"Twelve" is a magic, mystical, musical, biblical and, as you'll see, historically somewhat confused little number, but it's still awesome cool. Here are a half-dozen reasons why:
Continue reading "New for 2012: six cool things about 12" »
We know, you have no time to waste at all right now. Neither do we, but we're planning ahead.
Shift proudly presents our annual time waster blog post -- filling your soon-to-be-empty afternoons with pleasure, trivia, music and whatever else catches our fancy.
Continue reading "Holiday Time Wasters from Shift" »
**UPDATE! - THE WINNING LIMERICK!**
With more than 100 entries, it wasn't easy choosing a winner, but here it is:
Continue reading "Glenn Gould 10-DVD limerick contest!" »
Muzio Clementi was one of the best-known and most successful composers, pianists and publishers of the late 1700s and early 1800s, but that didn't save him from being, at various times, humiliated in a musical duel by Mozart and pushed off London's concert stages by both Haydn and Beethoven.
Still, in many ways, Muzio got the last laugh and more.
Continue reading "Five, er, four composers who wish they were Muzio Clementi" »
Today on Shift we're delighted to welcome this year's Massey Lecturer, the New Yorker columnist, best-selling author and former Montrealer, Adam Gopnik. You can hear all five of his lectures this week on Ideas, on CBC Radio 1 (9 PM, 9:30 Nfld) and get the published version through House of Anansi Press.
Continue reading "Massey Lecturer Adam Gopnik celebrates winter, on Shift" »
This week, Helene Grimaud, the strong-willed, outspoken and brilliant French pianist came clean on what really happened to scuttle her 20-year musical collaboration with the celebrated Italian maestro Claudio Abbado.
It came down to about 90 seconds of music.
Continue reading "Anatomy of a break-up...Helene Grimaud, Claudio Abbado, and the cadenza that came between them" »
We're delighted that the graceful, insightful and altogether delightful Sarah Slean paid us a visit this week on Shift.
Sarah is celebrating the release of a brand new recording - a double CD set called Land and Sea.
We shot performances of three songs from the album, and then had a good chat -- I've included excerpts of our conversation here too. Enjoy!
Continue reading "WATCH NOW: Sarah Slean in an intimate performance; Tom Allen chats with the songstress about "Sea"" »
[Please note, the contest is now closed. Thanks for contributing your Cohen-lore and love..]
What Leonard Cohen line stops you in your tracks?
That's a tough one, since Leonard Cohen has written so very many beautiful lyrics. Still, go for the line that really connects with you.
Then share your Cohen line by commenting on this blog post. That enters you into the draw to win one of five new 11-CD boxed sets, called The Complete Studio Albums Collection, just released by Sony Music on Columbia Legacy.
The contest runs from today until Thursday (October 20, 2011) at midnight (eastern standard time), and the winners will be announced Friday afternoon on Drive.
OK, that's the business out of the way, now the fun stuff!
Here are just two Cohen lines that stop me in my tracks. (But feel free to use them to enter the draw, since I, sadly, cannot):
"There is crack, a crack in everything...that's how the light gets in," from "Anthem."
"You know my love goes with you as your love stays with me, it's just the way it changes, like the shoreline and the sea," from "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye."
What about you?
While you're mulling over your track-stopping Cohen lines, here's a little bit more about the Complete Studio Albums Collection you could win.
Continue reading "CONTEST: Win ALL of Leonard Cohen's studio recordings" »
In the era of the open-concept office, music has become one of the few, and sometimes even the only thing that can get your desk neighbour out of your head.
What music do you use to tune out the world?
Continue reading "Turn on the music, tune out the world" »
Have you heard any of the new Feist album, Metals yet? It's pretty delicious. It comes out on October 4th. And to celebrate the release, AND 75 proud years of CBC history, CBC Radio 2 wants to send you (and a guest) to see Feist in a once-in-a-lifetime concert with very special guests -- including Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Ed Droste (of Grizzly Bear), Mocky, Doug Paisley, Bry Webb (of the Constantines) and Joel Gibb (of the Hidden Cameras). Sounds pretty great, huh?
The contest opens today, and closes on Friday, September 23rd.
You and your special plus-one have a chance to attend an intimate concert in Toronto with Feist on Saturday, October 8th. And as well as the two tickets to the show, you'll be flown in and put up in a hotel. Pretty sweet.
No skill testing question, but to enter you do have to answer this fun question:
TELL US ABOUT THE BAND OR MUSICIAN YOU DISCOVERED THANKS TO THE CBC.
We'd LOVE to hear all about that here on the blog as well as on your contest entry, so please share your thoughts via commenting on this post. (Even though it might actually be a little tricky to choose, since you may have discovered quite a few musicians thanks to CBC.)
Meanwhile, why not watch a little Feist in action from Metals, and find out more about the album, after the jump:
Continue reading "LAST CHANCE: Win tickets (+ airfare) to see Feist in concert!" »
Classical to rock: Tom Allen shifts gears from Bach to Bachmann, Haydn to The Hip - all in the same show.
Canadian Indie Christmas: Hey Ocean, Hilary Grist, Mother Mother