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Re: GG, or How I learned to stop worrying and love Glenn Gould

Title: Message
Well, I'll be honest.
 
At first, it started out with the Goldbergs and a little tape cassette I had called the Little Bach Book (mostly 2-3 part inventions, now I know the screeching sound I heard was the Chromium Dioxide being scraped off the magnetic tape because I played it so many times). I got away with that. I would describe counterpoint, hum the quodlibet, talk about Count whatever his name was. So far, so good. My wife wasn't happy, but tolerant.
 
Next, we progressed to Beethoven Piano Concertos. I got away with _that_ because, well, it's Beethoven. I would explain how the 5th was a tribute to Napoleon (but later rescinded), written in the turbulent 1800s, etc. etc. I was pushing my wife's limits, but I thought, what the heck.
 
But THE FINAL STRAW was when I started playing The Idea of North in the living room. I think that is what got me banished from the stereo system. It was a little hard for my wife to follow along with all the voices. Or maybe she was getting sick and tired of me jumping and down excitedly on the couch and saying "Here comes Wally again! And then the Sibelius!!!". AND she would make me promise never to play Schoenberg or Hindemith in front of house guests.
 
Either way, the breakthrough came when my wife pointed out that I spend approximately 15 minutes a month sitting and listening to the stereo (I have 4 kids), and approximately 2 hours a day in my car going to and from work!!! So now I prepare my 15 or so CDs at the beginning of the week, and I'm a happy man!!! (Not woman, for which I apologize deeply).
 
Anyway, anyone who has never heard the Strauss documentary on the Hysterical Return hasn't lived. They're GG at his finest, music and yet oh, so clever. And that Duncan Haig-Guiness, WHAT an actor.
 
Regards,
Matthew
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Fred Stubbings [mailto:velfred@EARTHLINK.NET]
Sent: August 7, 2002 12:01 AM
To: F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU
Subject: GG

The marriage problem is a problem here also.  It is difficult to wait sometimes until ones mate is out of the house or at least out of the room to enjoy listening to GG recordings but maybe that makes listening to them that much more precious.
--- Fred Stubbings
--- velfred@earthlink.net
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