Culture Days Hosts First National Congress on Culture

By Shira Gilbert

Culture Days held its first National Congress on Culture on May 24 in Toronto, titled The Art of Engagement: Finding, Igniting and Keeping Audiences. Chair Antony Cimolino, Artistic Director of the Stratford Festival, welcomed the 250 arts business leaders, journalists, municipal arts councils, community organizers and artists for a series of talks, panels and exchanges. An additional 750 people participated online over the course of the day via the live stream. This first “national conversation” comes after three successful years of the nation-wide cultural celebration, which links hundreds of thousands of artists and organizations across the country who present free, interactive arts activities over three days at the end of September. Culture Days, inspired by Quebec’s Journées de la culture weekend, which began in 1997, presented almost 7,000 events attended by 1.6 million people in 851 communities last year.

The morning keynote address was delivered by Ellis Jacob, President and CEO of Cineplex. While the choice of the movie theatre magnate seemed somewhat disconnected from Culture Days’ non-profit, grassroots model, Jacob presented a compelling business story of constant adaptability, citing a focus on relationships and passionate employees as key factors in Cineplex’s ongoing success, despite the current realities of home-viewing and streaming available to movie lovers. Jacob cited the Cineplex Mobile App among the company’s most impressive successes, with over 6 million downloads.

A panel discussion, “Igniting Passion,” was moderated by Gabe Gonda, Arts and Life Editor of The Globe and Mail. Gonda opened the discussion by speaking about recent “disruptions” in economics and government and how The Globe is committed to telling stories about the “disruptors” – those artists and organizations best taking advantage of the evolving landscape. Topics covered by the diverse panel, which fielded questions from the live and online audience, included the importance of forging connections within the community, and innovations in partnerships with business as well as with schools. Mark Lemay of Canadian Heritage urged organizers to draw inspiration from the artists themselves, who are “the experts in creative thinking.”

Robert Sirman, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, delivered a captivating address, praising Culture Days as “a microcosm for the arts ecosystem itself.” Speaking about the Canada Council’s intensified focus on public engagement, Sirman urged the audience to “increase our civic footprint.”

“Marketing Culture in the 21^st Century: Challenges and Opportunities, Breaking New Ground,” was the day’s most dynamic panel, moderated by Janice Price, CEO of Luminato. Following only brief remarks from the panelists, Price opened up the discussion to the audience for questions on marketing, branding and engaging audiences. The New York Times Deputy Editor for Culture, Lorne Manly, shared his organization’s new strategies in producing web content and creating interactivity with readers, many of whom are “hybrids” – consuming both traditional and online media. Che Kothari, founder of the hip hop Manifesto Festival was anti-marketing in his message, having built a dynamic following through inspiring individuals and building community through participation and word of mouth. Marketing executive and film and television producer Barry Avich likened Culture Days to “Participaction”– the ubiquitous Canadian government fitness campaign of the 1970s – as a way for the country to be “culturally fit.”

A truly national panel discussion featured “Culture Days Success Stories,” moderated by CulturePEI’s Hank van Leeuwen. Several organizations and arts councils reported on successful events in their communities, ranging from Coast Tsimshian First Nations storytelling in northern British Columbia, to spontaneous accordion performances in Saskatoon, and inventive marketing and education partnerships in Sackville, New Brunswick.

The day-long event closed with the presentation of awards to lead sponsor Sun Life, and to Anthony Cimolino for his leadership. A new national Culture Days Awards program is to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Video of all of the National Congress sessions can be found at www.culturedays.ca. Culture Days takes place across the country on September 27, 28 and 29, 2013. The next National Congress will be held in Winnipeg in the spring of 2014.

Songs in the Key of Gregory: A Vintage Experience in Montreal

By Naomi Gold
Photos by OSA Images

The Old Port of Montreal is now home to a new theatre, which was built to showcase the musical talents of Gregory Charles.   The Vintage Experience is a bilingual, interactive, multimedia production which actually begins when concertgoers buy their tickets.  A series of questions concerning musical preferences is posed at point of purchase and relayed to Charles, who then tailors his show accordingly.  Audience members also text in their choices during the show and are sometimes introduced; one thrilled texter actually performed onstage!  The results are sometimes hilarious and always entertaining.

Accompanied by an enthusiastic choir, Gregory Charles opened his show with a rousing gospel number on a makeshift stage in the VIP lounge.  The pianist/singer maintained major momo and mojo throughout the three-hour frenzied performance, which included several standing ovations and encores. He performed a truly ear-boggling array of melodies, harmonies, genres and, er, vintages. Sixties ballads, heavy metal, Quebecois pop, British rock, American classic rock, pop, jazz and gospel (to name a few): Charles covered them all. He also put his band through an exhaustive polyphony of 'Fab Four' faves. Notable Beatles highlights were Let it Be and Come Together.  In a piano playoff between Billy Joel &.Elton John, Charles plays a number of their hits, while viewers vote via text. No surprise, that quintessential piano man, Reginald Dwight handily won. In an extended tribute to Michael Jackson, Charles dazzles with his moonwalk manoeuvres and musical versatility.  

