Book ShelfThe Well-Tempered Listener:Growing up with Musical Parentsby Mary Willan MasonWords Indeed230 pages, photos; .95Because so muchof Healey Willan’swork was devotedto the church — as acomposer of sacredmusic, organist, andchoir director — hewas often regardedas a serious, devoutand rather gruffcharacter. But in herdelightful memoir,his daughter MaryWillan Mason gives us another side to thiscomplex, brilliant man, describing just howmischievous, witty and irreverently funny hecould be. She still recalls a benefit concertat the Toronto (now Royal) Conservatory ofMusic, where he taught for many years.“My father walked on stage wearing a frillyyellow frock with my hair ribbon up on topof his head. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Hesat down at the piano pretending to be a veryfidgety little girl doing her recital piece,”and performed “The World is Waiting forthe Bunrise.” It was a dig at his colleague,Ernest Seitz, who, she later learned, hadfailed to acknowledge Willan’s help in writinghis popular song The World is Waitingfor the Sunrise.Music was the main topic of conversationbetween Mason’s parents at home. Yether mother, whose considerable musicalaccomplishments Mason describes withpride, had given up a promising career asa concert pianist in their native Englandbecause Willan would not allow his wife towork. “Although they had played togetherin public before their marriage,” she writes,“Dad showed his Victorian upbringing bynot wanting Mother to perform in publicafter their marriage.” Willan’s biographerand former student F.R.C. Clarke quotes afamily friend who described Gladys Willanas “long suffering.” Mason doesn’t go thatfar. But she does remark on their strainedrelationship, and reveals the hurt caused by ahusband and father who, though undoubtedlygentle, respectful and loving, was remoteand demanding.Some of the many pleasures here areprovided by Mason’s childhood memoriesof Toronto in the 1920s and 30s, when awater trough for horses sat outside the RoyalOntario Museum, and the Willan home onInglewood Drive was surrounded by fields.One day she watched as the wooden SundayPAMELA MARGLESschool building originally from ChristChurch, Deer Park was pulled by horsesacross the wooden planks of the St. ClairAvenue bridge to Glenrose Avenue, where itbecame the studio of family friends, sculptorsFrancis Loring and Florence Wyle.Mason, a journalist and actor now in hernineties, is an astute observer with a remarkablememory. She is able to offer insightsinto Willan that no-one else could. Mostmemorable is the scene the evening after hermother’s unexpected death, when Willan satdown at his piano. “He must have playednon-stop for at least half an hour. It wasmusic that I had never heard before, and itwas transcendentally lovely, ethereal. I askedhim what it was, and he said, very quietly, ‘Iwas just thinking of your mother’.”Expert editing, the author’s personalphotos, and a detailed index help make this amemoir to treasure.Rant & Dawdle:The Fictional Memoir of Colston WillmottAs Imagined By William E. (Bill) SmithCharivari Press482 pages, photos; .95There’s nothingstraightforwardabout Bill Smith’slife and career, andhis rambling, chaoticmemoir is nodifferent. It’s notjust that it jumpsall over, provokingeven the author atone point to comment,“You may bewondering where allthis is leading, as indeed I am.” For reasonsSmith never actually explains, he presentsthis memoir as a work of fiction, tellingthe life-story of an imaginary character,Colston Willmott.The life recorded here has been spent inextremes, driven by an obsession with jazz,and fuelled by an irrepressible imagination.But whose life is it? If it actually differsfrom Smith’s — and we suspect itdoesn’t — we don’t find out here.But as merely the author, and not the subject,of this “fictional memoir,” Smith getsto assume the voice of a third-person narrator.The text alternates between his narrativeand that of his fictional doppelganger. It’sa clever device. Smith can call Willmott a“grumpy, doddering, old sod,” and Willmottcan indulge his feelings of self-pity abouteverything from his declining health to theloneliness that possesses him.As he moves into his seventies, Willmotttakes pleasure in his considerable professionalachievements, the books he reads sovoraciously, the musicians he still listensto on disc, like Art Blakey, Miles Davis,Thelonius Monk, Sonny Rollins, AnthonyBraxton and Albert Ayler, his enduring andrewarding relationship with the woman hecalls Essjay, and his abiding love for histwo daughters, here referred to as Bonesand Giggles.It’s been over twenty years since Smithretreated from Toronto to Hornby Island.But he remains an essential presence onthe Canadian jazz scene as a musician,photographer, record producer, radio host,editor, film producer and writer. This bookprovides a neat counterpart to Smith’sprevious book, Imagine the Sound, whichdocumented his life in jazz with poetry,photos and reminiscences of family, friends,and the extraordinary musicians Smith hasplayed with, photographed, interviewedand recorded. They’re all here — in spirit,if not name. And so is his “old mate andbusiness partner,” fellow Brit John Norris(here called Welman), the founder of CodaMagazine. Together they produced Coda,started Sackville Records and ran the Jazzand Blues Record Centre. Smith was theavant-gardist of the team; Norris, who diedin 2010, the traditionalist.This is such a hilarious, poignant, andthoroughly captivating tale that typos,repetitions and misspellings seem not tomatter. The assortment of fonts used may beconfusing, and it’s frustrating not to have thephotos (many by Smith himself) identified.But better to preserve the rough edges thanrisk toning down and smoothing out thesingularly authentic voice so brilliantlycaptured here.MUSIC LOVERS!The latest hearing aid technology makes it possibleto enjoy musical performances and movies the wayyou used to. Improve your hearing in backgroundnoise and connect wirelessly to cellphones andtelevision using Bluetooth wireless technology.HEAR Torontois an independent hearing care clinic offering:Hearing evaluationsHearing aids /accessoriesHearing protectionWe specialize in products and servicesfor Musicians and Music lovers.Ross Harwell, (416) 484-4327Doctor of Audiology,B. Mus.Perf., M.Sc., Au.D.586 Eglinton Ave. E. Suite 305www.HearToronto.ca60 thewholenote.comJuly 1–September 7, 2011
