The performance will
The performance will include15 Heterosexual Duets,choreographed by JamesKudelka to Beethoven'sKreutzer Sonata, as well asa theatrical adaptation ofTolstoy's novella The KreutzerSonata, directed by Ted Dykstra.Tickets -Buy tickets at:ARTOFTIMEENSEMBLE.COMor call 416.973.4000rnSinfqnia10fOfilONURHAN ARMANMUSIC DIRECTORT o r o nto's Chambe rOrc hestraFtiday, Feb 6, 8 pm . iTHE GLORY OF ,BAROQUE CONCERTI -BACH Concerto for Two ViolinsROYER Viola ConcertoVITALI/RESPIGHI ChaconneTARTINI Cello Concerto in ABACH Violin Concerto in EGrace Church on-the-Hill300 Lonsdale Rdwww.sinfoniatoronto.com416 499 0403 , , off onlineFtiday, March 6, 8 pmCELLISSIMO!- --. DENISE DJOKIC, Cellist~ SLIMACEK Partita Danzante~ SLIMACEK SonatinaSAINT-SAENS Cello Concerto # 1SHOSTAKOVICH Sinfonia op. 73In with the NewBy Jason van EykFrom Motion Ensembleto Continuum SHIFTEven in these sharply cold months, Toronto' s new music communityoffers some incredibly enticing events that encourage us to ventureout into the frost and snow.First up , I'm eager to hear the New Brunswick-based MotionEnsemble at the Music Gallery on February 2lst. This post-classicalsextet hasn 't performed in Toronto since 2004, when they passedthrough on a cross-country tour. Motion is best known for presentingnew, experimental music that on occasion merges electronicsand visual media with live performance. They also have a penchantfor new Canadian works, especially those by their Atlantic colleagues.This time around, they are bringing a mix of Canadianmusic from composers stationed across the country, and even southof the border, in pieces specifically written for the ensemble. Manyof these works have never been heard outside of Atlantic Canadaand all are receiving their Toronto premiere.The concert will lead off with Martin Arnold's Water Lens; WaterLimbus. Arnold was the toast of the Amsterdam leg of the SHIFTFestival (more on that later), so now is the time to catch more ofthis Toronto-based talent. Also on the program are recent works byMontreal 's Michael Oesterle and Sackville's W.L. Altman. Closingout the concert will be Mnemosyne by Los Angeles-based CanadianVeronika Krausas, which was developed as a collaborative projectwith writer Andre Alexis and photographer Thaddeus Holownia.If you want to prepare your ears for this concert, you can listen toother works by Oesterle and Krausas online at the Canadian MusicCentre's CentreStreams audio service (visit www.musiccentre.ca).In fact, there is an alternate performance of Mnemosyne there,which you can use for preparation or comparison's sake.I am a sucker for all things Dutch, and so the arrival of SHIFTcertainly is going to have me on the move from February 25th toMarch 3rd. Curated by Continuum Ensemble's Jennifer Waring, thisambitious festival of Canadian and Dutch music, film and literaturearrives from Amsterdam, where all reports assure us that the hardwork has paid off. The name says it all: SHIFT follows centuries ofmigration from Europe to North America and the resulting transformationsthat have taken place. It also creates a platform for contemporaryshifts in understanding between the Netherlands and Canada,challenging old cliches and offering fresh insights. SHIFT gets goingwith readings by Dutch authors and film screenings at HarbourfrontCentre; the music gets going on February 27th at the MusicGallery in a Canadian/Dutch mixed program by new music mavericksToca Loca, titled elgh+Y 3Jgh7. No, it' s not a typo. Theconcert brings together new works by Canadians Aaron Gervais andChris Paul Harman, as well as existing pieces by crossover artistsLaura Barrett and Myra Davies, with their transatlantic counterpartsHanna Kulenty, Guus Jansen and Mayke Nas. Toca Locans SimonDocking and Gregory Oh will tackle keyboards of all shapes andsizes alongside collaborators on banjo, tape recorder, saxophone,bass, drumset and voice.While I'm a Toca Loca fan , SHIFT's true musical treats will belocal repeat performances of the critically acclaimed joint Ives Ensemble/Continuumconcert (Feb 28) , and the Bozzini Quartet atHarbourfront Centre' s Brigantine Room (Mar 1) . On February 28th,Continuum and the Ives Ensemble will combine in works by LindaBouchard and Guus Janssen (Ex Tempore for mirrored ensembles),while also each performing "solo" in new works by Mayke Nas(Douze Mains, in which Continuum's musicians play inside a singlepiano) and Gyula Csapo. According to Festival Director JenniferWaring, this concert program embodies SHIFT's spirit: two ensemblesfrom different musical cultures coming together - not alwayseasily but with huge good will , determination and commitment - tomake something new. The result of their hard work was proclaimed"dazzling" in the Dutch premiere, for which we will all hope for arepeat in Toronto. The original concert was broadcast live on VPROWWW. THEWHOLENOTE.COM F EBRUA RY 1 - M ARC H 7 2009
I UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO~ FACULTY or MUSICUpcoming EventsFEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTSThe Continuum Ensemble gives the North American premiere ofMayke Nas 's Douze Mains on February 28th. All six performersexplore the sonic possibilities of a single piano.radio and can still be found online at http://www.vpro.nl/programma/avondconcert/afleveringen/ 40045256/.Quatuor Bozzini will perform their well-received program, whichincludes premieres of two Dutch works by Hanna Kulenty and RichardAyres, the latter of which admittedly has had a previous partialperformance. The Bozzini's are the first quartet to handle the wholework to date, including its difficult middle movement. Other stringquartets on the program include those by Martijn Voorvelt, MichaelOesterle and Martin Arnold. The prize of the concert in Amsterdamwas Arnold's contact;vault, which Jarko Aikens (Artistic Coordinatorof the Muziekgebouw) declared he would have Dutch stringquartets performing before the end of the year.Finally, if I can sneak into the Ives Ensemble composer workshopon March 3rd at the Music Gallery, you know I will. This uniqueensemble, instrumental to the development of so many composersand aesthetic movements, has much to offer music creators. To beable to witness their creative process at work would be a great experience.In between Motion and SHIFT, I hope to catch a performance ofInes, the new opera project from Queen of Puddings. It has a fiveshowrun February 22nd to March lst at the Enwave Theatre. Inesis based on the famous medieval Portuguese story of Ines de Castro,but adapted to depict life within Toronto's Portuguese community inthe 1960's. Composer James Rolfe, known for his excellent operas(Beatrice Chancey, Rosa, Swoon), takes influences from PortugueseFacto for this project - a living form of urban folk music for solovoice. A deeply emotional genre, Facto matches well with the expressivenessof opera and intimacy of theatre. Portuguese singerInes de Santos and opera singers Shannon Mercer, Beth Turnbull,Giles Tomkins, and Tom Goerz perform Rolfe's setting of librettistPaul Bentley's text. Director Jennifer Tarver rounds out a highpoweredcreative team.And on those nights when it is absolutely too cold to go out, I'llmost likely be curling up with Paul Steenhuisen's new book SonicMosaics: Conversations with Composers . Beyond being a highlyaccomplished composer in his own right, Steenhuisen is also a recognizedinterviewer of his creative colleagues. Over numerousyears, he has conducted and recorded dozens of one-on-one conversationswith some of our country's leading composers (many ofwhich appeared in these pages between 2001 and 2005). Now, aftermuch anticipation, these insightful interviews are available in onevolume. Paul' s well-documented conversations offer the reader entryinto the creative process and ways of listening to new musicalworks. He calls on his own experience as a composer to lend these32 interviews a colleague's openness, understanding and expertise.Sonic Mosaics: Conversations with Composers will be officiallyreleased on February 18th by the University of Alberta Press. It isavailable for purchase through the Canadian Music Centre, the U ofA Press website at www.uap.ualberta.ca, and through Amazon andIndigo online stores. 50% of the royalties generated from sales ofthe book will be donated to the Canadian Music Centre, in celebrationof its 50th Anniversary.Miro QuartetThe Chamber Music Series presents the Mir6 Quartet inMendelssohn's Quartet Op. 44 No. 1, Ovorak's "American"Quartet, and the Toronto premiere of Credo by Americancomposer Kevin Puts. 2/2 - 7:30 p. m. Walter Hall. (*)Music and PoetryChe Anne Loewen, piano; Eric Domville, speaker2/5 - 12:10 p.m. Walter Hall. FreeFrench Piano QuartetsThe Faculty Artist Series presents piano quartets by Faure andChausson, performed by Henri-Paul Sicsic, piano, Jacques lsraelievitch,violin, Teng Li, viola, and Shauna Rolston, cello2/6 - 7:30 p.m. Walter Hall. (*)Choirs in Concert: Vox FeminaUniversity Women's Chorus, Robert Cooper, C.M., conductor;University of Guelph Women's Choir, Marta McCarthy, conductor.2/13 - 7:30 p.m. Christ Church Deer Park, 1570Yonge Street.$14 (')Spotlight on OperaA preview of Ravel's operas L'enfant et les sortileges and L'heureespagno/e, with excerpts performed by the cast. PerformancesMarch 5 - 8.2/26 -1 2:10 p.m. Walter Hall. FreeJamie Parker and FriendsThe Faculty Artist Series presents pianist Jamie Parker andguests in music by Brahms and Clara Schumann.2/27 - 7:30 p.m. Walter Hall. (*)Choirs in Concert: Faure RequiemBrad Ratzlaff conducts the Master Chorale in Faure's Requiemand J.S. Bach's Cantata No. 78 "Jesu der du meine Seele".2/28 - 7:30 p.m. Victoria College Chapel. $14 (*)·senior/student price in bracketsBOX OFFICE: 416.978.3744Walter Hall and MacMillan Theatre are located in the Edward JohnsonBuilding, 80 Queen's Park (Museum subway stop).www.music.utoronto.caFEBRUARY 1 - MARCH 7 2009 WWW. THEWHO LENOTE. COM 17
