Getting back to Bach through Glenn Gould graphic novel

The Canadian pianist Glenn Gould has intrigued me a lot. As far as I can remember, I’ve always seen his name associated with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations BWV 988. This is not surprising since his 1955 recording of this set of variations has attained legendary status and is considered as one of the most important albums not just in classical music but in all of music history.

Those who know me quite well are aware that playing Bach is probably my biggest weakness. I do appreciate listening to his works and I usually find myself marveling at how he was able to compose such counterpoints. The architecture in his music is simply astounding. As I try to work my way into getting back into Bach, I happen to come across Glenn Gould once again which is inevitable.

A very attractive way for me to pump me up for Bach came to me through Glenn Gould A Life Off Tempo a graphic novel by Sandrine Revel. In this beautifully painted work (entirely done in digital watercolors), Revel jumps back and forth through several moments in Gould’s life. Some of them key moments like his first recital while some may seem mundane like his disastrous first attempt at fishing. And scattered in between these vignettes are sequences of fantasy attempting to grasp the thoughts and feelings of this visionary. These pages made me pause and savor the art more. And it somehow made sense to go larghetto at some point since not everything should be allegretto.

At first, I thought that having some characters recount their respective Glenn Gould experiences take away from the focus of the book. But these first hand accounts, that remained etched in these people's minds, were just the stuff that contributed to Gould becoming a legendary figure. I remember having to pause for a bit after reading about his first performance in Soviet Russia told years later by a witness. I had to stop so that I can let it sink in.

And don’t get me started with how the book captured the essence of the Goldberg Variations without the aid of sound or motion. That page was just sublime.

Clearly, reading the graphic novel was more than enough to make me give Bach another shot. Additionally, the book lists at the end recommendations on what to listen, read and watch. There are loads of resources available online too such as Glenn Gould's official YouTube channel. As for me, it’s on to listening to Glenn Gould’s legendary recording and working my way through Bach’s two part inventions.