Volume 9 Issue 5 - February 2004

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1t.];f ·]~;t.]ii#;i;ffi~!.]~t.tgq.]~,, COMPOSER COMPANIONS by Jason van Eyk TORONTO'S NEW MUSIC EVENTS seem 'information VIS!t WWW. to be nicely balanced across dates rnusicgallery.org. For tickets call al\d range this month, with Sound- 416-204-1080. streams Canada opening the Feb- AND TWO DAYS LATER, fresh of~ an ruary concert calendar and closing exhilarating European· tour, Conit with a grand celebration. In be- tinuum Contemporary Music tween is an exciting array bf o(fer- presents its first ·regular Toronto ings from our dynamic local new concert of the season. On Februrnusic presenters and ensembles. · ary 17th, Continuum will lend its As always, we encourage you to characteristic energy and excellent open up new perspectives on new musicianship to a mix of emerging music and attend any, or all, of and established composers from these concerts with a Composer Canada and abroad. The program­ Companion as your own personal ming aims to create a mixture of audio tour guide. new timbres in works by Serge Off the top of the month Sound- Acuri, Juliet Palmer, Leilei Tian, streams Canada brings us the sec- Gerhard Stabler, and Gyula Csaond installment in their 2003-2004 po: The available additions of ce­ Encounters series, which tradition- leste, brass, harp and tape to Conally pairs the work of a Canadian tinuurn's regular ensemble will help composer with that of an interna- create this new blerid, much like tional counterpart: On February the "brassage'; of the concert's ti- 6th, Canada's Melissa Hui will be tie (which can mean " the mixing matched with Maja Ratkje of Nor- of melted metals" in the making of way, for what is sure to be a high- brass). When I approached Juliet ly contrasted concert titled "Beau- Palmer for a few words about what ty on the Edge". The contrasts fall inspired her new composition~ tinot only between t¥e chosen corn- tied Foundry, she offered the fo1- posers, but also within the works lowing: "With the help of neighof each composer themselves: . bours we hauled an old cast iron Hui's works display a mixture of bath tub from the back garden to ethereal beauty and raucous vio- the curb. Within hours it had van­ Ience, while Ratkje's blends rnusi- ished. Scooped up by scrap metal cal risks with traditional roots. For scavengers the tub was on its way more information, visit www. to a new life as ... girder, park soundtrearns.ca/encounters. For bench, pipe, rebar. .. who knows. tickets call 416- 205-5555. vThis piece is a musical foundry. My focus is on metal: sawn, harn­ IN THE _MIDDU OF TH~ MONTH, the . mered, melted, poured, moulded, Canadian Elect~omc Ensemble cast, polished ... The melodic maperf~rrns a benefit concer.t for the terial is based on the sounds of Music Ga!lery. Fou1,1ded m. 1971 • drilling, hammering and sawing. I t~e CEE is ~e oldes~ contmuous want to melt the material down to hve-electromc ~roup m the world. a metallic gleam." On February 15th, Ensemble For concert information visit ~embers/composers ~ose Bolton, www . continuu~music.org, or call !Im Montgomery, Michael Dob- 416-924-4945. For tickets call 416- mson and Larry La~e prese?t c?rn-. 204_ 1080. posed works and 1rnprov1sauons for voice and live electronics, fea- As WE CLOSE JN on the end of the turing guest soprano Janice Jack- month, the Talisker Players son. When I asked Rose Bolton present the second concert iQ their about her new work on the pro- annual series.- The Taliskers are gramme, titled Small_ Breeze known for their dynamic perform­ Through Long Grass, she said ances of vocal and instrumental "About a year ago, Janice suggested ensemble work. This concert is no that I write a piece that she and I exception, with guests vocalists Iiin could perform, not knowing that l Funk and Lawrence Williford insecretly desired to write a chamber terpreting a range of compositions, piece that would focus on what I including those by noted Canadian enjoy most: improvising and ex- composers Elizabeth Raum, Malperirnenting with nuances of noise calm Fors:>'.:th and Andrew Ager. and timbre, using a microphone to· On February 23rd, "Sense & Nonhighlight the details." For concert sense" will take