November 14 at 12:30 pm York’s Department of Music presents oneof Toronto’s premier Korean drum and dance ensembles, the Jeng YiKorean drum and dance ensemble, at the Accolade East Building.Back downtown on November 25 at 7:30 in Walter Hall, the U ofT Faculty of Music showcases the work of its current world musicartists-in-residence, the distinguished Balinese-based performersand scholars Putu Evie Suyadnyani and Vaughan Hatch, and theirstudents in its “World Music Visitor Concert.” The program stagesBalinese gamelan and dance including repertoires from royal courts,rituals and entertainments performed on the U of T’s gamelan semarpegulingan (orchestra).COC Bradshaw: The free noon hour “World Music Series” continuesat the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre.The November 5 concert showcases the bass veena, a new additionto the Hindustani instrumentarium developed by Canadian musicianJustin Gray and luthier Les Godfrey. “Monsoon:Synthesis” is theconcert’s title evoking a merger of North Indian ragas and originalJustin Gray compositions featuring the bass veena and the tablawizardry of Ed Hanley, with additional percussion and Tibetan singingbowls by Derek Gray.November 27 “Balinese Music and Dance: Temple, Court and VillageTraditions” takes over Bradshaw Amphitheatre. The event is listed inthe “Dance Series,” a fitting designation given that dance and musicperformance is intimately interrelated in Bali. The U of T’s 20-piecegamelan Dharma Santi alternates with Seka Rat Nadi the gendèrwayang (keyed metallophone quartet). The U of T world music artistsin-residence,Vaughan Hatch and Putu Evie Suyadnyani, are againfeatured performers.The last event this monthis on November 28. TheShargi Persian PercussionEnsemble performsUnbound. NaghmehFarahmand, a rare femaleIranian percussionist, now aToronto resident, leads a veryunusual all-female percussiongroup in a program oftraditional music from Persiaand the Middle East.Gzowski’s Soldier: November 17 The Music Gallery presents “ASoldier’s Tale” an ambitious multidisciplinary theatre work with bothaboriginal and world music elements. Composer, sound designer andmusician John Gzowski can certainly be considered among Torontoworld music stalwarts, having been active in groups like Maza Mezeand Tasa. In this staging of “A Soldier’s Tale” he collaborates withCree actor, artist, choreographer Michael Greyeyes, video artist AndyMoro and David Sait on guzheng. The work’s narrative explores thesoldiering role of First Nations in World War II and Iraq using theatricaldance, enhanced by the contribution of other top Toronto worldmusicians.QUICK PICKSNaghmeh Farahmand (far right).!!November 22 and 23 Nagata Shachu stages its “15th AnniversaryConcert and CD Release” at the Enwave Theatre, HarbourfrontCentre. This viscerally exciting Toronto group, regularly discussedin my column, goes from strength to strength and never disappointsmusically.!!November 23 at Koerner Hall, the Royal Conservatory and SmallWorld Music present Anoushka Shankar. The star sitarist performsselections from her latest CD, Traces of You, produced by the verysuccessful British Indian musician and composer Nitin Sawhney.!!November 27, also at Koerner Hall, the Royal Conservatory,Batuki Music and Small World Music present “Rokia Traoré: BeautifulAfrica.” Malian-born Rokia Traoré’s powerhouse voice is the idealvehicle for her rendition of songs from her most recent album.Andrew Timar is a Toronto musician and music writer.He can be contacted at worldmusic@thewholenote.com.18 | Novemberr 1 – December 7, 2013 thewholenote.com
Beat by Beat | Early MusicOld Made NewDAVID PODGORSKIWhen fans of early music walk into a concert in November,they may be impressed by the diversity of the repertoire andthe performers. Concerts coming up this month feature bothwide-ranging programs from under-appreciated composers and toplevelperformers who are just starting to emerge as soloists on theToronto music scene.Huizinga: One such relatively new face isEdwin Huizinga, a violinist originally fromCalifornia who now calls Toronto home.Huizinga is already somewhat familiar toToronto audiences, as he’s played as a sectionviolinist in both Tafelmusik and Aradia, buthaving recently returned from a tour with hisindie rock band The Wooden Sky, Huizingais ready to come into his own as a soloiston the Toronto music scene. To accomplishthis, Huizinga picked some of the hardestviolin sonatas in the classical canon — havingalready performed the first three of Bach’ssix sonatas for harpsichord and violin, he’sEdwin Huizinga,The Wooden Sky.teaming up with harpsichordist Philippe Fournier to complete thecycle by playing Bach’s B minor, A major, and E major Sonatas at theOratory, Holy Family Church, November 8.“I have a great love for the music of Bach,” Huizinga says whenI ask him about his upcoming concert with Fournier. “As a musician,I can appreciate the well-crafted nature of his music on a purelyintellectual level, but to also be the vehicle creating the notes — to beable to put a smile on someone’s face using just the music that Bachwrote — that’s amazing.” Bach composed these violin sonatas for aconcert series at a local coffeehouse in Leipzig — the same place wherehis Coffee Cantata was performed. In a similar spirit of informality,Huizinga and Fournier are giving an additional performance at a café.The Common, located at College and Gladstone, will host the duoon November 4, and Huizinga hopes giving listeners a casual — andhistorically correct! — musical experience will attract new listeners tothe music of Bach.“I’ve been playing in a lot of classical revolution concerts [in barsand clubs] and I really believe it’s a great way of bringing the musicto people other than regular concertgoers,” Huizinga says. “As anartist, I believe I have a responsibility to findnew ways of sharing the art I’m passionateabout.” While a café concert would certainlydo that, the coffeehouse concert starts at9pm, so perhaps you should consider havinga beer instead of a coffee while you listen tothem play. Bach would certainly have enjoyedeither beverage.Scaramella: Concertgoers looking to hearan interesting and varied repertoire steepedin a rich history should be sure to check outScaramella’s concert on November 30 at theVictoria College Chapel. The program featurescomposers based in England from the periodof the English Civil War and Restoration,a dangerous time in English history when Catholics, Protestants,Republicans and Monarchists all fought for control of the country andsupporting the wrong side at the wrong time could cost a man hishead. Scaramella will play music by Henry Purcell and Matthew Lockeas well as some by lesser-known musicians such as William Lawes,John Jenkins, Orlando Gibbons, Davis Mell and Simon Ives.Don’t miss the chance to hearthis rarely heard music, full of pithyhumour, ribaldry and heartache.Friday, November 22 &Saturday, November 23, 8pmTrinity-St. Paul’s Centre,Jeanne Lamon Hall427 Bloor St. WestticketS $19 - caLL 416-964-6337or oNLiNe attoroNtocoNSort.orgthewholenote.com November 1 – December 7, 2013 | 19
