Views
8 years ago

Volume 6 Issue 4 - December 2000/January 2001

  • Text
  • December
  • Toronto
  • January
  • Theatre
  • Choir
  • Symphony
  • Bloor
  • Orchestra
  • Choral
  • Singers

Early Music by Frank

Early Music by Frank Nakashima Since this is the.first WholeNote "early music" column, perhaps I should.first explain that the term "early music" refers neither to the time of day of the performance, nor to the age of the performer! By this term I understand those performances which use appropriate instruments, as well as style and te.chnique,for the period in which the _music was composed. Here,from.a wealth of offerings in December and January, are a few examples. CONCERT NOTES •!• + EARLY MUSIC Consort's disc on the Dorian label, "The Little Barley-Corne - Winter Revels from the Renaissance". If you miss their presentation in Toronto, you can catch .them Ottawa on December 5 or in Brockville on December 6. Baroque Music Beside the Grange presents "Christmas with Corelli" (December 10),an intimate · program of instrumental music for the festive season featuring those fabulous Folia variations, a new adaptation of Corelli's colourful Christmas Concerto and an 18th-century arrangement of one of his Concerti Grossi. Julie Baumgartel (violin), Colin Savage (record~r), Miehael Jarvis (harpsichord), and Margaret Gay (cello). This program also includes Baroque settings of French Noels and old Musicians in Ordinary will present a concert performance, "A Venetian Mass of St. Stephen," (December,2) of a Mass setting by Alessandro Grandi proper to English carol tunes. - the feast of St. Stephen, the day in Of course, there's always that December we often refer to as "Boxing seasonal favourite, Handel's Messiah, as Day". The music will be heard as it would performed by the Tafelmusik Baroque have been for an actual Mass on that feast Orchestra and Chamber Choir (December day in Venice, Italy in about 1630. 14, 15, 16). Their Sing-Along Messiah is Scholars such as Joshua Rifkin also one of the fun events of the season and Andrew Parrott have outspokenly especially with Herr Handel himself at ' advocated the practice of one-voice-to-apart in Bach's choral works. The Tothe helm! · Most people don't usually think of ronto Chamber Cltoir takes up their a nunnery as a fun place, but in bygone challenge in a performance on December days some nunneries produced very 2 of three beautiful Bach Cantatas: #140, beautiful music. Like monasteries they "Wachet auf"; #133, "kh freue mich in were centres of musical composition and dir"; and #36, "Schwingt freudig euch performance. In Sine Nomine's Decemempor", one of which will be sung by ber 22 concert, "A Medieval Nunnery" the soloists only. Musical director David guest soloists who helped to create their Fallis will probably address this issue in first program on this theme are back -- his pre-concert talk at 7:00. Elizabeth Anderson, Juiie Harris, Kelly Festive Christmas music of the Baxter, and Janice Kerkkamp -- to Golden Age with works from 16tht century unearth more of the delicate and striking England, Italy and Germany, will be sung gems of this long-hidden repertoire. on ~ecember 2 by The Tallis Choir, On January 12 & 13, the Toronto which has, for several years, specialized Consort is stretching the envelope a in early choral music. The program; little bit by combining old and new not Renaissance Christmas, includes Byrd's entirely unrelated arts and times in a Mass for Four Voices, Palestrina's Hodie program that they call From Medieval to Christus natus est, and Victoria's o Millennial. Artistic director David Fallis magnum mysterium. has invited and commissioned local The Toronto Consort presents a artists to create or perform new works program (December 8 & 9) entitleCl, "The that are inspired by the Middle Ages. As a Little Barley-Corne," which celebrates the result, you will experience modern dance festivals of winter, both secular and (Jessica Runge of the Toronto Dance sacred, such as Christmas, St. Stephen's Theatre), Inuit throat singing (the Day, the New Year and Twelfth Night. Toronto debut of Aqsarniit), and contem- The combination of English ballads, porary music (by composer Christos country dances and French noels, many Hatzis) and computer-manipulated video of them "rec;onstituted'' forthe first time projection (medieval-inspired) by Don since the 16th and 17th centuries, results Sinclair), woven together into a tapestry in a fresh gind unique alternative to the of medieval and modern influences. usual Yuletide offerings. Special guests On January 14 "An Albinoni include violinist David Greenberg, Celebration" brings together a number of percussionist and hurdy-gurdy player Baroque performance specialists to mark Ben Grossman, and soprano Katherine the 25oth anniversary of the death of this Hill. Much of the music on this pro- popular Venetian composer, and invite us gram can be heard on the Toronto to enjoy the buoyant energy and melodic 12 Wholenote DECEMBER 1, 2000 - 'ANUARY 31, 2001 individuality of Albinoni's Concerto op.9 no.2 for oboe & strings, and trio sonatas for opp.1, 3, and 8. · . 11 Giardino Armonico, Italy's foremost and certainly one of the world's most dynamic baroque ensembles, returns on January 14 to the Maureen Forrester Recital Hall at Wilfrid Laurier University. On the next day, January 15, they will present their program at Trinity-St. Paul's Church in Toronto. If you missed their performance in Toronto , last year, you simply must catch their show this time around. , Tafelmusik's January 18-21 concert, is aptly titled "A Thousand Strings", because there sure are a lot of strings in this program. Some of them are being played by one of the finest lutenists in the world, Paul O'Dette, and even more are being played by harpist Maxine Eilander in a program which includes works by Purcell, Locatelli, Vivaldi and Durante and Handel's popular Harp · Concerto, performed, probably for the first time in Canada using the kind of harp used in Handel's time. See Tafelmusik's website: www.tafelmusik.org From the "most happening" orphanage of all time, L'Ospedale della Pieta, came the music of Antonio Vivaldi (January 19), performed by one of the "most happening" ensembles around, the 1 Furiosi Baroque Ensemble. They're young, keen and hot. A group of Toronto's finest young singers (assembled by the Arbor Oak Trio) will be gathering to perform John Blow's quintessentially English pastoral masque, "Venus and Adonis," in concert (January 26 & 27). Music by Blow's contemporary, Henry Purcell, completes the program. There will be a pre-concert chat at 7:15 p.m., which I encourage you to attend as many of these pre-concert things are enlightening and informative, and are bound to make you a better listener! Not just one, but two Baroque oboes! The Virtuoso Oboe is a concert program (January 27) which features two historical oboe experts, Nicolai Tarasov . and Gillian Howard in a program of delightful and brilliant Baroque music for · two oboes and strings, incluqing concertos by Vivaldi, Albinoni and Handel. Frank T. Nakashima is the President of the Toronto Early Music Centre, a nonprofit organization which promotes the - appreciation of historically-informed performances of early music. The Toronto Early Music Centre is located at 427 Bloor Street West, Box 17, Toronto, Ontario MsS 1X7, tel: (416) 966-1409, e­ mail: temc@interlog.com '

