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If you've ever been to a Toronto Symphony Orchestra performance you know that Peter Oundjian, their music director, likes to chat with the audience about the music. It's refreshing, informative, and makes you feel like you're part of the experience.
That's one reason he was so excited to work with Eric Friesen on Peter And The Symphony -- it's a perfect opportunity for him to talk about his great musical love: the symphony. Today Inside The Music broadcasts part five of eleven episodes in this series, focusing on Symphony No. 4 by Anton Bruckner, nicknamed The Romantic.
As you'll hear today -- there's a lot more to The Romantic than the famous hunting scene of the third movement. And to Bruckner the man, a "country bumpkin," a pious Catholic, a "naive oddity," as Mr. Friesen describes him. And for all that -- a genius.
If you miss the radio broadcast you can also hear it streaming online at Peter And The Symphony. And if you are seized with a burning desire to follow along with the score -- or explore recordings of Bruckner's fourth -- a good starting point is the Bruckner Symphony Versions Discography.
It's all good! No, not becoming Relentlessly Positive Blogger, It's All Good is the name of the final preview track from Bob Dylan's upcoming album:
[Tracks have been removed as streaming period has concluded.]
The Q&A with Dylan wraps up today too -- it makes for fun reading. Quote of the day re: Dylan's early years:
"I was drawn to the traveling performers passing through. The side show performers - bluegrass singers, the black cowboy with chaps and a lariat doing rope tricks. Miss Europe, Quasimodo, the Bearded Lady, the half-man half-woman, the deformed and the bent, Atlas the Dwarf, the fire-eaters, the teachers and preachers, the blues singers. I remember it like it was yesterday. I got close to some of these people. I learned about dignity from them." -- Bob Dylan
Very exciting news for Bob Dylan fans! Starting Monday, right here on The Radio 2 Blog, you can hear exclusive tracks from Dylan's upcoming recording, Together Through Life (which comes out April 28th).
Not only that, but you can also read (serialized each day) a great Q&A with Dylan, by author Bill Flanagan. Of course they talk about the new songs, but they also touch on a wide range of subject matter.
How wide? Try Dylan's views on his artwork, on President Obama, The Rolling Stones, the nature of acting...it's really quite revealing. (And as we know, "revealing" and Dylan aren't always part of the same interview!)
Specifically, this is what you will find each day (April 20-24) on the R2 Blog:
Anondab: "Leonard is My Man because he is, in his every expression, a living paradox of sacred and profane...There ain't no cure for Leonard, just more Leonard."
Kencoe: "I think he speaks to many, if not all of our life changing experiences. It is the sad ones that he takes us through, very, very slowly."
Jenny#2: "Mr. Cohen is MY man, because since I was sixteen, his music was able to evoke all the emotions of my life."
Radio 2's Cohen contest is closed now, (congrats to Marilyn Raymond of Surrey B.C. who won the txts to Cohen's concert in NYC!) But "there ain't no cure for Leonard," so anytime is a good time to answer the question, Why Is Leonard YOUR Man?
Tom Allen, at Radio 2 Morning, and The Radio 2 Blog ask: Who's Your Diva?
Canada Live (8 p.m.) features young Canadian "divas" in concert all week. Friday night it's a great double bill from Montreal: Martha Wainwright and cellist/singer Jorane.
And Tom has recordings by some of the Canada Live divas to give away -- so make your case for the diva of your choice here on the blog for your chance to take home the music. Here are some examples of "diva defenses":
Ndidi Onukwulu is Sengas' diva: "...I will not falter in my enthusiasm for Canadas great Diva. Within the company of many greats like Jill Barber, Sarah Harmer, and Serena Ryder it is my opinion that Ndidi Onukwulu stands out as having the Diva spirit."
Alita Dupray is "lward77's" diva: "Ok I love Sara Vaughn and Ella and the other vibrato-izing divas too. But Alita Dupray is another kind of singer and one of the very best of her breed. I vote Alita."
Nicole Edwards is Virginia Labelle's diva: "Even though she is coping with a debilitating illness, she continues to make music and absolutely personifies that great against-all-odds Diva Spirit!!!"
Tomorrow is V-Day, which means today is the last day for Tom and Rich to play your favourite Canadian love song. Amazing range of suggestions, from Lowest Of The Low's Subversives to Martha Wainwright's How Soon, Bruce Cockburn's All The Diamonds...and almost anything by Hawksley Workman.
But you still have a wee bit of time to lobby for the Canadian song that opens your heart...like a can of peaches.
And to hear them on Radio 2 Morning (6 a.m.-10 a.m.) and Radio 2 Drive (3 p.m.-6 p.m.). Tom and Rich have been reading the comments here on The Radio 2 Blog instead of the daily paper, so they won't miss a beat.
The Radio 2 Blog's last word on romantic Canadian love songs is one that has been mentioned several times: Meaghan Smith's I Know. Why? Because it's sweet as a perfectly ripe peach.
Insert drum roll here! The top 49 pieces of music that make up Obama's Playlist are as follows.
The Top 49 (Listed by artist):
Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)
Barenaked Ladies - If I Had $1,000,000
Beau Dommage – La complainte du phoque en Alaska
Ben Heppner - We’ll Gather Lilacs
Bruce Cockburn - Wondering Where the Lions Are
Buffy Sainte-Marie - Universal Soldier
Daniel Bélanger - Rêver mieux
Daniel Lanois - Jolie Louise
Daniel Lavoie - J'ai quitté mon île
Diana Krall - Departure Bay
Gilles Vigneault - Mon pays
Glenn Gould - Goldberg Variations
Gordon Lightfoot - Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Gordon Lightfoot – Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Great Big Sea - Ordinary Day
Harmonium - Pour un Instant
Ian & Sylvia - Four Strong Winds
James Ehnes - Barber Violin Concerto
Jesse Cook - Mario Takes a Walk
Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now
Joni Mitchell – A Case of You
Karkwa - Oublie pas
k.d. lang - Hallelujah
Leonard Cohen - Democracy
Leonard Cohen - Suzanne
Malajube - Montréal -40°C
Marie-Jo Thério - Évangeline
Marjan Mozetich - Affairs of the Heart
Measha Brueggergosman - I’m Going Up a Yonder
Mes Aïeux - Dégénérations
Michael Bublé – Home
Moe Koffman - Swingin' Shepherd Blues
Neil Young - Rockin' In the Free World
Neil Young - Helpless
Oscar Peterson Trio - Hymn to Freedom
Oscar Peterson – Place St. Henri (from Canadiana Suite)
Parachute Club - Rise Up
Raymond Lévesque - Quand Les Hommes Vivront D'amour
Rush - Closer to the Heart
Sam Roberts - The Canadian Dream
Shad - Brother (Watching)
Stan Rogers - Northwest Passage
Stompin' Tom Connors - The Hockey Song
The Arrogant Worms Canada's Really Big
The Guess Who American Woman
The Tragically Hip - Wheat Kings
The Tragically Hip - Bobcaygeon
The Rankin Family - Rise Again
The Weakerthans - One Great City!
