EARLY MUSIC AND PERIOD PERFORMANCEPerla Barocca – Early Italian MasterpiecesRachel Podger; Marcin Swiatkiewicz;Daniele CaminitiChannel Classics CCS SA 36014This beautifuldisc is a pearlindeed. From thelyrical, improvisatoryopening of G.B.Fontana’s Sonata 2 tothe final exuberanceof Bertali’s Chiacona,Perla Barocca is adelightful exploration of 17th-century Italianviolin repertoire, as interpreted by threeluminescent players.Among my personal favourites on thisCD are Pandolfi Mealli’s Sonata 6, in whichthe composer’s theatrical eccentricity andlyricism are effortlessly captured. IsabellaLeonarda’s Sonata 12 is simply gorgeous, andthe fiery passagework of Marco Uccellini’sSonata overo Toccata “detta la Laurarilucente,” isn’t just impressive, it’s refreshinglyexpressive as well. Particularly in BiagioMarini’s Sonata 4, Rachel Podger and hercolleagues make use of an extraordinaryrange of tonal colour and volume, as well asnumerous special effects described in writingsof the time but rarely heard nowadaysin performances of this repertoire. GirolamoFrescobaldi is represented here with thefamiliar keyboard Toccata 1, in which harpsichordistMarcin Swiatkiewicz displays hisinterpretive mastery, and another Toccata for“spinettina e violino.” Podger, Camini andSwiatkiewicz give Dario Castello’s Sonata 2one of the most thoughtful and inventiverenditions I’ve ever heard, providing inspirationfor a fresh look at this much-recordedpiece. Their perfect exploitation of expressivedevice, creative pacing and snappy virtuositygive the impression that the three of themare actively collaborating with Castello asthey go; and so it is with the rest of the musicon this CD.A must-listen.Alison MelvilleA Royal Trio – Arias by Handel, Bononcini &AriostiLawrence Zazzo; La Nuova Musica; DavidBatesHarmonia Mundi HMU 807590In 1719, Handelhad been told by thenewly establishedRoyal Academy ofMusic in London torecruit a companyof singers, of thecalibre of the castratoSenesino. Suchsingers were the mainstay of the Academy,as were Handel and the Milanese cellist andcomposer Giovanni Bononcini.Add a third composer Attilio Ariosti ofBologna, and you have an operatic powerhouse in London which, along with LawrenceZazzo’s genius as a countertenor, is the inspirationfor this CD. Indeed, Zazzo’s skills asa countertenor are immediately displayedwith his vigorous interpretation of Handel’s“Rompo I lacci” from Flavio. More sedate butno less intense is his performance of “Cosistanco Pellegrino” from Bononcini’s Crispo.Handel’s music features in ten of the 18tracks on this CD, “Va tacito” from GiulioCesare being an entirely suitable selection,not only due to Zazzo’s enthusiastic performancebut because of the spirited accompanimentfrom the woodwinds and horns of LaNuova Musica. It is a sharp contrast to thethoughtful, sighing setting of “Tanti affani”from Handel’s Ottone, which follows.Despite Handel’s reputation, one of themost moving recordings on the entire CDis Ariosti’s “Spirate, o iniqui marmi” fromCoriolano, conveying Coriolano’s anguish athis wrongful imprisonment. In this case, it isthe strings which combine with Zazzo’s voiceto create the doleful atmosphere.In fact, Bononcini and Handel both end theCD with a flourish, the former with “Tigrepiagata” from Muzio Sevola and the latterwith “Vivi, tiranno” from Rodelinda. Eachpiece showcases the sheer skill of LawrenceZazzo and the demands placed on his voice.Michael SchwartzCLASSICAL AND BEYONDBeethoven – Diabelli VariationsStewart GoodyearMarquis MAR 455Stewart Goodyearhas already demonstratedhis maturityand artistic masteryof Beethoven in thecomplete sonatarecordings and hismarathon performancesof the works.This current CD establishes him as one of thepremier Beethoven interpreters today.The Diabelli Variations “amused Beethovento a rare degree” and were written in “arosy mood” which dispels the belief thatBeethoven spent his later years writing incomplete gloom. These variations tease uswith incredible humour and “funny themes.”Substitute the syllables ha-ha, hee-hee to themusic in Variation 10 which Alfred Brendelso aptly named “Giggling and neighing” inhis book Music Sounded Out and it will guaranteea smile and laugh while listening to thisextraordinary opus. This is joyful, upliftingmusic and Goodyear has the formidable techniqueand astute sense of structure to be ableto switch from one