Editor’s CornerDAVID OLDSAt time of writing I am about toofficially enter summer mode, whichfor me means less cello playing andfewer classical pursuits, and more timespent with my folk instruments — guitars,mandolins and accordion. I am pleased tohave found several new releases which fitthis summer sensibility. The first is Europa,which features local guitarist/vocalist/songwriter George Grosman and his bandBohemian Swing (www.georgegrosman.com).The disc takes us on a whirlwind tour ofEuropean capitals with original songs suchas Budapest Café, Sarajevo Waltz, The Thiefof Bucharest, London in November andCole Porter’s I Love Paris. AccompanyingGrosman on this adventure of love, loss andremembrance areviolinist JonathanMarks, trumpeterIan MacGillivray,accordionist FabriceSicco, uprightbassist Abbey LeonSholzberg and ahost of guest artists.Despite occasional moments of naïveté andpolitical incorrectness the project is a cleverand compelling portrait, presenting storiesalmost as film vignettes, giving us both thelighter and darker sides of some of the greatcities of the world. You can catch Grosmanand Bohemian Swing in a live performanceat The Rex on July10 at 3:30.A little further afieldis the primarilyinstrumental ensembleThe Black SeaStation, which grewout of the North EndKlezmer Project inWinnipeg. Foundingmembers MyronSchultz (clarinet), Victor Schultz (violin) andDaniel Koulack (acoustic bass), all alumniof the seminal klezmer band Finjan, arejoined here by Toronto-born renaissanceman Ben Mink (violin, mandolin, mandocello)and Moldovan accordionist NicolaiPrisacar on the rollicking TransylvaniaAvenue (www.blackseastation.com). Theself-described “combination of originalcompositions influenced by traditional stylesand traditional songs set with contemporaryarrangements” very effectively conveys theband’s respect of tradition while placingthem firmly in the 21st century. Highlightsfor me include the food oriented My Dinnerat Schwartz’s and At the Café Sambor andthree Romanian melodies combined to makeNine-Eight, the concluding Trance SylvanianWaltz (with Sabarelu) and March of theShikker with guest vocals (well, mutteringsreally) by Geddy Lee. Although the band’sonly summer concert date was in June at theWinnipeg Jazz Festival, I’m hoping they willtour again soon — perhaps a return visit tonext year’s Ashkenaz Festival?If you are readingthis on the firstday or so afterpublication you maystill have time toget down to MetroSquare for what isbound to be one ofthe highlights of theTD Toronto Jazz Festival — a performanceby the original members of Bela Fleck andthe Flecktones on June 30. Fleck’s banjo-ledquasi blues band is in fine form on theirlatest release Rocket Science (EOM-CD 2133www.eonemusic.com) with Howard Levyon harmonicas and piano, Victor LemonteWooten on electric basses and Futureman(Roy Wooten) on “drumitar” (a synthesizerof his own design) and acoustic drums andpercussion. All of the tunes are original — inmore ways than one — with Fleck and Levytaking most of the writing credits, but aparticular treasure is Futureman’s The SecretDrawer, surely one of the most eclectic“drum” solos in the realm of popular music.Other favourites include Fleck’s GravityLane, Falling Forward and Bottle Rocketand Levy’s Joyful Spring. If you miss theirlive performance this disc will go a long wayto explaining what all the fuss is about.Of course theToronto summermusic scene doesnot exclude classicalmusic andthis year we haveseen the additionof the Capital OneBlackCreek SummerMusic Festival with its eclectic offeringsrivalling those of Luminato. But thebackbone of the classical summer remainsthe Toronto Summer Music Festival whichgets under way with a gala performancefeaturing Kirill Gerstein at Koerner Hallon July 19. While the festival’s theme thisyear is “Beethoven and the Romantics” andGerstein’s repertoire for the concert reflectsthis — Beethoven’s last sonata and Liszt’siconic B minor — I was pleased to find thatthe 2010 Gilmore Award-winning pianist’sinaugural solo album Liszt – Schumann –Knussen (Myrios Classics MYR005) alsoincludes some 21st century fare. The discbegins with Schumann’s Humoreske , aweighty work belying its title. Gerstein’sperformance brings out both the thoughtfulmelancholy and the moments of whimsyinherent in the work. Oliver Knussen’sOphelia’s Last Dance was commissionedby the Gilmore Foundation for Gersteinin conjunction with the 0,000 GilmoreArtist Award. Based on earlier fragmentsintended for but not used in his ThirdSymphony (1973-74), Ophelia’s Last Danceis a 2010 reworking somewhat reminiscent ofDebussy at his most contemplative, but withan expanded tonality firmly rooting it in themusic of our own time. Gerstein’s personaltake on the Liszt sonata is very effective,beginning in near silence and then burstingto life to hold our rapt attention for the nexthalf hour. I expect the audience at KoernerHall will be similarly enthralled.we welcome your feedback andinvite submissions. CDs and commentsshould be sent to: The WholeNote,503–720 Bathurst St., Toronto ON M5S 2R4.We also encourage you to visit our website,www.thewholenote.com, where you can findadded features including direct links to performers,composers and record labels, “buybuttons” for on-line shopping and additional,expanded and archival reviews.—David Olds, DISCoveries Editordiscoveries@thewholenote.comJuly 1–September 7, 2011 thewholenote.com 61
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!).
