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FOR OPENERS | DAVID PERLMANVox Humana“‘I shall take you to hear better music than that,’ the captainsaid; ‘we are just in time to hear the organ of St. Bavon.The church is open today.’ ‘What, the great Haarlemorgan?’ asked Ben; ‘that will be a treat indeed. I have oftenread of it, with its tremendous pipes, and its Vox Humanathat sounds like a giant singing.’”— Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates, Mary Mapes Dodge“The Vox Humana (Latin for ‘human voice’; also ‘voixhumaine’ in French and ‘voce umana’ in Italian)” is a shortresonatorreed stop on the pipe organ, so named because ofits supposed resemblance to the human voice.”— WikipediaThis issue contains the tenth edition of The WholeNote’s annualchoral Canary Pages, and also heralds Toronto’s seventh annualOrganix festival. In a way the two things seem miles apart. Singingis the most natural form of music making, accessible to all, with notechnological intervention. The pipe organ, at the other extreme, isso much of a man-made thing that individual pipe organs each havetheir own Opus number. And yet, perhaps, in the notion of the VoxHumana they are not so different after all.The Vox Humana of the St. Bavon’s organ in Haarlem scared theliving daylights out of the boys in The Silver Skates. “The storm [ofthe organ] broke forth again with redoubled fury. The boys looked ateach other, but did not speak. It was growing serious. What was that?Who screamed that terrible, musical scream? Was it some monstershut up behind that carved brass frame? — some despairing monsterbegging for freedom? … At last an answer came — soft, tender, loving,like a mother’s song.”Organist Dame Gillian Weir also has profound memories ofSt. Bavon’s. Weir, some of you will remember, gave the openingconcert of the fourth Organix festival, May 1, 2009, on CasavantOrgan Opus 3095, just arrived in its new home at Holy Trinity Church(from its original home at Deer Park United Church). She greetedthe organ like an old friend (which it was) and the music they madetogether that night instilled a respect for the “King of Instruments”in even my profoundly anti-monarchist brain.St. Bavon’s, Weir explained the following day, was the moment sheknew what she wanted to do with her musical life: “I wanted to bea pianist, I loved the piano. But … when I was taken to Haarlem, inHolland … I spent three hours or so playing, till they said ‘You’ve got togo, the tourists are complaining,’ and I staggered off the organ saying‘What happened? This is fantastic, this is music, this is wonderful.’ Ibecame an organist on the spot.”Weir is not part of the 11-concert Organix line-up this year. But forthose of you who primarily have memories of organs badly playedin situations where attendance was compulsory rather than elective,Organix might change your mind.And speaking of distinctive human voices, May 14 will be theoccasion of a pointedly non-classical gala concert at Massey Hall tocelebrate the award of the ninth Glenn Gould Foundation Prize toLeonard Cohen. DISCoveries editor, David Olds, on page 60, catchesup with some previous eminent winners. And, in the continuation ofthis little ramble, I find myself wondering what if Glenn himself …?continued on page 70The WholeNote The Toronto Concert-Goer’s GuideVolume 17 No 8 | MAY 1 – jun 7, 2012720 Bathurst St., Suite 503,Toronto ON M5S 2R4Main TelepHONe 416-323-2232FAX 416-603-4791SwitcHBOArd & General Inquiries Ext 21Chairman of the Board | Allan Pulkerdirectors@thewholenote.comPublisher/Editor In Chief | David Perlmanpublisher@thewholenote.comCD Editor | David Oldsdiscoveries@thewholenote.comEvent Advertising/MembershipKaren Ages | members@thewholenote.comDirector of MarketingGarry Page | marketing@thewholenote.comAdvertising/Production Support/OperationsJack Buell | adart@thewholenote.comListings DepartmentSharna Searle | Listings Editorlistings@thewholenote.comOri Dagan | Jazz Listings/The ETCeteras Editorjazz@thewholenote.com, etc@thewholenote.comWebsiteBryson Winchester | systems@thewholenote.comCirculation, Display Stands & SubscriptionsChris Malcolm | circulation@hewholenote.comPatrick Slimmon | patrick@thewholenote.comtHANks to this month’s cONtriBUtorsBeat ColumnsArt OF SONG | David PerlmanBANdstANd | Jack MacQuarriebook shelf | Pamela Margles, Garry PageclASSical & beYONd | Sharna SearleChoral scene | Benjamin SteindiscOVeries | David OldsEarly MUSic | Simone Desiletsin the clUBS | Ori Daganin with the new | David PerlmanJazz notes | Jim GallowayMUSical life | mJ buellmusic theatre | Robert WallaceOpera | Christopher HoileWorld MUSic | Andrew TimarFeaturesDeanna YerichukCD ReviewersAlex Baran, Larry Beckwith, Lesley Mitchell-Clarke,Ori Dagan, Daniel Foley, Jim Galloway,Janos Gardonyi, Richard Haskell, Roger Knox,Alison Melville, Christina Petrowska Quilico,Cathy Riches, Terry Robbins, Michael Schwartz,Sharna Searle, Bruce Surtees, Robert Tomas,Ken Waxman, Dianne WellsProofreadingSharna Searle, Ori DaganListingsOri Dagan, Richard Haskell,Sharna Searle, Adam WeinmannLayout & DesignUno RamatUpcoming Dates & DeadlinesFree Event Listings Deadline6pm Tuesday May 15Display Ad Reservations Deadline6pm Tuesday May 15Advertising Materials Due6pm Thursday May 17Publication DateThursday May 31Next issue, Volume 17 No 9covers June 1 to July 7, 2012WholeNote Media Inc. accepts no responsibility orliability for claims made for any product or servicereported on or advertised in this issue.Printed in CanadaCouto Printing & Publishing ServicesCirculation StatementMay 2012: 30,000 printed & distributed.Canadian Publication Product Sales Agreement1263846ISSN 14888-8785 WHOleNOTEPublications Mail Agreement #40026682Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:WholeNote Media Inc.503-720 Bathurst StreetToronto ON M5S 2R4Copyright © 2012 WHOleNote Media IncOMdc and The Ontario Arts Councilare agencies of the GoverNMent of OntarioSUBScriptiONS $30 per year + HST (10 issues)www.thewholenote.com6 thewholenote.com May 1 – June 7, 2012