Today, Album Cover of the Week celebrates the recent anniversaries of Glenn Gould’s birth and death. “The Goldberg Variations” was Gould’s debut recording, and it launched his career as Canada’s most recognized classical musician. The cover of the album somewhat reflects the zeitgeist of the 1950s, when photography was starting to become more easily accessible as an art form. The film strip concept was something that was revisited many times in cover art in later years, but at this time it was pretty unusual for classical albums. The photos capture Gould in all his manic intensity, gesturing and tearing through a score. Gould’s musicianship would evolve drastically over his career, and the concept for this cover foreshadows that evolution. These are photos of genius in motion.
