Glenn Gould: A Portrait (1985) 7/12

Of all the films, documentaries and retrospectives I've seen on Glenn Gould, this one is my favorite. It was written, directed, and narrated by Vincent Tovell and Eric Till.

That this documentary is out-of-print is a crime. (Anyone from the CBC listening?) As far as I know, this film is unavailable for viewing anywhere online (except here).

One of the things that makes this documentary so wonderful is that it was made only three short years after Glenn's untimely death in 1982 at age 50. The love and the pain on the faces and in the voices of all the interviewees, especially his dear cousin, Jesse Greig, is palpable.

If you've seen "32 Short Films on Glenn Gould," you'll notice that it "borrowed" heavily from this documentary. (It seems to me that François Girard lifted entire segments.) I enjoyed the film; I prefer the documentary.

I apologize for the crappy video and audio quality. I ripped this straight from an old VHS tape, using One Touch Video Capture. It's the best I could do. I guess sometimes you just can't keep that creaky chair from creaking.

May Glenn Gould forgive me.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Glenn
• Gould
• Portrait
• CBC
• Documentary
• Biography
• Canadian
• Pianist
• Toronto
• Bach
• Wagner
• Strauss
• Schoenberg
• Radio
• Solitude
• Bernstein
• Stokowski
• Bruno
• Monsaingeon
• Yehudi
• Menuhin

[MissOkrzemka]

6:09 it's Ravel's La Valse in transcription for piano

[erp65]

@MissOkrzemka -- Muchas gracias, senorita.

[munkybrain]

a genius. i say it in this moment because i mean it at this moment like i havn't meant it before at any time.

[Germaine52]

I have loved Glenn Gould for 30 years...he is the neplus ultra of pianists.

[cvardi]

I can't believe that he wasn't wearing gloves!

[DesertAnnie]

♫♪ O' Glenn Gould, my *Obsession*!! Please beware, I have a 'warning' for anyone new to the 'discovery' of him & his astounding talent; if you start obsessing over him, you may never be the same again! You will lose 'pieces of your heart' every time you watch and/or listen to him! Also, get ready to begin collecting as many CD's, DVD's, books, etc. as you can afford [& some you 'can't] because you just won't be able to stop, once you've begun! (It's a wonderful way to "go broke" tho)! ;-)

[neworleansusan]

Every now and then a great thinker comes along that shakes up everything - music, word, radio, writing, and thank you Glenn, you did that for me. Solitude is my best friend also and has produced ectasy. I prefer animal companionship to human companionship.

[whatever534231]

what is the piece played at 6:09?