A bronze statue unveiled outside the Glenn Gould studios in downtown Toronto Sunday will probably strike a chord with fans of the legendary Canadian pianist.

The artwork shows him sitting on a bench wearing a hat, coat and gloves -- items Gould was almost never seen without, even on a hot summer's day.

And being equally famous for his reclusive ways, no matter what you say to the statue will be answered with silence.

Statue of Gould

Silence, however, did not accompany the dedication ceremony, which came after a week-long international conference on Gould, who died of a stroke in 1982 at the age of 50.

One of the world's most renowned classical musicians, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, paid tribute to his idol after receiving the Glenn Gould prize for musicianship.

"Glenn Gould was, since my college days, one of my great heroes," Ma said.

Gould began composing and performing by age five, and made his orchestral debut at 13. He was best known for his interpretations of Bach.

His first U.S. recording, Bach's "Goldberg Variations", rocketed him to international fame in 1955. He began a series of concert tours, and became one of the first Canadian artists to perform in the Soviet Union.

But in 1964, at the height of his career, Gould suddenly retired from the grind of giving live performances, condemning it as a gladiator's sport.

He then concentrated on trying to perfect performances in the recording studio, something he continued to work on until his death.

"Canadians are just waking up to the fact that Glenn Gould is our national hero," says Stanley Witkin, president of the Glenn Gould Foundation.

About 250 people from around the world came to Toronto for the conference, which included seminars on Gould's musical genius and eccentric ways, such as staying up all night and sleeping during the day.

"It's wonderful that a performer can generate such loyalty when his devotion was to music of what you might call the most demanding kind," said Roger Covell, a music critic from Australia.

Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt, considered an outstanding performer of Bach today, played the Goldberg Variations on one of the pianos that Gould used late in his career.

"One can't imitate Gould," Hewitt said. "He was so unique, and the way he played only suited his personality."

Another musician had his own view of the conference. Ezra Shabas used to perform with Gould, and said the pianist wouldn't understand all the fuss.

"He would be very amused at all this today, I think, if he were alive," Shabas said. "Very amused."