Trivia

Was known to simply not show up for concerts when he was the featured soloist. Bernstein took note of this in 1962 when he began his public disclaimer of Gould's interpretation of the Brahms concerto with "Don't be frightened. Mr. Gould is here, will appear in a moment".

Attended same east-end Toronto high school (Malvern Collegiate) as Norman Jewison.

Canadian pianist known for his sometimes eccentric performances. He would sit on a piano stool no higher than 12 inches from the floor, with his face barely inches from the keyboard of his instrument. And in his recordings, one can often hear him vocalizing the music that he is playing.

He refused to play Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Debussy and much of the other core piano repertoire, deriding their masterpieces as empty theatrical gestures. He especially disliked Mozart, and named the obscure 17th century English composer Orlando Gibbons as his all-time favorite.

A statue of Glenn Gould is located outside CBC Headquarters in Toronto on Front Street. He's seated on a park bench in his trademark winter coat (often worn in the heat of summer).

Performed the Brahms D minor piano concerto with the New York Philharmonic in 1962 in a manner which led to Leonard Bernstein publicly disassociating himself from Gould's interpretation.

A biography of Gould by his friend Peter F. Ostwald suggests Gould had Asperger's Syndrome.

Wore overcoats in the summer and soaked his hands in hot water before performing.

Inducted to Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998 (charter member).