Way back in my childhood, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and television was still a rather new medium, TV sets were still a bit pricey so, in order to boost sales (NBC, in particular: it was owned by RCA, who manufactured TVs), the few networks available would put a substantial amount of high quality programming to appeal to the higher income, educated viewers. A benefit of this was what is now called the Golden Age of Television, highlighted by some of the best theater, dance, music and fine arts performances the medium has ever hosted. A favorite of mine were the programs hosted by famed conductor/composer, Leonard Bernstein. He would present not only a performance, he would also describe the origins of the pieces and the techniques and instrumentation. Very often, he would be joined by some of the foremost musicians of the time; in this clip he is joined by the legendary pianist, Glenn Gould. Gould was a true master artist and a true eccentric; he would often hum along softly as he played, something that could be heard on some of his recordings; and, he didn't use a normal piano bench; he sat on an old, wooden folding chair his father had built for him in his youth. Gould was also criticized by other musicians and music aficionados for his playing style: sitting too low, not holding his hands 'correctly', being too 'emphatic' in his movements, etc. Despite all his 'flaws', Gould was a genius pianist and a master interpreter of Bach:
An interesting note about Bernstein and Gould: Bernstein was a huge fan of Gould, but even he could be put to the test by Gould. There was to be a performance of Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor and Bernstein and Gould severely disagreed on the proper approach to the piece; Gould won the argument, but, a the beginning of the performance, Bernstein made a public disavowal of responsibility to the audience of what they were about to hear that evening. This clip begins with Bernstein's announcement, given in a way only he could deliver:
A further interesting non-musical note about Bernstein and Gould: Gould had, as they used to say, an lengthy 'intimate relationship' with Bernstein's wife, while she was still married to Bernstein; it seems 'musical beds' is not a game confined to only musicians in popular music...
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