Gould Bash

In early 1956, the international world of music suddenly became aware of a formidable newcomer. Glenn Gould, a 24-year-old Canadian pianist, seemed to come from nowhere to establish an astonishing presence, particularly associated with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The occasion was the release by Columbia Records of the complete Goldberg Variations, recorded by Gould in June 1955 at Columbia’s downtown Manhattan studio. Gould’s take on the relatively under-performed work was revolutionary. And his technical execution was breathtaking. His career as a performer was assured right from the outset.

CBC Shop

The most renowned Canadian classical performer of the 20th century, pianist Glenn Gould remains one of the most fascinating and celebrated figures in all of music, the archetypal riddle wrapped inside an enigma wrapped inside a conundrum. A former child prodigy, his piano artistry was unparalleled, yet he often received less recognition as a virtuoso than as a troubled eccentric; a disconnected recluse notorious for such odd habits as wearing a wool topcoat in the dog days of summer, Gould was a sight to behold even in live performances – seated on a low chair and slumped over the keyboard, humming (sometimes singing) audibly to himself as he played, all the while conducting with his free hand.

Pianist Victor Gould's debut utilizes a variety of large gears, pinions, and regulators to help fashion his own ideas. You just never know who'll be standing in for which of those parts. The high-octane combination of Gould, bassist Ben Williams, and drummer E.J. Strickland is at the center of each scene, but they're joined, at different times, by a variety of other musicians and instruments—saxophones, trumpet, flute, strings, and percussion—which help to create an intricate sonic mesh and add a variety of tonal colors to the mix. It's heady modernistic jazz language and high art rolled into one.

An zwei Abenden versammelten Milica und Hans Theessink eine illustre Schar an nationalen und internationalen Künstlern im Wiener Metropol, und zwar am 5. und 6. April 2008, um den 60. Geburtstag von Hans Theessink in gebührender Weise zu feiern. Fans hatten an diesen beiden Abenden die Gelegenheit, unvergessliche Konzerte zu erleben.All jene, die an diesen Abenden nicht selbst dabei sein konnten, aber natürlich auch die glücklichen, die diese Konzerte erleben durften, finden mit der CD „Birthday bash“ ein wahrlich einzigartiges Tondokument, das diese unvergesslichen Abende in perfekter Form festhält.Hans Theessinks Album „Birthday bash“ enthält zwei CDs….

Glenn Gould was born to comfortable middle-class parents in Toronto in 1932. A pampered only child, Gould demonstrated his remarkable talents quite early and in 1943 entered the Toronto Conservatory of Music, where he quickly came to the attention of its director, Sir Ernest MacMillan. On MacMillan's recommendation, Gould was taken on as a student by the Chilean-born pedagogue Alberto Guerrero, whose own style was partly the basis for Gould's own sensitive touch. Gould once described Guerrero's keyboard technique as not so much striking the keys as "pulling them down."