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Volume 20 Issue 1 - September 2014

  • Text
  • September
  • October
  • Toronto
  • Jazz
  • Musical
  • Theatre
  • Festival
  • Concerts
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ALEXANDRA GUERSONA

ALEXANDRA GUERSONA republic of rich Calvinist merchants meant no grand patrons ineither church or palace shelling out for spectacular, expensive orchestrasand operas – Holland doesn’t have a St. Mark’s or a Versailles tothis day – but that also meant that chamber music, played by smallgroups of professionals or amateurs, could flourish. For Sylvester, it’swhat makes Dutch music so interesting. Composers could experiment,writing quirky music to fit their fancy without worrying aboutdispleasing a despotic boss. And Dutch chamber music from theperiod, Sylvester argues, is written out of a simple love of musicalcreativity. Composers like Hacquard and Schenck might not be householdnames today, but their music, more so than their contemporaries,was written in a spirit of intelligence and fun. Check out thisconcert September 27 at 8pm at St. David’s Anglican Church. Thesame program will performed September 28 at 8pm at the KWCMSmusic room, Waterloo.Off to the fair: If you’re looking to discover more musical groupsin Toronto, or if you’re curious about early music in general, make apoint of going to this year’s Toronto Early Music Fair. It’s actually beenaround for 30 years! An afternoon devoted to the early music scene inToronto, it’s a great opportunity for anyone curious to get very familiarwith early music very fast. This year, the Toronto Early Music Centre(TEMC) will present several mini-concerts by Toronto-based artists,including Bud Roach and Harmonie. It offers Torontonians the opportunityto hear a wide variety of historic instruments played by someof the finest musicians in the city. Recordings, early music booksand publications are also on sale. The Toronto Early Music Fair takesplace at the historic Montgomery’s Inn on Saturday, September 27and Sunday, September 28. Given the number of concerts and presentationsyou can see over the course of a day, Fair tickets are abargain at .ExtraordinaryOrdinary:Another hardworkingTorontoensemble that’sstarting up theirseason this monthis the Musiciansin Ordinary,the ensemblein-residenceMusicians In Ordinaryof St. Michael’sCollege led bysoprano HallieFishel and lutenist John Edwards. Their first concert this season isa program based around the covert Catholicism in England in the16th and 17th centuries. Elizabethan England was a dangerous timeto practise Catholicism openly, and this concert explores the musicperformed and sponsored by clandestine Catholics in a climate of religiouspersecution. The musicians will be playing pieces typical of late-Renaissance England, especially songs for solo voice and lute, andlute instrumental solos based on sung works. Violinist Chris Verrettewill also be on hand to lead a consort of violins, and the Musicianswill play works by Byrd (Catholic, employed), Dowland (Catholic,unemployed) and Wilbye (not Catholic, employed by Catholics). Thisconcert takes place on Friday, September 26 at Father Madden Hall inthe Carr building at the University of Toronto, 100 St. Joseph Street.The concert starts at 8pm, but come at 7:30 for the pre-concert talk,for insights into a time when doing so might have had you burned atthe stake!Eybler Quartet: For those more inclined towards slightly moreconventional repertoire, unconventionally played, consider checkingout the Eybler Quartet. They’re a Toronto-based string quartetcomprised of Tafelmusik players (Julia Wedman and Aisslinn Noskyon violin, Patrick Jordan on viola, and Margaret Gay on cello) whowill be getting together at Heliconian Hall to perform Beethoven’sString Quartet Op.18, No.2. It’s a solid choice for a string quartetconcert on period instruments, but Eybler will also be throwing acouple of unusual pieces on the program. Cellist Guy Fishman willbe joining the quartet for two double cello quintets by Boccheriniand Dittersdorf. If you love Beethoven string quartets, you won’twant to miss this – Eybler is an ensemble of top-level string playersthat performs exceptionally well. Catch this concert on October 2at 7:30pm.SweetWater: Finally, if you’re looking for one more excuse to getto cottage country before winter hits, or if you happen to live in theOwen Sound area, try to get out and catch some of the SweetWaterMusic Festival. An all-star lineup of Canadian musicians, Mark Fewer(violin), Hank Knox (harpsichord) and Lucas Harris (theorbo),will team up with baroque violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch in a mixedprogram that will include Vivaldi, Bach, Biber and Schmelzer atLeith Historic Church (419134 Tom Thomson Ln.) on September 19 at7:30pm. These are some of the best musicians in the country playinga program that will have something for everyone. If you’re in this partof Ontario, definitely consider going to this festival and this concertspecifically.David Podgorski is a Toronto-based harpsichordist, musicteacher and a founding member of Rezonance. He canbe contacted at earlymusic@thewholenote.com.I FURIOSIBaroque EnsembleSuite SixteenFRIDAY,OCTOBER 24, 2014SATURDAY,JANUARY 10, 2015FRIDAY,APRIL 10, 2015SATURDAY,JUNE 6, 2015All concerts in our 16th concert season at Calvin Presbyterian Church,26 Delisle Avenue, Toronto (one block north of St Clair Ave, west of Yonge St)26 | September 1, 2014 – October 7, 2014 thewholenote.com

