Volume 6 Issue 10 - July/August 2001

(01scW releases; the

(01scW releases; the ATMA label has established itself as an important player on the harmonium, here it is given ·a beautiful interpre- new music scene. tatjon that repl,icates the instrumentation of a · Previously chamber orchestra. My only quibble is the known for* . pedestal on which it is placed. The classical fine recordings component of the album (some 17 rriinutes olit . of predominantly of 58) might have seemed more integral were it baroque repernot isolated to a single, rather lengthy work. toire, the jewel in the crown of ATMA's new · Violinist Peter DeSotto's stylish lyric tenor direction is this Molin~ performance. The .· vocals are well suited to the hawking of a_ 1 h

Stratford production of ''Two Gentlemen of Verona." Celebrity voice-overs by the likes of Christopher Plummer and Colm Feore are to be heard amidst instrumental numbers portraying a wide range of musical styles, from the regal grandeur of the "Suite from Richard III'' to the comic buffoonery of Barbara Fulton's winning delivery of two delightful selections from the 1992 production of "Love's Labour Lost." Several of the performances involve the Elmer Iseler Singers, who are in top-notch form under the direction of Lydia Adams. Though the texts of the vocal selections are included, the liner notes might well have benefited from some explanation of the historical and musical contexts of the program, chosen by the composer himself shortly before his death. Throughout Applebaum's long and distinguished career he demonstrated a passionate desire to, in his own words, "Make life better, especially for the musical world, especially for the composer's world." Lou's selfless work on behalf of his colleagues included key roles at the Canadian League of Composers, the Ontario Arts Council, and Canada's performing rights organization, SOCAN. As a composer he is best remembered for the scoring of over 250 films and for a succession of75 scores during his years at Stratford. The festival will mark its 50th anniversary next season with the establishment of a competition for young composers in his honour, The Louis Applebaum Award in Theatre. The Stratford Festival is now in full swing and runs until November 4. (See http:// www.stratfordfestival.ca or call 1-800-567-1600) Daniel Foley ii Debussy: Orchestral Works. New Philharmonia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, John Aldis Choir Pierre Boulez, conductor; Sony Classics 68327 (2 CDs, Mid-Price) •Debussy: Orchestral Music Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Bernard Haitnik, conductor Philips Duo 978742-2 (2 CDs, Budget Price) PIERRE BoULEZ, the reigning doyen of France's modernist conductors and composers, has a unique grasp of Debussy's music as the bridge between late romanticism and further shores. This mid priced Sony double disk set assembles 1969-71 performances of Debussy's orchestral music under Boulez's baton, a period when the conductor was in full swing as the pere terrible of contemporary music. They combine lushness with the bite that Debussy intended. You can feel what late nineteenth/early twentieth century audiences felt as Debussy presented them with unprecedented intervals, sound sheets and non western inspirations. Boulez's newer recordings of this repertoire for Deutsche Gramophone have accumulated wisdom and superior sound, but I like these old friends because they transmit the fire in Debussy's belly. This is also true of the bargain Philips Duo set by Bernard Haitnik and the wonderful Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. This happens because Haitnik conducts Mahler, who was simultaneously driving music from late romanticism to modernism, as well as anyone in the world. Expect interesting specials on Debussy recordings as the August 10th opening date of the Bard Music Festival approaches. "Debussy and His World" is this year's theme. The annual festival intersperses sterling performances of works by the selected composer and his contemporaries with multidisciplinary forums drawing eminent musicologists, historians and performers from both sides of the Atlantic. The 2001 festival proceeds over the August 10-12 and 17-19 weekends at Bard College's Hudson Valley campus, a pleasant day's drive or train ride from Toronto. (See http://www.bard.edu/bmf/ or call 845- 758-7410) Philip Ehrensaft WORTH REPEATING Older recordings worthy of note Schoenberg: Gurrelieder Young, Arroyo, Baker, Walstad, Moeller, Patzak; Danish Radio Symphony Orchestras and Choruses; Janos Ferencsik, conductor. EM! Double forte 741942. (2 discs, Budget price) Continues page ~8 - · - . - :tMPORl'ANT N'OTICE! Strad Various Ltd., a division of Remenyi Music, has managed the Royal Conservatory Music Bookstore since 1991 as their print music division. Effective April 1st, 2001 we will relocate from the Conservatory Building to our main premises across the street at 210 Bloor Street West CQMBINING .AI:J, ·(l:UI\ DIVISIONS UND~.R ()f'"111 ROOF Fo~ a· Mt•.sfo Stp:.rc LU~e No 0th.er fine Hrlnged f nstruntents surnway Pii·QO 6allery MuUc Bookstore anrl "MUHkl.11\!"(hfldren'nltnit Hm The Opera Store Remeny1 House of Music 210 BLOOR STREET WEST (just W: