the high standards set by his predecessor,Charles Dutoit. For their newest release, theorchestra has issued acomplete set of theBeethovensymphonies, havingpresented them singlyduring the past sixyears. Six of themwere recorded livebetween 2008 and 2014 and along withexcerpts from Egmont and the Creatures ofPrometheus, it’s a handsome collection onthe Analekta label.There are innumerable recordings ofBeethoven’s complete symphonies, so whatmakes this one stand apart from the others?For one thing, it’s Nagano’s lack of sensationalism.Despite this conductor’s sometimeexuberant persona, his interpretationsare known for their intelligence and clarity,and this is nowhere more evident than in thiscollection. The Symphony No.1 is a case inpoint. From the first hesitant measures, thelistener immediately senses that indeed, thisis what Beethoven would have wanted. Thisgroundbreaking work is presented in an energeticand articulated manner, the phrasingalways carefully nuanced.On the other hand, Symphony No.3 issuitably heroic, my only quibble being aslightly brisker tempo in the opening movementthan I’m used to. When comparingthis to the more measured interpretations byEuropean conductors it may come across astoo hurried. But this is a minor point, and thecareful phrasing coupled with the exemplaryperformance by the brass and woodwindsmore than makes up for it.The much-beloved “Pastoral” is all gentleness,the strings demonstrating a particularwarmth and resonance.What more can be said about the greatSymphony No.9? This particular performancewas recorded for the inaugural concertin the new Maison Symphonique de Montréalin September, 2011 and features sopranosAdrienne Pieczonka and Erin Wall, mezzoMihoko Fujimura, tenor Simon O’Neill andbass Mikhail Petrenko along with the OSMChorus and the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir.While the approach is noble and confident,to my ears, it doesn’t break any new groundin interpretation – but this is not necessarilya bad thing, and the soloists all deliver solidperformances.But how do they handle my favouritesymphony, the glorious No.7 written in 1812?Not surprisingly, Nagano and the OSM live upto expectations. The performance is magnificent– energetic and robust – at all timesdisplaying a wonderful cohesion of soundparticularly evident in the joyful finale.Bravo to Maestro Nagano and the musiciansof the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.You have proven that there is indeed roomfor yet another set of the complete Beethovensymphonies – and the rousing applause at theconclusion of the live performances is a clearindication that others felt the same.Richard HaskellMahler – Symphony No.9Gewandhaus Orchestra; Riccardo ChaillyAccentus Music ACC 20299This is the sixth ofChailly’s live performancesof Mahlersymphonies thus farreleased on Blu-Rayvideo discs (andDVD). Each release(since the Secondand Eighth) containsa discussion of theparticular symphony,together with selectedrehearsals and concert excerpts to illustrateChailly’s rethinking of performance practicesand where he believes Mahler’s intentionswere misunderstood.We observe Chailly and Mahler scholar andauthor Henry-Louis de le Grange discussingthe work and weighing all the clues that led totheir considered opinion that this symphonyis not one of resignation and farewell asLeonard Bernstein, for one, would have it. Inthis performance, Chailly’s first movementreflects the metre of the first movement of theFourth Symphony; the second movement isfaster than usual with a sense of fantasy andthe third, Rondo-Burleske, is pleasingly brisk.His last movement is for listeners who areweary of the hand-wringing performances,especially those of Bernstein who helpedresurrect Mahler in the 1950s, that treat thesymphony as a tragic resignation, anotherAbschied. Chailly’s is a mighty performance,very positive and life-affirming.These are Chailly’s own insights and afterseveral listening sessions I am inclined toagree. There is no positive right or wrong,simply different points of view. This is a brilliantperformance, exceptional on every level,and deserves to be heard and reheard.Bruce SurteesInvocationHerbert SchuchNaïve discoveries V 5362Since he firstattracted attentionby winningthree importantcompetitions – theCasagrande, theLondon InternationalPiano Competitionand the International Beethoven Competitionin Vienna, Romanian-born pianist HerbertSchuch has been regarded as an artist lessfocused on flash and pizzazz and more onthoughtful and sensitive interpretation. Thisis certainly the case with his newest CD,Invocation. As a basis for the recording – histenth – he used his fascination with bellsand their sonorities, reflected in the inclusionof three 20th-century works: TristanMurail’s Cloches d’adieu, Messiaen’s Clochesd’angoisse and La vallée des cloches by Ravel.Apart from Bach transcriptions by FerruccioBusoni and Harold Bauer, the other compositionsare all by Franz Liszt, resulting in amost intriguing program.What makes this disc particularly appealingis the juxtaposition of musical styles. It openswith a Busoni transcription of Bach’s choraleIch ruf zu dir, her jesu Christ BWV639,music of quiet introspection. In total contrastis the short piece by Tristan Murail from1992, music showing distinct influences ofMessiaen with its tone clusters and use ofpolymodality. We’re then back in the 19thcentury for three movements from Liszt’sset of Harmonies poétiques et religieuses.The third and seventh, Benédiction de dieudans la solitude and Funérailles are largescalecanvases that should be undertaken byonly the most capable of Liszt players, butShuch handles the technical requirementswith apparent ease, achieving a wonderfullysonorous tone throughout. The piecesby Messiaen and Ravel are moody andmysterious, and Shuch’s refined interpretationdemonstrates a compelling sense ofrhythm and nuance.Eclectic and thoughtfully programmed,Invocation is a tribute to a wide range ofpiano music performed in a manner thatcombines sensitivity with brilliance – andas such, it is a most welcome addition to thecatalogue.Richard HaskellMODERN AND CONTEMPORARYThe Transfigured Nightingale – Music forClarinet and PianoJerome Summers; Robert KortgaardBlue Griffin Records BGR339bluegriffin.comClarinetistJerome Summershas completed his“Nightingale” trilogyof recordings, a projecthe began in 1994. Thisone, TransfiguredNightingale,comprises mostlyworks transcribed for clarinet, with theexception of Brahms’ Sonata in E-flat Op.120,No.2. Included on a mere technicality (it wastranscribed for viola by the composer), it’sreally here because Mr. Summers loves it, andwhy not? Late Brahms is balm to the soul ofthose who play the nerdiest of woodwinds,the exploding cigar of the orchestra.Summers handles the instrument withease. His tone on most of the material issmooth and velvety. Michael Conway Baker’sCanticle for Ryan (originally for violin)and Marek Norman’s Just Think (originally78 | December 1 2014 - February 7, 2015 thewholenote.com
a setting of a poem by Robert Service) areeffective if sugary vehicles for Summers’fluid cantabile. Two Shostakovich symphonicextracts offer an austere counterpoint tothese selections. I particularly like hearingthe scherzo from the Ninth presented as asolo piece with piano. Taking it at just underfull-on Russian March Hare tempo, Summerssounds like he’d fit in with any orchestra inthe country.Pianist Robert Kortgaard provides agreement,support and bundles of musicality.He and Summers agreed to a stately set oftempi for the Op.120, playing the part of eldergentlemen rather than impersonating theyoung Richard Mühlfeld, Brahms’ “nightingale.”Also included is Rachmaninov’s cellosonata, in Summers’ own transcription. At ahefty 36-plus minutes, it argues better for thecello than the Brahms does for the viola.Max ChristieBrian Current – Airline IcarusHuhtanen; Szabó; Thomson; Dobson; Sirett;Ensemble; Brian CurrentNaxos 8.660356Airline Icarusby composer BrianCurrent and librettistAnton Piatigorskywas initially commissionedin 2001 andunderwent a seriesof developments in the ensuing decade. Thisintense, 45-minute chamber opera transportsthe listener through an emotional journeyas it depicts the reactions of passengers andcrew on a doomed commercial flight. Thework was inspired by the tragic crash of aKorean airliner that was struck by a Sovietmissile in 1983 and descended for nearly 15minutes before impact.The opera’s award-winning composer,conductor and music director, Brian Current,presents a cohesive vision for this impressive,multi-layered