In a particularly poignant interlude, Charles pays homage to his mother who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. As he sings, a series of photos showing his mother caring for her infant son, is projected onscreen. Other photos of Charles as the young musician with his parents, bring a homey, intimate ambience to this concert.  The Vintage Experience  is sung 90% in English, spoken/texted 99% in French and is 100% terrific.  Above all, this soirée of über-highenergy, Gregorian-styled chant, is vintage Charles. 

A hot ticket, the Vintage Experience is playing to near-capacity crowds nightly except Mondays.  It runs until July 14th @TheVintage Theatre, on the water in the Old Port. Tickets can be purchased @The Vintage box office on site or by phone & online: 514 316-1950 / 1-888-978-6471;  http://www.vintageexperience.com   And don't forget to bring your all important smart phones.

Cette semaine à Montréal : le 17 au 23 juin

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Découvertes et explorations au Festival Montréal baroque
En plus des grands concerts, Montréal baroque propose aux festivaliers de nombreux concerts intimes, dont un récital de la flûtiste d’origine brésilienne Cléa Galhano, artiste en résidence cette année, et un concert de cantates sacrées de Manuel de Zumaya par l’ensemble mexicain La Fontegara. Le festival est aussi l’occasion de passionnantes découvertes, comme cette Soirée sans frontières où les baroqueux s’éclatent en proposant la convergence des mondes de la musique ancienne et des arts numériques. Le Festival se terminera avec Élémens, le sublime ballet de Jean-Ferry Rebel dépeignant la création du monde, avec danseurs et saltimbanques. www.montrealbaroque.com
- Renée Banville

Mondial de Laval : l’opéra Évangéline de Sylvain Cooke
Évangéline, le premier opéra du compositeur québécois Sylvain Cooke sur un livret de Thérèse Tousignant, sera présenté dans le cadre du Mondial de Laval à la salle André-Mathieu les vendredi 21 et samedi 22 juin 2012. La distribution comprend notamment la soprano Brigitte O’Halloran dans le rôle d’Évangéline et le ténor Andrezj Stec dans celui de Gabriel. Le compositeur dirigera l’Orchestre symphonique de Laval et la mise en scène a été confiée à Frédéric-Antoine Guimond. Cet événement lyrique est une production du Théâtre d’Art Lyrique de Laval en collaboration avec l’Orchestre symphonique de Laval. www.mlql.ca; www.theatreall.com
- Daniel Turp

This Week in Montreal: June 17 to 23

Discovery and Exploration at the Montréal Baroque Festival

In addition to their Grand concerts series, the Montréal Baroque Festival will offer festival-goers more intimate programming, including a recital by this year’s artist-in-residence, Brazilian born Cléa Galhano, and a concert of sacred cantatas by Manuel de Zumaya performed by Mexican ensemble La Fontegara. This festival is a place of exploration and discovery; Soirée sans frontières will push the limits of baroque experience by combining early music with the digital arts. This year’s closing event is Élémens, a divine ballet by Jean-Ferry Rebel depicting the Creation, featuring dancers and acrobats. www.montrealbaroque.com
- Renée Banville

Mondial de Laval: Sylvain Cooke’s Évangéline
Évangéline, the first opera by Québec composer Sylvain Cooke on a libretto by Thérèse Tousignant, will be performed as a part of the Mondial de Laval festival at Salle André-Mathieu on Friday, June 21 and Saturday, June 22. The cast includes soprano Brigitte O’Halloran in the title role and tenor Andrezj Stec as Gabriel. Staging is by Frédéric-Antoine Guimond and Sylvain Cooke conducts the Orchestre symphonique de Laval. This opera is a co-production by the Théâtre d’Art Lyrique de Laval and the Orchestre symphonique de Laval. www.mlql.ca; www.theatreall.com/html/evangeline.htm 
- Daniel Turp

This Week in Toronto (June 17 - 23)

The ten-day Luminato Festival continues this week with a full slate of offerings. It opened last Friday June 14th with several important events, one of which was The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic, a Robert Wilson directed piece on the performance artist. The last performance is tomorrow Monday June 17th at the Bluma Appel Theatre on Front Street. On Saturday, I attended a talk given by Wilson and Willem Dafoe at the Isabel Bader Theatre last Saturday, moderated by New York Times journalist John Rockwell. This talk, together with ones involving Joni Mitchell, Atom Egoyan, and architects Liz Diller and Ricardo Scofidio, are billed TimesTalks Luminato, representing a new collaborative initiative between Luminato and the New York Times. Having heard Wilson's talk last year during Einstein on the Beach, I was looking forward to his inimitable wit and style this time around and I wasn't disappointed. And it was good to hear Dafoe speak about collaborating with Wilson and Abramovic.  

Willem Dafoe and Robert Wilson appear at Luminato TimesTalk with moderator John Rockwell

On opening day last Friday, I also attended Concerto for Piano and Pasteboards, a magic show at RCM's Mazzoleni Hall featuring Spanish magician Miguel Puga. A smallish crowd was thoroughly entertained by Puga who did magic tricks to the accompaniment of a pianist, complete with projections and light displays. One of the most intriguing offerings this week is Feng Yi Ting, 

a contemporary opera (with music by Guo Wenjing) that explores the Chinese tale of Diao Chan, one of the four beauties in Chinese culture. It's directed by Canadian filmmaker/stage director Atom Egoyan. Three performances at the MacMillan Theatre June 20, 21, and 22 at 8 pm. There will be a pre-performance talk at 7:10 pm. 

Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell (Photo: courtesy of Luminato 2013)

Perhaps the biggest headliner this week are the two shows of Joni: A Portrait in Song - A Birthday Happening Live at Massey Hall. This legendary Canadian singer/songwriter turns 70 this year, and to celebrate, Luminato is bringing together an all-star lineup of musicians and vocalists interpreting the songs of Mitchell. It has also just been announced that she will recite a new poem with musical accompaniment by her long-time collaborator, Brian Blade and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. These two shows are likely to sell out. June 18 and 19  7:30 pm at Massey Hall. 

The Mark Morris Dance Group

For dance fans, Luminato is presenting L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, an interpretation of the Handel oratorio by choreographer Mark Morris coupled with poetry by John Milton and paintings by William Blake. This fully staged piece involves two dozen dancers, a 26 member chorus, and four soloists (sopranos Karina Gauvin and Shannon Mercer, tenor Thomas Cooley and baritone Douglas Williams) and a full orchestra. Three shows on June 21, 22, and 23 (mat.). 

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

The Luminato Festival Hub is David Pecaut Square, right next to Roy Thomson Hall, the home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The TSO's participation this year is once again a free outdoor concert. Since 2013 is the centennial year for both Verdi and Wagner, the TSO will present a program of works by these two composers, plus a piece by Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer who turns 80 this year. Among the works to be performed are selections from Lohengrin, Tannhauser, La forza del destino, Die Walkure, Il Trovatore, Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, Nabucco, and the Triumphal March from Aida. David Pecaut Square is going to be packed so arrive early! http://luminatofestival.com/

This Week in Montreal: June 10 to 16

25 Years: The Chœur Classique de Montréal
The Chœur Classique de Montréal presents great opera choruses with the Orchestra symphonique des Jeunes de Montréal, under the direction of Louis Lavigueur.  The soloists include Natalia Savelyeva, soprano, Stéphanie Pothier, mezzo-soprano, Antoine Bélanger, tenor, and Joseph Rouleau, who will reprise the role of Boris Godunov, which he performed in 1987 on the occasion which first brought together the choristers of the Chœur Classique de Montréal.  Maison symphonique, June 13 at 8:00 PM. choeurclassiquedemontreal.qc.ca
- Renée Banville

Cette semaine à Montréal : le 10 au 16 juin

Les 25 ans du chœur classique de montréal
Le Chœur classique de Montréal présente de grands chœurs d’opéra avec l’Orchestre symphonique des Jeunes de Montréal, sous la direction de Louis Lavigueur. Solistes : Natalia Savelyeva, soprano, Stéphanie Pothier, mezzo-soprano, Antoine Bélanger, ténor et Joseph Rouleau, qui reprend le rôle de Boris Godounov qu’il avait tenu en 1987, alors que furent rassemblés les choristes du Chœur classique de Montréal. Maison symphonique, 13 juin à 20 h. choeurclassiquedemontreal.qc.ca
- Renée Banville

This Week in Toronto (June 10 - 16)

Since June 2007, the Luminato Festival of Arts and Creativity - now simply referred to as Luminato Festival - has become one of the premiere cultural events. True to its name, it always features an eclectic lineup of cutting-edge, surprising, and always illuminating shows that expand our horizons of what constitute the arts and the creative spirit. As a classical music lover, while I bemoan a little that the traditional sort of programming (such as the LUNA operatic concert in the first year) has essentially disappeared, I welcome the replacement - a more unconventional aesthetic that embraces a more contemporary take on music. Last year's very successful Einstein On The Beach was a good example. This year, we have the contemporary Feng Yi Ting by Chinese composer Guo Wenjing, and directed by Canadian filmmaker-stage director Atom Egoyan (June 20, 21, 22).  Also intriguing is The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic, on the art of the controversial Serbian performance artist (June 14, 15, 16, 17 at the Bluma Appel Theatre).  Luminato is also presenting Concerto for Piano and Pasteboards, for three performances on June 14, 15, and 16 at Koerner Hall. To read about this unusual event, go to  http://luminatofestival.com/events/2013/concerto-piano-pasteboards  In addition, there are many free events at the Luminato Hub at the David Pecaut Square. http://luminatofestival.com/

Marina Abramovic and Willem Dafoe (Photo: Lucie Jansch)

As for more conventional classical music, there's the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Chinese pianist Yuja Wang is in town to play Prokofiev piano concerto no. 2. Wang is the archetypal contempoary artist, as flamboyant as you're likely to find. Her piano playing is stunning; it's amazing to experience that torrent of sound coming from such a slight person - she must have fingers of steel. Also on the program is Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade with TSO Concertmaster Jonathan Crow as the soloist, and a new piece by TSO Affiliate Composer Kevin Lau (Wed. and Thurs. only). The Saturday show, billed as TSO Late Night: Arabian Nights, starts at 10 pm.   http://tso.ca/Home.aspx

Pianist Yuja Wang (photo: Felix Broede)

Tafelmusik continues with its Baroque Summer Festival of free concerts. In addition to regular musicians of the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, performers include participants from the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute. The dates this week are Thursday June 13 1 pm at Walter Hall and Sunday June 16 7:30 pm at Grace Church on the Hill. Details at  http://www.tafelmusik.org/concert-calendar/concert/free-concerts-june-baroque-summer-festival  

The National Ballet of Canada continues with performances of Carmen. The last two performances are on Saturday June 15 (Heather Ogden/Guillaume Cote) and Sunday June 16 (Greta Hodgekinson/Piotr Stanczyk) at the Four Seasons Centre.  On June 12 is a National Ballet's fund-raising gala, Mad Hot Ballet: Dangerous Love. Stars of the National Ballet perform in short pieces drawn from The Four Seasons, Carmen, Don Quixote, and Enkeli. There's a reception after the performance for all audience members. For specially prices tickets for this fundraiser, go to http://national.ballet.ca/performances/season1213/MAD_HOT_BALLET_Gala/

http://national.ballet.ca/

- Joseph So

Tchaikovsky Upstages Edward Burlingame Hill World Premiere in Austin

By Paul E. Robinson

Maestro Peter Bay: Photo by Kenny Trice

Bernstein: Candide Overture

Edward Burlingame Hill: Symphony No. 4 in E flat major Op. 47 (premiere)

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major Op. 35

Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol Op. 34

Vadim Gluzman, violin

Austin Symphony Orchestra/Peter Bay

Long Center

Austin. Texas
May 31, 2013

The Austin Symphony (ASO), a conservative organization by nature (It has the balanced budget to prove it!), seldom programs “new” music, let alone world premieres. Even more rarely does it make recordings. This evening’s concert did both.

Edward Burlingame Hill’s Fourth Symphony (1941) was given its first-ever performance, and from the live performances recorded tonight and tomorrow, as well as from several more Hill premieres programmed for the ASO’s 2013-14 season, a recording will be produced.

To balance the “new” music on this evening’s program, conductor Peter Bay added some very familiar repertoire: Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and Rimsky-Korsakov’s colorful Capriccio Espagnol. With the dazzling Russian-Israeli violinist Vadim Gluzman as soloist, and conductor and orchestra in top form, the Tchaikovsky was the highlight of the evening; more about that later.

“Edward Burlingame Hill? Who was he?” you might well ask.

Hill (photo: right) was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1872 (d.1960), studied in Paris with the legendary French organist, composer and teacher, Charles-Marie Widor and eventually became a professor of music at Harvard University. Among his own students were composers who later rose to great prominence - Leonard Bernstein, Elliott Carter and Walter Piston.

Hill himself enjoyed some limited fame during his lifetime - some of his works were performed by the Boston Symphony, under the baton of Serge Koussevitsky; since his death, however, interest in Hill’s compositions has been almost nonexistent, judging by old Schwann record catalogue listings. The Winter 1992/93 edition, for example, has not a single listing of his works – 2001, same story. Today, the Schwann catalogue is no more, but even with some determined googling on the ‘net, one can turn up only a handful of Hill works on CD, few of them current.

Hill’s Symphony No. 4, which dates from 1940, was never performed – reason unknown. Austin’s Karl Miller, a former administrator at the University of Texas Library and founder of the Pierian Recording Society, has a particular interest in American music, especially in the music of composers who have not received the recognition he thinks they deserve. It was Mr. Miller who urged conductor Peter Bay to program Hill’s Fourth Symphony and record the work for posterity. Given the dearth of Hill compositions available on CD, one must concede that this is an admirable project. Based on what I know of his music, however, it would be difficult to argue that Hill was in any way a major figure - indeed, after this world premiere, it would be difficult to make the case, even in the face of Hill’s modest output, that the Symphony No. 4 is a successful composition.

"A salty New Englander who loved Debussy."

Through his studies in Paris with Widor (and also with Nadia Boulanger), Hill developed a life-long love of French music. In the words of famous former student Leonard Bernstein, Hill was “a salty New Englander who loved Debussy.” In fact, Hill wrote a book called Modern French Music (1924). One would not be surprised, then, to hear echoes of Debussy and Ravel in Hill’s works. In the 1920s, he also developed an interest in jazz and even wrote some Jazz Studies.

One listens in vain, however, for the influence of Debussy or Ravel, or of any other major modern French composer in Hill’s Fourth Symphony… and for that matter, of jazz. Not that they had to be there, but they might have contributed something of value.

In preparation for the Hill premiere, I listened to whatever other Hill pieces I could find. I was particularly struck by the Symphony No. 1 (1928) in a live performance by Koussevitsky and the Boston Symphony. This piece has some dazzling touches of orchestration and the performance is superb. Ultimately, it presents itself more like a ballet or movie score; at app. 16 minutes, it is really too brief to be termed a full-fledged symphony. What it does have are sweep and brilliance!

The Fourth Symphony, on the other hand, sounds like the work of a man who has lost his touch. The beginning of the last movement has some promising trumpet fanfares in the manner of Korngold, but then the music all but collapses under the weight of academic counterpoint. The first and second movements are even less compelling; words that come to mind are “aimless” and “plodding.” The melodic material is not inspired, the orchestration is dull and predictable, and the climaxes seem to be over even before they get started. I am not surprised that the composer himself withheld this piece from performance.