So there you have it, folks. Discuss, debate, celebrate as you will!
You have until today at 8 pm ET (that's eastern, not the Spielberg movie, which is what the abbreviation unfortunately always makes me think of) to weigh in on Obama's Playlist. And therefore the last chance for The Radio 2 Blog(ger) to place bets.
Yesterday, with the post featuring Lhasa's song and video, I admitted she seemed a tiny bit more of a long shot than the previous bets. And perhaps this one is even further out on a limb, but I'm thinking that maybe some of Rich Terfry's constituency in particular may be rallying and casting their votes for Shad.
For one thing, when Shad was on Radio 2 Drive (3 p.m.-6 p.m.) this fall he got a great response. For another, Brother (Watching) is pretty powerful stuff. Yes, there's a lot of very stiff competition, particularly from Canadian music icons, from Neil Young to Glenn Gould to Joni Mitchell, Stompin' Tom etc.
But as one listener said on The Radio 2 Blog when Shad was profiled: "This cat is going to be huge." The question is, I suppose, huge enough yet to get the vote? I'm putting my virtual money down, though prepared to possibly lose it. If I do, well heck, he did make it to the Top 100, and that's pretty great too.
That last minute or so with those beautiful strings, and the woman speaking about her hopes for her children always brings a little lump to the throat...
Well, we shall see on Tuesday whether my prognosticating is right. Meantime, thanks for watching these videos connected with Obama's Playlist -- and if you've missed some, you'll find all of them here.
Today's bet feels a little less secure, since the performer isn't as widely known as the above. But I'm makin' it anyway, since I think this performer and song really should be there -- and she does have a good chance. (Jesse Cook agrees -- heard him telling Tom Allen that the other day.) It's the singer who goes by her first name, Lhasa. Here's a live version of the nominated song, not quite as "perfect" as the album version, but it has the benefit of letting you see the diminutive and intense Lhasa de Sela in performance.
That's De Cara A La Pared, which you'll find on Lhasa's stunning debut recording La Llorona which came out in 1998 and was subsequently played in interesting bookstores, cafés and living rooms everywhere.
Lhasa always seems a little elusive -- she's only recorded two albums in total, and there are times when she disappears from view. (At one point she was living in Europe, travelling and performing with a circus.) But fans from the interesting bookstores, cafés and living rooms will be thrilled to know, as am I, that she is apparently releasing a third recording this April.
When The Radio 2 Blog Bookies opened shop last week and started betting on who would unquestionably make it onto Obama's Playlist, the first bet was Leonard Cohen performing Hallelujah. Boy was I wrong. Leonard is up with Suzanne and Democracy (go, Democracy!) but not Hallelujah. A couple of you pointed out at the time that really, it's k.d. Lang's version that should be on the list anyway.
Well, I still like hearing Lenny singing it -- but there's no question that she takes it into the stratosphere. Having heard her perform it live -- spine chill inducing -- this live performance on video brings it all back. And if you haven't heard her singing it, you owe it to yourself to watch.
What a gift of song, and of voice.
Now that's a very intense song, sung by a very intense singer. But there is a lighter side to Ms. k.d. Lang, as evidenced by this next video, which I can't resist posting -- k.d. being interviewed by Dame Edna. (Favourite Dame Edna line: "k.d., when did you first know you were...Canadian?")
"All the music that really interests me -- not just some of it, all of it -- is contrapuntal music."
- Glenn Gould, 1982
The above quote courtesy of the Contrapuntal Blog, which Gould appreciators may be interested in reading. And certainly Gould appreciators will be voting on a daily basis (until Friday) for the inclusion of Glenn Gould on Obama's Playlist, performing the Goldberg Variations.
Today The Radio 2 Blog goes out on a (not very long) limb to say the chance of this work played by this performer being included in the final 49 seems very likely.
And Here's here are 42 sublime seconds from the 1981 re-recordings:
Finally, here's Mr. Gould talking about why he re-recorded the Goldberg Variations, for you Gould complete-ists out there.
This morning, talking to Tom on Radio 2 Morning, Jack Layton said his #1 pick from the Obama's Playlist shortlist of 100 would be Rise Up by the Parachute Club (his second choice would be Takin' Care Of Business by BTO). Funny, I would have pegged him for something more piano heavy. Just goes to show, you can never predict a politician's playlist.
But you can help shape one -- whittling the Top 100 Obama's Playlist (Short List) to the final 49. The list is up, as you'll see if you click on the last link, and the musicians on it range from the above, to people like Marjan Mozetich, Felix Leclerc and Joe Sealy -- it's a pretty eclectic cross section.
The way the voting works is that the music is in four sections, and you get one vote in each section -- per day. So get over there with your virtual stubby pencil and start making those x's!
Having the short list available does make The Radio 2 Blog Bookies job a little easier -- 100, as opposed to infinite choices. Even so, that means 51 will not make it to the final playlist. But here's one I think will: the great Oscar Peterson, with his great composition: Hymn To Freedom.
Beautiful.
There is an excellent feature in the CBC Digital Archives on the late Mr. Peterson you should have a look at, if you haven't already. Clips with OP talking and playing, as well as still photos etc. You'll find it at Oscar Peterson: A Jazz Giant.
