never loses the sense that it is astaged work. The audience is oftenvisible, and backstage scenes arealso included, again blurring the linebetween public and private lives.Dianne Wells\II :t•·,,( '" •\I( 1 I H \IUll !(ill\R\ Pllitlfili11i\t')&~n1rnHl 1111111,1,m ri11rn.Wolf· LiederIan Bostridge; Antonio PappanoEMI 3 42256 2Finally, a disc of Hugo Wolf liederfrom British tenor Ian Bostridge -and it's delightful. Bostridge hasbeen perforrning Wolf right from thebeginning of his career. Yet, apartfrom a 1 i ve concert released onDVD, this is his first recording ofthe late-19th century German master.Bostridge's trademark mannerismsare in evidence here, especiallyin the way he emphasizes a wordor shapes a note. But Bostridge'sintense theatricality proves ideal forWolf's freewheeling expressiveness.Bostridge generally works withthe most interesting pianistsaround. But in Antonio Pappanohe has something rather different,since Pappano is also one of theleading conductors of today.Bostridge and Pappano turn eachsong into a miniature opera. Youcan almost hear them listening toeach other. While Bostridge illuminatesthe lyrical quality of Wolf'svocal lines, Pappano brings out theorchestral colours that Wolf distilledinto his piano parts.. Bostridge's vivid word-paintingin Verschwiegene Lied (Love's Discretion)is well complemented byPappano's luminous surfaces. Tendernessof a rare degree is achievedin An den Schlaf(To Sleep). In SeemannsAbscheid (Sailor's Farewell),Pappano's zestful accompanimentadds great character. Bostridge andPappano bring out the satirical humourof Abshied (Leave-taking),where the poet Morike imaginesrevenge on a critic, with gleeful stylishness.The booklet contains full textsand translations and an essay byBostridge, but, unfortunately, nobiographical notes whatsoever. Theengineering is exemplary in its naturalness,balance and clarity.Pam Margles68Back to Ad IndexBarber • Choral MusicChoir of Ormond College;Douglas LawrenceNaxos 8.559053Boy, that Samuel Barber was a softie.Listening to this recording of hischoral works - including excerptsfrom works for the stage - is anemotional journey, to say the least.For a composer with such a profoundlove of poetry, and prowessat setting the English language, it isa shame that NAXOS can't take anextra panel or two of its booklet toprint the varied texts. For on theirown, they would make a movinganthology of American and Englishpoetry, by such familiar names asShakespeare, Gerard Manley Hopkinsand Emily Dickinson, to namea few. Barber sets their words withloving care and meticulous craft. Hise.nharrnonic modulations and deceptivecadences owe a great deal tothe part-songs of Elgar and Finzi,though I think Barber is much moreexpressive and unpredictable thaneither of them.The performances are exceptional,though the recording of themdoes them no favours. Unfortunately,individual voices stick out andtuning issues are exacerbated by theclose miking. That said, the wholespirit of the CD is magnificent, andthere are some utter gems, like Dickinson'sLet down the bars, O death(which brought tears to my eyes)and the choruses from Antony andCleopata. More familiar works,such as the op. 16 Reincarnationsand a choral setting of Sure on thisshining night don't fare quite aswell, I' m afraid. Special mentiongoes to Len Vorster for the artfulpiano accompaniments.Larry BeckwithEARLY MUSIC ANDPERIOD PERFORMANCEPurcell - Suites and GroundsToros Can, pianoL'empreinte digitale ED1321SAt first glance, this CD presenteda possible dilemma. I'm a big fan ofPurcell 's remarkable keyboard music,and I happen to love the soundof the piano - but Henry Purcellplayed on the piano? I'm delightedWWW . THEWHOLENOTE.COMto report that in (and under) thehands of Turkish pianist Toros Can,who is better known for his interpretationsof Ligeti, Crumb andHindemith, this dilemma has hardlyhorns at all.During his student days in London,the harpsichord music of Purcell(1659-95) provided a kind ofemotional refuge for Can. He experimentedto find ways of bringingthis repertoire alive on the pianowhile remaining true to thecomposer and the music's origins,and the results of his research areextraordinarily successful. Theeight suites are