Pianist Glenn Gould was born On 25 September 1932 in Toronto, Canada, and he died there on 4 October 1982. A celebrated pianist and prolific broadcaster, Glenn Gould was one of Canada’s most important cultural figures, and remains one of the world’s most admired and studied musicians.
Gould’s distinctive piano style, idiosyncratic interpretations, unusual stage mannerisms and independent vision marked him as a maverick and an eccentric. He favored structurally intricate music over the early-Romantic and Impressionistic works at the core of the standard piano repertoire, preferring Elizabethan, Baroque, Classical, late-Romantic and early-twentieth-century music.
He was most renowned for his interpretations of the keyboard music of J.S. Bach. An intellectual performer with a gift for clarifying counterpoint and structure, his playing was also deeply expressive and rhythmically dynamic.
He had the technique of a virtuoso, but refuted many conventions and disliked live performance. He wrote extensively about music and technology, and created great controversy by retiring from live performance at age 31 to pursue studio recordings and broadcasting projects.
Here is Glenn Gould, performing the music of J. S. Bach:
