Views
8 years ago

Volume 19 Issue 3 - November 2013

  • Text
  • November
  • Toronto
  • Jazz
  • December
  • Theatre
  • Symphony
  • Orchestra
  • Concerts
  • Arts
  • Bloor

WE ARE ALL MUSIC’S

WE ARE ALL MUSIC’S CHILDRENOctober’s Child was Atom EgoyanMJ BUELLWho isNovember’sChild?Born on St.Cecilia’s Day andnamed 25 times inthis issue ofThe WholeNote.Miss Ethel taughtpiano using theSeppings MusicMethod: “… taughtto feel a greatsense of keyrelationships,which is valuableeven in these daysof atonality.”Know ourMysteryChild’s name?Send your bestguess tomusicschildren@thewholenote.comby November 24.At home in London,England, 1921.Atom Egoyan is an acclaimedfilm, stage and opera director,also the author of severalbooks and articles who teaches andspeaks internationally. He was madean Officer of the Order of Canada in1999. When he’s not travelling theworld, he lives in Toronto with hiswife, actress Arsinée Khanjian, andtheir son, Arshile.Egoyan was born in Cairo toArmenian/Egyptian parents andraised in Victoria, British Columbia.As a teenager he was very interestedin reading and writing plays.He moved to Toronto at 18 to studyInternational Relations and alsoclassical guitar. As a student atthe University of Toronto’s TrinityCollege his early short films, startingwith Howard In Particular weremade with the assistance of the HartHouse Film Board. His first featurefilm was Next of Kin (1984); hislatest feature The Devil’s Knot, with a score composedby longtime collaborator Mychael Danna, premieredat TIFF in September 8. His vigorous career includesupwards of 20 remarkable films, as well as performanceart and theatre starting with projects at the RhubarbFestival and Tarragon Theatre. He premiered an awardwinningmulti-media and live action production ofSamuel Beckett’s Eh Joe at the Gate Theatre in Dublinin April 2006 which played in Sydney in 2007 and NewYork in 2008. Egoyan returned to the Toronto theatrescene in 2012 to direct Khanjian in Cruel andTender at CanStage.Richard Strauss’ Salome was Egoyan’s firstopera. He included significant cinematicelements: live video and film were incorporatedand one crucial scene was performedbehind projected images. First staged forthe Canadian Opera Company in 1996, itwas performed at the Vancouver Opera inNovember 1997 and Houston Grand Operain 1998. In 2006 Egoyan directed the COCproduction of Wagner’s Die Walküre,Salome for the COC again in 2013, and Feng“Don’t get depressed about not beingwhere you want to be. This naggingfeeling of anxiety is actually calledambition. Ambition is your friend. Nothingwill ever turn out the way you want it to.It may be better. It may be worse. It willnever be exactly what you imagined.”From Atom Egoyan’s Golden Rules, postedin MovieMaker Magazine. March 24, 2010.Yi Teng — an opera composed by GuoWenjing — at Luminato 2013. He’lldirect Mozart’s Così fan tutte for theCOC in January 2014.When you look at your childhoodphoto today …?I wonder what that person wouldhave thought of the person who’slooking at the picture now?Musicians in your family?My sister (pianist) Eve Egoyan is anamazing, brilliant musician. I’vealways been in awe of her talent.If you could travel back in time andtalk with the little person in thatchildhood photo is there somethingyou’d like to tell him about music?Take music theory WAY moreseriously! I studied classical guitarfor many years, but wish I weremore versant in technical language,especially now that I’m working inmusic theatre.What is your absolute earliest musical memory?Trying to sing along to “Yellow Submarine,” but thinkingthe words were “‘Yallah,’ Submarine!” (I understoodmore Arabic than English at that point.)Where did hearing music come into your childhood?Through my love of the Beatles and my parents’ classicalrecordings of Stravinsky, and then — explosively — JesusChrist Superstar.Your first memory of making music?Singing in my school chair. Later I was in a schoolproduction of Pirates of Penzance, which left a hugeimpression on me.Music in your film work?I have an amazing relationship with my composer,Mychael Danna — he’s scored all my films. He won anOscar this year for his work on Life of Pi.How did you meet composer Mychael Danna?Mychael Danna was very famous at U of T where weboth studied. We connected through doing plays there.Music fit in your family life today?Between the opera work, film scores and variousconcerts (not to mention the times I still play classicalguitar), it remains a huge part of my life.TINA ROWDENCONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS!Bill Wilson won Canadian Opera Company tickets for Così fan tutte, directed by Atom Egoyan (January 2014). Threereaders have won soundtrack CDs for Egoyan films with scores by his long-time collaborator — composerMychael Danna. The following comments on each of the scores are by Egoyan himself. Janos Gardonyiwins ARARAT. “Mychael does an astonishing job of blending Armenian film music, sacred moments from ourliturgy and choir, and finding his own orchestral vision.” Claudia Krawchuk wins EXOTICA. “One of thebreakthrough examples of ‘world music’ that brought Mychael to my attention, it’s the only score where manyof the themes were explored before we started shooting.” Annie Odom wins FELICIA’S JOURNEY. “Acrazy mix of pure Celtic, atonality, 50s kitsch pop and Mantovani. This is one of Mychael’s most inventive andexploratory scores.”Music’s Children gratefully acknowledges Joseph and Sushan, Marcy Gerstein, S.N. Bianca, Robert and Edith.64 | Novemberr 1 – December 7, 2013 thewholenote.com

