Canadian Geographic – On December 28, 1967, the CBC Radio program “Ideas” broadcast an hour-long documentary by Glenn Gould called, “The Idea of North.” Commissioned as part of the CBC’s celebration of Canada’s centennial year, it was the first of what would become his Solitude Trilogy. These radio documentaries allowed Gould – at the time retired from live performance and devoted exclusively to recording – to explore solitude and isolation, subjects that had fascinated him for most of his life. He was able to push the boundaries of radio by manipulating human voices into compositions by organizing them according to musical theory.

Listen (CBC): “The Idea of North” (excerpt)

Link to source

More information:

• Library and Archives Canada: The Glenn Gould Archive.
• The Inner Eye: a series of collages created by Joan Hebb and inspired by The Idea of North.
• Canadian Museum of Civilization: “Glenn Gould: the Sounds of Genius” (on-line exhibit).  Press release.
• Third Coast International Audio Festival: Allan Coukell on Glenn Gould and The Idea of North (Essay).