Today the weekly Radio 2 Video Fest gives up its hotly contested "airtime" over to wagering what the sure-things for Obama's Playlist will be. As I said yesterday when putting my (pretend) money down on Leonard Cohen with Hallelujah, in some instances, it's not so difficult to predict the singer as it is the song.
But in the case of Gilles Vigneault, I'll throw caution to the wind and say it has to be the following song. Sadly I cannot find a performance video of it, but for those of us who love snow (and the song), it's quite a restful outlook (snowplows aside). For those who don't, just close your eyes and listen.
One of my colleagues at CBC Digital Archives kindly drew my attention to an online feature about Gilles Vigneault at our sister site at Radio-Canada, so you may want to have a look/listen there as well -- the first clip includes a brief snippet of the song Mon Pays.
The song itself was originally written by Vigneault as a commission from the National Film Board in 1964 , for Arthur Lamothe'sLa Neige A Fondu Sur La Manicouagan.
While not typically a betting woman, I will go out on a limb over the next while and lay a few musical bets on the line re: Obama's Playlist. Rest assured there is no insider trading going on -- I am basing these bets on the input about the playlist from Radio 2 listeners/blog readers.
Granted they are probably safe bets. But the real gamble is, certainly in the instance of today's bet, which song? It's a gamble I'm willing to make -- that despite the Democracy lobby, the "winner" will be Hallelujah.
"And even though it all went wrong, I'll stand before the lord of song, with nothing on my tongue, but hallelujah."
Thank you, Mr. Cohen.
So you heard it here first -- bets on Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah making the Top 49. Of course, we won't know until the ballots are cast -- which they will be, starting Monday, Jan. 12 at the Obama's Playlist website.
...help choose some of the music for 49 Songs From North Of The 49th Parallel, a.k.a. Obama's playlist. But the real question is, why would you want President-Elect Barack Obama (or for that matter any other new head of state) to hear the specific piece of music you think is representative of Canada or of being Canadian?
Some Radio 2 listeners/blog readers have offered explanations of their choice -- and here are a few examples, which will perhaps inspire you to do the same! (Also note -- the current but ever-growing list of nominees is now up on the Obama's Playlist website, so have a boo.)
Gary_ohh says: "My vote for one song to be added - Northern Lights by Bruce Cockburn. A spectacular Canadian event, by a truly great Canadian artist that exemplifies all good about Canada....."
mkarnold says: "Mon Pays by Gilles Vigneault. Canada is a diverse country, East and West, North and South, plain and mountain, coast and inland, city and country, English and French and beyond. What unites us is the cold winter and our ability to survive it. I can't think of a better song articulating this than Mon Pays."
goldencanuck says: "MUST have some of The Tragically Hip on the 49 for Obama list... Wheat Kings (life on the Prairies and a Canadian injustice), Three Pistols (on some of Canada's great artists), Fifty-Mission Cap (a bit of a recognition of Canada's military service as well as some hockey references), Fireworks (for the obvious hockey references)."
Bruce Cockburn: Lovers In A Dangerous Time, Stan Rogers: Barrett's Privateers, Les Cowboys Fringants: Toune d'Automne, Spirit Of The West: Home For A Rest, Kate and Anna McGarrigle: Complainte Pour Ste. Catherine, The Arrogant Worms: The Last Saskatchewan Pirate, Great Lake Swimmers: This Is Not Like Home, Stompin' Tom Connors: The Hockey Song, Gordon Lightfoot: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Neil Young: Keep On Rockin' In the Freeworld, Gilles Vigneault: Mon Pays, The Tragically Hip: Wheat Kings, k.d. Lang: Hallelujah...
The above are just a fraction of the musical suggestions pouring in for President-Elect Barack Obama's Canadian music playlist -- assembled by you, Radio 2 listeners/Blog readers. You can nominate your favourite Canadian music for the 49 Songs From North Of The 49th Parallel playlist by clicking on that link which will take you to the website, or email obamasplaylist@cbc.ca, or phone 1-877-222-8166 (Press: 1)
Already even the notion of such a playlist has sparked lots of interesting conversation.
Posted by Philly Markowitz on Dec-30-08 at 09:25 AM
It's official: Canadians in general - and CBC listeners in particular - are passionate about sharing Canadian music with the world. The suggestions for our 49 Songs from North of the 49th Parallel playlist are already beginning to pour in to the Radio 2 blog.
To see what Canadian celebrities and listeners alike have to say about the songs they'd like President-Elect Barack Obama to hear, visit the official website. The email address and phone line for your entries will go live on January 5th, but you can join the lively conversation that's taking place on this blog at any time.
Here are the addresses you'll need to nominate your favourite song starting on January 5th:
Posted by Philly Markowitz on Dec-29-08 at 08:57 AM
Today, CBC Radio 2 unveils an exciting new challenge to the nation. We want you to help us choose 49 songs from north of the 49th parallel that you think best represent our country to the world.
Starting on Monday, January 5th, you will be able to nominate your favourite Canadian song (or tune or opus) to be one of 49 songs that CBC Radio 2 will offer as an inauguration day celebration for music-loving President-Elect Barack Obama.
This is your official heads up: you have a week to consider which song you think best represents and defines our country to the incoming president. On January 5th, we'll invite you to start making your suggestions to us online at our special website, by email or by phone (details to come).
On January 12th we'll unveil the top 100 candidates. You'll have 5 days to vote for your favourite entries online (until January 16th), and finally on January 20th - Inauguration Day in the USA - we'll announce the winning songs and play as many of the 49 as we can fit into our daytime shows: Radio 2 Morning, Tempo, Drive and Tonic.
Will it be Anne Murray or R. Murray Schafer? Gordon Lightfoot or Glenn Gould? Oscar Peterson or Tanya Tagaq; Robert Charlebois or K'naan; Broken Social Scene or the Be Good Tanyas ... or maybe all of the above? You tell us, starting on January 5th.
Music Monday has come and gone...but the melody lingers on. Really, it does, you can hear the audio of the massed children's choirs (you may have heard them live yesterday on Studio Sparks) right here.
As I mentioned in the post Kids Behind The Radio Microphones, when there is music in the atrium of the Broadcast Centre -- where this took place -- it always lures people in the building away from their desks, to listen to the music. Yesterday, from that point of view (along the balconies around the atrium), it looked like this.
