Another Look at Glenn Gould

Although I listen to Glenn Gould playing piano quite frequently on CD, LP and digital format, in particular his renditions of the Bach repertoire, every so often a documentary or sort of documentary comes along that focuses on a new aspect of his life.  Having seen the scant few available thus far, the most current one (Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould) is a mishmash of the previous ones using the same old footage but incorporating some new ones and interviews with former associates and friends.  Quite a bit of the work seems to focus on the supposed and real love lives of the artist, which had been covered in some detail in last year's book by Michael Clarkson, The Secret of Glenn Gould: A Genius in Love.  While this is interesting for voyeurs, it seems but an unnecessary side note to the work of the artist and in my opinion should have remained secret.

One small gem is revealed in visual form by Ruth Watson Henderson, who had studied under the same teacher at the Toronto Conservatory of Music, whereby she demonstrated the technique of fingers bouncing off the keys, allowing it a high degree of independence.

Another is a scene most likely from the 1950s where a photographer asks him to put his scarf and gloves on (as people have expected him to be this unique character) and Glenn responds, "I've had quite enough of that kind of picture,"

A viewing of the film is not entirely wasted, though, as one gets to relive the life of Glenn Gould anew.  The essence of Glenn Gould as a creative artist comes through first and foremost, and the many pathways in which he sought to realize his dreams is always a source of genuine inspiration.  That he was able to turn his back on the world but still be in it, and achieve a most likely lasting place after he left at the early age of fifty (the age he said that he was going to die), is nothing short of remarkable in an age which increasingly focuses attention on meaningless actions, even more meaningless work, showmanship and marketing gimmicks.

The artist, alone (still from Genius Within)