Beat by Beat | In With The NewListening SpacesWENDALYN BARTLEYMusic is like a creature that needs certain conditions andingredients in order to thrive. Two essential components tocreate a sustainable environment for musicmaking are a spacefor the sound to exist within and a community of receivers open tolistening in that space.In the summer issue, I spoke about the upcoming visit to Torontoof composer Pauline Oliveros and her longstanding practice of “DeepListening.” Having recently witnessed her keynote address, performanceand deep listening workshop at the various events organizedby New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA) in mid-August, I was struckby how much her work as a composer, both in the pioneering daysof electronic music and in promoting an awareness and practice oflistening, has had a wide impact on the musical community.One event I was able to experience was an outdoor participatoryperformance of her piece Extreme Slow Walk, a piece I had experiencedback in the late 1970s at the original Music Gallery space onSt. Patrick Street. The piece requires an opening up of one’s awarenessto the vibratory resonance of the earth, the electrical sensationsin the body and the pull of the gravitational field – all while listeningto the surrounding soundscape and slowly placing one foot in front ofthe other. Not only did each participant experience something personallymeaningful but as Oliveros commented after we completed thewalk, the whole environment was responding and sounding back inits own way because of our listening. This is an example of what shecalls “quantum listening.”Arraymusic: A fewyears back, Toronto’sArraymusic produceda concert of some ofOliveros’ music. In arecent interview I hadwith Array’s artisticdirector and percussionistRick Sacks, I askedwhat it had required ofhim as a performer torealize the intentions ofone of Oliveros’ pieces.Rick SacksHis answer (that it wasa process of “revelation”)underscores the difference of perspective that deep listening isbuilt upon. Revelation, he explained, was the experience of allowingthings to unfold while playing, instead of relying on the traditionalperformance practice of having things under control (as much as oneever can). It was an opportunity for personal growth beyond ego byfollowing an intuitive process. Oliveros’ entire aesthetic points towardsa holistic approach to life, Sacks said: when sound is given a chance tolive and breathe, it follows its own course and we are taken along forthe ride. But it requires the professional musician to trust that all thelearned musical impulses and skills will be there when called upon bythe unfolding music.As I mentioned above, though, music also needs a supportive andthriving environment within which to do its living and breathing.Since the 1970s, Arraymusic has been an important contributor to thecreation and performance of new music in Toronto and the rest of theworld. With its recent change of location, Array is now uniquely positionedto offer its new venue at 155 Walnut Street as one such livingspace. During my conversation with both Sacks and Array’s administrativedirector Sandra Bell, they talked about the vision that the newnew music concertsSun. nOV. 16, 2014 1 Generation 2014 The Ensemblecontemporain de Montréal showcases young Canadian composers.Co-presented with The Music Gallery | 197 John St.THuRS. DEC. 11, 2014 2 Stroppa+Sluchin Composer MarcoStroppa + trombonist Benny Sluchin + electronics + Elliott Carter’s106th birthday. Co-presented with The Music Gallery | 197 John St.TuES. Jan. 20, 2015 3 Maritime Miniatures Barbara Pritchardperforms atlantic composers’ variations on Bach’s Goldberg Aria.Music Toronto co-production | Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E.SaT. FEB. 14, 2015 4 East + West an evening of premieres byChinese & Canadian composers. | Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St.Sun. MaR. 1, 2015 * an Evening with Paul Griffithsa unique fundraising event with the famed British critic and author.Gallery 345, 345 Sorauren ave. RESERVaTIOnS 416.961.95942014 ✺ 2015Robert aitken artistic directorSaT. MaR. 14, 2015 5 Duo Szathmáry/TzschoppeVirtuoso works written for this rare organ & percussion duo.Co-presented with Organix. | Holy Trinity Church, 10 Trinity Sq.SaT. aPR. 4, 2015 6 ukrainian-Canadian ConnectionExploring the depths of our rich cultural heritage.Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St.Sun. May 17, 2015 7 The Belgian ConnectionMichel Gonneville curates a concert ofHenri Pousseur and other influential Belgians.Trinity St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W.Subscriptions 0 regular | 5 seniors / arts workers | students | Pick 3 (or more) each reg | snr/arts | studentCall nMC @ 416.961.9594 to subcribe | visit www.newMusicConcerts.com for detailsthewholenote.com September 1, 2014 – October 7, 2014 | 27

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