I hope the kids in the choirs had fun singing -- particularly knowing that over half-a-million kids across the country were all singing the same song at the same time as well.
Of course the real challenge for formalized music education is an ongoing one -- resources, funding and all that dreary and necessary business. But there's another educational lesson to come out of people getting together to sing too: It's fun. And the singing part? It's free.
Richard Marsella (a.k.a. Friendly Rich) is a musician, and also the Ontario Regional Director of the Canadian Music Centre, Canada's premiere organization devoted to new music composition.
So it won't come as any surprise that his interests in music education might fall under that handy dandy term "alternative" (sometimes used much the same way "avant garde" once was, a signifier indicating more about what it is not about than what it is). Anyway, his alternative music education programme is called The Parade of Noises and it sounds like a lot of fun. Really, he should run it for adults too, we'd all go.
But in its incarnation for kids he brings together around 700 school children to build their own instruments, write their own music, and parade their joyful cacophony through the streets of Brampton, Ont.
Tonight on The Signal (10 p.m.) you can hear Laurie's interview with Friendly Rich, and it will be up soon on CBC's Music Monday website in its full glory at some point soon too.
Also on tonight's show, The Signal's Music Monday edition, excerpts from Elijah’s Kite, an original opera about the problem of bullying. It's by Canadian composer James Rolfe, with libretto by Camyar Chai. Bonus -- Madonna Hamel’s documentary about the creation of this opera will be broadcast as well.
Canada Live (8 p.m.) criss-crosses the country tonight with music from eight locations, all performed by young people who are studying music.
Having just come back from Cuba, where the music education system is partly responsible for turning out fabulous young musicians -- and has helped create an incredibly musical society -- this strikes me as a wonderful way to celebrate the culture of young Canadians learning music. We may not have a widespread indigenous Canadian music, but we do have an ever-growing collection of music traditions, starting with some of our earliest: celtic, native and Metis traditions, folk and country music, classical and jazz etc. etc. And continuing with music from a wide range of cultures.
Perhaps as time passes Canada will become known for this. While it's true that it isn't as neat a package as music from parts of the world where there are a smaller number of highly defined traditions, it has in its own way a truly exciting eclecticism, with so much potential.
Tonight you can get a sense of that through Canada Live's show -- as you'll hear piano students in Newfoundland play music by local composers; the Saskatoon Children's Choir perform music dedicated to ideas of peace and international understanding; students at a Brazilian music school in Montreal; mentors and students in Winnipeg playing jazz; the Mushfiq Youth Ensemble performing East Indian music in Ottawa; students of fiddler Oliver Schroer coming together to perform one of his pieces in Toronto; the band Ohbijou taking part in an indie band workshop at the Banff Centre; and a youth marimba band joining a percussion group in Vancouver in an event called Sprit of Africa.
A lot of great musicians have had mentors who are also great musicians, only stands to reason. That's one of the areas of music education Tonic (6 p.m.) explores tonight, as a reflection of Music Monday.
I'm sure most musically-inclined people remember someone, or someones, who changed our lives musically. A teacher, a friend, a parent. Because though obviously much of music education is about learning the mechanics, the techniques, the principles and the history, a lot of it is about learning how to listen, and having great music to listen to. Something I imagine the Marsalis kids grasped from a very young age...as this version of the family playing Struttin With Some BBQ shows.
I wonder what memories you may have of your school or church or community choir days, if you count yourself among that number?
I have many, including faking the ability to sight sing for a considerable amount of time before the conductor caught on and convinced me it was worthwhile to actually learn to read music. I also remember singing in a radio broadcast where one girl was so nervous I had to talk her out of the bathroom in time for the broadcast. (I was nervous too, but the thrill of live radio outbid the nerves.)
But mostly what I remember about early choir days was the fantastic feeling of singing with other people. The power of voices. The beauty, when we got it right.
Today there are some kids (probably getting a little nervous themselves right about now) who will be singing live on CBC R2, on Studio Sparks (12 p.m.) in the third hour of the programme. They'll be singing the Music Monday "signature tune", called Our Song, which was written by the singer-songwriter duo Dala for the occasion -- four children's choirs will perform it from the atrium at the Toronto CBC Broadcast Centre.
For those in the building that's very special -- the singing draws them from behind their computers, people sneak out of their offices to ring the balconies around the atrium and listen. And that live energy transmits itself through the airwaves, so wherever you are listening, I hope you enjoy it!
But it's actually not just singing you can hear on S'sparks today, it's also kids playing. That's in the first hour of the show, when CBC Radio 2 producer Kelly Rice goes to Ecole Marguerite-De Lajemmerais in Montreal, where 30 young classical guitarists will be standing by to play. Tuning, and re-tuning as we speak, no doubt. Bon chance, buena suerte, good luck to all of the young performers on the show.
One more note -- if you are curious about the theme song for Music Monday, you can listen to it online here. And this is what its composers (Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine, aka Dala) say about their own public school music education days:
Our journey to become professional musicians naturally began in our high school music class. Having been blessed with a passionate teacher, a creative environment, and an inspired group of students, it is no surprise that music has been ringing in our hearts (and ears) ever since. When we were invited to compose the theme song for Music Monday this year, it felt like a true homecoming. Supporting music education in schools is critical, and for us to be able to use the very skills we learned in the classroom to do so is an absolute pleasure! - Sheila and Amanda
I gratefully receive the baton from Ms. Markowitz (see last post) who has been keeping the blog fires well-stoked (a mixed metaphor is always an invigorating way to start the day, don't you think) these past couple of weeks.
Yes, it's Li back in the blogging saddle, and many thanks to Philly for doing such an admirable job filling in. I hope you've enjoyed her work on the blog -- among other things her predilection for sharing interesting factoids about music and musicians, such as Carla Bley's passion for roller skating, just to cite one example. So again, thanks P.M.!
And now to the matter at hand -- Music Monday, with its featured programing all day on CBC R2. Coming up after Music &Co., it's Here's To You (9 a.m.), where for the past couple of weeks Catherine has been asking listeners to write in with their memories of a music teacher who inspired them. Today Catherine will share some of those memories, including a story from a listener in Ottawa who points out the, ahem, fortitude that high school music teachers must have to stand up in front of a hundred teenagers armed with loud instruments. In a similar vein, a London, Ontario woman reflects on her childhood piano teacher’s knack for keeping reluctant teenagers interested in music.
