GG Celebrations at the NAC

[Arin Murphy <la_murph@alcor.concordia.ca>]

Don't anyone dare call me a slacker... I was there in person!

And an amusing evening it was, let me tell you. After finally deciding
that I was going to go (I'm a bit shy that way), and after the quite
enjoyable 2 hour drive from Montreal, I and my escort walked into a very
posh, quietly elegant lobby decorated with very impressive framed
photographs of our Glenn. There were about forty people circulating, most
in suits or high heels. There were large tables set up with cheese and
fruit, and silent waiters were circulating with silver trays set with
glasses of wine. (Not quite champagne, Kirsten, but close enough!)
Needless to say, I felt out of place - hi, I'm a grad student who likes
Gould, what am I doing here amongst all these executives? To the side
there were a few technicians setting up the large-screen TV and one or two
working on the computer, trying to get the webchat up, and yes, even at
five o'clock they were experiencing technical difficulty. Well, my escort
led me to a wall with photos and said, "Okay, Ar; who is this guy, and why
are you doing your thesis on him?", and I was off and running - slowly at
first; I'm not used to people actually being interested in my work, you
see. So we made our way around the room, and all the time I was looking
out of the corner of my eye, wondering where they were hiding the Bazzana
books.

Someone tinged a glass for silence, and we all gathered around the
president of the NAC. Flash bulbs popped, TV cameras rolled (I was the
small brunette in the green sweater next to the big bearded red-haired
gentleman, if anyone picked up CJOH just south of the border), and we were
informed of the rather surreal situation: Kevin had been unavoidably
detained elsewhere and couldn't make it that evening, and his books,
imported from the UK, had also gone astray, so there we were at a book
launch with no author and no book. Okay, we laughed. We had to. It was too
funny. Then John Lawson gave a lovely little speech about how Glenn Gould
unites people from all over the world, and how pleased he is with Kevin's
work. The official opening was then over, and my escort and I went for
dinner.

We got back at about seven-twenty, and I immediately went to the webchat
screen to see who was talking, and I got a thrill to see it was Mary Jo!
"Mary Jo!" I exclaimed, pleased to `see' someone I knew at last, and about
three people turned around to look at me. (It was the question answered by
Steven about the major party planned for Sept 1999; see you all there!) 
Ooops. Then we went in for five straight hours of GG films, and I loved
it. More surrealism, though; the NAC had asked Lise Ostwald if they could
make copies of her Chemins de Musique films,a nd she agreed; they were
done in San Fransisco with Dobly remastering and all; and in shipment they
got damaged; misfortune dogs these celebrations, let me tell you! So... as
a treat, we actually watched Gould's own copies, graciously donated by the
National Library. And I'm glad I saw them. Film analysis at some other
time, perhaps. 

So that's my report. The exhibit was great; super choice of photos by
Hunstein, and even some Gould scores and typed letters and stuff. All in
all, fun, and informative, and I wish you all could have been there.

Arin Murphy
Student, Savoyard,
Bookseller, Cellist-By-Night

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"It really isn't difficult if you give your whole mind to it."
				-Lady Angela, Act 1
				   Gilbert & Sullivan's `Patience'