Petula Travellers

Many considered  Glenn Gould to be a genius. The  famed Canadian classical pianist was renowned for his interpretations of Bach and he  was celebrated for his innovative approach to music. It seemed unlikely that Gould would be interested in the pop music of his time.  But Gould developed a fascination with the music and the voice of Petula Clark.  In the fall of 1967 in  High Fidelity /Music America Awards he published an essay entitled, “The Search for Petula Clark” which was later featured as a CBC Radio essay with a slightly changed title. This time it was, “The Search for Pet Clark.”  

 In the radio essay Gould suggested that Petula  had “a voice of such clarity and precision that it could be analyzed as one would a fine instrument.” Such was high praise from an established classical music virtuoso for a “pop”music performer. An  article in Saskatoon Symphony  suggested that the work is remembered as one of Gould’s most eccentric but visionary projects. “It reinforced his identity as not just a pianist but a public intellectual and cultural provocateur.” The essay  is believed to have been instrumental in bridging  what had traditionally been considered two separate art forms, popular and classical music.

So almost fifty years after the essay’s publication and having not been on a “Petula Adventure” for some time –my husband and I were delighted in April 2015 to learn that Petula was a featured artist and jurist  on the Glenn Gould Foundation’s Awards Committee and would be performing at the announcement of the Award winner in Toronto at the beautiful Koerner Hall at the Royal Conservatory of Music.

In an interview with the Toronto Star’s Peter Goddard  Petula revealed that she had actually never met Glenn Gould, despite having been to Toronto many times, though she revealed she had read his essay and considered it to be somewhat “tongue in cheek”.

Goddard’s article also addressed Petula’s musical participation in the upcoming Awards Committee event:

  It will come as no surprise to hear a little J.S. Bach on the program when the 2015 recipient of the Glenn Gould Prize is announced at Koerner Hall on Tuesday morning. No aspect of the late pianist’s genius continues to resonate more deeply than his Bach performance. What will be a surprise is that the Bach arrives when Petula Clark sings “Reflections,” her own coming-of-age lyric adapted to a melody derived from Bach’s chorale cantata, “Wachet auf,” itself borrowing from a 16th-century hymn.

“It was my producer John Williams’ idea,” says Clark to explain how the two needed something unique to complete Lost in You, her highly regarded 2013 album, released nearly half a century after her best-known hit single, ”Downtown.”

 The Gould  prize is awarded every two years to acknowledge  a person who during their lifetime “has enriched the human condition through the arts.”  The 2015  Prize jury was  chaired by rock producer Bob Ezrin. Others on the committee,  besides Petula,  were Adrienne Clarkson, Michael Ondaatje, Wu Man, Sarah Polley, Deborah Voigt, Martin Katz, and Princess Julie of Luxembourg and tenor Jay Hunter Morris who also performed at the event.. American composer Phillip Glass was announced as the winner at the April 14 public event.

As Petula Clark fans, my husband and I, had seen her perform in concert and in a musical venues but never on a panel of fellow artists. The venue was quite magnificent : Koerner Hall is a modern masterpiece and it was an impressive backdrop for the announcement of the Gould Prize winner. The event began at 11am –also a first for us –The patrons were of course not all there mainly to see Petula, though some obviously were by their reaction when Petula was introduced. 

Having seen Petula interact with fans on many occasions, I was always impressed by how warm, welcoming, and refreshingly non-diva-like she presented herself. This particular event placed her among people of considerable distinction , yet the same humility, sense of humour and respectful interaction shone through, even though she alone among the jurists had been singled out with much appreciation by Gould.

Her rendition of Reflections, as well as her Downtown accompanied by Grant Sturiale, was stirring and deeply moving, received with genuine appreciation by both patrons and fellow jurists. It was, without question, an interesting and unique Petula Adventure. Like all the others —

The Event is available to view in video on :