work that incorporatesthe myth of Icarus, whose wings meltedafter flying too close to the sun. It serves as areminder that our technological advances canhave devastating results.The idea for Musicfrom Armenia for Celloand Piano, a DivineArt CD (divineartrecords.com)featuringNewfoundland cellistHeather Tuach and theArmenian-Canadianpianist Patil Harboyan, began with a 2012recital by the duo in Newfoundland thatincluded Alexander Arutiunian’s Impromptu,the short work that opens this disc. Theenthusiastic audience reaction to the pieceencouraged the performers to search theArmenian cello and piano repertoire formusic that would make for an appealing andinformative CD. They certainly succeeded.Armenia was under Soviet Russian rulefrom 1920 to 1991, and the music here isessentially what you would expect from thatbackground (Arno Babajanian’s Vocalise, forexample, is very similar to Rachmaninov’s),but the significant aspect of the CD is itsrecognition of the importance of the documentationand preservation of Armenianfolk music.The crucial figure in this respect wasGomidas, described in the excellent bookletnotes as the founder of Armenian classicalmusic and ethnomusicology, working inmuch the same manner as his direct contemporaryBéla Bartók in Hungary. Most of histen short folk songs here are arrangements bycellist Geronty Talalyan of the string quartetversions by Sergei Aslamazian, and they’rehighly entertaining.The one major work on the CD is theSonata for Cello and Piano Op.35 by HaroStepanian, who graduated from the LeningradConservatory and also collected Armenianmelodies from his homeland; the influencesof both his Russian training and hisArmenian folk music research are evident in aTERRY ROBBINSvery attractive and effective work.The whole CD is a fascinating portrait of amusical heritage perhaps most widely representedfor most people by the music of AramKhachaturian, who openly acknowledged his– and Armenian music’s – debt to Gomidas.The performances are rich and full of nuance,and the balance andrecorded sound are ideal.Chamber Works is aquite exceptional newCD featuring membersof Camerata Pacificaplaying music by theAmerican composerJohn Harbison, who turns 76 later thismonth (harmonia mundi usa HMU 907619).Violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti, violistRichard O’Neill and cellist Ani Aznavooriancombine for the six-movement String Triofrom 2013, a striking work of strengthand depth.Paul Huang is outstanding in the FourSongs of Solitude for solo violin, written forHarbison’s violinist wife. Technically challenging,these are lyrical pieces (“songs, notsonatas or fugues,” stresses the composer)with a definite edge.Songs America Loves to Sing, a set often popular American melodies for flute,clarinet, violin, cello and piano, rounds out amarvelous CD. The final track, AnniversarySong, ends with a wheezy harmonica contributionin Happy Birthday To You. It’s simplyterrific stuff!One of the real benefitsof reviewing CDs is theexposure to composers –especially contemporaryones – who are new toyou. Seven Deadly Sins,the new Naxos AmericanClassics CD (9.70204)of music for violin and piano by Paul Reale,who turned 71 this year, leaves me wonderingwhy I haven’t encountered his music before.I’ve obviously been missing something. Theterrific Jessica Mathaes (another name newto me) is the violinist here on her second CD,and Colette Valentine the equally impressivepianist.The Seven Deadly Sins suite was written in2009 for Mathaes especially for this recording(made in 2012) and offers humorous observationsof their effect on the human condition.Composers’ Reminiscences is a suite forsolo violin written in 2000, but substantiallyrevised for this recording. The seven short butchallenging pieces are described as “impressions”(and not imitations) of the styles ofBartók, Puccini, Paganini, Webern, Corelli,Ives and Haydn, but to be honest it’s difficultto differentiate between the two approaches.The Sonata for Violin and Piano, “CelticWedding” is another work that has beenextensively revised, this time from the 1991original, for its publication in 2007.The CD ends with the all-too-brief HolidaySuite, three very short pieces celebratingThanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s; thelatter features Auld