OVER VIEW ' by Allan
OVER VIEW ' by Allan Pulker John Kruspe's Distant Valentines Pianist John Kruspe has been a Faculty of Music lecturer in music theory since the early 1970s. He calculates that the number of students he has taught in the past three decades now probably numbers in the thousands, and that of those a significant number must appear as performers in The WholeNote's listings every month. In his way during this time, behind the scenes, he has been helping to shape the musical life of the city. Each year he selects new musical illustrations showing how the great composers use the materials of music. Over time, ·this musical research has led to some rather interesting finds connected with composers' love lives, and on Valentine's Day Kruspe, with singers Michele Bogdanowicz and Darryl Edwards and violinist, Etsuko Kimura, wiU give a recital of romantically revealing music unearthed by his academic sleuthing. Expect their concert to be a celebration not only of the patron saint of romantic love but also of the intelligence, wit and erudition that have informed Kruspe's teaching and irispired his many students ~>Ver the ~ears. JohnKruspe SRUL IRVING GLICK Srul Irving Glick, a composer with commissions for groups such as t)le Elmer Iseler Singers, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Toronto International Choral Festival is also music director at Beth Tikvah Synagogue, a position he has held since 1969. Last season Glick and Julia Iacono, 'music director at neighbouring Blessed Trinity Church, worked together on a concert at Beth Tikvah. This season they decided on a full-fledged collaboration with the aim of raising funds for a worthy cause, the James Birrell Fund for Neuroblastoma. (Glick is a friend of conductor, Sid Birrell, whose son James died recently after a four-year fight with the disease.) The February 17 concert will include two of Glick' s works, Psalm Elegy, written for his deceased friend and fellow choral musician, Elmer Iseler, and The Hour Has Come. Andrew AGER ) Like Srul Irving Glick, Andrew Ager, currently composer-inresidence at Timothy Eaton Church, has worked, as music director and as composer; . primarily in a worship-centred context. But he too has had opportunities to write and p~rform secular music, such as his Northern Suite for the Hannaford Street Silver Band and Sonnet 105, recently recorded by the Exultate ·Singers. Ellis Portal, a song cycle by Ager for two voices, clarinet. and string quartet, will be performed on February 12 by the Talisker Players in their concert "The City is of Night". And his Five Songs by James Joyce will be performed on Feb 16 iµ a recital at Holy Trinity Church. The Talisker Players were originally formed as an "expandable string quartet" to fill a niche for an ensemble to accompany choirs. They have become an artistic entity in their own right, commissioning new works and giving performances like the February 12 event. At the same time they continue to fulfill their mandate as a standing ensemble availab!e for choirs: they will join the Bell' Arte Singers for their concert n March 2 -and the Toronto Classical Singers for their concert on March 3. VOCAL RECITALS Vocal recitals are plentiful, beginning with baritone, Wolfgang Holzmair on Feb·3 and ending with the Aldeburgh Connection on March 3. In between look for Jean Stilwell on Feb 6, Aldeburgh's Britten recital on Feb 8, Jennie Such, who is also • performing with Opera Ontario this month, on Feb 14, Barbara Bonney and Measha Brueggergosman both on Feb 24, and several others. There will also be several in-concert operas: Opera in Concert will present Verdi's Nabucco Feb 3, Song Circle will present act one of Wagner's Die Waiki.ire at the Arts and Letters Club Feb 10; and Feb 13 Opera · Anonymous will present Britten's The Rape of Lucretia. CHAMBER MUSIC There are at least thirty chamber music concerts this month, so a careful reading of the listings will be generously rewarded. - Two quartets: the young American Avalon String ~~ tlie souni post Canada's String Shop · violins, violas, cellos & b'ows expert repairs & rehairs strings & accessories at guaranteed lowest prices Canada's largest stock of string music fast mail order service all prices in CDN $-Not a US$ price in the store! 93 Grenville St., Toronto M5S 1B4 tel 416-971-6990 fax 416-597-9923 Canada 1 s foremost Violin Specialists · 201 Church Street Toronto, On. MSB 1Y7 email GHCL@idirect.com www.georgeheinl.com 10 www.thewholenote.com February 1 -- March 7 2002