character to the next. Heclearly defines the unique personality andmood of each variation.The extra-musical images and literary allusionsof the work come alive in Goodyear’scommand of the extreme contrasts andarticulation of the musical motifs. He bringsto life tender moments and violent, disjointedmusical excursions while sustaining afocus from the beginning to the end of thework. The love and joy of playing Beethovenis evident in every nuance and breath ofGoodyear’s performance. The sound of therecording, tempo and timing flows naturallyin its expressive and colourful journey.This is an excellent recording and is highlyrecommended. I look forward to StewartGoodyear recording all of Beethoven’sVariations.Christina Petrowska QuilicoBeethoven – Complete Works for Cello andPianoJean-Guihen Queyras; Alexander MelnikovHarmonia Mundi HMC 902183.84Having alreadycollaborated onchamber music byBrahms, Kodály,Debussy and Poulenc,Canadian-borncellist Jean-GuihenQueyras and Russianpianist Alexander Melnikov – two establishedHarmonia Mundi artists – have now turnedtheir attention to music by Beethoven in thissplendid two-disc set featuring the completeworks for cello and piano.The music was composed over a 20-yearperiod, from 1796 to 1815. The two sonatasOp.5, were a result of Beethoven’s associationwith the musical court life in Berlinwhich not only included the cello-playingKing Frederick Wilhelm II (nephew of, andsuccessor to, the flute-playing Frederickthe Great) but also the Duport brothers –both cello virtuosos. The Queyras-Melnikovpairing is a sublime one, their playing elegantand polished, with a wonderful sense ofmomentum throughout. The first disc alsoincludes the delightful Variations on Mozart’sEin Mädchen oder Weibschen from The MagicFlute and See the Conquering Hero Comesfrom Handel’s Judas Maccabeus.It was almost 11 years later that Beethovenreturned to the cello/piano combination withhis Sonata in A Major Op.69, long regardedas one of his most renowned in the genre.The mood is dignified and majestic and theequal partnership of the artists results in awonderful cohesion of sound, with Queyras’warm rich tone perfectly complementedby Melnikov’s solid performance. Alsoincluded on this disc are the variations onMozart’s Bei Männern welche Liebe fuhlenfrom The Magic Flute and the two sonatasOp.102 completed in 1815. Queryas displays aparticular tenderness in the slow movementof the second sonata before the two embarkon the robust fugal finale, thus bringing theset to a most satisfying close.Well done, Messrs. Queyras and Melnikov76 | November 1 - December 7, 2014 thewholenote.com
– it’s a classic case of outstanding repertoiresuperbly played, and we can’t ask any morethan that.Richard HaskellChopin – Complete MazurkasJanina FialkowskaATMA ACD2 2682Chopin – 24 PreludesAlain LefèvreAnalekta AN 2 9287Chopin – PreludesIngrid FliterLinn Records CRD 475In the ridiculoushorror-parody film,Attack of the KillerTomatoes, the bloodthirstyveggies canonly be defeatedwhen shown thesheet music of DonnyOsmond. That makesthem explode in fear.In the real world, the truly scary scores arethose of Frédéric Chopin. The sheercomplexity of the writing, the crowded addedlines and bars bursting with fractal notes areenough to send a casual, sight-reading pianistscrambling. Chopin’s music requires a lot ofgreat technique, to be sure. But techniquealone is not enough – the best example of thatis the pianist that this reviewer calls BangBang in obvious reference to his overuse ofthe forte pedal. Lots of bravado there, but verylittle heart and soul.In fact, I wouldventure to say thatthe music of Chopinis a lot like wine –it is a result of theterroir, the quality ofgrapes and the winemakingtechnique.As for terroir, thereis something magical when one hears thatmusic at the Royal Baths Gardens in Warsaw,near the statue of Chopin (wrapped by twobronze weeping willows) or at Chopin’sfamily cottage in Zelazowa Wola, where hisalleged piano is still in working order. Alas,that’s a pleasure not accorded to many. Still,there is something uncanny in the abilityof Polish pianists to re-capture that everimportantterroir. Then there are the grapes– the beauty of Chopin’s writing was thatno piece, no matter how slight, could beconsidered minor. The Minute Waltz, thePreludes, the Mazurkas or songs, regardlessof length, command attention equal tothat