Ah, sununer - long days,
Ah, sununer - long days, barbecues, time at the cottage ... As the 98/99 season winds to a close and most of Toronto's presenters take a ·well-eamed break in preparation for the September rush, Hear & Now offers readers a slight change of pace. For July and August, I will suggest a few in a plethora of available CDs that pennit contemporary music fans to design their own concerts at ' home. Many of these are new releases from the past year. So, pour yourself a glass of wine, put your feet up, switch on the stereo, and take your turn to play artistic director! For'the first p~gramme, I would recmmnend exploring some works for solo · instrument(s) or solo voice with symphony orchestra. A dramatic and obvious opener is Jolm Corigli'ano's Oboe Concerto which even begins with the classic "tuning" of the orchestral musicians, before moving into a dizzying virtuoso display that incorporates Moroccan blowing teclmi ~ues ("Collage", Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Bramwell Tovey (cond.), Douglas Bairstow (oboe), WSOCD 9401). Titis could be followed by Canadian Jeffrey Ryan 1 s Ophelie, a stunner for solo soprano and large orchestra. A setting of the French poem by Arthur Rim baud, it depicts doomed Ophelia as a restless spirit, repeating her mad joumey down the river nightafter-night. On the new recording by the Bowling Green Philhannonia, Myra Merritt is electrifying in the title role; and Ryan incorporates three orchestral sopranos into the texture for eerie effect ("The Composers Voice: New Music From Bowling Green, "Albany Records, Troy 321). Next, I tnight retum to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for a change of musical pace-the "Concerto for Viola" by Gletm Btihr, TI1is lyrical set of variations featuring a fl(tid and rippling orchestral texture that Harbourfront earlier this year. While the entire' work is highly enjoyable (and particularly for the many WholeNote readers who got to see the show), for this weaves around the solo line, is listening progrannne you might ably interpreted by WSO start off with the strongly principal viola Neal Grip, on a rhytlnnic movement "Twit}s" that . recent album from CBC Records showcases the talents of Marc entirely devoted to Buhr's Sabat (violin) and Robert / Orchestral music (Winter Poems: Stevenson (clarinet) ("Music Music ofG!erm Buhr, Bramwell from Big Pictures", Arraymusic, Tovey (cond.), SMCD 5184). Artifact, ART 018). Fallowing a brief intennission A fairly smooth cmmection (dare I suggest you might want to ·· would be to move on to the brand replenish your drink!), comes new CD of Music for Violin and Songs for an Acrobat by Linda · Piano_ by James Tenney Bouchard, nominated for a JUNO (Hat[now]ART 120). TI1ese . Award for Best Classical superb renditions by Marc Sabat Composition this past year. I find and Stephen Clarke make a this set of songs of love and death wonderful introduction to in the age of AIDS (poems by Tetmey's highly structured and Maurice Tourigny) haunting and ."classical" smmd world. It is complementary to the tragic again impossible tO pick and Ophelie earlier on the pro- choose from among a variety of grmmne. The National Arts .aural gems. Koan; for solo violin, Centre Orcliestra and baritone with its insistent and slowly Kevin McMillan are in superb transfonning oscillating figure fonn, and the entire disc is a giyes a continued perceptual shift "must hear" ("Exquisite Fires: that is truly fascinating. (Fans Music ofLinda Bouchard", should note that t11e duo will NACO, Trevor Pim10ck (cond.) present Tetmey's complete.works Marquis Classics, 77471 81219 for violin m1d piano on a concert 29). , in the fall-September 10 at the Lastly, Isabelle Pmmeton- Music Gallery). another gifted female composer Pim1ist Christina Petrowska from Quebec-has a brand new features two works by Aim . release dedicated to her music Southmn on her new release of and containing three orchestral music by Cana~im1 women works. TI1e choice, here is entitled ''Northem Sirens" (YFA difficult, but I strongly recom- 00999). TI1e repeating cycles and mend Mimesis with t1ute, oboe pattems used in Southam's Glass· and clarinet as featured soloists Houses m1d Rivers are "hypnotic, as a beautiful it1troduction to . calming and exhilarating at the Pmmeton's impressionistic voice sam~ time". Meanwhile, on her and more European sensibility recent Centrediscs album of ("Isabelle Panneton: Can tate de Canadian works inspired by the Ia Fin du Jour", Orchestre approaches of Atnerican comsymphonique du Saguenay-Lac- poser Morton Feldman, Barbara Saint-Jean, Jacques Clement Pritchard has selected seven (dir.), Fonovox 7824-2). pieces in a primarily introspectiv~ mood (!'he V!ew From' Here, In preparation for next season, you can try smnpling some of the recordings by local new mttsic organizations, compOsers and solo perfonners for your next at hmne concert. For this selection I reconnnend s~verai pieces that take surprising mid distinctive