That said, it must be emphasized that celebration of quality is only one of the reasons for unearthing scores that have been neglected. In Hill’s case, it is enough that he taught a large number of musical luminaries who went on to forge careers more important than his own. When we read about Leonard Bernstein, for example, we really do want to know more about this Harvard man who taught him orchestration. “What kind of music did he write and why is it not more often played?” In premiering and recording the Fourth Symphony more than 70 years after its composition, Peter Bay and the Austin Symphony have given us some answers to such questions.

Gluzman's Tchaikovsky Exceptional!

What really electrified the audience on this night was not the Hill premiere, but an exceptional performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. This familiar music turns up nearly every season on symphony programs and its well-crafted combination of virtuosity and great tunes makes it almost a sure-fire crowd-pleaser, but the piece doesn’t play itself. It still takes a great violinist, a talented conductor and an attentive orchestra to make it work. We had all three in this performance.

Vadim Gluzman (photo: right) played with rich tone, impeccable technical skill and obvious love for the music. Undoubtedly, he had some help from the instrument he played – a Stradivarius once owned by Leopold Auer, the very man for whom Tchaikovsky wrote the piece. Auer, who originally deemed the concerto “unplayable,” later became one of its foremost exponent.

Gluzman’s performance was compelling from beginning to end, with a particularly thrilling rendition of the last movement; it really doesn’t have to go that fast, but Gluzman made it work.

In any performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, the soloist gets all the attention, but the soloist can’t shine without a really gifted conductor to take care of the accompaniment. This is a very tricky piece to conduct, but it was no problem at all for Peter Bay. Having watched him now for several seasons, I have no doubt that he has one of the best baton techniques in the business, especially in concertos. Few conductors anywhere have such control in their gestures. Fewer still can manipulate the end of the stick as precisely as he can. He is amazing. There was no guesswork in this accompaniment. That made the orchestra play better and it made Gluzman sound even better. This was an exceptional performance and it was a joy to hear it.

The concert ended with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol. This work, rich in Spanish source material, provides numerous opportunities for members of the orchestra to take solo turns. We heard some fine playing from concertmaster Jessica Mathaes, clarinetist Stephen Girko, and oboist Ian Davidson, among others.

For Something More…

Hill’s book Modern French Music is out of print but you can find it online here.  The composer's Collected Works are available at the New England Conservatory of Music. 

Anyone interested in hearing more of Hill’s music can find his Stevensoniana Suite No. 1 played by Karl Krueger and the Royal Philharmonic (Bridge 9190), his Violin Concerto played by Ruth Posselt with Koussevitsky and the Boston Symphony (West Hill Archives 6016) in a live performance from 1938. His Symphony No. 1, also played by Koussevitsky and the Boston Symphony, is available on Youtube.

Paul Robinson is the author of Herbert von Karajan: the Maestro as Superstar, and Sir Georg Solti: His Life and Music. For friends: The Art of the Conductor podcast, “Classical Airs.”

MIMC 2013: A Competition to Remember

MIMC 2013: A Competition to Remember

Joseph So

 MIMC 2013 Laureates (l. ro r.) Zeyu Victor Li (3rd Prize), Marc Bouchkov (1st Prize), Stephen Waarts (2nd Prize)

To music lovers, there's nothing like a good competition, where we get to hear the stars of tomorrow. The Montreal International Musical Competition is certainly one of the best.  I have been covering the MIMC since 2005 and I've heard repeatedly from many people (audience members, competitors, jury members) that MIMC is one of the best organized and prestigious classical music competitions in the world. Many of the laureates, be it violinist, pianist or singer, have gone on to significant careers.  So this is an eagerly anticipated event for me every year.  I received a formal invitation to cover the 68th Jeunesses Musicales International Annual General Assembly for La Scena Musicale, in conjunction with the MIMC finals, but a freak accident - resulting in an injured shoulder - prevented me from attending. Best laid plans of mice and men as they say.... Sadly, life intervened!   

However, all was not lost!  I limped my way from Toronto to Montreal to attend the Winners Concert in the evening of May 17th, in the acoustically wonderful, Jack Diamond-designed Maison symphonique. And it was a grand concert indeed, a nearly full house. All six finalists performed, beginning with 19 year old Taiwanese Chi Li playing the last movement of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. This is a happy, bubbly piece of music, and Mr. Li certainly expressed that fully, with a fluent and liquid style that was a pleasing start to the evening. However, one wished for ideally a bit more weighty tone, more depth of expression through a great variety of tone colours.  He was followed by the only female finalist, 18 year old Ji Young Lim of South Korea. Her "Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso was altogether lovely, beautifully expressive and with plenty of chiaroscuro. Twenty year old French violinist Fedor Roudine reprised his Tchaikovsky last movement with refulgent tone, although I find his playing lacking a bit in excitement. 