of the Piano Concerti. If all his scoresare difficult, then the Mazurkas are particularlyso, as their intuitive, internal rhythmhas tripped up many a virtuoso. There is areason, after all, for a separate award categoryfor Mazurka interpretation at the ChopinInternational Piano Competition – a prizeso elusive, that on several occasions it wasnot awarded. Finally we come to the winemakingtechnique. All three of the pianists inthis review are no amateurs and their techniquecan be vouched for by the internationalprizes they have garnered – Ingrid Fliter wasa silver medalist of the 2000 Chopin PianoCompetition, Janina Fialkowska won theinaugural 1974 Arthur Rubinstein competitionand Alain Lefèvre scored a JUNO, PrixOpus and ten (That’s ten!) Prix Felix. So, howdo they fare?All three discs are a true delight – so anycriticism that follows will be merely an exercisein splitting hairs.If I were to pick theweakest link, it wouldbe the ArgentinebornIngrid Fliter.Though some wouldargue that hers isthe finest techniqueof the three, herapproach to Chopin isalmost too conservative and because of that itseems fearful. No room for fear when playingChopin – this is a counterphobe’s territory.I would also add that despite her triumph atthe Warsaw competition, her recording paysthe least homage to the actual terroir of themusic. A notable exception is the “Raindrop”Prelude – possibly the best performance Ihave heard in years.Lefèvre is fearless and bold, taking no prisonersin his approach and perhaps losingsome clarity in the process. However, byleading with the heart, you cannot lose whenplaying Chopin.Finally, Fialkowska is in fine form, provingonce again that it is the combination ofemotional presence, technique and experienceor the grapes, terroir and winemaking,that delivers the stunning results. Hers is thecrown of Mazurkas, those frustrating, intimidatinggems that Schumann called “cannonsunder flowers” referring to their potent politicalmessage dressed as “small” piano pieces.Robert TomasTchaikovsky; Grieg – Piano ConcertosStewart Goodyear; Czech NationalSymphony; Stanislav BoguniaSteinway & Sons Records 30035These performancesof the warhorses byTchaikovsky andGrieg are on fire.There is an energyand passion fromboth the remarkableStewart Goodyearand the incredible Czech National Symphonythat makes this a must-listen-to CD for pianists.Goodyear speaks of the collaboration as“dancing” and the performances certainlyweave long musical lines and pulsatingshapes like dance choreography. I like thetempos in the Tchaikovsky concerto. Bothpianist and orchestra refrained from romanticover-indulgence and kept the music flowingin grand, sweeping gestures. This concertooften suffers from affectations and egocentricplaying. Goodyear’s impressive techniquewas used with integrity to interpret themusic. He coaxed beautiful tone poems andcolours from the piano. He embraced the lushharmonic worlds of Tchaikovsky and madethe rhythms dance in balletic forms. His incisivearticulation and trills that border on thephenomenal will keep listeners on the edgeof their seats. The second movement sparkleseffervescently at a quick tempo but the slowersections are tender and carefully nuanced.The concerto ends in a blaze of virtuosicdisplay and fireworks from both piano andorchestra.The Grieg concerto was impeccable. It sangin lyric colours and the ensemble betweenpianist and orchestra was exemplary. Thetempos and timings breathed and evolvedfreely while creating naturally flowingphrases. The lyrical and sensitive secondmovement sang with luminous tone andexpressiveness. The third movement was crispand performed with scintillating precision.It is so refreshing to hear these oftenover-done concertos played with such love,mastery and musical integrity. Bravo toStewart Goodyear and the Czech NationalSymphony, as well as to Steinway for thisexcellent CD.Christina Petrowska QuilicoBruckner – Symphony No.3Orchestre Métropolitain; Yannick Nézet-SéguinATMA ACD2 2700This BrucknerThird is anothertriumph forMontreal’s OrchestreMétropolitain andconductor YannickNézet-Séguin. Wiselyusing the original1873 version, Nézet-Séguin provides a well-paced, convincingperformance of this massive symphony,with subtle tempo variations and shifts,controlled crescendos, and strategic silences.For Bruckner, it’s a good thing that we havelearned to accept silence in musical