heard here, as arefive grounds and a Round-0, andCan's playing is tender, thoughtful, and deeply expressive. Whetherin the melancholy sweetness ofthe grounds, the sunny energy ofthe D- and G-major suites, or theexpressive gravity of the G-minorsuite, I was continually impressedwith Can's success in finding awonderful middle ground betweenhis modern instrument and the delicatemusic he explores.Though the liner notes leavemuch to be desired, the disc's programorder is excellent, as is thesound. Purists may not like it, butthis CD made me smile many times,and for all the right reasons.Alison MelvilleLeo • 6 Concerti di violoncelloAnner Bylsma; TafelmusikBaroque Orchestra;Jeanne LamonATMA ACD2 2126Vivaldi • Sinfonias and ConcertiVenice Baroque Orchestra;Andrea MarconArchiv Produktion 474 5092The shortest distance between twopoints is a straight line; however thedistances separating Leonardo Leoand Antonio Vivaldi are not so simple.They were both Italian, nearcontemporaries(Leo died threeyears after Vivaldi) and prolificallycreated solo and orchestral concerti,oratorios and operas. They bothwere well ensconced in their respectivemilieus and remained for mostof their lives in their chosen cities:Vivaldi in Venice, Leo in Naples.The recordings in hand highlightwhat's best in the music of bothcomposers: the groundbreaking forits time approach to string instruments,the careful layering of thesound.Anner Bylsma is a master cellistas magnificent in solo or chambe;performance as he is with Concertgebouwor here, with Tafelmusik.The playing of the little-knownrepertoire is incandescent and nuanced.Bylsma, Tafelmusik andAtma did us a great favour bringingthese works to our attention. TheVivaldi disc, on the other hand, travelsthe well-trodden path, but VeniceBaroque Orchestra under AndreaMarcon sets a new standard forperiod performance.What truly sets these two discsapart in the end is the distance betweenLeo and Vivaldi. Not a temporalor physical distance, but ratherthe distance of magnitude. TheVi.valdi recording holds, tightlycoiled, the magic of the "Red Priest"as Antonio was called in Venice. TheLeo recording tries, and at timessucceeds, to match the intensity,the sheer passion inherent to music,the timeless resonance of thecompositions. Jn the end, the distanceproved too great - that betweenthe musical genius and thefootnote of musical history.Robert TomasConcert Notes: The Tafelmusikand Arion Baroque Orchestras joinforces for the final performance of"Jeanne's 25th Anniversary Celebration"in works for two orchestrasby Vivaldi, Handel, Rameau andJ.C. Bach on October I. "Tafelnewsik"features Tafelmusik's HotNew Talents Julia Wedman, AisslinnNosky, Cristina Zacharias, violins,and Dominic Teresi, bassoon, inconcerts October 19-22.CLASSICAL ANDBEYONDO CTO BER 1 - NOVEMBER 7 2006
IViozartMozart - Music forFlute & OrchestraRobert Aitken; National ArtsCentre Orchestra;Franco ManninoEloquence EQCBC6892In this reissue of CBC Records'1987 release flutist, Robert Aitkenputs his artful phrasing, sparklingarticulation, fluidity and finesse inthe service of the music, avoidingany imposition of his own personality,allowing Mozart to be heard.Mannino's NAC Orchestra supportswith a sonority both robust and refined.The recording quality soundsartless, with little if any apparentpost-recording enhancement. Atfirst I wanted the flute to have morepresence, but by the second listeningappreciated hearing the balanceof soloist and orchestra much as itwould be in concert.Not only is Robert Aitken a flutevirtuoso, he is also a composerwhose works, mostly chamber andorchestral music, have been performedall over the world. About15% of the music on this CD is byAitken - by which I mean he composedsix of the seven cadenzas.While these mini-compositions attimes display Aitken 's virtuosicwizardry, they are also artisticallysearching, moving effortlessly fromMozart's thematic material intomelodically and harmonically astonishingterritory. In his cadenzato the Andante in C Major, for example,the sudden modulation intoC minor reminds us of Mozart'sbrief but frequent forays into minorkeys in the development section,sombre undertones in this ostensiblysunny piece of music.Thi s CD is a