Remembering Glenn Gould
Twenty Interviews With People Who Knew Him
Published by Penumbra Press in 2012; re-published independently in 2022.
Three decades after Gould’s passing at the age of 50, the world’s fascination with this remarkable Canadian pianist and public intellectual remains undiminished. Indeed, in the years since his sudden death, on October 4, 1982, he has been the subject of countless books, articles, documentaries and other presentations. His life and art have been thoroughly examined, analyzed and interpreted, in many ways.2022
Penumbra publisher John Flood says, “Among the remarkable attractions to Glenn Gould is that he holds an almost-mythical status in the zeitgeist of Canadian arts and letters, somewhat like Tom Thomson and Grey Owl, and that he captures the imaginations of all who encounter his music and life story. The interviews conducted by Colin Eatock underscore this phenomenon, and through them he assesses Gould's rightful place in the bigger picture of Canada's cultural heritage.”
In Remembering Glenn Gould, Eatock has brought together a diverse group of people who knew and worked with Gould: musicians, broadcasters, professional associates, writers and personal friends. Seeking to capture their memories of Gould as directly as possible, Eatock presents them in their own words, in Q&A interviews.
Interviewed in Remembering Glenn Gould are:
Remembering Glenn Gould may be ordered from Amazon, here. To read an excerpt from the book, click here.
Reviews of Remembering Glenn Gould
Three decades after Gould’s passing at the age of 50, the world’s fascination with this remarkable Canadian pianist and public intellectual remains undiminished. Indeed, in the years since his sudden death, on October 4, 1982, he has been the subject of countless books, articles, documentaries and other presentations. His life and art have been thoroughly examined, analyzed and interpreted, in many ways.2022
Penumbra publisher John Flood says, “Among the remarkable attractions to Glenn Gould is that he holds an almost-mythical status in the zeitgeist of Canadian arts and letters, somewhat like Tom Thomson and Grey Owl, and that he captures the imaginations of all who encounter his music and life story. The interviews conducted by Colin Eatock underscore this phenomenon, and through them he assesses Gould's rightful place in the bigger picture of Canada's cultural heritage.”
In Remembering Glenn Gould, Eatock has brought together a diverse group of people who knew and worked with Gould: musicians, broadcasters, professional associates, writers and personal friends. Seeking to capture their memories of Gould as directly as possible, Eatock presents them in their own words, in Q&A interviews.
Interviewed in Remembering Glenn Gould are:
- John Beckwith (composer and fellow student at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory)
- Verne Edquist (piano technician)
- Cornelia Foss (girlfriend)
- Robert Fulford (journalist and childhood next-door neighbour)
- Stuart Hamilton (fellow student at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory)
- Walter Homburger (concert manager)
- Andrew Kazdin (recording technician for CBS Masterworks)
- Anton Kuerti (pianist)
- Jaime Laredo (violinist)
- William Littler (music critic)
- Timothy Maloney (clarinetist and archivist)
- John McGreevy (film maker)
- Margaret Pacsu (CBC broadcaster)
- Tim Page (music critic)
- Stephen Posen (lawyer)
- John Roberts (CBC broadcaster)
- Ray Roberts (personal assistant)
- Ezra Schabas (administrator)
- Vincent Tovell (CBC broadcaster)
- Lorne Tulk (CBC technician)
Remembering Glenn Gould may be ordered from Amazon, here. To read an excerpt from the book, click here.
Reviews of Remembering Glenn Gould
- Rather than add to the hefty corpus of speculative commentary on Gould, Eatock has assembled a bracing collection of first-person reminiscences by people who actually knew Canada’s most indestructibly famous classical musician. (Montreal Gazette)
- Divided into five chapters that each addresses a different aspect of Gould, the book works beautifully as either a quick overview of the man and artist or a refresher for those of us who have already spent years ensnared by the riddle of his life and artistry. (Musical Toronto)
- Published just this year, proof that there are still new things to be learned about Gould. The interview with Cornelia Foss is especially revealing. (CBC Books)
- Twenty different views of any single subject can both corroborate and confuse, and the composite picture of Glenn Gould that emerges by the end of the book is still one with many sharp facets. But there is something for everyone to learn in this fascinating set of narratives – from the Glenn Gould groupie (there are surprises) to the casual reader who may be encountering this enigmatic figure for the first time. Colin Eatock is a skilled interviewer. His questions are a good mix of the generic – topics he posed to everyone –and the person-specific, making the book an enjoyable and easy read. (Cleveland Classical)
- In Remembering Glenn Gould, author Colin Eatock questions twenty people who knew or were somehow associated with the pianist. Sometimes asking the same questions to different friends and colleagues we gain insight that paints a more complicated portrait than is presented in previous books. I also appreciate that Eatock follows up each interview with an enlightening postscript and footnotes explaining some of the details that add interest to the story. (Texas Public Radio)
- In each of these twenty conversations, Eatock shines new light on the life of the enigmatic pianist. The author’s well-researched questions are individually tailored to each interviewee, allowing widely varying personal opinions and experiences to come to the fore. (KUSC Radio, Los Angeles)