Perhaps I was lucky. Every music teacher I ever had inspired in some way -- which must be why I remember them all. Now, I can't say the same for those who taught me science, but that's likely no fault of their's. Still, it makes you wonder -- do you have to be musically inclined to be inspired by a music teacher? Or if that the true gift of a good music teacher -- that they could open up a whole world to someone who had previously been, say, the science teacher's pet...
Posted by Philly Markowitz on May- 5-08 at 12:00 AM
The big day is finally here.
It is Music Monday, and from coast to coast to coast, children and the adults who educate them will be taking their instruments outside (weather permitting) and letting live music be heard in and around their communities.
I'll admit I felt a little swell of pride when I looked at the Coalition for Music Education in Canada website that listed the many schools that have registered for this event and saw my own kids' school there. I know for a fact that the instruments have been cleaned and polished, the children have been practicing, and that later today they will form just one tiny part of a giant orchestra that will be playing the same song at the same time nation-wide.
Thinking about Music Monday over the past few days has brought to mind a series of unexpected but wonderful images and memories from my own musical childhood. One random example (of many) is the day I spent measuring and cutting lengths of copper plumbing pipe and laying the pieces out "just so" to create a home-made xylophone for "invent your own instrument day" in Miss Shannon's Grade 6 class (a task which brought into play not just music but math and construction skills, as well). I can still sing you the song I wrote with my friend Diana, which started "you can't go wrong singing your song, doing your thing, get up and sing". OK, obviously I was no Mozart, but 30 years later, the joy of that project is still with me.
And that is precisely what music Monday acknowledges: the joy of learning, teaching and creating music. Whether you are (like me) a passionate amateur, or a skilled musician of any kind, music education is the foundation on which a lifetime of joy is built.
Today CBC Radio 2 celebrates Music Monday with a full slate of programs, starting with 3 hours of music from child prodigies on Music and Company, and ending with an interview with Friendly Rich on The Signal (who, by the way, encourages kids in Brampton, Ontario to build and play instruments of their own invention - in the spirit of my own Grade 6 class).
Other highlights of the day include a live broadcast from the Atrium of the Toronto Broadcast Centre featuring 4 childrens' choirs on Studio Sparks, and a special edition of Canada Live with concerts from 8 cities across the country.
Posted by Philly Markowitz on May- 4-08 at 05:25 AM
In co-operation with the Coalition for Music Education in Canada, the nation-wide celebration of music-making and music education begins today on CBC Radio 2.
You'll hear special programming today starting with Choral Concert, and including contributions from In the Key of Charles and The Signal - all of whom plan to feature music by, for and about children.
Here's the schedule, including tomorrow's programming highlights, as well.
Posted by Philly Markowitz on May- 2-08 at 02:44 PM
I have been virtually inundated with requests from listeners wanting to know if the Choral 2008 live-to-air broadcasts will be repeated.
Well, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is no, the live-to-air finals will not be re-broadcast again as-is. Alas, that's the fleeting nature of live radio.
The good news is that the next stage of Choral 2008 is still to come. On Sunday May 18th, at 1:00 p.m. (that's the Sunday Afternoon in Concert airtime) all the first place choirs will compete live and in person in a Gala Winners Concert from Laval, QC - again with host Gregory Charles.
Posted by Philly Markowitz on May- 2-08 at 10:05 AM
"Hey, we have that poster in our classroom!" That's what my daughter said to me while reading about Music Monday over my shoulder earlier this week. She'd already brought home her clarinet so she could practice for the upcoming Music Monday concert at her school (my son is starting on piano and drums and didn't cart anything home, thankfully).
On the first Monday of May each year, students and teachers take their music programs into the open air or into their communities to perform a short concert. There are outdoor concerts right across the country from the elementary level right through to secondary schools - some small celebrations, some large.
The magic of the event is that at the same point during that day, that is, at 10 am Pacific time, 11 am Mountain time, 12 pm Central time, 1 pm Eastern time and 2 pm Atlantic time, and 2:30 in Newfoundland, schools right across the country are united by one piece of music. The idea is that if one were to open the front door of his or her home and stand on the street on the first Monday in May, one would hear music and the skies would be filled with melody. What an inspiring initiative.
This year, CBC Radio is an active participant in Music Monday on the airwaves, with wall-to-wall special programming dedicated to music education and educators, starting Sunday May 4th, and running throughout the day on Monday May 5th. Stay tuned to CBC Radio 2 for details, and have a look at the schedule so you can plan your listening day.
Posted by Philly Markowitz on Apr-30-08 at 05:20 PM
Tonight, Canada Live brings us part 2 of a special 2-night live-to-air broadcast from the finalists in this year's National Radio Competition for Amateur Choirs, a.k.a. Choral 2008.
This is your chance to hear what thousands of hours of dedication, hard work and love for singing - on the part of choristers, directors and yes, parents - sounds like. The featured ensembles will be performing live in halls from coast-to-coast, and the program will be simulcast both on Radio 2 and on Espace Musique. Over the course of two evenings you'll have had a chance to hear a total of 32 performances from 30 different choral ensembles, all hosted by CBC's Gregory Charles.
Finalists in Choral 2008 are competing for a total of $79,000 in prizes. In addition, for the first time ever, the winners will participate in a gala concert in Montreal (on May 16-18, 2008), sponsored by Mondial Choral and again presented on CBC Radio Two and Espace Musique.
NOTE: The broadcast begins at 7:00p.m. (7:30 NT).
On tonight's show, you'll hear a staggering 15 groups performing in 7 categories. Plus, we'll hear the announcement of the winners of the Galaxie Rising Star Prize.
The full line-up (with links to the ensembles, where available) is below.
Posted by Philly Markowitz on Apr-29-08 at 04:50 PM
Tonight, Canada Live brings us part 1 of a special 2-night live-to-air broadcast. This evening and tomorrow evening we'll hear performances from the finalists in this year's National Radio Competition for Amateur Choirs, a.k.a. Choral 2008.
