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Volume 9 Issue 5 - February 2004

  • Text
  • February
  • Toronto
  • Jazz
  • Theatre
  • Arts
  • Musical
  • Symphony
  • Choral
  • Composer
  • Quartet

QUODLIBET teenth century

QUODLIBET teenth century it is perfect for the by Allan Pulker series. It is different from modern · . pianos in that each register has a SOPRANO CAROLYN SINCLAIR and very distinctive sound, something harpsichordist/organist Michael that some of the guest performers, Jarvis are not only the co-artistic particularly Russell Braun, have directors of the Baroque Players been very taken by. of Hamilton, which will perform In the publicity materials that in Hamilton on February 1 (see our reached me, "parlour music" was Further Afield Concert Listings, described as "the precursor to 20th page 44), they are also the brains century pop music." Most of the behind a 13-part music series cur- composers of the music performed rently airing (Sundays, Mondays on the series however would be and Wednesdays) on Vision TV. com1Tionlyconsidered "classical:" The series, called "Come into the Haydn, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Parlour," presents music-making as Schubert, Chopin, Handel, Gounit might have been in people's od, Bizet, Massenet, Offenbach homes before radios, records and and Sullivan. Carolyn's take on the CDs. "pop" label was that the produc- Every episode has a different ers of the show were likely of the theme, for example Victorian fa- opinion that if the show were pubvourites, the time of Jane Austen, licized as being classical music peoand Operetta. The couple are joined pie would not watch it. "So we on many of the programs by mu- suggested to them that they publisicians with whom they have en- cize it as what people did [to make joyed performing over the years: music a part of their lives] before violinist Julie Baumgartel for ex- radio and TV." ample will be part of the first Feb- Carolyn pointed out that much ruary show; and on March 7 three of the music on the series was exstudents who were "discovered" tremely popular in its time; the at last year's Kiwanis Music Fes- songs of Stephen Foster, featured tival will recreate a student recital on one of the shows, and the opfrom the Toronto College of Mu- erettas of Gilbert and Sullivan, feasic in the 1890s. tured·on another, are obvious ex- 1 asked Carolyn h.ow the series amples. The enduring appeal of came about: "In 1997 Michael and the music, the quality of the per- 1 did two TV specials, A Baroque formances and the fact that the per­ Christmas and A Baroque Easter, formers are relaxed and having fun which are still being played every have all worked together to make year on Vision and Bravo. David the series very attractive and very Wesley, the Red Canoe producer, accessible. The show, Carolyn wanted us to do another show; it says, is receiving mail from peowas his idea to do parlour music." pie who are making a point of She went on to say that the parlour music theme came out of the fact that she and Michael own a nineteenth century square Chickering piano which they found in a Hamilton antique store a few years ago. It is the only one in the world in professional· use and as far as she knows the only other one like it is part of the collection at the Smithsonian Institute. Being the type of piano that was in widespread use in the mid to late nine- A great selection of instrumental & vocal music; the ability to acquire almost any piece of printed music All RCM exam materials Music theory and history tests Jazz and Popular music selections Fast delivery for special orders watching it. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN "popular" and "serious" music is evidently also a concern in other parts of t11e world as well. We recently received the following invitation from TranforMusic, a "musical composition competition" in Hungary: "In the 20th century there appeared a huge gap between schools and genres of serious and light music. To build a bridge Where the Music Begins. 273 Bloor St. W. (main floor of RCM building) M•noged by' (416)585-2225 • 1-866-585-2225 lru Long & McQuade rcm@long-mcqu~de.com • www.rcmmusicstore.com - ~1l~ s.;~~L ... l f'~~T!~~~A ; ~.r!·~~~ 14 above this we announce an international composers' competition the conditions of which are as follows. "The Competition has to be based on a recognisable part (e.g. rhythmical or melodic element, probably some other kind of musical parameter) of a (preferably well-known) light music piece written between the 1960s and 90s. The composition should use the artistic means of serious music creating an original new work from the basic material." I hope there will some entries from Toronto. Details can be found in Announcements on page 49. NEw READERS OF WholeNote often say that once they've noticed the magazine for the first time, they start seeing it everywhere. It's a bit like that with a "new" performer. I asked Sinfonia Toronto artistic director, Nurhan Arman, why he invited the young French-Canadian pianist David Jalbert to be the soloist at Sinfonia Toronto's February 7 concert. "He is a very talented performer, a winner of the CBC competition. I was just watching him play on Bravo with Denise Djokic ... a very big talent!" A good many other people seem to. agree with Maestro Arman judging by the number of awards he has won, including the prestigious Sylva Gelber Award from the Canada Council as well as the First Prize in the 1997 OSM Competition, which led to a highly acclaimed performance of the Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He was in Toronto in November in recital with Denise Djokic (recently broadcast on the CBC) and in addition to the February appearance with Sinfonia Toronto at which he will perform J.S. Bach's Concerto in D Minor he will be back next month giving a solo recital for From the Robbie Burns show: Colin Savage, Bruce Kelly, Carolyn Sinclair, Michael Jarvis the Women's Musical Club on March 25. FEBRUARY AND MARCH are high season for performances in the music schools. Many of these concerts feature faculty members who are professional performing musicians at the top of their game, and the ticket prices to hear them play where they teach are nothing short of a bargain. Others are student ensembles doing fascinating things that were unheard of in music schools a few years ago. York University in particular has much to offer in this vein - a Balkan ensemble on Feb. 3 and a Middle Eastern Ensemble on Feb. 5 for example. So be sure to include at least one music school concert in your activities in the coming weeks. Also from February 7 to 21 the Kiwanis Festival is in full swing. The entire program complete with competitors names is available on their extensive website www3.sympatico.ca/ kiwanismusicfest. torontO. You never know what you will. find: I just took· a look at it and found a recorder ensemble from Almonte Ontario directed by my grade i (that's public school, not Conservatory) music teacher! To experience some of the best of the Kiwanis Festival, however, consider attending the "President's Trophy Competition and Showcase of Stars" performances of the first place winners of trophy finals on February 21. Dave Snider Music Centre 3225 Yonge St. PH (416) 483-5825 cMai I:/ snidermusi c@sniderm us i c .com www. sn ide rmusic .com One of Toronto's Oldest Music Stores ... With The Best Selection of Pop, Jazz & Broadway Sheet Music in the city - .For B~gimiers a11d Professio11als - Come in and browse over 25,000 sheet music publications. We have a wide array of Woodwind, Brass, Keyboards, Guitars and Accessories. Music Lessons offered on site. FEBRUARY 1 - MARCH 7 2004