Lang Syne mixed withthe soul of Dave Brubeck’s Take Five. “Thisis good-time music,” says Reale, “melodydriven, and devoid of pretension.”That’s also a pretty good description ofthe entire CD. This is immediately accessiblemusic written with craft, bite, intelligenceand humour, and given outstanding performances.Surprisingly, only the Celtic Weddingis available in sheet music form. It’s a pity;this is music that cries out for – and wouldbe greatly appreciated by – a much wideraudience.Strings Attached continues atthewholenote.com with new discs by AnneAkiko Meyers, Julian and Jiaxin Lloyd Weber,the Ensō String Quartet and Nigel Armstrong.thewholenote.com December 1 2014 - February 7, 2015 | 79
After some doubt that we would be allowed to go to press, in respect to wide-ranging Ontario business closures relating to COVID-19, The WholeNote magazine for April 2020 is now on press, and print distribution – modified to respect community-wide closures and the need for appropriate distancing – starts Monday March 30. Meanwhile the full magazine is right here, digitally, so if you value us PLEASE SHARE THIS LINK AS WIDELY AS YOU CAN. It's the safest way for us to reach the widest possible audience at this time!
FEATURED: Music & Health writer Vivien Fellegi explores music, blindness & the plasticity of perception; David Jaeger digs into Gustavo Gimeno's plans for new music in his upcoming first season as music director at TSO; pianist James Rhodes, here for an early March recital, speaks his mind in a Q&A with Paul Ennis; and Lydia Perovic talks music and more with rising Turkish-Canadian mezzo Beste Kalender. Also, among our columns, Peggy Baker Dance Projects headlines Wende Bartley's In with the New; Steve Wallace's Jazz Notes rushes in definitionally where many fear to tread; ... and more.
Visions of 2020! Sampling from back to front for a change: in Rearview Mirror, Robert Harris on the Beethoven he loves (and loves to hate!); Errol Gay, a most musical life remembered; Luna Pearl Woolf in focus in recordings editor David Olds' "Editor's Corner" and in Jenny Parr's preview of "Jacqueline"; Speranza Scappucci explains how not to reinvent Rossini; The Indigo Project, where "each piece of cloth tells a story"; and, leading it all off, Jully Black makes a giant leap in "Caroline, or Change." And as always, much more. Now online in flip-through format here and on stands starting Thurs Jan 30.
Welcome to our December/January issue as we turn the annual calendar page, halfway through our season for the 25th time, juggling as always, secular stuff, the spirit of the season, new year resolve and winter journeys! Why is Mozart's Handel's Messiah's trumpet a trombone? Why when Laurie Anderson offers to fly you to the moon you should take her up on the invitation. Why messing with Winterreisse can (sometimes) be a very good thing! And a bumper crop of record reviews for your reading (and sometimes listening) pleasure. Available in flipthrough here right now, and on stands commencing Thursday Nov 28. See you on the other side!
On the slim chance you might not have already heard the news, Estonian Canadian composing giant Udo Kasemets was born the same year that Leo Thermin invented the theremin --1919. Which means this is the centenary year for both of them, and both are being celebrated in style, as Andrew Timar and MJ Buell respectively explain. And that's just a taste of a bustling November, with enough coverage of music of both the delectably substantial and delightfully silly on hand to satisfy one and all.
Long promised, Vivian Fellegi takes a look at Relaxed Performance practice and how it is bringing concert-going barriers down across the spectrum; Andrew Timar looks at curatorial changes afoot at the Music Gallery; David Jaeger investigates the trumpets of October; the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution (and the 20th Anniversary of our October Blue Pages Presenter profiles) in our Editor's Opener; the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir at 125; Tapestry at 40 and Against the Grain at 10; ringing in the changing season across our features and columns; all this and more, now available in Flip Through format here, and on the stands commencing this coming Friday September 27, 2019. Enjoy.
