Volume 23 Issue 3 - November 2017

Beat by Beat | Choral

Beat by Beat | Choral Scene On Sonic Remembrance and a Story of Choral Life BRIAN CHANG Heading into the month of November remembrance, I’ve highlighted two performances: the first is by Chorus Niagara and the Orpheus Choir, and the second by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra with guests. The major works in these two performances commemorate two very different wars separated by 100 years, World War I and the war in Afghanistan. War continues to inspire stories, and to invoke teaching, reflection and discussion. But as we head towards Remembrance Day, it is worth reflecting on the fact that sonic remembrance has the power to evoke things that words alone can not. There are many options available to listeners across the region, particularly early in the month, to experience this, in the offerings of great composers and musicians alike. Later in the month, on November 22, Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, an icon in the choral world, director of choral activities and professor of conducting at the University of Toronto, releases her new book on the life of Ruth Watson Henderson, I Didn’t Want To Be Boring. Apfelstadt’s book tells the story of this remarkable musician, gathered through interviews over several years. With over 200 choral works, Watson Henderson’s story is anything but boring. Lastly, at the tail end of my “quick picks” I have included a few early holiday concerts. Make sure you check out the full listings and get your tickets early. Holiday performances often sell out and are amongst the most fun performances you can find anywhere! Last Light Above the World: A War Litany November 4 at 7:30pm, Chorus Niagara presents the world premiere of Last Light Above the World: A War Litany by Allan Bevan. “I scoured war diaries,” shares Bevan on the Chorus Niagara Facebook page, “looked at war art, read letters and other war correspondence, and delved into the large body of poetry written by people involved.” From these sources, Bevan created a story of a couple. “He has gone off to battle, and she is left to consider it. They become the conscience of the work, the ones who portray the human cost of the war.” Shaw Festival actors Hailey Gillis and Colin Palangio bring this couple to life. Robert Cooper helms these performances with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and soloists Maeve Palmer, soprano; Lillian Brooks, mezzo-soprano; Anthony Varahidis, tenor; and Alexander Bowie, bass. Bevan has written the soloists as “spirits” who represent the “dead” referred to in the famous lines of John McCrae’s In Flander’s Fields “We are the dead…” Bevan continues: “Last Light does not pretend that there are easy answers, it is not a simple comforting… In the poetry of WWI, generally speaking, war is neither glorified nor vilified, it is simply recorded: all its horror, sacrifice, as well as its unexpected beauty, compassion and forgiveness.” The Orpheus Choir of Toronto, also conducted by Robert Cooper, performs the same work in Toronto on November 5 at 3:30pm, Grace Church on-the-Hill. conducted by Craig Pike THAT CHOIR CAROLS featuring RESONANCE and our family carol sing-a-long St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church Works by WHITACRE | EMERY | DALEY | ALLAN (73 Simcoe Street, Toronto ON) GJEILO | TWARDOWSKI | HANNEY | MEALOR VISIT US thatchoir.com 28 | November 2017 thewholenote.com

C H O R A L E C H O R L A E Afghanistan: Requiem for a Generation It has been almost 16 years since the official, Parliament-sanctioned intervention by the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan began. In those days of constant war headlines and combat deaths, our country was at war on the other side of the planet. Afghanistan was a war unlike others, constantly changing and evolving, fought against an often unstructured and asymmetrical enemy. For those of us who read the news here in Canada, this war also strongly shaped our country in the last decade and a half. The war in Afghanistan has opened discussions on a great number of complex issues like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the role of the Canadian Forces in international conflicts, military investment, American imperialism, racism, child combatants, pacifism and so much more. Art, music included, has done much to allow and facilitate some of these conversations,with its power to evoke contemplation and create change. Into this discussion, on November 9 and 11, we insert Afghanistan: Requiem for a Generation, including 130 choristers from the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, 50 from the Toronto Children’s Chorus, guest musicians from the Canadian Forces, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and soloists. The first half of this concert also features Canadian Forces guests on pipes, bugle and text. Tania Miller, music director of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, takes the helm for these performances. Miller was the first woman to lead a major Canadian orchestra, ever, and her tenure began the year following the start of the war in Afghanistan. She is joined by Measha Brueggergosman, soprano; Allyson McHardy, mezzo-soprano; Colin Ainsworth, tenor; and Brett Polegato, baritone. The words come via Suzanne Steele, Canada’s war poet, who served in Afghanistan. Jeffrey Ryan put the words to music, including text from the requiem mass, alongside Steele’s poignant words which are often set in repetition: “if we could give you two days, just two days...;” “My son, my daughter, can you hear me?” In the breaking open of lives lived and lost during war, music can help bridge the experiences and provide a united focus. Ryan P A X • C H R I S T • C H O R A L E I David Bowser Artistic Director J.S. BACH’S CHRISTMAS ORATORIO Cantatas I, II and III FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2017 • 8:00 PM Gloria The joie de vivre of the season Poulenc Gloria Duruflé Four Motets Fauré Cantique de Jean Racine Gounod Noël Pax Christi Chorale with Andrea Núñez and Daniel Norman FEATURING Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto | Elmer Iseler Singers | Lydia Adams, conductor | Monica Whicher, soprano Marjorie Maltais, mezzo-soprano | Christopher Mayell, tenor | Dion Mazerolle, baritone Single tickets: | | For tickets, call (416) 446-0188 or (416) 217-0537 amadeuschoir.com | elmeriselersingers.com Metropolitan United Church 56 Queen St E, Toronto (at Queen St E and Church St, two blocks east of Yonge St) Saturday, December 16 2017, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, December 17 2017, 3:00 p.m. Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. Toronto FOR TICKETS, VISIT PAXCHRISTICHORALE.ORG thewholenote.com November 2017 | 29