This is your chance to hear what thousands of hours of dedication, hard work and love for singing - on the part of choristers, directors and yes, parents - sounds like.
The featured ensembles will be performing live in halls from coast-to-coast, and the program will be simulcast both on Radio 2 and on Espace Musique. Over the course of two evenings you'll have a chance to hear a total of 32 performances from 27 different choral ensembles, all hosted by CBC's Gregory Charles.
Finalists in Choral 2008 are competing for a total of $79,000 in prizes. In addition, for the first time ever, the winners will participate in a gala concert in Montreal (on May 16-18, 2008), sponsored by Mondial Choral and again presented on CBC Radio Two and Espace Musique.
NOTE: The broadcasts tonight and tomorrow begin at 7:00p.m. (7:30 NT).
On tonight's show, you'll hear a staggering 15 groups perform 16 works in 8 categories. The full line-up (with links to the ensembles) is below.
Posted by Philly Markowitz on Apr-28-08 at 10:48 AM
Eric Friesen brings us more from Choral 2008 today in the last half-hour of Studio Sparks. Choral 2008 is Canada's longest-running national competition for amateur choirs and is a biennial celebration of the best massed voices in the land. Today, you'll hear the semi-finals in the Female Youth Choir, Male Youth Choir, Mixed Youth Choir and Barbershop categories.
Be sure to join Canada Live on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings starting at the special time of 7:00p.m. (7:30 in NL) for the cross-country live-to-air finale of the Choral 2008 competition, hosted by Gregory Charles.
Posted by Philly Markowitz on Apr-24-08 at 03:11 PM
I'm sitting on the banks of the Saugeen River as I write this post. OK, to be honest, if you are reading this it means I had to have gone back inside to actually post this entry to the server, but for a moment, indulge me - let's not break the spell.
Back to the riverbank. I've decided I like this job a lot and I just might not give it back to Li when she returns on Monday, May 5th. Not without a good arm-wrestle, anyway. You see (in case you missed it the first time), I'm sitting on a riverbank thinking about music. It doesn't get much better than this.
There's a lot of thinking about music going on in the halls of CBC Radio 2 and in schools across the land right now in advance of Music Monday, which takes place on May 5th, as well. You'll be hearing a lot more about Music Monday over the next week and a half -- allow me to be among the first to tell you about it.
Music Monday is an initiative that encourages and celebrates music education in Canada. For the first time this year, CBC is an active participant in the day. Starting on Sunday, May 4th and carrying on through the entire day on Monday, May 5th, CBC Radio 2 will have special programs celebrating music education and educators in Canada.
Watch this blog for a special Music Monday event page (coming soon) featuring a comprehensive listing of the guests, themes and shows involved in this celebration. In the meantime, have a peek at the other events the parent organization, the Coalition for Music Education in Canada, has planned for the day.
I'm sure it's not too late to find a way to join in.
Ooh! Gotta go - the merganser is back... I don't want all my "tap-tapping" at the keys to scare her off.
In the halls and byways of CBC radio buildings across the land, the lead up to Christmas is often, well, frenzied. Not because of any excess of nog and shortbread, although sometimes these "mood enhancers" do come into play. But mostly because producers and hosts are doing more work than usual, so that they can take a little holiday, so that they can come back and do more work than usual to catch up from the little holiday. I'm sure you know the scenario from your own life.
But this is why I was really pleased that a number of R2 hosts found time in the mad rush to choose some music that they would like to give to you -- had they your address and very large bank accounts. So, from some of your Radio 2 hosts (in alphabetical order) to you, here are their musical gifts:
Tom Allen, host of Music & Company: "I really liked Fabio Biondi's new recording of Vivaldi concertos for Viola d'Amore. It's passionate playing and driving energy, with lyricism and grace. That, and played on the Viola of Love... who wouldn't want passionate music played on the Viola of Love? And in pop, me and millions of others and the Grammy Nominations Committee, we all liked Feist's The Reminder. It's smart and leaves more questions than answers."
Catherine Belyea, host of Here's To You: "I've chosen just one of thousands of possible CDs featuring amazing vocalists: Mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson with Roger Vignoles, piano, Songs by Mahler, Handel & Peter Lieberson. I'm joining the chorus on this one, which pays tribute to the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, a consummate artist who's radiant voice spun a web of enchantmant around all who heard her—in concerts, recitals or opera. Her 1998 recital at Wigmore Hall in London has been released this year through a partnership with BBC Radio 3 on the new Wigmore Hall LIVE series. The sense of occasion and audience involvement add greatly to the power of this CD, but its the radiant power of Hunt Lieberson's voice that will haunt you."
Laurie Brown, weekday host of The Signal: "I'd like to give Ma Fleur by The Cinematic Orchestra. The whole album is superb - with different vocalists adding their talents - but for my money it's the songs with Patrick Watson on vocals that really shine. An inspiring collaboration.....and an album that makes you stop what you're doing - lie down in the living room and listen hard..."
Pat Carrabré, weekend host of The Signal: " There are two I'd like to give, the first one is Montreal's National Parcs, they put out a great first CD this year. Timbervision's full of energy from the great beats they create to go along with their infectious singing. How did they do it? Well, they went out into the bush and used whatever they could find - piles of pine cones, kindling, stumps, loon calls... you name it. Its a nice reminder of summer on a cold winter day. For the best effect, try Tropical Winter. It combines samples of Inuit Throat singing and Steel Pan Drumming. I'm also enjoying Nevertheless by Christine Fellows. She has a way of making these everyday little stories special. How can you not love an album with a track called The Goddess of Macrame. My current favorite is The Spinster's Almanac. I'd love to meet the grand old lady in that song. She reads Yeats to her chickens!"
Eric Friesen, host of Studio Sparks: "Top of my musical gift list this year is Simone Dinnerstein's new recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations on TELARC. I know, I know - heresy in the Gould year to suggest that another Goldbergs should be the top of anyone's list. Yet, because of the Gould year, this recording hasn't penetrated our consciousness here as much as it has in the US (Dinnerstein is from Brooklyn, NY) or in the UK. This is very different from Gould, but really compelling.