Vol 1 of our 25th season is now here! And speaking of 25, that's how many films in the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival editor Paul Ennis, in our Eighth Annual TIFF TIPS, has chosen to highlight for their particular musical interest.
Also inside: Rob Harris looks through the Rear View Mirror at past and present prognostications about the imminent death of classical music; Mysterious Barricades and Systemic Barriers are Lydia Perović's preoccupations in Art of Song; Andrew Timar reflects on the evolving priorities of the Polaris Prize; and elsewhere, it's chocks away as yet another season creaks or roars (depending on the beat) into motion. Welcome back.
What a range of stuff! A profile of Liz Upchurch, the COC ensemble studio's vocal mentor extraordinaire; a backgrounder on win-win faith/arts centre partnerships and ways of exploring the possibilities; an interview with St. Petersburg-based Eifman Ballet's Boris Eifman; Ana Sokolovic's violin concert Evta finally coming to town; a Love Letter to YouTube, and much more. Plus our 17th annual Canary Pages Choral directory if all you want to do is sing! sing! sing!
Arraymusic, the Music Gallery and Native Women in the Arts join for a mini-festival celebrating the work of composer, performer and installation artist Raven Chacon; Music and Health looks at the role of Healing Arts Ontario in supporting concerts in care facilities; Kingston-based composer Marjan Mozetich's life and work are celebrated in film; "Forest Bathing" recontextualizes Schumann, Shostakovich and Hindemith; in Judy Loman's hands, the harp can sing; Mahler's Resurrection bursts the bounds of symphonic form; Ed Bickert, guitar master remembered. All this and more in our April issue, now online in flip-through here, and on stands commencing Friday March 29.
Something Old, Something New! The Ide(a)s of March are Upon Us! Rob Harris's Rear View Mirror looks forward to a tonal revival; Tafelmusik expands their chronological envelope in two directions, Esprit makes wave after wave; Pax Christi's new oratorio by Barbara Croall catches the attention of our choral and new music columnists; and summer music education is our special focus, right when warm days are once again possible to imagine. All this and more in our March 2019 edition, available in flipthrough here, and on the stands starting Thursday Feb 28.
In this issue: A prize that brings lustre to its laureates (and a laureate who brings lustre to the prize); Edwin Huizinga on the journey of Opera Atelier's "The Angel Speaks" from Versailles to the ROM; Danny Driver on playing piano in the moment; Remembering Neil Crory (a different kind of genius)' Year of the Boar, Indigeneity and Opera; all this and more in Volume 24 #5. Online in flip through, HERE and on the stands commencing Thursday Jan 31.
When is a trumpet like a motorcycle in a dressage event? How many Brunhilde's does it take to change an Elektra? Just two of the many questions you've been dying to ask, to which you will find answers in a 24th annual combined December/January issue – in which our 11 beat columnists sift through what's on offer in the upcoming holiday month, and what they're already circling in their calendars for 2019. Oh, and features too: a klezmer violinist breathing new life into a very old film; two New Music festivals in January, 200 metres apart; a Music & Health story on the restorative powers of a grassroots exercise in collective music-making; even a good reason to go to Winnipeg in the dead of winter. All this and more in Vol 24 No 4, now available in flipthrough format here.
Reluctant arranger! National Ballet Orchestra percussionist Kris Maddigan on creating the JUNO and BAFTA award-winning smash hit Cuphead video game soundtrack; Evergreen by name and by nature, quintessentially Canadian gamelan (Andrew Timar explains); violinist Angèle Dubeau on 20 years and 60 million streams; two children’s choirs where this month remembrance and living history must intersect. And much more, online in our kiosk now, and on the street commencing Thursday November 1.
