A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano
by Katie Hafner
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Book Summary Information
Author: Katie HafnerEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-06-10
ISBN: 1596915242
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Book Reviews of A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano
Book Review: A Real Gem
Summary: 5 Stars
An engrossing account of concert pianist Glenn Gould's search for the perfect instrument. He had already passed out of his teen prodigy stage when, in l960, he found a battered Steinway grand in the back of an auditorium in Toronto. The CD 318, as it was known, was old and out of tune, but one touch of the keyboard and the artist apparently recognized his inanimate soul-mate. For almost a decade, Gould and a nearly-blind technician would toil over the piano in the pursuit of "perpetual refinement." The pair were searching for, what the author describes as, a "dry, clean, light" tone, something akin to a harpsichord's. And they were still inching toward perfection, when the CD 318 met its tragic demise.
Hafner's keen eye and ear illuminate a world where tones take on the characteristics of colors-- and the qualities of fine wines. There's never a false step, and her style is so hypnotic and personal that even the laymen among us come to love this ugly duckling of grands.
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