h's THAT TIME OF VEAR LOOKED FORWARD TO with way more dread than happy anticipation by this particular slave in the WholeNote saltmines. It 's the dreaded " Year-End Double Issue", with two months of listings instead ofone. Sure, combining issues gives our staff and contributors a break. Sure it allows for family time and all that humbug. But none of that is worth it in the face of the trouble it makes for me. I'm the one who's holding up the presses, dear reader. The press crew is waiting. The forty or so people who've put their words and work into the issue so far are waiting to go home, cheering madly every time I complete a sentence. The forty others who will meet the magazine at our printer, three days hence, to carry it to you, are raring to go. And I'm sitting here trying to decide if what I' m writing here is the party piece, or the sober reflections bit. Or the mandatory Year-in Review. Or (shudder) the dreaded list of resolutions. The "party" part is easy enough. Our live music listings start page 36 and include more than 750 events. Two thirds of them happen in the first three weeks of December. One weekend day during that time has 47 concerts. (Larry Beckwith paints a great picture in Choral Scene, page 24, of the celebratory communal work that goes into putting on any one of these concerts.) And then for a couple of weeks the concert scene slumbers. Except it's a comforting thought that during at least some of those days when no-one is putting on music formally, we're all a bit more likely to have the time to be doing some social singing and playing of our own. On the "sober reflections " front, writing in these pages last December, organist Chris Dawes commented wryly that "Christmas can make you sick, or well, or both ... the retailer or freelance musician who must crazily earn 25-30% of an annual income in the last 10% of the year then starts all over again in the quiet cold of January." Chris's solution to the crazy December/January mood swing was to suggest readers pick a pair of concerts, but not just any pair. Rather, what he called a "Janusian pair" - after two-faced Janus for whom January is named. Choose two concerts, Chris said, "one in December, one in January: one, your retreat from the old year's tortured deaththroes, and the other, your celebration of the new year's birth." I'm not sure about the "death-throes" bit. But I recommend the exercise. It doesn't hurt, at a time of year where solitude can both bless and cut like a knife, to remind oneself that for every state of mind there can be music. I' ve already chosen one of my "Janusian pair" of concerts (courtesy Karen Ages' World View column, page 27). She writes about: "the 70-plus member Echo Women's Chamber Choir presenting Songs of Resistance and Hope, December 11 at Church of the Holy Trinity. On the program are anti-apartheid songs from South Africa, songs of the Armenian exile, songs in Hebrew and Tamil, and two Roma songs: Oshwitsate (Auschwitz) is a musical memorial to the Roma population nearly wiped out in the second world war; and Dureme Zhe is a song that calls for inclusiveness, first sung at demonstrations against the ultra-right in l 990's Eastern Europe." It's an opportunity to hear songs of the kinds that get sung when all the concert halls have fallen silent. As to "years-in-review" and "resolution lists" I guess all I can do at this stage is to promise to put a decent year-end review on next year's resolution list. David Perlman, Editor Here at WholeNote, we are always telling you, our readers, about the music world as we see it. Well, we thought that it might be nice to start something a little different. We want to start finding out, regularly, more about our readers: what you think about music in our neck of the woods, what you would want us to continue doing, commence doing, and stop. So, take the plunge! Fill out our mini-survey (either online, at www.thewholenote.com, or send your answers by email to editorial@thewholenote.com, or by mail at the address in the masthead on page 9). Be our guest! Speaking of guests, today's topic was inspired by a line from Pamela Margles' conversation with composer Steve Reich on his recent visit to Toronto (page 18). Pamela writes: "At the talk, a student had asked Reich what his ideal listener would get from his music. 'Tears of joy,' he said, smiling."' Click here for direct link to on-line Mini-Survey. 1) How often are you moved to tears by music? 3) If ever, on what occasions (circle any) a) always a) a live concert b) often b) a favorite recording c) sometimes c) film or tv d) rarely d) radio e) never e) other ______ 2) If ever, by which of the following? 4) Control question: Do you eat breakfast? a) orchestral a) always b) choral and vocal b) often c) operatic c) sometimes d) anthems d) rarely e) other ______ e) never PRIZES: to be eligible for one of ten gift subscriptions to WholeNote, include a valid e-mail address with your response, and the first three digits of your postal code .. "Be our Guest" invites WholeNote readers' responses to any views expressed in WholeNote. E-mail editorial@thewholenote.com. Or mail "Be our guest " WholeNote Media Inc. 503-720 Bathurst Street, Toronto M5S 2R4. 10 WWW,THEWHOLENOTE,COM D ECEMB ER 1 2005 - FEBR UARY 7 2006