Presenters, start your engines! With TIFF and "back-to-work" out of the way, the regular concert season rumbles to life, and, if our Editor's Opener can be trusted, "Seeking Synergies" seems to be the name of the game. Denise Williams' constantly evolving "Walk Together Children" touching down at the Toronto Centre for the Arts; the second annual Festival of Arabic Music and Arts expanding its range; a lesson in Jazz Survival with Steve Wallace; the 150 presenter and performer profiles in our 19th annual Blue Pages directory... this is an issue that is definitely more than the sum of its parts.
In this issue: The WholeNote's 7th Annual TIFF TIPS guide to festival films with musical clout; soprano Erin Wall in conversation with Art of Song columnist Lydia Perovic, about more than the art of song; a summer's worth of recordings reviewed; Toronto Chamber Choir at 50 (is a few close friends all it takes?); and much more, as the 2018/19 season gets under way.
PLANTING NOT PAVING! In this JUNE / JULY /AUGUST combined issue: Farewell interviews with TSO's Peter Oundjian and Stratford Summer Music's John Miller, along with "going places" chats with Luminato's Josephine Ridge, TD Jazz's Josh Grossman and Charm of Finches' Terry Lim. ) Plus a summer's worth of fruitful festival inquiry, in the city and on the road, in a feast of stories and our annual GREEN PAGES summer Directory.
In this issue: our sixteenth annual Choral Canary Pages; coverage of 21C, Estonian Music Week and the 3rd Toronto Bach Festival (three festivals that aren’t waiting for summer!); and features galore: “Final Finales” for Larry Beckwith’s Toronto Masque Theatre and for David Fallis as artistic director of Toronto Consort; four conductors on the challenges of choral conducting; operatic Hockey Noir; violinist Stephen Sitarski’s perspective on addressing depression; remembering bandleader, composer and saxophonist Paul Cram. These and other stories, in our May 2018 edition of the magazine.
In this issue: we talk with jazz pianist Thompson Egbo-Egbo about growing up in Toronto, building a musical career, and being adaptive to change; pianist Eve Egoyan prepares for her upcoming Luminato project and for the next stage in her long-term collaborative relationship with Spanish-German composer Maria de Alvear; jazz violinist Aline Homzy, halfway through preparing for a concert featuring standout women bandleaders, talks about social equity in the world of improvised music; and the local choral community celebrates the life and work of choral conductor Elmer Iseler, 20 years after his passing.
In this issue: Canadian Stage, Tapestry Opera and Vancouver Opera collaborate to take Gogol’s short story The Overcoat to the operatic stage; Montreal-based Sam Shalabi brings his ensemble Land of Kush, and his newest composition, to Toronto; Five Canadian composers, each with a different CBC connection, are nominated for JUNOs; and The WholeNote team presents its annual Summer Music Education Directory, a directory of summer music camps, programs and courses across the province and beyond.
In this issue: composer Nicole Lizée talks about her love for analogue equipment, and the music that “glitching” evokes; Richard Rose, artistic director at the Tarragon Theatre, gives us insights into their a rock-and-roll Hamlet, now entering production; Toronto prepares for a mini-revival of Schoenberg’s music, with three upcoming shows at New Music Concerts; and the local music theatre community remembers and celebrates the life and work of Mi’kmaq playwright and performer Cathy Elliott . These and other stories, in our double-issue December/January edition of the magazine.
In this issue: conversations (of one kind or another) galore! Daniela Nardi on taking the reins at "best-kept secret" venue, 918 Bathurst; composer Jeff Ryan on his "Afghanistan" Requiem for a Generation" partnership with war poet, Susan Steele; lutenist Ben Stein on seventeenth century jazz; collaborative pianist Philip Chiu on going solo; Barbara Hannigan on her upcoming Viennese "Second School" recital at Koerner; Tina Pearson on Pauline Oliveros; and as always a whole lot more!
