Re: GG: Gould & competition

[Alun Severn <alun@ukiah.demon.co.uk>]

Greg said:
>
>[...]  Didn't Gould
>declare himself to be a socialist?  Playing the stock market would seem to
>be more of a contradiction of his self-proclaimed socialism than a
>contradiction of his anti-competition .  It's a point that Friedrich
>makes in his book.

Right. OF *does* say that GG regarded himself as a socialist....And yet
what actual evidence there is for this -- in terms of political action or
affiliation -- I'm not sure. Socialists have historically done odder things
than play the stock market, but nonetheless, in my book I'm afraid it isn't
generally possible to both play the markets and be a socialist -- whatever
one terms oneself.

>Maybe a better example that Friedrich also elaborates
>on is Gould's jealousy of Horowitz's fame and the possibly competitive
>nature of Gould's choice of recording the Scriabin 3rd and 5th, and the
>Prokofiev 7th. >

I find this latter point easier to understand in some ways -- that GG
should have had a "blind spot" towards artistic competition is somehow more
understandable.

Regarding the market, I suppose one could say -- and maybe GG would have
agreed -- that Gould needed a quick, reasonably dependable means of earning
money if he was to continue his endless stream of often speculative
projects. But even so....

It's an interesting point, isn't it.

(A rest from GG tonight: instead a previously unknown but glorious baroque
work: Rameau's HIPPOLYTE ET ARICIE suite for orchestra performed on period
instruments by La Petite Bande. Beautiful, Handelian.)

A good Tuesday night to all from the frozen North.....((Well, a damp and
dark UK anyhow.)

Regards,  Alun

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"There's quite a bit of piano-playing going on there  --  and I mean that
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