explorationson what can loosely be tenned a "minimalist" aesthetic. A Centrediscs CMCCD 6298). Go for the whole disc as a moment of quiet smm111!r "ear cleal1ing". As William Littler said in the Toronto Star ... "Take off your shoes, this is music for contemplation." TI1en, I'd leave the piano sm1ority to conclude this listening session with Stephen Wingfield's Teyata for two guitars. ("A Bridge Beyond", dramatic openit~ g (literally) is William Beauvais (guitar), Big Pictures by Michael J. Baker Centrediscs, CMCCD 61'98). A and the Arraymusic Ensemble, which was mounted as a collaboration with Dancemakers at high energy pattem piece where one guitar is slowly moved out of phase with the other, this will leave you in a toe-tapping, upbeat mood. The final CD concert is of chamber music. It continues with the idea of local presentersm1d creators, adds a couple of excellent discs from elsewhere, and celebrates the astonishing rm1ge of music created during this century. A nice way to mark the Ottawa Smruner Chamber Music Festival is opening with the Aulos Trio of that city and their new disc "Playing Tribute" (CanSona, CAM 9502). Violet Archer'$ 4- movement Sonata for Flute, Clarinet and Piano (1944) is one of the country's earliest major' chamber works for wind instruments, and the disc also honours Archer's 85th birthday and the piece's 55th mmiversary. . From a pioneer from the senior generati~n of Canadian composers we move to a rising young star, Chris Paul Hannan's Incidents in Transition ( 1995) for clarinet, violin, cello, piano m1d percussion. TI1is is from the Continuum Ensemble's first CD ("Continuum 1 ", CR-CD 9801), and its inexorable thread of ·tension and increasing density leads well to the next selection. (Recorded at the studio at Puck's Fann, city-bound listeners should enjoy the ambient animal sounds included at the end!) Toronto's New Music Concerts have released "Lutoslawski Conducts Lutoslawski", a celebration. of that great composer's last conducting appearance which was with NMC in 1993. Many WholeNote readers will have been in attendance. TI1is is an important live concert of larger chamber pieces, and I recmmnend Fttiiko Imajishi 's interpretation of Chain II, a concerto for violin and chamber orchestra that altemates strictly notated writing with sections ,of controlled "aleatoric'~ or chance elements (NMC 98-J). TI1e closer is a tribute to the late Harry Somers. His channing, neoclassical Suite for Harp and Chamber Orchestra ( 1949) makes ideal smmner-time fare ('Spring of Somers", National Arts Centre Orchestra, VIctor Feldbrill (cond.), Jennifer Swartz (harp), SMCD 5162). It is an elegant and delightful concerto that will retum you to the world of 1940s
neo-classicism that began this progranune and the theme of concerti t}mt has recurred in this column. Of course, there are countless interesting "home concerts" you, can put together New and Used Classical an.d Jazz COs · Sheet Music! Reeds! Strings! Gifts and Gift Certificates Trade-ins Accepted · ,·~~ g;~ ~\ ' ('. over the next two months, and I wish everyone happy sununer listening! As always, all records mentioned are available from the Canadian Music Centre. David G.H. Parsons is Ontario Regional Director & Actlng Head, National Library Canadian Music Centre Chalmers House 20 St. Joseph Street Jilli!J~ll©\JY(p)~~ EHplorations in Sound Magazine & Compact Disc Latest lsS,ue &> CD 179 Richmond St. W., Toronto, ON, M5V 1V3 [t]416. 977-3546 [f]416. 204-1 084 [e]sound@ musicworks-mag.com www.musicworks-mag,cor'n Toronto, OntarioM4Y JJ9 Tel: (416) 961-4057 Fax: (416) 961-7198 E-mail: cmcont@interlog. com Website: WORLD CLASS DIGITAL RECORDING CD MASTERING & MANUFACTURING ''.'The engineering ' special praise." Robert Franner, . ... the very essence of fidelity," Alan Lofft, D~~~~ H~ owa. a~ c~~~ Jazz Week • Monday,August 2: Lisa Martinelli Sings · • Tuesday, August 3: The Power of Brass, featuring Dave McMurdo (trombone), Mike Malone (trumpet) qnd Kevin Turcotte (trumpet) • Wednesday, August 4:Time Warp • Thursday, August 5: Saxmania, featuring saxophonists Alex Dean, jane Fair and Mike Murley • Friday, August 6: Jazz Student Concert Festival Week .• Sunday,August 8: KSMFWelcome Concert, featuring our chamber music staff • Monday, August 9: Piano Pizzaz, 'with Jamie Parker, and Tina Yanchus & james Hibbard • Tues'day,August I 0: Encore!. featuring our soloists performing ~nger-breaking. mind-boggling. heart-mehing. show-stoppers and encore pieces -• Wednesday, August I I: Chamber Masterworks, featuring our chamber music staff, combining to perform some of the great masterworks of the chamber music repertoire •Thursday,August 12: KSMF Staff concert • Friday,August 13: Chamber Student Showcase • Saturday,August 14: KSMF Grand Finale Student Concerts For more information: call (5.19) 396-9716, write to us at Box 251, Kincardine, ON N2Z ·2Y7 or visit our web site ~t: www.primeline.n~t/ksmf KSMF Is also a music camp, ask for a copy of our brochure!
