Wondrous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould
by Kevin Bazzana
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Description
"In Wondrous Strange, Kevin Bazzana recaptures the life of Glenn Gould, one of the most celebrated pianists of our time. Drawing on twenty years of intensive research, including unrestricted access to Gould's private papers and interviews with scores of friends and colleagues, many of them never interviewed before, Bazzana sheds new light on such topics as Gould's family history, his secretive sexual life, and the mysterious problems that afflicted his hands in his later years. The author show more places Gould's distinctive traits - his eccentric interpretations, his garish onstage demeanor, his resistance to convention - against the backdrop of his religious, upper middle-class Canadian childhood, illuminating the influence of Gould's mother as well as the lasting impact of the only piano teacher Gould ever had. Bazzana offers a fresh appreciation of Gould's concert career - his high-profile but illness-plagued international tours, his adventurous work for Canadian music festivals, his musical and legal problems with Steinway & Sons. In 1964, Gould made the extraordinary decision to perform only for records, radio, television, and film, a turning point that the author examines with unprecedented thoroughness (discussing, for example, his far-seeing interest in new recording technology). Here, too, are Gould's interests away from the piano, from his ambitious but failed effort to be a composer to his innovative brand of "contrapuntal radio.""--Jacket. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
A calm thorough study of an amazing musician which does not overemphasize his idiosyncrasies, and discusses his musical interests at length. It is respectful but not cloying.
Along with presenting the wonderful story of Gould's life in an engrossing manner, Bazzana provides a parallel portrait of Canadian society. Fascinating. Enjoyed the musical detail.
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Author Information
8 Works 261 Members
Kevin Bazzana holds a doctorate in music history and literature from the University of California, Berkeley. A freelance writer, editor, and lecturer, he lives in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Wondrous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould
- People/Characters
- Glenn Gould
- Important places
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Classifications
- Genres
- Music, Biography & Memoir, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 786.2092 — Arts & recreation Music Keyboard, mechanical, electrophonic, percussion instruments Pianos [formerly: keyboard string instuments]
- LCC
- ML417 .G68 .B393 — Music Literature on music Literature on music History and criticism Biography
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 175
- Popularity
- 186,235
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.30)
- Languages
- English, Italian, Russian, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 11
- ASINs
- 3
