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SUNDAY
It’s been 50 years since Glenn Gould made his Washington debut, performing in the Phillips Collection’s small, prestigious music room. The Canadian piano phenomenon, who died at 50 in 1982, has come to be remembered as much for his eccentricities as the verve and “bony” sound of his best-selling recordings; his hypochondria, aversion to concert audiences, and increasingly isolated and nocturnal lifestyle are discussed in a 1998 TV documentary, Glenn Gould: The Hidden Genius, screening today. The younger Gould proves much more engaging, however, in a pair of 29-minute docs, Glenn Gould: Off the Record and Glenn Gould: On the Record. These 1959 sketches, which are excerpted in the later film, introduce a man who’s charismatic, vibrant, witty, and just a tiny bit loony. Washington Post music critic Tim Page, who reminisces about the pianist in The Hidden Genius, will introduce the program. The films screen at 1:05 p.m. (see Showtimes for other dates) at the American Film Institute’s Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $8.50. (301) 495-6700. (Mark Jenkins)