an off-centre look 18 WWW.THEWHO l ENOTE.COM I at the world through musical settings of nonsense poems and tall tales. When speaking with local composer Andrew Ager about his contribution to the programme, entitled Five Bagatelles, he said"'These pieces were originally written fqr a capella choir as a commission for the 1993 Fall Convocation at · Dalhousie University. I intended them to be an entertaining int.errnission, using limericks an!;! other poems from the New Oxford Book of English Light Verse set in a closed harmony, recitative style, much like you'd expect from barber-shop or music-hall styles of music. The version that the, Talisk- er Players will perform is quite revised, re-written for baritone, .horn and string quartet. . Returning to this music ten years later, I didn't like some of the settings. So, several of these bagatelles are brand new. Still, this revised version maintains many qualities of the original work." For more information visit www.taliskerplayers.ca, where you may also order tickets on-line. THE FINAL DAYS of this leap year February culminate in Sound-. streams' "Canadian Voices" choral marathon, a dual celebration of 50 years of professional choral work in Canada and the 70th birthday of the great Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer."On both February 28th and 29th, Canada's six professional choirs converge in Toronto to honour Elmer Iseler's founding of this country's professional choral tradition and R. Murray Schafer's Canadian contribu-. tion to the world's choral repertoire. A spotlight concert marathon showcases the individual choirs in Elmer Iseler, founder of Canada's professional chorpl tradition a range of repertoire, including many short Schafer choral works. The choirs then combine forces for a gala cortceh featuring the world premiere of Schafer's Th.e Fall into light. For more information, please visit Soundstrearns Canada's website. For tickets, visit www.stlc.com or call 416-366-7723. COMPOSER COMPANIONS will have composer guides available to the public for all of these concerts, allowing you to open up new perspectives on new music. To book your composer guide for any concert of new music in' the Toronto area, contact the Ontario Region of the Canadian Music Centre at COmPosercomµmions@rnusiccentre.ca, or by phone at 416-961-6601 x.207 (Jason van Eyk is the CMC's Ontario Regional Director. He can be reached at 416-961-6601 x. 207 or jasonv@musiccentre.ca. NEW Music Qu1cKP1cKs compiled by Darid Olds These "quick picks" areintlllded asa short ruttotre Comprehmsive Concert listings(page31 to45)not asa subslituteforthem For detaied new rrusic listings in handy form. visit www.torontorearandnow.com. lHECoOES NN = some serious contemporary repertoire NNN = thoroughly contemporary NI = new/improvised music • N? = insufficient information, probably some new music Sunday February 01 NN 3:00: Chrylark Arts and Music Series. · Markfewer, vioin; Pet£Tlongworth, piano. NNN 8:00: Goethe lnstitutNoicano/Esprit Orchestra. Vanelli. NNN 8:00: New Music Concerts. The Music of Mfi._lllicioKagli. Wednesday February 04 NNN 12:30: Music Gallery. Matr1tiini& Poufril. N~ Music Qu1cK P1cKS CONTINUE ON PAGE 47 F EB RU ARY 1 - M AR CH 7 2004

NEWS·FROM THE COALITION OF NEW Music PRESENTERS by Keith Denning There are busy (and somewhat anxious) times ahead for the Coalition and CavlPOSER TO CoMPOSER, Interview with John Rea January 2004 some of its members. When we first began meeting, some two years ago, one of the primary items on our agenda was the possibility of developing BY PAUL STEENHUISEN STEENlillISEN: This series of a dedicated new music venue in Toronto. This was decided against for a Composer and McGill University interviews is calle d .. composer to number of reasons, among them the fact that the Music Gallery, in many pro'essor John Rea was born in · h h ~· composer". Yet wit you, t e ways, serves as such a venue. Toronto, but leFt on a musical and " " · · J' term composer 1s sometimes Anyone involved with new mu- ada-wide New Music Coalition, scholastic adventure that saw him blurry. In fact, when asked if sic in Toronto is familiar with the which will function in away similar move to Montreal more than thirty you 're a