After an intermission, it was the first of the three laureates - 16 year old Chinese violinist Zeyu Victor Li played Ravel's Tzigane, a piece with a very long, unaccompanied solo right at the beginning.  This piece taxes even the most seasoned violinist, someone with lots of experience. Mr. Li played it with astonishing ease, prodigious technique, supreme confidence, and uncommon poise - I ran out of accolades in describing his playing.  The truth is that all these young artists have technique to burn - that's a given. But the best ones also have something to say. Victor Li definitely has a great deal to say, and I predict a great future for him.  Second prize winner Stephen Waarts followed with the first movement of the Brahms he played previously.  This enormously talent young man (another 16 year old!) played with the most gorgeous tone and uncommon musicality. I did notice that his stage presence was a bit too self-effacing, and he was distinctly nervous, wiping his palm on his pants at least a half dozen times during the performance. With some fine-tuning (no pun intended), Mr. Waarts will go far.  The last performance belonged to 22 year old Belgian Marc Bouchkov playing the complete Sibelius Concerto. For the finals, he played the Tchaikovsky, so to have both ready to go was really impressive to begin with. Mr. Bouchkov's interpretation of the Sibelius was nothing short of stupendous - exemplary musicality, singing tone, abundant expression, bravura technique, and a musical understanding that belies his tender years. I was just overwhelmed by his playing, and I feel strongly that Mr. Bouchov was fully deserving of the First Prize. I look forward to hearing him many more times in the future. The conducting of Maxim Vengerov was terrific, very sympathetic to the soloists, yet allowing the marvelous Montreal Symphony to shine through.

This competition underscores the depth of talent among the young artists coming up, and music lovers can look forward to the continued renewal of the art form. Thanks to initiatives of Jeunesses Musicales of Canada that spearheaded the MIMC in 2002, Canadian music lovers have the opportunity to hear the best young artists in the world, and I say 'Bravo'!  

The Winners Circle: 

First Prize: Marc Bouchkov, 22 (Belgium)

$30,000 plus Sartory bow valued at $3700 Canadian.

Second Prize: Stephen Waarts,16 (USA)

$15,000

Third Prize: Zeyu Victor Li  (China)

$10,000

Best performance of the Compulsory Canadian Work: Luk Hsu, 22 (USA)

$5,000

Radio Canada People's Choice Award:  Stephen Waarts (USA)

$5,000

Wilder and Davis Award for the best Semi-Final Recital:  Marc Bouchkov, 22, Belgium

$2,500

MIMC Grants for the Unranked Finalists: Chi Li, 19 Taiwan; Ji Young Lim, 18 South Korea; Fedor Roudine, 20 France. 

$2,000 each

In Memoriam: Mario Bernardi (20 Aug 1930 - 2 June 2013)

Mario Bernardi (Kirkland Lake Aug 20th 1930 - Toronto June 2nd 2013)

It was reported overnight that the eminent Canadian conductor Mario Bernardi has died. He was the founding conductor of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and was conductor of the Calgary Philharmonic and the CBC Radio Orchestra.  Here is a very good obituary of Bernardi in the CBC News website: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2013/06/03/obit-bernardi-naco-founder.html

To remember Bernardi, here is a video clip of a CBC News segment on the passing of Mario Bernardi:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jZULpNTjRQ

And here is another Youtube clip of Bernardi conducting the Bach keyboard concerto in F minor BWV1056, with Angela Hewitt as the soloist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhE2uxdaM1M

- Joseph So

This Week in Toronto (June 3 - 9)

Violinist Joshua Bell makes a welcome return to the TSO

The big news on the classical music scene this week is the return of American violinist Joshua Bell to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. A frequent visitor, Bell will perform Ravel's Tzigane for Violin and Orchestra, and then he will join forces with bassist Edgar Meyer in the Canadian premiere and TSO co-commission Concerto for violin and double bass, an unusual combination!  The Ravel is a stunning piece with an extended unaccompanied violin solo in the beginning. I heard this played just two weeks ago in the Montreal International Musical Competition (Violin) Winners Concert. Peter Oundjian conducts. Rounding out the program are Copland's wonderful Appalachian Spring - is there a more archetypal piece of Americana? - and Respighi's Pines of Rome. This is a terrific program and well worth attending. Three performances on June 5, 6, and 8 at Roy Thomson Hall.  http://tso.ca/Home.aspx

John Malkovich appears in The Giacomo Variations (Photo: Show One Productions)

Svetlana Dvoraskaya's Show One Productions, together with Starvox Entertainment, is presenting The Giacomo Variations starring famous actor John Malkovich of Dangerous Liaisons fame.  This show represents a fusion of theatre and opera, based on the life of Giacomo Casanova, and the music of Mozart. Also appearing with Malkovich are Lithuanian actress Ingeborga Dapkunaite, German baritone Florian Boesch, and German soprano Sophie Klussmann, with Orchester Wiener Akademie conducted by Martin Haselboeck.   The show opens at Place des Arts in Montreal on June 4 and comes to the Elgin Theatre in Toronto for performances on June 7, 8 and 9 at 8 pm (extra performance at 3 pm on June 8) this week. http://www.showoneproductions.ca/event-details-191.aspx

Heather Ogden and Noah Long in Carmen (Photo: Sian Richards)

