Glenn Gould: On the Record

In this follow up to the earlier segment, the film tracks Glenn Gould during a stopover in New York. Rather than a glossy concert portrait, it sketches a day in the life of the pianist as he talks with a taxi driver, negotiates with sound engineers at Columbia Records, and finally sits at the piano to rehearse and record Bach's Italian Concerto with exacting care. The camera gets close to speakers, the keys, and Gould's precise, sometimes teasing manner, offering a candid sense of his focus and independence. The mood shifts between wit and quiet intensity as he refines tempo, touch, and balance, revealing both the personality and the craft behind a studio performance. The portrait stays close without commentary.

Released in 1959, this short documentary was directed by Roman Kroitor and Wolf Koenig with Stanley Jackson credited as creator. It's the second part about Gould on record and stands in Canadian experimental cinema that captures music making on screen.

Critically, the piece has been seen as a focused portrait of Gould's method and temperament. It juxtaposes his playful banter with the taxi and studio interview with sterile recording equipment, underscoring themes of craft, control, and the tension between artistry and technique. Its pace invites viewers to notice every choice.

As part of Kroitor and Koenig's pioneering screen work in Canada, this film helped establish a visual language for how audiences meet a musician at work. It emphasizes the creative practice behind a performance and foreshadows later documentary approaches to music making. It helps viewers connect craft to performance directly.

Box office data for this 1959 short is not publicly documented. Given its status as a compact, experimental music profile, commercial earnings were probably modest and limited to screenings. Its cultural footprint is largely limited to archival showings and broadcasts.