Wondrous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould
by Kevin Bazzana
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kevin BazzanaEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2005-05-12
ISBN: 0195182464
Number of pages: 560
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of Wondrous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould
Book Review: Absorbing account of an unusual life
Summary: 5 Stars
Toward the end of his biography of Glenn Gould, Kevin Bazzana cites another Gould commentator to the effect that Gould led a rich life, but not one which would make for interesting reading in biography form. Bazzana adds in a footnote that it is of course up to the reader to decide whether his own biography proves that statement wrong. It is a pleasure to report that 'Wondrous Strange' proves a riveting portrait of an important cultural icon of the twentieth century, one who, as the introduction notes, has perhaps enjoyed an 'afterlife' more like that of James Dean or Elvis Presley than any other classical musician.
The strength of the biography is that it explodes the myth of Gould as some kind of unearthly, transcendent genius. Rather Bazzana convincingly argues that he was a man of his time. Gould's outlook was shaped by the protestant and puritanical culture of English Canada in the 1940s and 1950s, which at the same time made it possible for Gould to cultivate a style he might not have had the freedom to develop in hothouses elsewhere. Bazzana is very good on Gould's relationship with his one teacher, Guerrero, and the influence of Guererro's piano playing on Gould's. He's wonderfully lucid and articulate on GOuld's own playing and recording too.
Other absorbing sections of the book include Gould's early performing career and his tour of Russia in the late 1950s, where he won the admiration of Sviatoslav Richter. Gould's ideas about recording and his 'contrpuntal' radio programmes are placed in the context of contemporary thinkers about the media like Marshall McLuhan. Again Gould is a figure of his times here too. And there's a judicious assessment of Gould the man, the legends, and the very real foibles near the close.
An excellent work all round. Not a hagiography, but a balanced assessment of Gould and his legacy: of interest to Gould's large fan-base, of course, but also to sceptics - both will understand him better. Interesting too for anyone interested in the art of the piano, or in classical music as a recording industry. Good reading too for anyone interested in Canada after the 1940s or simply in the art of biography.
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