Glenn Gould at Work

Writing with a mixture of awe and exasperation, Kazdin, Gould's longtime producer at Columbia Records, paints a portrait that readers of Otto Friedrich's recent Glenn Gould will find familiar. The eccentric Canadian pianist (1932-1982) is shown as a hypochondriac, a substance abuser dependent on Valium, Nembutal, etc., a recluse who used and discarded people. He concocted a Machiavellian scheme whereby he would announce his retirement, then stockpile tapes of secret performances while his records soared in value. Kazdin speculates that the pianist may have had a romantic relationship with Cornelia Foss, wife of composer Lucas Foss, but concludes that ``the piano was his mistress.'' There is much about Gould's bizarre idiosyncrasies as well as details of recording sessions and appreciations of his unconventional playing, plus a discography of his recordings for Columbia. (Dec.)