In this issue: several local artists reflect on the memory of composer Claude Vivier, as they prepare to perform his music; Vancouver gets ready to host international festival ISCM World New Music Days, which is coming to Canada for the second time since its inception in 1923; one of the founders of Artword Artbar, one of Hamilton’s staple music venues, on the eve of the 5th annual Steel City Jazz Festival, muses on keeping urban music venues alive; and a conversation with pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, as he prepares for an ambitious recital in Toronto. These and other stories, in our October 2017 issue of the magazine.
In this issue: a look at why musicians experience stage fright, and how to combat it; an inside look at the second Kensington Market Jazz Festival, which zeros in on one of Toronto’s true ‘music villages’; an in-depth interview with Elisa Citterio, new music director of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; and The WholeNote’s guide to TIFF, with suggestions for the 20 most musical films at this year’s festival. These and other stories, in our September 2017 issue of the magazine!
CBC Radio's Lost Horizon; Pinocchio as Po-Mo Operatic Poster Boy; Meet the Curators (Crow, Bernstein, Ridge); a Global Music Orchestra is born; and festivals, festivals, festivals in our 13th annual summer music Green Pages. All this and more in our three-month June-through August summer special issue, now available in flipthrough HERE and on the stands commencing Thursday June 1.
From science fact in "Integral Man: Music and the Movies," to science fiction in the editor's opener; from World Fiddle Day at the Aga Khan Museum to three Canadians at the Cliburn; from wanting to sashay across the 401 to Chamberfest in Montreal to exploring the Continuum of Jumblies Theatre's 20-year commitment to the Community Play (there's a pun in there somewhere!).
In this issue: Our podcast ramps up with interviews in March with fight director Jenny Parr, countertenor Daniel Taylor, and baritone Russell Braun; two views of composer John Beckwith at 90; how music’s connection to memory can assist with the care of patients with Alzheimer’s; musical celebrations in film and jazz, at National Canadian Film Day and Jazz Day; and a preview of Louis Riel, which opens this month at the COC. These and other stories, in our April 2017 issue of the magazine!
On our cover: Owen Pallett's musical palette on display at New Creations. Spring brings thoughts of summer music education! (It's never too late.). For Marc-Andre Hamelin the score is king. Ella at 100 has the tributes happening. All; this and more.
In this issue: an interview with composer/vocalist Jeremy Dutcher, on his upcoming debut album and unique compositional voice; a conversation with Boston Symphony hornist James Sommerville, as as the BSO gets ready to come to his hometown; Stuart Hamilton, fondly remembered; and an inside look at Hugh’s Room, as it enters a complicated chapter in the story of its life in the complex fabric of our musical city. These and other stories, as we celebrate the past and look forward to the rest of 2016/17, the first glimpses of 2017/18, and beyond!
In this issue: a conversation with pianist Stewart Goodyear, in advance of his upcoming show at Koerner Hall; a preview of the annual New Year’s phenomenon that is Bravissimo!/Salute to Vienna; an inside look at music performance in Toronto’s health-care centres; and a reflection on the incredible life and lasting influence of the late Pauline Oliveros. These and more, in a special December/January combined issue!
In this issue: David Jaeger and Alex Pauk’s most memorable R. Murray Schafer collabs, in this month’s installment of Jaeger’s CBC Radio Two: The Living Legacy; an interview with flutist Claire Chase, who brings new music and mindset to Toronto this month; an investigation into the strange coincidence of three simultaneous Mendelssohn Elijahs this Nov 5; and of course, our annual Blue Pages, a who’s who of southern Ontario’s live music scene- a community as prolific and multifaceted as ever. These and more, as we move full-force into the 2016/17 concert season- all aboard!
Music lover's TIFF (our fifth annual guide to the Toronto International Film Festival); Aix Marks the Spot (how Brexit could impact on operatic co-production); The Unstoppable Howard Cable (an affectionate memoir of a late chapter in the life of of a great Canadian arranger; Kensington Jazz Story (the newest kid on the festival block flexes its muscles). These stories and much more as we say a lingering goodbye to summer and turn to the task, for the 22nd season, of covering the live and recorded music that make Southern Ontario tick.
