Happy Birthday Glenn Herbert Gould!

 

Listening to Gould's Radio Documentaries and remembering him in my own special way. Went into an empty Anglican church where an old, old Cramer piano (not unlike that Chickering) stood in a corner. Played some Bach and Gibbons. I wonder if more people will visit Mount Pleasant Cemetary today or in a couple of weeks time - it was so, so empty and quiet when I was there a long time ago. Very cold, stark, solitary - I think he might have approved, actually. Today a woman who read my blog about the orangutans said she bought Gould's CDs in a fit of inspiration. 

And a lovely lady from Chennai who listened to the Zakir Hussain radio show and last week's Bollywood program and had never heard of Gould until a few days ago is completely overcome by his playing and has downloaded his music through iTunes, discovering Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and much more in the process. On the downside, remembering Gould by listening to his recordings all day means that tomorrow, when I go to the Cat Shelter, I'll be singing the Goldbergs to the poor cats! Crazy cat lady who sings and talks to the kitties - as if the shelter staff don't think I'm batty enough.

Happy Birthday Glenn - and thank you!

PS: Tonight, on Offbeat, I'll be sharing Gould's recording of Bach's D Minor Concerto with Leonard Bernstein and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, the piece that got me hooked on Bach. And on Gould.

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