[f_minor] Perfectionism and Deterioration/Romance on 3 Legs

[Pat]

Dear all

A big thank you to Tim Conway for giving me a nudge to buy this book (bought the audio book version), which is currently playing on the iPod.

Romance On Three Legs is a most fascinating story about a pianist, his instrument and the man who would tune CD318 and make sure it would fit the needs and standards of GG. It is often forgotten that playing the piano was a very tactile experience for GG and if you still think that all the humming, conducting on that low chair was just showing off then please consider again.  Reckon that book will answer the question I had in the first place. I also reckon you will not get that much new insight into GG as an artist per se, but you will get a story previously untold. Highly recommended stuff !

Pat

From: Timothy Conway 
Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2013 5:33 AM
To: Discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould. 
Subject: Re: [f_minor] Perfectionism and Deterioration

Hello Pat, 

On 24/07/2013, at 3:29 AM, "Pat" <pzumst at bluewin.ch> wrote:


  How come a man who was a prefectionist to the level of Control Freak when it came to playing and recording his music hung on to the same piano for years, even when it had been severely damaged in the early 70s and it would probably have been cheaper and easier to find a new one that would fit the high standards of Mr. Gould ? Instead he spent money on expensive repairs, renovations etc and he even made a recording on that bleeding harpspiano or whatever that monstrosity is called bacause CD318 was not available. Sheer sentimentality ? Fear of the New Unknown Instrument ?

It's all explained in Katie Hafner's book, "A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano", Bloomsbury, ISBN-13: 978-1-59691-525-1, possibly the best book about GG I have read.


-- Tim Conway



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