Volume 30 Issue 2 | October & November 2024

comments on each

comments on each other’s playing. Drum battering becomes more responsive and split tones more linear as all sounds dissolve into stasis. One and sometimes two saxophones are featured on the CD sets above. But composer/saxophonist Anthony Braxton organized the four-CD set, SAX QT (LORRAINE) 2022 (Angelica IDA 056 dischidiangelica.bandcamp.com/album/ sax-qt-lorraine-2022), to preserve his saxophone quartet’s triumphant 2022 European tour interpretating four of his newest compositions for that configuration. Besides Braxton, who plays alto, soprano, sopranino and electronics, the others are James Fei on sopranino and alto, Chris Jonas playing alto and tenor and Ingrid Laubrock on soprano and tenor; plus baritone, tenor and soprano saxophonist André Vida, who filled in for Laubrock in the first Vilnius-recorded disc. One key to Braxton’s numerically titled compositions is how architecturally designed they are. With each multi-sectional performance timed at a little less or more than 48 minutes, connecting planes are designed so that they intersect in ways that are both layered and balanced. Construction details create foundation harmonies as the four reeds intermingle for expressive harmonies. But space is also available for terse or slightly longer interludes or interjections. Whether involving tongue slaps, altissimo trills, brief shrieks, corkscrew surges or basement-level undulations, these sonic edifices’ decorations aren’t extraneous ornamentation, but crucial parts of the compositions’ strategy. Added to the reed parts, which at points resonate like the pressurized pitches of a pipe organ, are the programmed or synthesized electronic oscillations. Serving as contrasting warbling wave forms or bubbling oscillations the voltage contrasts or displays the polyphonic timbres which characterize the rest of the structure. Less academic than they seem with these descriptions, among the performances of Compositions 436, 437, 438 and 439 are interludes of emotion and elation. But considering the doubling and tripling of saxes used by the players no soloist can be singled out. The achievement of these musical structures engineered by Braxton is that they exist as solid instances of his evolving, yet profoundly individualistic, realized work. Their value as documents and fine musical works is also why each of these boxed sets have been created. 64 Symphonie Gaspésienne Orchestre Symphonique de Laval 65 August Light Richard Carr 65 SYNTHESIS:The String Quartet Sessions Ryan Truesdell 66 Rue Paradis: Chamber Works by Patrick Stoyanovich Sophia Stoyanovich, Aaron Wolff, Derek Wang, Patrick Stoyanovich 67 Manifesto on Love Barbican Quartet 69 Art Choral, vol.1 : Renaissance Ensemble ArtChoral 70 Fotina Naumenko: Bespoke Songs Fotina Naumenko What we're listening to this month: 71 Amadeus et l'Impératrice: Mozart-Mongeroult Élisabeth Pion 73 Scelsi : Intégrale des quatuors à cordes et trio à cordes Quatuor Molinari 75 WINGS: Chamber Music by Rami Levin Alisa Jordheim, Anthony Devroye, Kuang-Hao Huang, Denix Azabagić, Barbara Dropcho, Mathias Tacke, Quintet Attacca, Eugenia Moliner, Lillian Lau 76 Cello Unlocked Bryan Hayslett 81 Lullabies After Storms and Floods Parade 81 Towards the Light Les Arrivants FROM UP HERE TOURING TO SEE “A TOUR”? SOPHIA PERLMAN Sault Ste. Marie There has been much conversation around here about the skyrocketing prices of accommodation anywhere in the vicinity of the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto towards the middle of November. At time of writing a couch in a shared one-bedroom apartment was still available for on November 15. A few private rooms in people’s homes were going for under 0 – but most listings already ranged from 0–00 a night, with more than six weeks to go before Taylor Swift hits town for a five-concert visit spanning two weekends. As I sit planning a trip down to see a (different) show in the week between those two weekends, all I can say is I am grateful that I have friends and family in the city who have offered a place to stay. Even trying to plan to avoid surge-pricing peaks for events like film festivals or Swift, the rising cost of accommodation in cities like Toronto is increasingly a barrier for touring artists and for urban-based presenters and organizations looking to engage with artists from outside the region. It’s also a huge barrier for music lovers and audiences who live further away from large artistic centres and have to go to greater lengths (geographically, logistically and financially) to access live music. I took an informal poll among some of the music lovers I have met in my own Northern, remote community – people who I know travel, sometimes great distances, to hear live music. Christina Kelly, who I first met in her capacity as senior elementary teacher at the local public school, points out that I was with her for her most recent concert – when we found ourselves on the same VIA train home, and listened to Orit Shimoni together in the dome car. She’s seen countless concerts in more stationary venues since moving to Hornepayne almost three decades ago – almost always in Toronto. “I stay with friends and the VIA schedule is perfect as I would only take off the Friday,” she says. Missing more than a day of work is not an option for many working people up here. David Jaremy who retired as school principal a couple of years ago points out the train schedule isn’t the only barrier to consider when you and your partner have demanding careers. “My favourite artists do not always play on a Saturday,” he observes, noting that when they have found the chances to travel to concerts “in the GTA/Ottawa/Winnipeg/Minneapolis area, it is a three day trip minimum, usually four.” Having family in Southern Ontario has simplified the choice for them: “If it is GTA/Ottawa, we can stay somewhere for free. If not, the costs become astronomical.” And now that he and his wife have both retired, there is a hope that a more flexible schedule will mean opportunities to 86 | October & November 2024 thewholenote.com 86 | October & November 2024 thewholenote.com

