BY DAVID G.H. PARSONS
BY DAVID G.H. PARSONS Aficionados of Toronto's new music scene will recognize the name ~Hear & NowH from its previous incarnation, a broad ·sheet produced by New Music Concerts. That excellent concert guide now makes its home here in WholeNote. It is evident that Toronto's last full contemporary music season of the millennium is going to be truly dynamic! Readers should keep their eyes and ears open during the weeks ahead for official • !.;announcements of 1998/99 programming. In the meantime, here are just a few highlights to watch out for. MADE IN CANADA AT MASSEY - For the third consecutive year, this week-long celebration of contemporary music will be held in the fall (November 9-15). Entirely centred in one venue in 1998, this festival promises to be bigger and better than ever, and is a unique partnership between the city's new music community, the TSO and CBC Radio. Composers' Orchestra, under the direction of Gary Kulesha, heads off with music by Walter Buczynski and John Weinzweig. Then, Bramwell Tovey leads the Hannaford Silver Band in "Heavy Metal"- a veritable feast of new works for this renowned brass ensemble. Continuum contributes an evening of compositions by younger and emerging Canadian composers. The TSO takes centre stage with two concerts showcasing music by TSO composers-in-residence Paul Steenhuisen and Barbara Croall. Also featured are Canadians Henry Kucharzyk, Eric Morin, Hungarian Gyiirgy Kmtig, and violinist Joshua Bell in John Corigliano's Red Violin. The Esprit Orchestra includes R. Murray Schafer's theatrical Cortege and American Frederick Rzewski's recent Scratch Symphony in its line-up, while the Elmer lseler Singers give a repeat hearing to some of the very best Canadian works commissioned by that choir over the years. As the "grand finale", New Music Concerts hosts a gala concert at which the Canada Council for the Arts will present the 1998 Jules Leger Prize for new chamber music. Get set to be out every night that week! AND THERE'S MUCH MOREl - New Musib Concerts' season continues in the winter with an expose of new works for two accordions, pairing Canadian Joseph Macerollo with Italian accordionist extraordinaire Teadoro Anzellotti. An . ensuing sound-sculpture festival features installations by Peter Vogel, plus Gordon Monahan and Laura Kakauka, among others; Bruce Mather's 60th birthday is being celebrated in May; and the NMC season closes with a planned tribute to Hungarian composer Gyiirgi Ligeti. "ORIENT/OCCIDENT", an exploration of music crossing east-west boundaries, opens the Esprit Orchestra's season in October. Esprit develops this "connecting" theme in January with "Canada/Holland"; and in March with an evening of four world premierescomposers Chris Paul Harman, Paul Dolden, Alex Pauk and James Tenney. THAW THAT MID-WINTER CHILL with the third annual new music festival at the University of Toronto (January 1999), a highlight of which will be Continuum's second concert of the season. Then, soprano Barbara Hannigan warms things up still further with an evening of new vocal music by Canadian/Slavic composers for Contiuum's spring offering. ARRAYMUSIC enters into a multi-media collaboration with Dancemakers for two productions this season. Big Pictures-a theatrical work for musicians, singer, dancers and visual artist- runs October 14-17. Then in April the two companies join forces with Studio GRAME (France) for a transatlantic creation involving three ' Canadian and three French composers. TORONTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA presents other Canadian composers in its 1998/99 season-Chan Ka Nin, Peter Lieberson, and Alexander Levkovitch-as well as Canadian premieres by international creators Magnus Lindberg, Valentin Sil'vestrov and James MacMillan. MUSIC TORONTO'S FOUR-PART CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS SERIES includes pianist Naida Cole in an all-20th century programme-Stravinsky, Messiaen, Dutilleux and Denis Gougeon; the Gryphon Trio in works by lves, Shostakovitch and Chan Ka Nin; and the celebrated Tokyo Quartet playing Webem along with Japanese composer Michio Mamiya. A TREAT FOR FANS OF NEW OPERA will be the world premiere production of