Glenn Gould E La Ricerca Del Pianoforte Perfetto (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
Katie Hafner has charmed me into a Glenn Gould obsession. I've read this book, watched two documentaries, listened to the few Gould CDs I own, have a Glenn Gould station on Pandora, and am lining up YouTube videos to watch. Oh, the felicity of it: listening to GG means listening to J.S. Bach!But this book is focused on the piano, Steinway CD 318, that Gould played. Gould has been called the greatest living pianist (when he was alive). One recording executive put it this way: "You are one of the few authentic geniuses recording today. If you wanted to record the complete works of Alban Berg on a kazoo, I'd gladly do it." A book like this easily becomes a springboard for more learning. I wrote down twenty [people, musical pieces, ...] I want to explore. At the top would be the composer Orlando Gibbons. Gould's eccentricities and quirks are part of the story. It brings to mind the question I've had all my life: is there such a thing as a balanced genius? I enjoyed reading this book very much. Yes, it delves into the commonly known and oh so many eccentricities of Glenn Gould: He was one piano-playing prodigy nut case and that never fails to be interesting. But he was also an extremely gifted pianist of world renown and his search for the "perfect" piano with just the right touch and sound, then finally finding it in his beloved CD 318 Steinway grand piano becomes a very interesting story in the hands of this author. This book is very well-written and researched and a great read.
What do You think about Glenn Gould E La Ricerca Del Pianoforte Perfetto (2009)?
Who knew the depths of piano tuning could be so fascinating?
—millieasdfghjkl
Now all I want is to learn more about Glenn Gould!
—jadenangel
Insanely good narrative nonfiction.
—Victoriaperez_97
