Beat by Beat | Early MusicOf Bach,Espresso andOther AddictionsSIMONE DESILETsTwo of my favourite things in life are Bach and espresso. Sowhen someone gets the idea of actually combining the two, Iget the feeling he’s done it just for me. There’s a Bach-playingduo who obviously have a plan to meet me for coffee, and they arebaroque violinist Edwin Huizinga and harpsichordist Philip Fournier.Their plan: an ingenious tour of coffee houses in Toronto’s westend, designed to forever ensnare unsuspecting coffee drinkers intoan everlasting love of Bach and classical music performance. Theengaging Huizinga (you may have noticed him playing in any oneof several groups in town — Tafelmusik or Aradia for example — he’sthe imposing fellow with the long red hair who plays his violin withobvious passion) tells me more:“The idea is that so many musicians travel the world, and oftendon’t really get the benefit of getting to know their community, peopleon their street, people in their ‘hood.’ And vice versa, where thecommunity often doesn’t realize the talent living ‘in their own backyard.’These evenings will be free, super casual, super intimate, superup close and personal, and will feature an hour or more of musicof Bach for harpsichord and violin; we will be playing some solosand some of the obbligato violin sonatas as well. The events will alsoinclude some words about the pieces, some conversation about us andthe instruments we play.”And they are two interesting musicians. Besides being an accomplishedviolinist in a whole range of genres from improv to indie rockto baroque to modern, Huizinga was a founding member of the internationalnetwork Classical Revolution — an organization of musiciansdedicated to performing high-quality chamber music in non-traditionalsettings — begun in San Francisco in 2006. Fournier is organistand music director at St. Vincent de Paul, a specialist in Gregorianchant, a well-known recitalist on harpsichord and organ who hasbeen called one of the finest organists of his generation.You’ll find them in three coffee houses on these dates: May 6:Baluchon (Sorauren Ave.); May 7: The Common (College and Dufferin);May 8: Sam James (Harbord and Clinton). It all culminates in aconcert of Bach at Holy Family Church on May18, where hopefullysome of the audience will have had the pleasure of first hearing themover a latte.There’s a different tour you can take this month, one which centreson the theme you could call aspects of the feminine nature.On May 10, 11 and 12, Toronto Masque Theatre’s “The Lessons ofLove” pairs two masques drawn from two traditions, Blow’s Venusand Adonis of 1683 and Alice Ping Yee Ho’s newly composed TheLesson of Da Ji, which is scored for voices and an ensemble of baroqueinstruments including violin, lute and recorder as well as traditionalChinese instruments. The Blow piece relates the story of the beautifuland seductive goddess Venus, tragically struck as a result of her ownselfish decisions. Ho’s work, on the other hand, tells of a Chineseconcubine of the Shang dynasty, now understood mostly as an interferingsupernatural being or a conniving seductress — ah, but is shetortured by deep inner conflicts? This presentation features amongits wonderful cast Peking Opera artist William Lau, who plays a traditionalfemale role representing the “Dark Moon.”On May 24, 25 and 26, women of talent and vision are celebratedin the Toronto Consort’s “A Woman’s Life,” created by Alison Mackay.She is the designer of such multi-disciplinary shows as “The GalileoProject,” House of Dreams” and “The Four Seasons, a Cycle of the Sun,”each one incorporatingstunningimagery, movementand gorgeousmusic to allow theaudience to bearwitness to a culturevividly brought tolife. In the presentproduction, sheexplores the livesand accomplishmentsof womencomposers andsingers fromthe Middle Ages,Renaissanceand earlyBaroque — womensuch as Hildegardof Bingen, BarbaraStrozzi andFrancesca Caccini.The Consort isjoined by guests,actors MaggieHuculak and KarenWoolridge.Philip Fournier andEdwin Huizinga.Aspects of Venus, even her ablutions apparently, are explored bysoprano Dawn Bailey and the Elixir Baroque Ensemble, in TEMC’slast concert of the season on May 26. Bailey is surely one to watch; herextensive résumé includes art song, oratorio and operatic appearancesViolins, violas, cellos & bowsComplete line of strings & accessoriesExpert repairs & rehairsCanada’s largest stock of string musicFast mail order servicethesoundpost.cominfo@the soundpost.com93 Grenville St, Toronto M5S 1B4416.971.6990 • fax 416.597.9923A treasure trove for string players& lovers of string music16 | May 1 – June 7, 2013 thewholenote.com