Randolph Peters' The Golden Ass by the Canadian Opera Company (April 13-25). With libretto by the late Robertson Davies, this promises to be a bawdy retelling of a 2000-year-old comic story set to inventive music by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra's popular composer-in-residence . CLOSE AT HAND Mark down these September dates. Mark Sabat •Older Newer Music- The violin/piano duo of Mark Sabat and Stephen Clarke has selected pieces by important composers from the first half of this century-Satie, Cowell, Cage and Antheil-for their concert at the Ettore Mazzoleni Concert Hall (September 24). Included is Cowell's Hommage to Iran, premiered in the presence of the Shah in 1952. The Toronto-based Sabat/Clarke Duo has performed extensively in Europe where they have developed a strong following in new music circles. •Composer and shakuhachi virtuoso Debbie Danbrook has planned a CD release and performance-experience as a two-day event, September 12 (7:00 PM - midnight) or September 13 (noon - 7:00 PM). [See Musicians in Our Midst, page 14] •on September 15 at the Rivoli, the Modem Quartet presents works by African composers Matteo Fargion and Kevin Volans, as well as Canadian Martin Arnold. The string quartet then will collaborate with Master Drummer Kwasi Dunyo and friends Andy Morris and Juri Konje, who will also perform African Drumming, songs and shona Mbira music. This promises to be a packed evening! David G.H. Parsons is Ontario Regional Director Canadian Music Centre, Chalmers House 20 St. Joseph Street Toronto, Ontario M4Y JJ9 TORONTO'S ONLY COMPREHENSIVE MONTHLY CLASSICAL & CONlEMPORARY CONCERT LISTING SOURCE
-------------~--------------------------, ~~~~~~~~-:-~ ~~~~~~n , '71/l • m u s I c' This quick guide_ to new music In WholeNote's concert listings (pages 22-29) was compiled with the help of the Music Matrix Conflict Calendar, an aid to scheduling new music events In Toronto. S b September 3: Ron Graner , September 8 & 12: Music Gallery September 12 &: 13: Debbie Danbrook September 13: DUO September 15: Lunch Hour at St. James' September 15: Modem Quartet September 17 - 20: M-DO 11 September 19: Toronto Symphony Orchestra, j1 September 20: Hannaford Street Silver Band ·I September 22: Lunch Hour at St. James' I ll September 24: Ford Centre for the Performing Arts 1 September 24: SabaVCiarke Duo I September 28 &: 27: Mooredale Concerts ,I September 27: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra September 27: Music at Rosedale September 27: Roland Starr September 29: McMaster University School of Art, Drama & Music October 1: Massey Hall & Roy Tholl) son Hall October 1: Toronto Symphony Orchestra October 2: Sinfonia Mississauga October 3: Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall October 3: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir October 4: Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchesira October 4: Off Centre Music Series L-----------------------------------------~ gallery UNDERGROUND FESTIVAL Saturday, September 5, Spm ORQUESTRA MAHATMA Tuesday, September 8, Spm JANUS DUO Wednesday, September 9, 8pm JOHN FARAH Friday, September 11, 8pm ' ORQUESTRA MAHATMA Saturday, September 12, Spm , DEVENIER BLEU - UNA CRUZ DANCE Thursday to Saturday, September l7 to 19 · · Spm CCMC Tuesday, September 22, Spm . FALL FOR A CAPPELLA Thursday and Friday, September 24 and 25 Spm AYEKAN Cfto laugh regardless" ih the Mapuche language) . Tuesday to Sunday, September 29 to October 4, Spm . GRUPO TALLER Tuesday, September 29, 8pm EDUARDO LIS & LATINO JAZZ PROJECT Wednesday, September 30, Spm MARCELO PUENTE Thursday, October 1, 8pm ALEJANDRA NUNEZ & PROYECTO URBANO Friday, October 2, Spm DIEGO MARULANDA & PACANDE Saturday, October 3, Spm Contact Michael Duschenes or Chris Sharpe: 519-648-3324 • 1-888-258-7830 or email: info@arts-interactive.com www.arts-interactive.com CHA-LOCOS (formerly known as NASCA) Sunday, October 4, Spm · ----------------- www.interlog.com/ -musicgal 179 RICHMOND STREET WEST WEST OF UNIVERSITY AVENUE • ALL PERFORMANCES BEGIN AT 8PM UNLESS INDICATED OTHERWISE FOR TICKETS + INFORMATION CALL 416.204.1080 TORONTO'S ONLY COMPREHENSIVE MONTHLY CLASSICAL & CONTEMPORARY CONCERT LISTING SOURCE