must for both theserious flute student and the Mozartconnoisseur.Allan PulkerLiszt - Works for Piano andOrchestraLouis Lortie; Residentie Orchestra,The Hague;George PehlivanianChandos CHAN 10371(3) XLiszt - Symphonic Poems Vol.2BBC Philharmonic;Gianandrea NosedaChandos CHAN 10375O CTOBER 1 - N OVEMBER 7 2006Back to Ad IndexFranz Liszt has been considered thegreatest pianist of all times, a magicianof the keyboard, an embodimentof Romanticism and, understandably,a composer for the pianopar excellence. But apart from thishe was also a brilliant symphonistand orchestrator and if you think thisis a win-win situation, it is. For hisneglect in concert halls of the Westwe can thank the British critics whodid their best to pooh-pooh his workover the last I 00 years citing badtaste and overt emotionalism. It istherefore doubly welcome of Chandosto issue Liszt's complete oeuvrefor piano and orchestra as wellas his complete symphonic works.Liszt revolutionized the concertoform by telescoping the usual 3movements into one with a non-stopcontinuous flow of ideas and recurringkey themes. Technically verydifficult, the Concerto in E flat is aprime example, a tremendously exciting,rhapsodic, episodic and brilliantlyeffective 'showpiece'. Bycontrast the second, the A majorconcerto, is more lyrical and contemplativebut perhaps even morediverse and imaginative than thefirst. Unlike Chopin's, Liszt's orchestrais innovative and thoroughlyintegrated with the solo piano.The rarely heard Fantasy onBeethoven 's Ruin of Athens is absolutelydelightful with its mixture ofTurki sh themes played with delicacy,humour and dash. The HungarianFantasy is again a bravurapianistic display, still very popularin Liszt's native land. Lortie ismagnificent throughout, an imaginative,versatile and flawless virtuosowith powerful attacks andlight, sensitive touch when required.Distinguished young conductorGeorge Pehlivanian proveshimself a worthy contributor to thesuccess of the set.As a symphonist, Liszt singlehandedlyinvented the 'symphonicpoem' and with Berlioz created anew form, the 'program symphony' .Faust Symphony is probably themost forward looking of this genreIWWW .THEWHOLENOTE.COMand with its cyclical theme and leitmotivshe influenced Wagner, SaintSaens, Franck, Sibelius and R.Strauss. It's also the first piece ofmusic where atonality appears.It's often said that in music it ismuch easier to express evil thanvirtue. Faust Symphony is certainlymore memorable in its outermovements (Faust and Mephisto)than the rather forgettable middlemovement (Gretchen). Nosedadrives his orchestra well in the turbulentand restless first moveme ntand the opening, atonal statementis particularly sensitive. Similarly,the 3rd movement is idiomatic withits distorted, sneering, invertedthemes and the final apotheosis istruly effective. The crisp, modern,not overly emotional and wellthought out performance featuresthe usual fine Chandos sound.Janos GardonyiConcert Notes: The music ofLiszt is featured in several concertsat the Great Romantics Festival inHamilton on October 6 and 7, andat the Kitchener-Waterloo ChamberMusic Society on October 13.Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 2Marc-Andre Hamelin; DallasSymphony; Andrew LittonHyperion SACDA67550As soon as I heard the majestic hornand piano motif marking the openingof Brah ms Piano Concerto #2, Isensed this was going to be a wonderfulrecording. But then, maybeI'm biased, for I've always been aHi!Fibig fan of Marc-Andre Hamelin. Tome he is such a consummate musician,his superhuman virtuosity temperedby a deeply rooted intelligence- a seemingly rare combinationamong pianists today. Over theyears, this Montreal-born artist nowbased in Munich has devoted considerableenergy to the works oflesser known composers such asMedtner, Alkan, and Godowsky. Yetin this latest recording, an SACOfrom Hyperion featuring the DallasSymphony conducted by AndrewLitton, Hamelin has gone moremainstream - and not surprisinglyhas once again struck gold. Brahmsmade the initial sketches for the concertoduring a trip he made to Italyin 1878, and completed it there duringa second sojourn three years later.The 19th century critic EduardHans lick once referred to the pieceas "a symphony with piano obbligato"owing to the less virtuosic pianopart compared to that in the firstconcerto of 20 years earlier. To mymind, this is an unfair judgement, forthe technical demands are just asgreat despite the concerto's moreintimate nature. Not surprisingly,Hamelin makes it all sound easy. Hisperformance is strongly self-as-Experience the thrill of a live performancein your own home.I-,0Exposure 2010S IntegratedAmplifier & CD Player(:..~11 C , .. [-'._. ·- '' I S l ( ''Neat Motive 2 SpeakersCall Lockridge Hi-Fi today for details.Q) 16th Ave~~:a NI T
