At the beginning of May a young Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, not well-known to general public, performed at the stage of the Conservatory. It became the beginning of breaching of “the iron curtain” in the world of music.
There is nothing to argue about: foreign performers played on tour in our country from time to time even in very dead time at the beginning of the 50-ies. But Gould’s appearance demonstrated such a degree of freedom referring to a musical text that had never been heard of before in Russia. At that time the performers’ preferences were preserved at the level of the 20-ies.
Gould was and still is a sign of the now distant and short epoch when it was fashionable to be intelligent.
Gould’s concerts that took place in Moscow and Leningrad some years later when the musician was at the high point of his glory and in the best of his professional form were an enormous success. But as Gould admitted himself (we also share this opinion), that his first visit in 1957 that initiated his winning of the world recognition was the most important in his creative life.
This tape that retains the moments of the live communication between Gould and the Russian listeners is the most valuable evidence of the event.
