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Volume 21 Issue 2 - October 2015

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.

Glionna Mansell

Glionna Mansell Corporation Presents 15 A Music Series unlike any other www.organixconcerts.ca February 13 – October 23, 2015 ORGANIX 15 has been Toronto's tenth annual organ festival presenting a series of concerts performed by some of the world's finest organists. Don’t Miss Our Final Concert Event! Friday Oct. 23, 7:30 William O’Meara Bill Findlay (Cello) and *Lawrence Park Community Church 2180 Bayview Ave *please note change of venue Order tickets today www.organixconcerts.ca 416-769-3893 New Orford String Quartet: (clockwise from left) Eric Nowlan, Brian Manker, Andrew Wan and Jonathan Crow Oct 18 Stewart Goodyear performs the famously difficult, legendary Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.3 with Orchestra Toronto at the George Weston Recital Hall. Oct 18 Chamber Music Hamilton has assembled a topnotch aggregation of string players including COC Orchestra concertmaster Marie Bérard and superstar cellist Shauna Rolston in a program of sextets by Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Oct 20 The always interesting Afiara String Quartet is joined by guitarist Graham Campbell for “Ritmos Brasileiros” a free noontime concert fusing chamber music, jazz and the Brazilian choro at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. Oct 25 The justly celebrated American pianist Simone Dinnerstein returns to Koerner Hall in a program that includes Schumann’s delightful Kinderszenen and Bach’s French Suite No.5. Oct 27 Ensemble Made in Canada begins their Schumann piano quintet project in the Music Building of Western University, London. Oct 30, 31 The exciting young American pianist Orion Weiss, a protégé of Emanuel Ax (and part of the Ax-curated Piano Extravaganza earlier this year in Toronto), performs concertos by Mozart and Bach with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Oct 31 The dynamic TSO principal violist, Teng Li, performs music by Hindemith, Paganini, Brahms and others with Meng-Chieh Liu, piano, at the Fairview Library Theatre. Oct 31, Nov 1 The tireless Stewart Goodyear and the Niagara Symphony Orchestra perform the complete piano concertos of Beethoven twice within 24 hours, inaugurating Cairns Hall, St. Catharines. Oct 31 Constantine Kitsopoulos conducts the TSO string section in a live accompaniment to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, one of the greatest films ever made. Take advantage of this unique event pairing Bernard Herrmann’s music, so cinematic on its own, with the movie it helped make iconic. Nov 1 Mooredale Concerts presents “Vivacious Violins” with Nikki Chooi and Timothy Chooi, violins, and Jeanie Chung, piano, playing music by Prokofiev, Sarasate and Saint-Saëns. Nov 1 The assiduous Emanuel Ax performs works by Beethoven, Dussek and Chopin at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, Kingston, and at the Flato Markham Theatre, Nov 4. Nov 4 The New Orford String Quartet plays two of Beethoven’s finest quartets, Op.59 No.3 and Op.130 with the Grosse Fuge finale, at Walter Hall. Nov 5 Members of the COC Orchestra showcase the range of the inimitable Haydn string quartets in a free noontime concert at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. Nov 5 Music Toronto’s 44th season continues with the Cecilia Quartet in a program that ranges from Mozart and Mendelssohn to Nicole Lizée. Paul Ennis is the managing editor of The WholeNote. ALAIN LEFORT 16 | Oct 1 - Nov 7, 2015 thewholenote.com

REMEMBERING Jacques Israelievitch Much has been written about Jacques Israelievitch and his remarkable career since his untimely death on September 5, 2015. Instead of repeating his extensive biography, I want to write about him from the heart, as a dear friend and esteemed colleague. His wonderful qualities as a kind, gentle and spiritual man made him an extraordinary musician and artist. He was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather. I loved the way he called his wife, Gabrielle, “angel” and held her hand. I loved the way he beamed with pride when speaking about his three sons and two grandchildren. I loved the way he cared about his students, musical friends and artists. I loved the way he Skyped his mother in France almost every time we rehearsed. I loved the way he always encouraged, supported and inspired me during concerts and recording. As a musician, Jacques was always “on.” When we met to sight-read for fun, he expected concert tempo. Every rehearsal and performance was expected to be at the highest artistic level. He knew when to push and be demanding as a concertmaster, soloist, collaborator and conductor. He was just as critical of himself, always expecting as much from himself as from others. I was fortunate enough to have also been soloist in two piano concerti with Jacques conducting. It was his strength, leadership, warmth and camaraderie that elevated all the performers. What really made Jacques unique and stand out in my memory in these last few months, while facing such devastating illness, was his ability to continue performing at such an unbelievable level. We were in the midst of giving concerts and recording the complete Mozart violin and piano sonatas, all 28 of them, at York, when he learned about his illness. It didn’t stop him. We also released a CD of Canadian repertoire on Centrediscs, Fancies and Interludes, which we had recorded live in one take a few years earlier. We gave a performance of selected works from the CD for the launch party on June 11 at the Canadian Music Centre. This was one of his last performances. Jacques had wanted to perform as much as possible in the last months. In spite of pain, Jacques never complained, never questioned, and made sure that every rehearsal, every concert was the best musical experience we could have. Both of us were mad for Mozart and wanted to enjoy every opportunity to make music. He didn’t even complain when the piano in a concert hall was digital. He said that we would concentrate on the marvellous Mozart. He told me, and his family, that this was the happiest summer of his life. He savoured every note, every phrase that he played. Jacques also made sure to play chamber music with as many friends as he could. He never lost his sense of humour, and our rehearsals were filled with joy and fun. If either of us made a mistake, we would laugh. He was never judgmental and we were both open to trying out new musical ideas. Never one to gossip, he still did enjoy a good story. During breaks, we would take turns venting or trading jokes. In spite of the extreme pain and fatigue, he insisted on finishing our marathon of recordings and our mood was bittersweet when we finished. He kept asking me to record more, even a few days before his death. He called this project our Mount Everest. What a gift and legacy these recordings will be. We played the sonatas with love and affection for Mozart, who has been in our souls and heart throughout. I couldn’t have asked for a better musical partner or colleague. He cherished every musical line and nuance of the sonatas. It was inspired playing. Jacques and I appeared together July 11 at Chautauqua, performing the last four Mozart sonatas. Nobody realized that this would be his final concert. The experience was magical. His playing was moving, heartfelt, strong and always honest and true to the score. It was so difficult to say goodbye to such a dear friend. Gradually, a sense of joy returned, as I became overwhelmed with the beauty of the music and Jacques’ extraordinary playing. I realize now that we will never really lose him. His artistry and musicianship will live forever in his recordings and our memories of the wonderful person that was Jacques Israelievitch. His friend, Christina Petrowska Quilico thewholenote.com Oct 1 - Nov 7, 2015 | 17

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