KEN WAXMANArrivals/Departures – New Horizons in JazzStuart Broomer, Brain Morton & Bill ShoemakerCalouste Gulbenkian Foundation€ 34.50 (includes international shipping) montra@gulbenkian.ptISBN: 978-972-31-1493-5 UPC: 9789723114935!!Distinguished as much for its scholarshipas for the artful, mostly colourphotos and illustrations which make it anattractive souvenir, this 240-page volume waspublished by Lisbon’s annual Jazz em Agosto(JeA) Festival to mark its 30th anniversary ofinnovative programming. It says a lot aboutthe individuals who program JeA that ratherthan commissioning a vainglorious rundownof the festival’s greatest hits, they turned tothree respected jazz critics to profile 50 of themost important musicians, living or dead,who have performed at the festival.The three writers are Brian Morton from the United Kingdom,American Bill Shoemaker and Canadian Stuart Broomer, who alsowrites for The WholeNote. The profiles reflect how universal jazz — ormore properly improvised music — has become in the three decadesJeA has been in existence. Once exclusively thought of as the UnitedStates’ contribution to the music world, only slightly more than half ofthe profiles are of American improvisers. Additionally the majority ofthe Yanks are not only better known in Europe than North America,but earn the greater part of their income overseas at festivals like JeA.Well-written and insightful, the profiles include those of acknowledgedtrailblazers such as saxophonists Evan Parker and Steve Lacy,drummer Max Roach and pianists Muhal Richard Abrams and CecilTaylor, plus those just establishing a reputation like pianist CraigTaborn, trumpeter Peter Evans and guitarist Mary Halvorson. Offeringa wealth of information and craftily outlining the performers’ contributionsto jazz history as well as a list of essential recordings, theessays could be a primer for those interested in more exposure toexcellent music and musicians not promoted by celebrity-obsessedmass media. Broomer’s essay on American saxophonist John Zornand Shoemaker’s on French bassist Joëlle Léandre are particularlyinstructive since they pinpoint the many and varied non-jazzinfluences that helped create these musicians’ exceptional improvisedsounds.For Canadians however the biggest disappointment is that none ofthe musicians profiled come from this country, although even Japanand Australia are represented. But of course the omission reflects JeA’sbooking policies rather than editorial decisions. Considering thatCanadians in greater numbers, including expatriates like New Yorkbaseddrummer Harris Eisenstadt and pianist Kris Davis as well ashomebodies like Vancouver clarinetist François Houle and Montrealreedist François Carrier are making a profound impact on the sort ofevolving music JeA supports, that situation could soon be reflected byJeA and perhaps a future volume.Welcome NewBlue Pages Members!!Last month we published our annual Blue Pages Presenter Profiles,but performers and presenters continue to join the Blue Pagesyear-round.This month a warm welcome to:MUSIC MONDAYSMusic Mondays is a concert series held in thehistoric Church of the Holy Trinity in downtownToronto, right beside the Eaton Centre. It presentsclassical, world and jazz music with an emphasis onemerging artists.OLEG SAMOKHIN, PIANISTOleg Samokhin, a classical Canadian pianist,has an impressive repertoire of over 50 musicalprograms — for orchestra, piano concerts, programswith singers, cello, violin and classical guitar, justto name a few. Oleg is represented by OutsmartPromotion Services — a Toronto-based musicalpromotion company.To read more about these presenters and our other 167 Blue Pagesmembers, visit TheWholeNote.com/bluepages.To inquire about joining the Blue Pages contact Karen Ages at416-323-2232 x26 or members@thewholenote.comOur other annual directories are:Summer Music Festivals: thewholenote.com/greenEducational Orange Pages: thewholenote.com/orangeChoral Canary Pages: thewholenote.com/canarythewholenote.com November 1 – December 7, 2013 | 65

Volumes 21-25 (2015-2020)

Volumes 16-20 (2010-2015)

Volumes 11-15 (2004-2010)

Volumes 6 - 10 (2000 - 2006)

Volumes 1-5 (1994-2000)