J ... Glenn Gould -----. Studio STUDIO JAZZ TUESDAY, JANUARY 17 /06 - 8 P.M. TAKE YOUR PICK Jake Langley, guitar Rob Piltch, guitar George Koller, bass Terry Clarke, drums No longer Canada's best kept Jazz secret, Ottawaborn, Toronto-based Jake Langley was selected as Guitarist of the Year in the 2004 National Jazz Awards and was chosen as Music Director in 2005 . He spent a year studying in New York with Jazz guitar legends Joe Pass and Pat Martino, and now he joins veteran Jazzman and fellow guitarist Rob Piltch for an evening of acoustic and electric duets. " .. this is comfort jazz, warm music with light grooves and strong effervescence. Langley's polished lines have their own innate sweetness." Globe and Mail RUSSIAN TUESDAY, MARCH 7 /06 - 8 P.M. RUSSIANS IN EXILE Andrew Burashko, piano The Art of Time Ensemble Joaquin Valdepefias, clarinet Moscow-born pianist Andrew Burashko leads his ensemble in works by Russians abroad: Glinka, Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Schnittke. The Grand Sextet captures the exhuberance of Glinka's youthful sojourn in Italy. Following the Russian Revolution, Stravinsky found fame in France with his Suite from L'Histoire du Soldat. Prokofiev penned the Overture on Hebrew Themes for some Russian ex-patriots in New York City. The leading Russian composer Alfred Schnittke was ostracized at home for many years, for his "un Soviet" music. Among his greatest chamber works is the ghostly Piano Quintet, composed in memory of his mother. TUESDAY, MARCH 28/06 - 8 P.M. RUSSIAN VIOLA Rivka Golani, viola John Lenehan, piano and guest Douglas Perry, viola Rivka Golan i is recognized by BBC Music magazine as one of the great violists and musicians of modern times. She is featured in monumental Russian literature written (or transcribed) for the viola the radiant Sonata in G minor, Op. 19 of Rachmaninov; Shostakovich's final work, the Viola Sonata. Op. 147; and a virtuosic transcription of Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet, arranged for 1 or 2 violas and piano. OnStage is heard on CBC Radio Two - Sundays at 2 p.m. and CBC Radio One - Sundays at 8 p.m. Hosted by Shelley Solmes WORLD CBC \!:)4 ,-Y radio jj~J CBC radio TU ESDAY, DECEMBER 6/05 - 8 P.M . EAST MEETS EAST Mary Jane Lamond (Cape Breton/Canada) Kiran Ahluwalia (India/Canada) Shahid Ali Khan (Pakistan/Canada) "The duty of Qawwali is to reduce the distance between the Creator and the created " quotes Shahid Ali Khan. Qawwali is the marriage of rapturous, spiritual poetry to mesmerizing singing and music. Kiran Ahluwalia's Ghazals explore the many aspects of the human condition, while her Punjabi folk songs celebrate them. Mary Jane Lamond presents unique interpretations of Scottish Gaelic traditions from the North Shore of Cape Breton Island. Joined by Rez Abbasi, guitar; Ravi Naimpally, tabla; Ashok Bidaye and Mombasher, harmoniums; and other specia l guests, these extraordinary singers explore connections and co llaborations between modern and ancient. SATURDAY, JANUARY 28/06 - 8 P.M . HORN OF AFRICA Faduma Nkrumah (Somalia) Eid Ismael (Sudan) Danny (Eritrea) An acoustic evening of traditional and contemporary music from North-East Africa Instrumentation will include oud, bongos and the ancient krar. These three exceptional singers, recognized in many countries of the world, are best known in Canada within their particular communities, performing often at wedd ings, cultural occasions, festivals, and nightclubs. Together they wish to share their music with a wider Canadian audience, and each other. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18/06- 8 P.M . SECOND SHOW ADDED SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19/06- 7 P.M. AFRICAN GUITAR SUMMIT II With guest vocalists: Oumou Soumare & Muna Mingole The winners of the 2005 Juno Award for World Music Album of the Year return with all-new material. From Guinea, the smooth guitar fire of Alpha YaYa Diallo, with Naby Camara on balafon; from Ghana, the elder master of the guitar, Pa Joe, with 'golden voice' Theo Boakye, and the heartbeat of drummer Kofi Ackah; From Kenya, the Fiesta guitar of Professor Adam Solomon; from Burundi/Rwanda, the bluesy Mighty Popa; and from Madagascar, the quicksilver guitars and harmonies of Donne Robert and Madagascar Slim. Glenn Gould Studio Box Office cbc.ca/gould Tel (416) 205-5555 • Fax (416) 205-5551 Glenn Gould Studio is located at 250 Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario The Glenn Gould box office counter opens 2 hours prior to performance for in-person sales and pre-ordered ticket pick-ups for that evening's event only. Single tickets: each • Entire series: per series • Seniors and students series: per series
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