What's On at the Library

On October 31, 6:30 pm at Runnymede Branch, Rick Phillips of Sound Advice presents the second of two lectures devoted to an exploration of the mind and music-making of Glenn Gould (1932-1982).

For two decades Gould's virtuosity (and his well-known eccentricities) drew audiences internationally, but then, in 1964, he stopped performing in public. What happened next in Gould's fascinating career is really the subject of this lecture. In a 2002 article for Gramaphone Rick Phillips writes, "For Gould saw himself as more than a pianist. He also had interests in
writing, broadcasting, composing, electronic technologies, film – even
conducting. And he could see that the gruelling, taxing schedule of
concert artist was preventing him from realising these objectives."

Phillips' presentation will look at the musical and intellectual pursuits Gould followed until his premature death in 1982. Among other things, he avidly pursued studio recording–his final recording in 1981 was of Bach's Goldberg Variations, which you can hear on YouTube. You can also hear Glenn Gould play Bach and many other composers by accessing the Naxos Music Library through Toronto Public Library–all you need is your library card. The library also has an immense collection of CDs that can be borrowed. Click here to find recordings by Glenn Gould. 

Rick Phillips is renowned across Canada as the host and producer of CBC's Sound Advice, a weekly guide to classical music and recordings that aired on CBC for 14 years. He's also an extremely popular lecturer, teacher, journalist, musical tour guide and concert host. His Toronto Public Library lectures are usually pretty crowded, so be sure to get to the library early.