It's combined June/July/August summer issue time with, we hope, enough between the covers to keep you dipping into it all through the coming lazy, hazy days. From Jazz Vans racing round "The Island" delivering pop-up brass breakouts at the roadside, to Bach flute ambushes strolling "The Grove, " to dozens of reasons to stay in the city. May yours be a summer where you find undiscovered musical treasures, and, better still, when, unexpectedly, the music finds you.
INSIDE: The Canaries Are Here! 116 choirs to choose from, so take the plunge! The Nylons hit the road after one last SING! Fling. Jazz writer Steve Wallace wonders "Watts Goode" rather than "what's new?" Paul Ennis has the musical picks of the HotDocs crop. David Jaeger's CBC Radio continues golden for a little while yet. Douglas McNabney is Music's Child. Leipzig meets Damascus in Alison Mackay's fertile imagination. And "C" is for KRONOS in Wende Bartley's koverage of the third annual 21C Festival. All this and as usual much much more. Enjoy.
From 30 camp profiles to spark thoughts of being your summer musical best, to testing LUDWIG as you while away the rest of so-called winter; from Scottish Opera and the Danish Midtvest, to a first Toronto recital appearance by violin superstar Maxim Vengerov; from musings on New Creations and new creation, to the boy who made a habit of crying Beowulf; it's a month of merry meetings and rousing recordings reviewed, all here to discover in The WholeNote.
2016 is off to a flying start! We chronicle the Artful Times of Andrew Burashko, the violistic versatility of Teng Li, the ageless ebullience of jazz pianist Gene DiNovi and the ninetieth birthday of trumpeter Johnny Cowell. Jaeger remembers Boulez; Waxman recalls Bley's influence, and Olds finds Bowie haunting Editor's Corner. Oh, and did we mention there's all that music? Hello (and goodbye) to the February blues, and here's to swinging through the musical vines of the Year of the Monkey.
What's a vinyl renaissance? What happens when Handel's Messiah runs afoul of the rumba rhythm setting on a (gasp!) Hammond organ? What work does Marc-Andre Hamelin say he would be content to have on every recital program he plays? What are Steve Wallace's favourite fifty Christmas recordings? Why is violinist Daniel Hope celebrating Yehudi Menuhin's 100th birthday at Koerner Hall January 28? Answers to all these questions (and a whole lot more) in the Dec/Jan issue of The WholeNote.
"Come" seems to be the verb that knits this month's issue together. Sondra Radvanovsky comes to Koerner, William Norris comes to Tafel as their new GM, opera comes to Canadian Stage; and (a long time coming!) Jane Bunnett's musicianship and mentorship are honoured with the Premier's award for excellence; plus David Jaeger's ongoing series on the golden years of CBC Radio Two, Andrew Timar on hybridity, a bumper crop of record reviews and much much more. Come on in!
Vol 21 No 2 is now available for your viewing pleasure, and it's a bumper crop, right at the harvest moon. First ever Canadian opera on the Four Seasons Centre main stage gets double coverage with Wende Bartley interviewing Pyramus and Thisbe composer Barbara Monk Feldman and Chris Hoile connecting with director Christopher Alden; Paul Ennis digs into the musical mind of pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, and pianist Eve Egoyan is "On the Record" in conversation with publisher David Perlman ahead of the Oct release concert for her tenth recording. And at the heart of it all the 16th edition of our annual BLUE PAGES directory of presenters profile the season now well and truly under way.
Paul Ennis's annual TIFF TIPS (27 festival films of potential particular musical interest); Wu Man, Yo-Yo Ma and Jeffrey Beecher on the Silk Road; David Jaeger on CBC Radio Music in the days it was committed to commissioning; the LISTENING ROOM continues to grow on line; DISCoveries is back, bigger than ever; and Mary Lou Fallis says Trinity-St. Paul's is Just the Spot (especially this coming Sept 25!).
