2017

Reviews

[Carole Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting to me because Glenn Gould spent a great deal of time in Orillia since the family had a cottage at Uptergrove - something I didn't previously know. Apparently he hung out at the Shang... like any number of Orillia youth, myself included but some years later. There were references to Art Shilling, Robert Goulet and other people I had met or knew about around Orillia so the local story was very interesting.

Beyond that, there were good references to Gould work that is still available and to his website that, according to the book, is still up and running (haven't checked that out yet)

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this very slim biography, as much as for the wonderful photos and quirky descriptions as I did the subject of the book, Canadian pianist Glen Gould, who was certainly uniquely talented and had either Asperger's or a mental-illness. Some of it was a bit academic for me--that is, I was unable to follow some of the musical analysis, but it led to a strong desire on my part to learn more about Gould and his eccentricities. Being able to watch this genius play on YouTube videos added another dimension to the reading...

[Benjamin Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew very little about Glenn Gould going into this book. I knew he was a famous Canadian pianist, and that he'd attended the same high school as me. I watched the movie Thirty-two Short Films About Glenn Gould, several years ago, and thought that his life looked interesting - famed pianist early on, then turned to making radio shows. So I always had it in the back of my mind that I'd like to learn more about him.

Well, I was wrong. In the end, I didn't find his life story that interesting, nor did I find him to be a very interesting figure. When Goddard talks about the controversy surrounding his performance with Leonard Bernstein at some length, giving a blow-by-blow from different perspectives, I was left thinking "that's controversy in the classical music world? He played the piano too slow?" It's a world that's not for me, but it did satisfy my curiosity - I no longer need to learn anything more about Glenn Gould. I would have been better stopping with the movie.

The book itself is fine, it's the subject that I found disappointing. Oh well, on to the next one!

[Robbie Claravall · Rating 3 out of 5]

When she's alone and life is making her lonely, Petula Clark likes to stretch out and listen to the Glenn Gould Goldberg Variations. "We've all been there, haven't we, alone in a hotel room?"

[Denis Lapointe · Rating 3 out of 5]

31/2 étoiles