Choral Scene: Uncharted territory: three choirs finding paths forward; Music Theatre: Loose Tea on the boil with Alaina Viau’s Dead Reckoning; In with the New: what happens to soundart when climate change meets COVID-19; Call to action: diversity, accountability, and reform in post-secondary jazz studies; 9th Annual TIFF Tips: a filmfest like no other; Remembering: Leon Fleisher; DISCoveries: a NY state of mind; 25th anniversary stroll-through; and more.
Online in flip through here, and on stands commencing Tues SEP 1.
Following the Goldberg trail from Gould to Lang Lang; Measha Brueggergosman and Edwin Huizinga on face to face collaboration in strange times; diggings into dance as FFDN keeps live alive; "Classical unicorn?" - Luke Welch reflects on life as a Black classical pianist; Debashis Sinha's adventures in sound art; choral lessons from Skagit Valley; and the 21st annual WholeNote Blue Pages (part 1 of 3) in print and online. Here now. And, yes, still in print, with distribution starting Thursday October 1.
Alanis Obomsawin's art of life; fifteen Exquisite Departures; UnCovered re(dis)covered; jazz in the kitchen; three takes on managing record releases in times of plague; baroque for babies; presenter directory (blue pages) part two; and, here at the WholeNote, work in progress on four brick walls (or is it five?). All this and more available in flipthrough HERE, and in print Tuesday Nov 3.
In this issue: Beautiful Exceptions, Sing-Alone Messiahs, Livingston’s Vocal Pleasures, Chamber Beethoven, Online Opera (Plexiglass & All), Playlist for the Winter of our Discontent, The Oud & the Fuzz, Who is Alex Trebek? All this and more available in flipthrough HERE, and in print Friday December 4.
July/August issue is now available in flipthrough HERE, bringing to a close 25 seasons of doing what we do (and plan to continue doing), and on stands early in the week of July 5. Not the usual bucolic parade of music in the summer sun, but lots, we hope, to pass the time: links to online and virtual music; a full slate of record reviews; plenty new in the Listening Room; and a full slate of stories – the future of opera, the plight of small venues, the challenge facing orchestras, the barriers to resumption of choral life, the challenges of isolation for real-time music; the steps some festivals are taking to keep the spirit and substance of what they do alive. And intersecting with all of it, responses to the urgent call for anti-racist action and systemic change.
"COVID's Metamorphoses"? "There's Always Time (Until Suddenly There Isn't)"? "The Writing on the Wall"? It's hard to know WHAT to call this latest chapter in the extraordinary story we are all of a sudden characters in. By whatever name we call it, the MAY/JUNE combined issue of The WholeNote is now available, HERE in flip through format, in print commencing Wednesday May 6, and, in fully interactive form, online at thewholenote.com. Our 18th Annual Choral Canary Pages, scheduled for publication in print and flip through in September is already well underway with the first 50 choirs home to roost and more being added every week online. Community Voices, our cover story, brings to you the thoughts of 30 musical community members, all going through what we are going through (and with many more to come as the feature gets amplified online over the course of the coming months). And our regular writers bring their personal thoughts to the mix. Finally, a full-fledged DISCoveries review section offers cues and clues to recorded music for your solitary solace!
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!).