works. Inhis pauses, I hear space for concert hall reverberation,time to ponder a profound question,or maybe a rest on an alpine hike!Nézet-Séguin and his recording team havebalanced the orchestra admirably, blendingseamless strings, organ-like winds and boldbut restrained brass. In the sprawling firstmovement he projects both the openingpathos and the later emotional pastoral song,where the orchestra’s strings are particularlywarm and expressive. Some of Bruckner’smost arresting writing happens in transitionsand interpolations, as in a passage morethan a minute long over an A pedal note, orin a well-played trumpet explosion in thedevelopment section.The strings shine again in the sublimethewholenote.com November 1 - December 7, 2014 | 77
Choral Scene: Uncharted territory: three choirs finding paths forward; Music Theatre: Loose Tea on the boil with Alaina Viau’s Dead Reckoning; In with the New: what happens to soundart when climate change meets COVID-19; Call to action: diversity, accountability, and reform in post-secondary jazz studies; 9th Annual TIFF Tips: a filmfest like no other; Remembering: Leon Fleisher; DISCoveries: a NY state of mind; 25th anniversary stroll-through; and more.
Online in flip through here, and on stands commencing Tues SEP 1.
Following the Goldberg trail from Gould to Lang Lang; Measha Brueggergosman and Edwin Huizinga on face to face collaboration in strange times; diggings into dance as FFDN keeps live alive; "Classical unicorn?" - Luke Welch reflects on life as a Black classical pianist; Debashis Sinha's adventures in sound art; choral lessons from Skagit Valley; and the 21st annual WholeNote Blue Pages (part 1 of 3) in print and online. Here now. And, yes, still in print, with distribution starting Thursday October 1.
Alanis Obomsawin's art of life; fifteen Exquisite Departures; UnCovered re(dis)covered; jazz in the kitchen; three takes on managing record releases in times of plague; baroque for babies; presenter directory (blue pages) part two; and, here at the WholeNote, work in progress on four brick walls (or is it five?). All this and more available in flipthrough HERE, and in print Tuesday Nov 3.
In this issue: Beautiful Exceptions, Sing-Alone Messiahs, Livingston’s Vocal Pleasures, Chamber Beethoven, Online Opera (Plexiglass & All), Playlist for the Winter of our Discontent, The Oud & the Fuzz, Who is Alex Trebek? All this and more available in flipthrough HERE, and in print Friday December 4.
July/August issue is now available in flipthrough HERE, bringing to a close 25 seasons of doing what we do (and plan to continue doing), and on stands early in the week of July 5. Not the usual bucolic parade of music in the summer sun, but lots, we hope, to pass the time: links to online and virtual music; a full slate of record reviews; plenty new in the Listening Room; and a full slate of stories – the future of opera, the plight of small venues, the challenge facing orchestras, the barriers to resumption of choral life, the challenges of isolation for real-time music; the steps some festivals are taking to keep the spirit and substance of what they do alive. And intersecting with all of it, responses to the urgent call for anti-racist action and systemic change.
"COVID's Metamorphoses"? "There's Always Time (Until Suddenly There Isn't)"? "The Writing on the Wall"? It's hard to know WHAT to call this latest chapter in the extraordinary story we are all of a sudden characters in. By whatever name we call it, the MAY/JUNE combined issue of The WholeNote is now available, HERE in flip through format, in print commencing Wednesday May 6, and, in fully interactive form, online at thewholenote.com. Our 18th Annual Choral Canary Pages, scheduled for publication in print and flip through in September is already well underway with the first 50 choirs home to roost and more being added every week online. Community Voices, our cover story, brings to you the thoughts of 30 musical community members, all going through what we are going through (and with many more to come as the feature gets amplified online over the course of the coming months). And our regular writers bring their personal thoughts to the mix. Finally, a full-fledged DISCoveries review section offers cues and clues to recorded music for your solitary solace!
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!).