in Canada and abroad, in new music and old. She’s especially soughtafter for her interpretations of music from the 17th and 18th centuries.In this concert she and the Elixir Ensembleperform music of the French Baroque,including a cantata by Colin deBlamont, La Toilette de Venus.And finally, on May 27 theToronto Continuo Collectivepresents “The Immortal Soulof Psyche.” An astoundinglyDawn Bailey.beautiful mortal woman,Psyche had to overcomeimpossible obstacles in orderto win her lover, the god Eros;through perseverence she wasrewarded with immortality andeverlasting happiness. Works byLocke and Lully unfold her story,performed by singers, guest instrumentalistsand the Continuo Collectivethemselves, a group dedicated to thestudy of the art of expressive continuo playing.Others of note!!May 10: Michael Kelly was an Irish tenor, composer, actor andtheatrical manager whose career led him to artistic centres all overEurope; along the way he met and made friends with many of themost celebrated musicians of the day. Not the least of these friendshipswas with Mozart, whom he met in Vienna. In Kelly’s memoirReminiscences he describes an evening’s entertainment he attended,a quartet party where the performers were Haydn, Dittersdorf, Vanhaland Mozart — it must have been quite an event! In “An Evening withMichael Kelly,” the Eybler Quartet recreates the music heard thatevening while their guest, actor R.H. Thomson reads from Kelly’smemoir and other writings. Gallery Players of Niagara present thesame program May 12 in St. Catharines.!!May 11: The Peterborough Singers directed by Sidney Birrell isa 100-voice choir which celebrates the conclusion of their 20th seasonin their hometown of Peterborough with the performance of amasterpiece, Bach’s B Minor Mass. Soloists include soprano LeslieFagan, mezzo Laura Pudwell, tenor Adam Bishop and baritonePeter McGillivray.!!May 25: Who else but I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble wouldpresent a program titled “HIGH”? The plot is best described by themselves:“I FURIOSI rises from the depths and soars to new heights inthis program of lofty heavens. Baroque gods always descended in amachine — but whence? Since those gods always returned up high,the ensemble endeavours to find out what all the fuss is about upthere.” Guest for this concert, which takes place at St. Mary MagdaleneChurch, is lutenist and theorbist Lucas Harris.!!May 30, 31, June 1 and 2: You shouldn’t be surprised to find19th-century repertoire on Tafelmusik’s upcoming program (namely,Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony, the Coriolan and Egmont Overtures,and Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto) — after all, they’ve been pushingthe boundaries of their repertoire for some years now; also, they haveas their next soloist the wonderful Polish-Canadian pianist JaninaFialkowska, a Chopin specialist, playing an 1848 Pleyel piano — thesame model as that used by Chopin when he gave his last concert atthe Salle Pleyel in Paris in 1848, and one of very few to survive.!!June 2: In a concert titled “Master Works of J.S. Bach,” organistPhilip Fournier (of the coffee house duo above) plays three greatworks: Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G, several fugues from the Art ofFugue, and the C Minor Passacaglia, on the Gober/Kney tracker organat The Oratory, Holy Family Church.Simone Desilets is a long-time contributor to The WholeNotein several capacities who plays the viola da gamba.She can be contacted at earlymusic@thewholenote.com.emily ding40 ANNIVERSARYSEASON 2012-13thTrinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. Westpresentsª WOMAN’S LIFEMay 24 & 25 at 8 pmMay 26 at 3:30 pmA Woman’s Life explores the lives and talents ofwomen composers and singers from the MiddleAges, Renaissance and early Baroque, featuringmusic by Hildegard of Bingen, Barbara Strozziand Francesca Caccini. Alison Mackay, formermember of the Toronto Consort and creator ofTafelmusik’s The Galileo Project and House ofDreams, creates another stunning evening ofmusic, words and projected imagery. With Torontoactors Maggie Huculak and Karen Woolridge.Generously supported by Al and Jane ForestFor Tickets call 416-964-6337 or order onlinewww.torontoconsort.orgthewholenote.com May 1 – June 7, 2013 | 17
