"In searching for a manner in which CBC Radio 2 could pay tribute to pianist Glenn Gould on what would have been his 75th birthday (September 25, 2007), I was reminded of the means by which composers throughout history have honoured the memory of Johann Sebastian Bach – the composer most associated with Glenn Gould. Composers from Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt and Max Reger to Hanns Eisler, Walter Piston and Nino Rota have all celebrated Bach’s genius with works based upon the letters of his name: B-A-C-H (Note: in German, B = B flat; and H = B natural).
In this spirit, CBC Radio 2 commissioned eleven Canadian composers, from coast to coast, each to write a prelude and fugue for piano based upon the available letters in Glenn Gould's name (G-E-G-D). I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by the range and diversity of approaches that our composers have taken in realizing their individual commissions.
The title for this festive feast of fugal fecundity is taken from one of Glenn Gould’s own compositions: a light-hearted conversation piece in which Gould asks, incredulously, “So You Want to Write a Fugue?” This work, scored for four solo voices (SATB) and string quartet, was composed in 1963 for a CBC television programme called The Anatomy of the Fugue."
- Neil Crory, producer at CBC Radio 2