With the COC season over, the Four Seasons Centre has once again become the home of the National Ballet of Canada. It is presenting a full length version of Carmen. Originally presented in 2006 in a one-act version by Davide Bombana, he has now expanded it to a full-length work, set largely to Shchedrin's Carmen Suite as well as music by Bizet. Performances daily June 5 to 9 at the Four Seasons Centre.  Details at  http://national.ballet.ca/

Opera by Request, an artist-driven organization, is presenting Massenet's Manon in a concert performance on June 7 at 7:30 pm, at the College Street United Church. I had my first Opera by Request experience recently, when I attended the Wagner Birthday Celebrations at the Arts and Letters Club, courtesy of the Toronto Wagner Society. Three fine singers (tenor Jason Lamont, soprano Olga Tylman and baritone Will Lewans) together with pianist William Shookoff from Opera by Request performed a concert Act One Die Walkure, and it was an enjoyable afternoon hearing the divine score. Obviously operas are meant to be presented with orchestra, but I don't remember the last time the Massenet opera was put on by the COC, so this is likely the only chance one will get to hear this opera in the foreseeable future. Do give this group a try.

http://operabyrequest.ca/wordpress/

Domoney Artists Management, an up-and-coming management company representing Canadian classical artists under the direction of soprano Kathy Domoney, is branching out to include concert presentation with this show, The Star of Robbie Burns. On June 7th 7:30 pm at the Church of the Redeemer, actor RH Thomson, soprano Virginia Hatfield, baritone Benjamin Covey and pianist Melody McShane will be featured in a program of poetry and song, and there will be tea and shortbread, presumably at intermission!  Details at  http://www.domoneyartists.com/

Two artists new to me - American violinist/literary scholar Keir GoGwilt and pianist/poet/composer Matthew Aucoin join forces to present Wordless Dreams, a recital that features two Canadian premieres, a musical reworking of Beckett's television play Nacht und Traume inspired by the famous Schubert song, and Whitman Suite, from Aucoin's opera in commemoration of the Civil War. The program also includes Sonatas by Bach, Mozart and Bartok. Finally one of my favourite songs, Nachtigall by Alban Berg, one of the Sieben fruhe Lieder, arranged by GoGwilt. Normally sung by a soprano or mezzo, I assume the solo here is the violin. The full program can be found at http://the-coc.s3.amazonaws.com/pdfs/concert130604.pdf  Recital at noon in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre June 4. Be sure to arrive early to ensure a seat. http://www.coc.ca/Home.aspx

- Joseph So

Cette semaine à Montréal: le 27 mai au 2 juin

Festival de Musique de Chambre de Montréal (FMCM)
La saison des festivals de musique d'été s'ouvre avec le FMCM, dont la 18^e édition se déroule jusqu’au 1^er juin à l'église anglicane Saint-Georges. Fidèle à la tradition, le directeur artistique Denis Brott ne nous ménage pas les surprises. On pourra entendre entre autres les quatuors Emerson et Fine Arts, les Swingle Singers, le pianiste Jean-Philippe Collard et Oliver Jones. Le marathon de quatre heures est consacré cette année à Tchaïkovski. www.festivalmontreal.org
- Renée Banville

Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher d’Arthur Honegger pour clôturer la saison 2012-2013 de l’OSM
Le chef Kent Nagano clôturera la saison de son Orchestre symphonique de Montréal avec le mystère lyrique Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher d’Arthur Honegger. Parmi les solistes, l’on compte les sopranos Marianne Fiset et Hélène Guilmette, la mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy, le ténor Pascal Charbonneau et le baryton-basse Alexandre Sylvestre. Trois représentations sont prévues pour les 28 et 30 mai ainsi que le 1^er juin 2013 et auront lieu à 20 h à la Maison symphonique de Montréal. www.osm.ca
- Daniel Turp

Concours Prix d'Europe
La 102^e édition du Prix d'Europe se tiendra du 2 au 7 juin, à la Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur. Les quatre finalistes se feront entendre au concert gala qui se tiendra le 8 juin à la salle Bourgie. Lauréat de 2003, le pianiste Wonny Song sera l'invité d'honneur de cette soirée. www.prixdeurope.ca
- Renée Banville

This week in Montreal: May 27 – June 2

Montreal Chamber Music Festival (MCMF/FMCM)
The musical festival season opens with the MCMF. The 18^th editition takes place from May 9 to June 1 at St. George’s Anglican Church. True to tradition, artistic director Denis Brott spares us no surprises. Performers include the Emerson and Fine Arts Quartets, the Swingle Singers, and pianists Jean-Philippe Collard and Oliver Jones, to name a few. This year’s four-hour marathon is dedicated to Tchaikovsky. www.festivalmontreal.org
- Renée Banville

Arthur Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc au Bûcher Closes the 2012-13 Season at the OSM
Conductor Kent Nagano closes the OSM’s season with Arthur Honegger’s lyric mystery Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher (Joan of Arc at the Stake). Among the soloists are Marianne Fiset and Hélène Guilmette, mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy, tenor Pascal Charbonneau and baritone-bass Alexandre Sylvestre. Three performances are scheduled for May 28 and 30 as well as June 1, and will take place at 8 pm at the Montreal Symphony House. www.osm.ca
- Daniel Turp

