Glenn Gould's passion for his piano

A new book looks at how his beloved Steinway grand was the idiosyncratic pianist's constant recording and concert companion.

It's hard to believe a 9-foot-long black object weighing 1 1/2 tons can sit in the spotlight at centre stage and not get noticed.

We all know a concert grand piano when we see one, but the attention is always on the person playing it.

Those of us sitting in the audience, or listening to the CD, may take the instrument for granted, but it can make or break an artist's performance. Especially in the case of Canadian piano legend Glenn Gould, who died in 1982.

His lifelong quest to find and then obsessively maintain the right piano has all the qualities of a passionate love affair. [Additional story here].

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