8 B;ONCERT ~NOTES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 performance each of Bach and Schiltz's St. Matthew Passion (March 27 & 28), the North American premiere ofLully's opera, Thesee, (March 23) and Handel's little known Easter Oratorio, La Resurrezione presented by Opera Atelier (March 31). CHAMBER MUSIC When one thinks of chamber music one tends to think first of string quartets. Composing for ·string quartet really got under way in the classical period with Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, but ~j:ontinues to be a favourite combination of composers ihroughout the nineteenth and into the twentieth Century. On March 2 the Toronto String Quartet will be joined by pianist, Angela Cheng, in their Music Toronto Concert. Three European quartets will be perfonning here tlus montl1 - the Amati Quartet on March 18 at 1:30 (Women's Musical Club), the Martinu Quartet on March 18 .at 8:00 (Music Toronto) and the St. I ' .,_) Petersburg Quartet on March 28 (Ford Centre). And if a musical excursion to tl1e beautiful cow1tryside around Guelph appeals to you, tl1e Penderecki String Quartet is performing Haydn's Seven Last Words of Christ witl1 TACTUS Vocal Ensemble in Guelph on· March 27. Two excellent piano trios will also be taking to tl1e stage in • March. On March 7 violinist, Erica Rawn, cellist, Kristine Bogyo and pianist, Francine Kay present an afternoon concert at tl1e Koffier Centre and on March 23 the Gryphon Trio will be at tl1e Jane Mallett TI1eatre as part of Music Toronto's series. Erica Rawn can also be heard in recital with pianist, Lydia Wong on March I b as part of t11e Mozart Society series: And if tl1e idea of coffe witl1 your chamber music appeals to you, check out ~e Cafe Espresso Sunday Afternoon Music Series at the Academy of Spheri'ial Arts on March 7. EAR TO THE FUTURE TI10se interested in hearing good music today (while perhaps glimpsing future greatness) should check out the Kiwanis Festival Showcase of Stars concert march 2 at the Ford Centre. And you might also want ;-t---, to be at the Canadian Music ' Competitions concert on March . ,217 Danforth Ave. 7. Also plan to attend the I ' ft (Between Chester • MER Associates oftl1e Toronto Symphony March 29 concert, which will present ensembles composed of Toronto Youth Symphony Orchestra members. March also signals tl1e start of tl1e greatest single sustained outpouring of music of · the year. March and April are student recital time at the music schools in town. At tl1e University of Toronto FacultyofMusic, we are told, there are four recitals a day most days in March and · April. TI1ey are always interest-. ing, frequrently very very good, · and ... admission is free. TI1e number to call for infonnation is 978-3750. Titere are also recitals given by students at York University's Music Department. Tite number to call tltere is 736- 5186. . G!,JITAR This is one of those months tlmt have anabundance of solo guitar events. Acclaimed Toronto guitarist, Alvin Tung will open tlte Music Around us Series for March on March 4 at tlte Gletm Gould Studio remem~er, phone first!) at noon. On March 6 anotlter Toronto guitarist, Liona Boyd will play at Roy Thomson HaiL March II the Romeros Guitar Quartet will be at tl1e Ford Centre and on March 13 tl1e Guitar Society of Toronto will present a recital by David Trumenbaum. Guitarist, Lymt Harting-Ware, will perf()rm Rogrigo's Fantasia para un gentilhombre with Symphony Hamilton (note:tlte Rodrigo is a late program change). SPRING AND SoNG At the time of writing it is about minus fifteen, but we have several' concerts on hand to . prove that spring is in the air. On March 6 Music at Metropolitan atld on March 7 the Toronto Sinfonietta present concerts with solo singers to herald better things to come. Other song recitals to take note of are: a March 7 Sw1day matinee .stellar foursome, courtesy tlte Aldeburgh Connection, presenting songs of Rossini; soprru1o Isabel Bayrakdarian on March II for Music