~~ · Gould , Studio SINGERS SINFONIA TORONTO Toronto's .premier chamber orchestra! DEATH AND THE MAIDEN 8 pm, Sat, February 3 Wolf-Ferrari Serenade Pierne Canzonetta Zfasman Intermezzo Levkovich Brasiliana Schubert Death and the Maiden Clarinetist JULIAN MILKIS OLD WORLD. NEW WORLD 8 pm, Sat, March 3 Mozart Divertimento K 138 Hovhaness Violin Concerto MacDonald Triangulum Miaskovsky · Sintonietta JASPER WOOD Violi.nist 416-205-5'555 Adults I Seniors I Students Box Office open 11 - 6, Monday - Friday; 2 hours before concert for in-person sales only Sunday, February 4/2001, 2 p.m. Wolfgang Holzmair, baritone Russell Ryan; piano ·~ remarkable voice and a remarkable talent" The Austrian lyric baritone's Glenn Gould Studio debut program is comprised of songs by Haydn, Mozart, · Beethoven, Mahler and Strauss. Please note the afternoon start time of this concert. Tuesday, February 13/2001, 8 p.m. Jean Stilwell, mezzo.:soprano Robert Kortgaatd, piano & Cabaret Ensemble "An exceptional actress, she brings great depth of character and consistent emotionalinvestment to her performances." . Canada's electrifying mezzo is heard in a special CBC Radio creation that harkens back to the sounds of 1930's Germany with a program ranging from · German Art Song to Cabaret. Thursday, February 22/2001, 8 p.m. Christoph Pregardien, tenor Micha~l Gees, piano "Both singer and pianist promoted extra meanings in a collaboration rare in any setting, pushing each other to further discovery and achievement. " One of the foremost lyric tenors in the world performs songs by Schumann, Wolf, Beethoven, Schubert, Schoeck, Loewe and Diepenbrock, based on texts by Goethe. Three concert subscriptions: /Studt.11ts & Seniors Glenn Gould Studio Box Office (416) 205-5555 Fax (416) 205-5551 . 250 Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario. Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. ggstix@totonto.cbc.ca csc• radiQ)NE DECEMBER 1, 2000 - JANUARY 31, 2001 Wholenote 13

Volumes 26-29 (2020- )

Volumes 21-25 (2015-2020)

Volumes 16-20 (2010-2015)

Volumes 11-15 (2004-2010)

Volumes 6 - 10 (2000 - 2006)

Volumes 1-5 (1994-2000)