One moment I feel sorry for the recording industry. The next moment I can’t help thinking they (not their artists) deserve their current sorry state.
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
I’m having one of those less charitable moments as I read that Glenn Gould is getting a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys next month.
It shows remarkable imagination, not to mention prescience, to bestow this accolade only 364 months after Gould’s death. Fortunately, Steven Posen, Gould’s executor, is still able to go to the invitation-only ceremony to accept the award.
John Terauds
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Here’s the full text of the press release, as sent out by Sony Classical this morning:
Sony Classical is delighted to acknowledge, internationally renowned Canadian pianist Glenn Gould’s inclusion on the list of luminaries named as recipients of the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Gould will be honoured with six other artistes at a special invitation-only ceremony held during GRAMMY Week on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, and a formal acknowledgment will be made during the 55th Annual GRAMMYAwards® in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013. Stephen Posen, Gould’s long-time friend and the Sole Executor of the Glenn Gould Estate will be attending the ceremonies to accept the award.
“I am saddened that Glenn Gould is not here to receive this honour personally but we are thrilled that Glenn’s achievements have been recognized by the Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Mr. Posen. “This award is the pinnacle in the recording arts, which Glenn made clear, by his statements, writings and, most significantly, his actions, was his favoured medium for the communication of his art. He would be so honoured, and secretly amused, by this wonderful recognition of his recording arts”.
The Lifetime Achievement Award honors performers who have made contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording. The 2013 recipients also include Charlie Haden, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Carole King, Patti Page, Ravi Shankar and the Temptations.
A prodigy and four-time GRAMMY winner, Glenn Gould became one of the best known and most celebrated classical pianists of his time with a style of playing that was deeply expressive and rhythmically precise. In 1956 he earned international recognition with his first Columbia release, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, but his repertoire went on to include such works by Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Schoenberg, Brahms and Strauss. Gould, who was also a composer, conductor, broadcaster and writer, often offered original, deeply personal and shocking musical interpretations filled with extreme tempos, odd dynamics and finicky phrasing that made him a unique talent
As part of the celebrations of Gould’s legacy, Sony Classical has issued an array of Glenn Gould Anniversary releases, celebrating what would have been the great pianist’s 80th birthday year, and 30th anniversary of his death. The extensive collection includes “This is Glenn Gould: Story of a Genius”, “Best of Glenn Gould’s Bach” and “The Great Legacy: The Glenn Gould Collection”. A full listing of the Anniversary titles follows below.
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
