#3: Katie Hafner, A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould’s Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano

[kareila]

I’ve been a Glenn Gould fan ever since I saw 32 Short Films in college, but I learned a great deal from this book about his personal history, about the Steinway company business, and most surprisingly, about the technicians who were constantly called upon to help Gould achieve what he wanted with his playing. I knew that the piano designated CD318 was his preferred instrument, but I had no idea that he didn’t find it until he was several years into his recording career, and that he expended so much effort on maintaining it. Really interesting stuff that deepened my appreciation of his recordings even more.