Prix d’Europe Competition
The 102^nd edition of the Prix d’Europe will be held from June 2 to 7, at the Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur. The four finalists will perform at the gala concert, which will be held June 8 at Bourgie Hall. Pianist and 2003 winner Wonny Song will be the evening’s guest of honour. www.prixdeurope.ca
- Renée Banville

This Week in Toronto (May 27 - June 2)

To keen observers of the Toronto music scene, it has become increasingly clear that the vocal recital is a really, really hard sell. The august Roy Thomson Hall Vocal Series, a real jewel in the crown of RTH since it opened in the early 80's, has been consigned to history a few years ago. Its "replacement" - the much more modest Canadian Voices Series at Glenn Gould Studio, has not received the support from voice fans that it deserves the last two seasons, and it looks unlikely that there will be a third season. The occasional vocal recitals put on by other presenters such as Music Toronto have had disappointing turnouts. And today, the fiercely loyal fans of the Aldeburgh Connection will gather for the last time at Walter Hall, as co-artistic directors Stephen Ralls and Bruce Ubukata have decided to bring their celebrated series to a close. At a recent COC Podcast (May 10), several of us lamented the demise of the song  recital  http://coc.ca/ExploreAndLearn/NewToOpera/OnlineLearningCentre/Podcasts.aspx  Given the difficult environment, it is good to see that pianist Rachel Andrist and pianist-composer John Greer have decided to buck the trend, and actually start a new recital series!  Recitals at Rosedale features some of the best Canadian singers, in a series of intelligently designed, theme-based recitals. The series opens in October, but on June 1 at 7:30 pm, there will be a preview of the 2013-14 inaugural season. An Enchanted Evening of Song and Opera features songs from Schubert to Noel Coward, sung by sopranos Laura Albino, Lindsay Barrett, Leslie Ann Bradley, Ambur Braid and Miriam Khalil, mezzo Laura Tucker, tenors Colin Ainsworth and Michael Colvin, baritones Peter Barrett, Gregory Dahl, Anthony Cleverton and Robert Gleadow.  Also appearing is violinist Erika Raum. Rachel Andrist and John Greer are at the piano. Do come out and support this wonderful initiative. For details and tickets ($20) , go to http://musicrpc.blogspot.ca/

Canadian pianist Janina Fialkowska (Photo: Julien Faugere)

Tafelmusik, in a departure from its usual baroque repertoire, is presenting a concert of Beethoven and Chopin. Guest conductor Bruno Weil leads the Tafelmusik forces in Beethoven's Symphony No. 4, and the Chopin piano concerto no. 2 with pianist Janina Fialkowska as the soloist. The Chopin is arranged for a chamber orchestra and played on a 19th  century Pleyel piano. Performance on May 30 8 pm at Koerner Hall. http://performance.rcmusic.ca/event/tafelmusik-presents-chopin-and-beethoven-2

Soprano Miriam Khalil (www.miriamkhalil.com)

The ever adventurous Against the Grain Music Theatre is putting on Figaro's Wedding, a newly re-imagined version of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, with a rewritten libretto and re-situated to Toronto (!) by Joel Ivany. It stars soprano Miriam Khalil as Susanna and Lisa DiMaria as Rosina (the Contessa's real name).  Stephen Hegedus is Figaro and Alexander Dobson is Alberto (formerly  the Count). Cherubino, instead of a mezzo, is now a high soprano (Teiya Tasahara). You can be sure this show will be unlike any Marriage of Figaro you've seen. The venue is equally unconventional - at the Burroughs Building in the trendy Queen Street West neighbourhood. Christopher Mokrzewski is the music director and it marks the debut of the Music in the Barn Chamber Ensemble. It opens on May 29 with additional performances on May 30, 31 and June 2. http://www.againstthegraintheatre.com/index/Figaros_Wedding.html

 Conductor Bramwell Tovey (Photo: www.bramwelltovey.com)

After the heavy (but wonderful!) Brahms Requiem last week, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is presenting two lighter programs this week, with Bramwell Tovey conducting an audience favourite, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. It's paired with another popular piece, Elgar's Enigma Variations.  Performance at Roy Thomson Hall on Saturday June 1 7:30 pm. On Tuesday May 28 7:30 pm and Wednesday May 29 (1:30pm and 7:30 pm), TSO is programming a screening in HD of the newly remastered West Side Story, but instead of the musical soundtrack, we have the TSO under its pops conductor, Steven Reineke!  I have to confess I have never attended any of these movie-live orchestra pairings in the past, but this one is intriguing given the scintillating Bernstein score.  http://tso.ca/

Conductor Steven Reineke 

Sonoro Quartet appears at Toronto Summer Music Festival

A happy musical event every July is the Toronto Summer Music Festival. Now in its third year under the artistic directorship of Douglas McNabney, this year's festival runs from July 16 to August 3. The theme this year is La Belle Epoque. Lots of goodies, including a personal favourite of mine, the great Dutch soprano Elly Ameling (July 15 to 20)!  No she won't be singing, at 80 she is long retired. But she will pass on her wisdom to young artists in the Art of the Song program. On Tuesday noon at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, McNabney will give a preview of this year's festival, and performing will be the Montreal-based Sonoro Quartet. Be sure to show up an hour ahead to get a seat. http://coc.ca/

- Joseph So