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Volume 14 - Issue 4 - December 2008

Mooredaleconcerts.co111416 922-3714 Ext 103Sundayjan.11,lptnMusic & TrufflesFor children 5 and upWalter Hall Hans Christian Andersen'sThe SnowQueenwith the Tokai Quartet& Alon NashmanSunday Jan. 11, 3 pinMacMillan Theatre,st/srAnton KuertiPianoJulian KuertiConductorHanill.ton PhilhannonicOrchestraFather & son were a hugesuccess in Boston whenAnton replaced LeonFleisher on 2 hours notice."Kuerti is one of the bestinterpreters of Beethovenaround ..... his playing isstrikingly individual ....the younger Kuerti drewsumpt:uous sounds fromthe orchestra"- Boston Globe10Heaven is an abstract piece about memorydimensions, to three dimensions in 2003. that is set to Cesar Franck' s Prelude, FugueSandy Castonguay, then head of programming and Variation. It's a piece where Burashko isat Roy Thomson Hall/Massey Hall, asked not only a musician, he's an actor, and he'sBurashko to open for k.d. Jang . He had pro- called on to endure a kind of invasion ofgrammed a show with jazz singer, Melissa space that goes above and beyond what mightStylianou, and wanted to push the boundaries generally be considered normal in terms of aeven farther. "My mission was to bring clas- musician's realm. Baker describes workingsical music to a wider audience. I was still through the choreography as "the most tenthinking,sion that An-'here's a jazzdrew and Isinger doing We're lucky that he hasn't gone else- have ever hadjazz songs, where. If he was in New York doing in our workingand here arethe classical what he's doing, you wouldn't be ablerelationship.It's not at allmusicians, to get a ticket." Ted Dykstra comfortableand maybefor Andrew.there could beI'm all overan arrangement that involves some extra him, sitting on the bench, draping over theclassical singers, something by themselves , piano, actually playing a few notes."something with the classical musicians' ...The programme is a tribute to all thingsnot realizing at that point that you could ere- French. Burashko will perform Debussy 'sate something synergistic, that would be a Sonata for Cello and Piano with Yegor Dymeaningfulcombination of something. I'm achkov; Martin Tielli (of Rheostatics fame)not into crossover stuff. I'm not into hearing has chosen a few songs of Jacques Brei toclassical musicians playing pop music or vice interpret; and in a gutsy move, Burashko hasversa - and until that point I was still thinking programmed Olivier Messaien's Quartet forin those terms ."the End of Time featuring clarinetist JamesThe three-dimensional impetus for blending Campbell. This near hour-long piece of musicpop with classical remains at the core of is about as far as you can get from "accessi-Burashko's vision . The collaboration with ble" classical music. It demands a great dealStylianou led to a programme with pop singer of emotional investment from both the perform­Sarah Slean, and Steven Page was a natural ers and its audience. Recalling the 2004 pernextchoice for "tinkering with that particular formance, Burashko admits that "it felt like akind of formula."risk. It was a really important concert in thatIn an effort to prove his point, Burashko it encouraged me, getting back to this premiseprogrammed the Prokofiev violin sonata on that if you create an environment that is notthe heels of a hell-raising Jerry Lee Lewis intimidating to the listener, it will move younumber for his season opener this year. "I because it 's powerful. It's not like sittingthought people got it. People who didn't even through a whole night of classical music. Acome to hear classical music got it .. . . I'm whole lot of people who had never heard classiintroducinga whole bunch of people to classi- ea! music, let alone Messaien, were just blownea! music in their world - in a context that is away by this work. I love that. "closer to their world than if they were to What's on the horizon for Burashko andcome into mine. "Art of Time? In short, more. "There are aAnother pivotal performance for Art of lot more musicians whom I would like toTime was their production of Mauricio work with, whom I haven't worked with - IKagel 's Variete, at the Gladstone Hotel in would like to keep evolving towards someearly2004. This was a co-production with thing grander and more sort of unified."Volcano Productions that involved staging an Touring is another virtually uncharted territoeleven-movementavant-garde chamber work ry for the group. The release of their upcominthe style of vaudeville, complete with aeri- ing CD with Sarah Slean will start a wholealists, magicians and contortionists from other wheel turning. Last month the groupCirque du Soleil. The performance sold out went into studio with Steven Page to recordthree nights in a row, and garnered Kagel a last summer's extraordinary coupling ofDora Award. Burashko counts these per- cover songs with this modern-day pop icon.formances as "hugely satisfying experiences "The beauty of this Art of Time thing is thatin terms of creating something new. " it can co-exist simultaneously in so manyBurashko is not however necessarily driven different worlds - ideally it would be great toto constantly create anew. His feeling is that tour more than one project at time ."there's so much great music already out True to form, Burashko sums up his goalsthere, and of the thirty-something pro- for the Ensemble in a deceptively simplegrammes Art of Time has produced, "hardly statement: "I just want to be able to sell outanybody" has seen them all. Art of Time's the DuMaurier [Enwave] for two nights." SetDecember show, Vive la Di' France, is es- in contrast to his vision, and ambition, thissentially a repeat of a fall 2004, pre-Har- statement is transformed into an expressionbourfront Centre program. One of the works of the yearning of one artist's mission tois a piece Peggy Baker commissioned from make classical music matter to more people,New York choreographer Doug Varone. one person at a time.CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8WWW. THEWHOLENOTE.COM D EC EMBE R 1 2008 - FEBR UA RY 7 2009

Tickets: ; senior; studentFor tickets or more information, please contact us at:416-530-4428; orpheuschoir@sympatico.caor visit our website: www.orpheuschoirtoronto.comtorontda rt sbou n ci IAn arm's length body of t he City of Toront oCelebrate Christmaswith Toronto's renownedSt. Michael's Choir Schoolas they present their overture tothe season. Each of the school's choirs will perform sacred choralmasterpieces from Christmases past and present. This concertpremieres a new arrangement of the piece Christmas Overture.Originally written in 1940 by the Choir School's founder Msgr. J.E.Ronan, this version features brass accompaniment composed byprominent Canadian Howard Cable.Join St. Michael's Choir School and their special guest,True North Brass for a spirited celebration of the season.For concert & school information, visitwww.smcs.on.caW W W . THEW HOLENOTE. COM 11

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