At first reading, the program change at Manhattan's Philharmonic Hall seemed an unwelcome surprise: the bedazzling Canadian Pianist Glenn Gould had fallen ill and would be replaced as soloist with the New York Philharmonic by somebody named Andre Watts. "Mr. Watts,'' the program note said, "was born June 20, 1946." Could the soloist of the evening really be that young? Then Mr. Watts appeared—sober, skinny, and 16. He got a good-natured round of applause: the Philharmonic regulars seemed to be saying, why pick on a kid? But when Andre left the stage at last, the ringing cheers unmistakably said that no...
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