see “concerts mid-week, or mid-winter”, although, he notes that “all our favourite artists are all also near retirement.” For younger people, and particularly those raising families, the challenges are equally if not more real. Katherine Lewis, a musician and artist with a full time job and three children notes that while she and her partner both get some vacation time, those days are often eaten up with travel for medical appointments or kids’ recreation (which also often involve leaving town). “Sometimes it isn’t even the money, it’s the time,” she says. The last time she travelled to Toronto for a concert was to see Roger Waters. “I definitely wasn’t missing seeing it. My favourite of all time.” That was twelve years ago. Her children and partner all love music, but she notes that even with concerts in venues that welcome children, the cost would be prohibitive for many people. “A trip down south with a family of five could easily cost two vacation days because you would need to take Friday off for travelling to a Saturday night show.” She values the lost income at 0. “Hotel room for two nights in Toronto 00. 0-700 if you stay in Barrie” And then there’s the gas bill for travel which she estimates at 0 if they are staying downtown, and $300 if they are driving back and forth to Barrie. Add to that the cost of food (especially in a hotel room with no kitchen) for two adults, two children and a rapidly growing teenager – around 0 if you’re being conservative. And she points out that mementos and souvenirs could easily run you 0 if you indulge for the kids. “Which you likely would because it is a big deal to go to a concert. The trip would be at 00-2500 before you even buy tickets. And”, she adds, “ that’s if you went down south and only stayed two nights and only went to the concert. Good luck entertaining your kids Saturday afternoon without spending money.” Charlene Atherton, who works as a RPN at the community hospital and long term care lists her last two “big” concerts as being in Sault Ste Marie: in 2021 and before that in 2019 – and the one before that being some time prior to 2014 in Sault, Michigan – which is significantly closer than Toronto. She’s heading south to see a concert in London, Ontario in two weeks time, she says, and she and her husband are travelling through the States to get there – which is actually faster. “We don’t get to go to many shows ’cause of the travel, it’s difficult getting time off enough to go to shows.” She notes that while it’s mostly time and travel that are the barrier to hearing concerts more often, the length of time between shows gives them time to save. (They’ve budgeted four days to safely make their next trip.) Two-Way-Highway In truth, most of the concerts that people from here talked about “making the trip” for were the kinds of shows that happen in stadiums, by artists that don’t generally appear in the pages of this magazine. If two or more acts are playing the same bill, even better for someone who may only have the chance once a year at most. Yes, there are symphony orchestras in Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder A page from the Kapuskasing Music Festival program: Hornepayne’s Anne-Marie McHale, and the Bryan sisters – Ruth and Anne – with scores in the 80’s! Bay – all towns that people here routinely have to travel to. But they didn’t make the list with the people I talked to – even the ones who appreciate the music in question. So I conducted a second informal poll – this time to a Facebook group of a multigenerational bunch of current and past community members, asking if anyone had any recollections of classical music in Hornepayne. My post got a flurry of responses. But at no point did anyone mention going to hear any of the Northern Symphony Orchestras. Mind you, they didn’t mention any of the orchestras coming to town either, so I’m not sure it’s fair to judge people in small communities for not making the effort, if the orchestras, and musicians in general aren’t willing to recognize that the highway goes both ways. Instead, I realized there is a different kind of love for classical music in this community – revolving around people within the community who made music, shared that knowledge and empowered other people to do the same, or at least to listen differently. A lot of people remember Dr. Skinner and Dr. Prymak who, at different times, practised medicine out of our local hospital and practised (and performed) chamber music with community members – Kenneth Paul recalled his grandfather Charles playing violin in one of those ensembles, which consisted of clarinet, violin and two pianists. Several people chimed in to name Mrs. Laming, who taught piano and prepared local students for conservatory exams which at the time required a trip to Toronto to complete. A newspaper clipping credits her with encouraging a young accordionist, Reijo Suvanto, who picked up the instrument on his own, and would travel to Timmins in the summer for lessons. Anne-Marie McHale remembers singing taking her on an adventure a bit closer to home: “The Bryan girls and I used to enter in the classical music festival in Kap, (Kapuskasing). Mrs. Bryan taught us the songs, Mrs. Rienhart played the piano, we had one month to learn the song.” She recalls the feeling of seeing her name on “the big trophy,” and by all accounts the whole Hornepayne contingent performed admirably. There was only one recollection offered of a classical ensemble from away coming to town: Long-serving township Councillor Drago Stefanic recalls collaborating in the early 1980s with Dan Douglas (the music teacher at the time). With the support of the town’s Recreation Department, they were able to bring symphonic musicians in to play a concert at the old school. Laureen Stefanic (the wonderful brains and boundless energy at our local EarlyOn Child and Family Centre) still remembers that visit: “I remember it being very interactive with the audience” she says. “Definitely a wonderful cultural experience.” The concert was so well attended that they were able to bring them back for a repeat performance. As for why a two-way highway is easier to construct than a “two-way-street”, the reasons are as many and as complex and as real in music and art as they are in areas like health care and food supply. It’s the two-way highway people up here travel for their needs. But it seems like the northbound travellers, audiences and artists alike, are mostly just heading home. Sophia Perlman grew up bouncing around the jazz, opera, theatre and community arts scene in Toronto, joined the creative exodus to Hamilton in 2014, and is now centered in Hornepayne, Ontario, where she eagerly awaits the arrival of her regular WholeNote in order to armchair travel and inform her Internet video consumption. thewholenote.com October & November 2024 | 87 thewholenote.com October & November 2024| 87