And I love the story: a 30-something pianist who dropped out of Julliard and never won any competitions, and whose career really isn't going anywhere, records the Goldbergs with her own money (and $$ borrowed from friends). Then an angel from Israel, who'd heard about her, paid for a recital at Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, to which he invited all the New York critics and agents and people in the business, and Simone played the Goldbergs for this crowd and it became a New York sensation. Shortly after that, TELARC signed her up and released her privately produced recording. To huge response. William F. Buckley, no less, called this recording 'the single most striking musical experience of my life.'
It's a very personal reading of the Goldbergs, very warm, almost maternal. Simone was pregnant at the time of recording this (with her son Adrian who is now 5), and that may have had something to do with it. And I love this quote she gave to GRAMMOPHONE: 'Having a child has certainly made me firmer in my musical ideas....as a matter of fact, how different is breastfeeding from being a pianist? At the keyboard, you're thinking about what you're putting into it, and what someone else is going to get out of it.' It's certainly worth adding to your Gould and Angela Hewitt and Murray Perahia recordings of the Goldbergs."
Jurgen Goth, host of DiscDrive: Jurgen was very busy with his own Hit List, so no annotations, but here are two pieces of music he'd like to give: Feist's Sealion from her CD The Reminder, and Six Days On The Road from the band Nightlosers' CD, Rhythm & Bulz.
Katie Malloch, weekday host of Tonic: "I think I'd choose the title track from the CD You Are There by singer Roberta Gambarini and pianist Hank Jones. She's a jazz vocalist with a beautiful voice and very sensitive and mature delivery, especially given that she's still young, and grew up in Italy, learning English from her parents' record collection! Pianist Hank Jones is now in his late 80's; the 'professor emeritus' of jazz piano, and he's lost nothing of his talent: tasty, intuitive, a great accompanist. You Are There is a Dave Frishberg song. Dave usually writes cute, acerbic tunes about contemporary life, especially from a cranky and aging viewpoint. But this song is all about missing someone, and about feeling their presence even when they're not really there. It demands simplicity and class, and Roberta and Hank have both!!"
Rick Phillips, host of Sound Advice: "I'd like to suggest Reges Terrae (Rulers of the World) - Music of the Time of Charles V, with Nordic Voices on the Chandos label. The sound and performance standard of this 6-member choir are stunning, breathtaking. They’re all grads of the Norwegian Academy of Music, and it's gorgeous Renaissance music beautifully performed and recorded. (Also, a quick plug -- Nordic Voices are coming to Canada, on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 3 at Walter Hall at U. of T. in Toronto.) Best of the season!"
Bill Richardson, host of Saturday Afternoon At The Opera, and Sunday Afternoon In Concert: "I've been listening to a few Indie rock bands, mostly pretty easy-going acoustic stuff. The Shins I like, their CD from early on in the year, Wincing the Night Away, and Stars, In Our Bedroom after the War. I'm quite bullish on this year's Goljov CD from DG, Oceana, especially the Dawn Upshaw and Kronos Quartet contributions, and have also loved Marc Andre Hamelin's recording of Haydn piano sonatas: such crisp, warm playing. Tango Notturno, with Isabel Bayrakdarian and an ace ensemble led by her husband Serouj Kradjian is thrilling, from CBC records, as is Surprise!, Measha Brueggergosman's new release on DG. Rufus Wainwright's Carnegie Hall Judy Garland tribute is a fascinating, slightly creepy homage. But above all, I've been smitten by River: The Joni Letters,Herbie Hancock's tribute to Joni Mitchell - a demonstration of what can occur when one genius in his sixties loves and respects another genius in her sixties and does that thing that geniuses can do."
Tim Tamashiro, weekend host of Tonic: "This wonderful recording, From Sea To Sky from Toronto's Laila Biali is an 'aural bowl of chocolate.' It's delicious to listen to. Rich, thoughtful and the perfect compliment for any home or automobile. Pay particular attention to Tears of Hercules, which is a song written by Marc Jordan. The arrangement, Laila's voice, the horns...everything about it is superb.That's my schpeil. Now go buy the album!"
Jowi Taylor, weekday host of Nightstream: "In a year of new Feist, new Stars, new Rufus Wainwright, new Weakerthans, new Wyclef, new Wilco and new New Pornographers - all of whom delivered beyond expectations - it's hard to pick any one as a standout. But I'm going to go with the brilliant 5 Roses album by Stratford, Ontario native Graham Van Pelt - aka Miracle Fortress. What he shares with those other artists is an unabashed attraction to pure pop melodies. Where he really stands out is in a kind of exuberant sense of play in a field of sonic textures that ranges from vintage Beach Boys to Taking Tiger Mountain-era Eno to B. Fleischmann-like chamber electronics. When I put this in my playlist, I feel all glow-y and joyful. It's not earnest or urgent - just a little bit innocent and full of major/minor curiosity. I'm only sad when it's over."
JOY TO THE WORLD ! That's the name of the annual Euroradio Christmas Music Day, which is being broadcast on CBC Radio 2 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. today, Sunday.
It's twelve hours of Christmas programming, hosted by Howard Dyck, and broadcast live from 11 different European centers and Canada .
And without further ado, here is the schedule:
GREECE 6:00 am
Metamorphosis (Sotiros) Church, Athens GRERT
Christmas hymns and Anthems
PORTUGAL 7:00 am
Belém Cultural Centre, Lisbon PTRDP
Baroque Christmas music
ROMANIA 8:00 am
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Orthodox Church, Lugoj ROROR
Orthodox and Traditional Christmas music
FINLAND 9:05 am
Kallio Church, Helsinki FIYLE
Buxtehude Celebration
ESTONIA 10:00 am
Auditorium, Estonian Art Museum, Tallinn EEERR
Traditional Christmas Folk music
BELGIUM 11:00 am
St Nicholas' Church, Ghent BEVRT
Flemish and Bach Christmas works
LATVIA 12:00 noon
Great Guild, Riga LVLR
Seasonal orchestral works
CANADA 1:00 pm
Glenn Gould Studio, Canadian Broadcasting Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Molly Johnson / Ben Heppner: ‘Baby Its Cold Outside’
BULGARIA 2:05 pm
Studio 1, Bulgarian National Radio, Sofia BGBNR
Seasonal works for big band
SWEDEN 3:00 pm
St Clare's Church, Stockholm SESR
Swedish Christmas music for choir and wind ensemble
The annual Christmas music extravaganza is coming up on R2 -- this Sunday, from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. The programme is transmitted LIVE from 11 different European locations, (and from Canada), and is hosted by Howard Dyck.
