Solitude Trilogy

Solitude Trilogy takes for its title that of a series of three radio documentaries made by Canadian pianist Glenn Gould for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation between 1967 and 1977 (The Idea of North, The Latecomers & The Quiet in the Land). This work, which sets the poems (two by William Butler Yeats and one by Edward Thomas) in three movements, echoes Gould's fascination with the ambiguity of withdrawal. In each text, it is a bird which stands for the character of isolations. The strings, harp, solo singers and chorus provide a gently contrapuntal commentary on Gould's vision throughout the piece.