Quartet, one member of which is Canadian violinist, Marie Wang, will give its Canadian debut performance with Music Toronto Feb 7; the well-established Emerson String Quartet will perform as part of M,usic Toronto's series Feb 28. - Cellists: Blair Lofgren performs the Dvorak cello concerto Feb 1; Feb 3-Continuum and the Music Gallery co-present "Cello Cornucopia"; world-renowned cellist, Steven Isserlis, with Via Salzburg on February 5; CBC Competition winner, Kaori Yamagami, in a noon-hour concert at Glenn Gould Studio on Feb 7; Random Acts of Music, will present Metallica for four cellos by an unknown composer Feb 15; Feb 16 there is a lecture/ recital on contemporary cello repertoire by David Hetherington; and Bryan Epperson will give a solo recital at the Royal Conservatory on March 7. Take a look too at _the Etcetera File on page 42 for a couple of cellorelated events. INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS' - Music Series at the ROM The Royal Ontario Museum has a se~ies of five Sunday afternoon concerts listed in this issue-of the WholeNote, including performances by the True North Brass, the Sine Nomine Ensemble, the Nathaniel Dett Chorale and Tafelmusik. - York University There is some interesting programming this month at York ·university, reflecting the improvisational and ethnomusicological orientation of the music programs there. The improv soirees, world music ensembles, mrdangam virtuoso, Trichy Sankaran with family and friend and Bill Westcott's piano wizardry are all worth the trek up to York. -Catherine Manoukian I was fortunate to hear Catherine Manoukian with the Toronto Sinfoqietta a year or so ago. What made it memorable was her spirit of collaboratjon with WOW! 8,000 Sheet Music Titles! Canada's largest selection of sheet music titles for strings. Avail d convenient mail-ord . As .a foll-service string shop we offer the following: + Violins • Violas • Cellos + Instrument Rentals +National Mail-Order Serv· + Repair, Restoration, an + Strings Accessories, B 26 Cumberland, 2nd Floor. Tel: 1-416-960-8494 Email: shar@globalscrvc.net Free Packing! Open Mon.-Sat. 10--0 Thurs. until 8 pm. conductor, Matthew Jaskiewicz and the orchestra, which engaged the audience as active listeners. On Feb 21 she makes her Music Toronto debut with a program that includes Beethoven's "Kreutzer" Sonata. This, like Naida Cole's· Music Toronto recital on January 22, is a good example of how Music Toronto really gets behind promising young local artists early in their careers. Two days later Ms. Manoukian will perform the Mendelssohn e minor Concerto in Port Hope with the La Jeunesse Orchestra. PATTERNS An astonishing number of orchestras is presenting concerts, either with music by Russian composers as the theme or with a significant number of Russian works on the program: the Royal Conservatory Orchestra on Feb 1and3, the Scarborough Philharmonic on Feb 2 and March 2, the Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Oakville Symphony Orchestra on Feb 9, the Mississauga Youth Orchestra and Kitchener-Waterloo Yo~th Symphony Orchestra on Feb 10, the Toronto Philharmonia on Feb 14, Symphony Hamilton on Feb 16, Orchestra Toronto on Feb 17, the North York Concert Orchestra and the TSO on Feb 20. SINFONIA TORONTO NURHAN ARMAN Music Director and Conductor Toronto's premier chamber orchestra! \ ' Saturday, Feb 9, 8 pm Transformed by Love Romantic love and deepest emotions, all that's best expressed without words, captured in the soaring melodies and lush harmonies of long Scandinavian nights and pre-war Vienna Sibeiius Romance Vaughan Williams Charte.rhouse Suite 1 Grieg The Wounded Heart, Last Spring . Sc,hoenberg Transfigured Night Saturday, Mar 2, 8 pm Uaydn 111 St-o"'" and Swg~~ ? Jolly "Papa Haydn," b!lt the depths of his dark side too - the dramatic anguish and anger of his "sturm und drang" years, in music of amazing passion and power Symphony No. 49, "La Passione" Symphony No. 45, "Farewell" Symphony No. 44, "Trauer" Glenn Gould Studio 416-205-5555 Box Office 1 lam-6pm M0n-Fri, 2 hrs before concerts Adults , seniors , students www .sinfoniatoronto.com tor~ntdartsbouncil § '°""1" Canada. ~· .,,.., '" "~ ' " ou,or th Cotyol To•o•to '=" ' Februa ry 1 -- Ma rc h 7 2002 www.thewholenote.com 11