Toronto; and anot11er quartet of singers (Stephanie Bogle, Barbara, Sadcgur, Guillenno Silva-Marin, and Paul Oros) in a benefit concert for Epilepsy Ontario and the Blodrview Epilepsy Research Program, at the Ford . Centre,Sttldio Theatre on March 21. THE CLASSICS Tite Mendelssohn violin concerto is a magical work, tltat always seems new and fresh. Fortunately for us tl1ere are to be three perfonnances of it in March, the Toronto Symphony on March 3 & 4 with Jacques Israelievitch as 1 ~ &Bro3~re~ r------------------------------------------------, • IC (416)406-1641 "\ .I I l .I Specializing in the Sale of New, and Used Compact Discs Featu;ing Classical and Jazz 1 Offering Gift Certificates, ! Trade-Ins and ,;"(~,:~ Special Ordering i~--" 0 , ~ ?} 1 Thanks to Lisa and Rhonda Martin of the Performing Arts Health Centre, Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood and the remaining Stones now wear hearing protection devices (musician plugs) and in ear monitors. Occupational Therlmi!;f • Overuse Injury litation • Ergonomic Assessment • Postural Assessment & Retraining • Pain Management . Audiology and Hearing Protection • Hearing Assessment & Consultation • Hearing Protection - Musicians' Plugs Performing Arts Health Centre . 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I'JJONCERT l'JNOTES Left: MazaMeze soloist, and then I Virtuosi dl Toronto on March 28 with soloist, Mayumi Seiler. Otl1er orchestras presenting some of t11~ great 19tll Century symphonic repertoire are tl1e North York Symphony, tl1e Cathedral Bluffs Symphoi1y Orchestra and t11e New Hamilton Symphony, all on March 20, and the York Symphony Orchestra aild the Counterpoint Cmmmmity Orchestra on March27. PIANO RECITALS Piano recitals seem to have been among tl1e concerts most amenable to rescuing in t11is year's star-crossed Ford Centre series. (Perhaps tlu!: logistics are simpler for soloists who don't even have to transport tl1eir own insthunents.) Who:s complaining tl1migh when tl1is montl1 brings us tl1e likes ofYefim Bronfinan on March 4, Garrick Ohlsson on March 13, and Andras Schiff on March 25. And on March 26 tl1e Royal Conservatory of Music will be celebrating one of Canada's. great pianistic talents, Marak Jablonski, as part of its "Celebrating Lifetimes in Music" series. 1l1e event will feature the artist in conversation witl1 RCM president Peter Simon.(The ot11er event in the same series scheduled for tl1is month, a celebration of Canadian composer Harry Somers on March 5, has regrettably been cancelled because Mr. Somers is not well.) DEFYING CLASSIFICATION Some oftl1is month's concerts are ~efinitely one of a kind. Maza Meze is an 11- piece Arabic and Greek music ensemble playing music highlighted by latered, winding vocals, instrumental excursions Sgu~b MOBILE RECORDING FACILITY live multitrack recording for: • Club gigs & concerts • Remote studio sessions • Broadcast mixhig & recording RECORD YOUR NEXT RElEASE OR DEMO L/)!ef Classical Pop Rock Choral jazz Gospel 416.410.4918 www.bigfoot.com/-squashsound and driving hand percussion. 1l1ey appear tlus month at Eastminster United March 13 as part oftl1e Music Umbrella series. March 6 the Scarborough Philharmonic, conducted by Canadian music legend Howard Cable presents music for Female Vocal Trio witl1 Orchestral Accompaniment. And on March 23 Dance Oremus Danse presents its Concert Notes continues on page 12 WORLD CLASS , DIGITAL RECORDING CD MASTERING . & MANUFACTURING ... the very essence of fidelity." Alan Lofft, Sound and Vision It's music to your ears! YAMAHA DI.GITAL PIANOS from just ,795 Monthly payments from just .86 ( On approved credit) • . YAMAHK mnova DIGITAL PIANOS Pick the First Choice of The Royal Conservatory of Music. WALTERS MUSIC ·CENTRES SQUARE ONE YORKDALE SCARBOROUGH (905)896-7766 (416) 785-7444 (416) 29678840
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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!
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!).