IN THE LATE MrnDLE AGES, Burgundy became the cultural and .political centre of Western Eu~ rope. The music of the Burgundian court represents the pinnacli;: of artistic achievement of the period as exemplified by the genius of Guillaume Dufay whose work will be the focus of a Toronto Consort concert (February 6 & 7) . His masterwork, Missa Ecce Ancilla Domini, will be sung by a small ensemble - counter-tenor Daniel Cabena, tenors David Arnot and Larry Beckwith, and bass Paul Oros - who will join members of the Consort. Together with instrumental songs and dances from the early 15th century, this program pays tribute to a great moment in musical history - "The Splendour of Burgundy . " Website: www.torontoconsort.org The Quebec City-tiased chamber string ensemble, Les Violons du Roy, returns to the OnStage series with conductor Bernard Labadie (February 8). Known mostly for their interpretations of Baroque music, they bring this time a program including Joseph Haydn's Symphony No . 83 ('The Hen') and Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 5 in B flat major. The outstanding young Canadian violin virtuoso James Ehnes is the featured soloist in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Rondo for violin & orchestra in C major and, in Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major, with violist Roberto Diaz. The Toronto Early Music Centre presents "Musically Speaking," an ongoing series of onehour enlightening programs of historical performance at the Church of the Holy Trinity. Admission is FREE. This month, the irrepressible I Furiosi Baroque Ensemble. (February 8) Gary An Toronto's Center for Clarinets and Oboes SALES * REPAIR * .RENTAL EARLY MUSIC by Frank Nakashima Bernard Labadie presents music from times of great loss and disease in a program entitleo "Instruments to Plague Us." A special guest, English harpsichordist Richard Egarr, leads Tafelmusik ·Chamber Choir and Orchestra in a concert of 17th-century English music, "On the River Thames: An English Concert," an assortment of music from Covent Garden to St Paul's Cathedral (February 12, 13, 14, 15). This promises to be a delightful program of orchestral suites, chamber music, a,nd choral anthems from Restoration London, with music by Henry Purcell, fohn Blow, Matthew Locke, William Lawes and Christopher Gibbons. Website: www: tafelmusik. org The intimate account of one of the most passionate (and difficult) relationships of all time, that of Heloise and Abelard, has been preserved for us in letters and autobiographical writings since the 12th century. The Sine Nomine Ensemble for Medieval Music explores the music, of the Parisian milieu which formed a background to the lives of this remarkable pair (February 13). Their website is at www.pims.ca/sinenomine CONTINUES NEXT PAGE YORK ·~ The Department of Music York University presents .. : Classical Piano.Festival ... .:,

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