composer, you have on Music Gallery. Most member to the Toronto coalition, as a forum years ago, where he remains an occasion answered that you 're not groups in the Coalition have had for cleveloping initiatives to strengthen . integral part of the Montreal sure. concerts at the Gallery, and for new music across the country; and scene. On January 31st, Toronto younger organizations and ensem- a national new music touring net- audiences will· have heard the Es- REA: (laughing) Right. .. bles, the importance of the Music work; which is a collaboration be- prit Orc!Jestra play his work Trep- STEENlillISEN: J.Wien applied Gallery ):annot be overestimated. tween new music organizations in penmusik (1982), for ensemble . to you, i see this term through a Their help, reasonable rates, and. seven cities across Canada, to facil- and tape delay on a concert enti- lens covered in Vaseline, where expertise have been of great benefit itate touring new music concerts. For tled Les idees fixes. Listeners will you 're perched, posing as any to many groups in Toronto and be- more information on either of tliese, also recall his recent work Mani · number of interchangeable identiyond. . oontact either Jennifer Waring at Con- Butterfly (Homme/Papillon), per- ties. I know that you 're a com- Well, due to recent upheavals and tinuum (jwaring@interJog.com), or formed by Esprit in November of. poser, because you write music, funding cuts, the Music Gallery is Jim Montgomery at the Music Gal- 2002. Rea describes this work as and I listen to your music. J.Wiy is in a crisis situation. In this, it is not lery (jim@musicgallery.org). an "engineering feat" to assemble, the term so unclear for you? alone - many of our members suf- A third, and at present quite pre- with its 30-minute duration, imple- REA: The answer is designed to fer significant budgetary constraints. liminary, initiative is the creation of mentation of Disklavier, and multi- be provocative, and asks the inter­ But the Music Gallery's fate is tied a new music symposium in Toronto farious compositional concerns to locutor to question the answer, significantly to the health of the new in 2006. Tentatively titled "Music keep order-ed. That work, and nu- which is what you're doing - quesmusic community at large, in To- and Archit~cture: Homage to merous others of his inaking, has tioning my previous answers. The ronto and elsewhere. In this month's Xenakis," this symposium will fea- struck a sensitive chord among lis- whole answer circulates around a column, therefore, I'm mentioning ture concerts, lectures and master teners, myself included. CONTINUES NEXT PAGE only one concert, although there are classes on the connections between · many fine new music concerts this music and architecture, with a focus month. On February 15th, the Mu- on Xenakis' music and influence. sic Gallery is hosting a benefit con- Finally, after several delays, the cert featuring Janice Jackson and the coalition's revamped ·website, Canadian Electronic Ensemble per- toroniohearandnow .com, is up forming works by Rose Bolton, Jim and running. Check it out! Montgomery, Michael Dobinson and The next order of business with Larry Lake. Please show your sup- this is the renaming of the site, and port for the Music Gallery by at- we have a contest! Suggest a new tending this concert. name for the coalition's site, and if we choose it, you win a pair of tickets to Ars Supernova!: New Music IN OTHER NEWS, I'm excited to report the birth of two national initiatives for Percussion at the Music Gallery with which Coalition members are in May. heavily involved. These are: a Can- Canada~·foremost 'Violin Specialists 201 Church Street Toronto, ON MSB 1Y7 e-mail GHCL@idirect.com www.georgeheinl.com 1 FEBRUARY 1 - MARCH 7 2004 ListMe is a unique mailing list servicing Toronto's New Music organizations. It is for everyone who wants to. be kept informed about the many New Music events and concerts in town. · 0$ to ioin up to 50% discount from speciat promotional partners one FREE CONCERT with your registration Listmc-J:ca fvndi•19 porfn"ers ·\~\) Art Gollery of Ontario WWW. THEWHOLENOTE.COM BfB C•nada Council Consell des Arts ~ forlheAru duCJon1d1 .. • THE ONTARIO TK I L.Ll1JM FOVtt04TIO"'