Search - Michael Stegemann, Glenn Gould :: The Glenn Gould Trilogy, A Life [SACD]

Dull, Disappointing Documentary

Stormy Hunter | Encinitas, California USA | 06/29/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"An interesting premise: Take Glenn Gould's own contrapuntal radio format and apply it to a trilogy of documentaries about Gould himself. It sounds promising, but the result is disappointing. While Gould's own radio documentaries are comprised of interviews with the actual people involved, "The Glenn Gould Trilogy" uses mostly actors' voices. We hear relatively little of Gould's actual spoken words, even though there is plenty of material to draw from in the CBC archives. The actor who reads Glenn Gould's words sounds like an indecisive milquetoast; He has none of Gould's persuasiveness or conviction. In addition to fabricated conversations (such as the one involving Columbia Masterworks' Deborah Ishlon), there are obvious mistakes. At one point, an actor playing an interviewer asks the fake Gould if he really believed that "Mozart died to early rather than too late". Gould in fact stated that he believed Mozart to have died "too late rather than too early". There are also bits of Gould performances which - unbelievably - are re-edited to form medley-like pastiches. In short, this set is for diehard Gould fans only; those collectors who have to have absolutely everything. To the casual listener, "The Glenn Gould Trilogy" would be confusing, ultimately leaving the listener with a "who gives a damn" attitude."