And here, for you keeners, is the schedule! The day begins in Greece and ends in Denmark, and includes many different kinds of Christmas music, from Baroque Christmas music, to traditional Christmas folk music, to Bach's Christmas works...and the proverbial (but in this case true!) much more.
Just a reminder of some Remembrance Day programming coming up later today...on Canada Live, a concert called Of War and Peace, featuring Canadian baritone Russell Braun and Canadian soprano Monica Whicher, performing a programme featuring songs by Mahler, Britten, Morawetz, Pete Seeger, Jacques Brel and Sting.
This is followed by America and the Black Angel, a concert opening with Black Angels, a string quartet inspired by the Vietnam War as “a parable on our troubled contemporary world” by George Crumb, performed by the Art of Time ensemble.
Also, Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson sing protest songs by Dylan and Pete Seeger, and Ted Dykstra narrates Allen Ginsberg’s iconic 1955 poem Howl, in a new CBC commission from Jonathan Goldsmith.
And finally, the Sunday night broadcast of The Signal explores music that honours those who fought -- and the lives of those not lucky enough to have returned from battle. Music featuring Canadian composer Oscar Morawetz, Coleen, The Most Serene Republic and a concert by John Kameel Farah and Hauschka. The evening will end with the epic piece An American Requiem by Richard Danielpour, which celebrates life -- and the afterlife.
All weekend long on CBC R2 you can hear programming connected to Remembrance Day, most of it tomorrow, of course, it being the 11th, but here are a couple of notes about today:
Vinyl Cafe host Stuart McLean has two terrific musical guests, Martha Wainwright and John McDermott, and he also tells the story of how Dave, while renovating his house, finds a postcard of an old soldier caught between the walls.
Then Rick Phillips plays a recording of music composed by inmates in the Terezin concentration camp, that's on Sound Advice.
Growing up with folkies as parents ensures a number of things. You develop a taste for jazz. (Sorry, parents, couldn't resist.) You can sing basic harmonies, most of the time. And you experience the power of song as a way of rallying people.
Having marched (or been dragged/carried, I was very young) along with thousands of people singing against one war, I can appreciate that it isn't only bagpipes that can cause other hearts to quake. Not being snarky about out-of-tune singing either -- people singing together can feel like a pure expression of humanity.
But do songs of protest -- specifically against war, or in response to war -- make any actual, tangible difference, quaking aside? Do they make governments or politicians or even individuals change their minds about involvement in war? I think not.
Over at the "Your View" section of CBC's website, there's an in-depth feature about how musicians have responded to war through songs -- and many people have chimed in with war-related music to add to that list.
But for all those songs, some of them great and moving, it still leaves me wondering whether we should even expect songs written about or against war to have any tangible impact. But maybe that's not the point. What SHOULD music written about war do? Should it indeed "do" anything? I'd be curious to know what you think.
My best hope is that now, with the days of mass anti-war rallying seemingly in the past, music can at least provide an opportunity for deeper reflection. And that's a valuable thing in itself -- in fact for me that's really what Remembrance Day is about. Not protest, and certainly not glorification.
On Radio 2, Remembrance Day programming begins on Friday, with Here's To You, playing Remembrance Day requests, including: Jenkins' Benedictus from Armed Man - A Mass for Peace.
And on Studio Sparks, music written for a day of remembrance by Kingston, Ontario composer, John Burge -- two movements from his work, Flanders Fields Reflections.
Friday evening The Signal broadcasts Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, which he wrote while imprisoned in a concentration camp.
On Saturday morning on The Vinyl Cafe, host Stuart McLean's special musical guests are Martha Wainwright and John McDermott, and he tells the story of how Dave, while renovating his house, finds a postcard of an old soldier caught between the walls.
Then Rick Phillips plays a recording of music composed by inmates in the Terezin concentration camp, that's on Sound Advice.
On Sunday -- the 11th -- on In The Key Of Charles, Gregory Charles plays music inspired by war: renaissance polyphony by Clément Janequin, symphonic poems by Franz Liszt and Gustav Holst, contemporary choral music by Stephen Chatman and David del Tredici, and pop songs featuring Edith Piaf, Harry Nilsson, Sting and others.
Later on Sunday, on Canada Live, a concert called Of War and Peace, featuring Canadian baritone Russell Braun and Canadian soprano Monica Whicher, performing a programme featuring songs by Mahler, Britten, Morawetz, Pete Seeger, Jacques Brel and Sting.
This is followed by America and the Black Angel, a concert opening with Black Angels, a string quartet inspired by the Vietnam War as “a parable on our troubled contemporary world” by George Crumb, performed by the Art of Time ensemble.
Also, Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson sing protest songs by Dylan and Pete Seeger, and Ted Dykstra narrates Allen Ginsberg’s iconic 1955 poem Howl, in a new CBC commission from Jonathan Goldsmith.
And finally, the Sunday night broadcast of The Signal explores music that honours those who fought -- and the lives of those not lucky enough to have returned from battle. Music featuring Canadian composer Oscar Morawetz, Coleen, The Most Serene Republic and a concert by John Kameel Farah and Hauschka. The evening will end with the epic piece An American Requiem by Richard Danielpour, which celebrates life -- and the afterlife.
If you've ever been to a Toronto Symphony Orchestra performance you know that Peter Oundjian, their music director, likes to chat with the audience about the music. It's refreshing, informative, and makes you feel like you're part of the experience. 
Insert drum roll here! The top 49 pieces of music that make up 
...help choose some of the music for 
I wonder what memories you may have of your school or church or community choir days, if you count yourself among that number?
I gratefully receive the baton from Ms. Markowitz (see last post) who has been keeping the blog fires well-stoked (a mixed metaphor is always an invigorating way to start the day, don't you think) these past couple of weeks.
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