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naturalism aesthetic that sought to create theatrical<br />
characters who were more realistic with multiple<br />
motivations for their behaviour. The story pits an<br />
aristocratic and desperate Julie against the ambitious<br />
social climber Jean, who inevitably become<br />
involved with each other, but not seemingly for<br />
love or mutual attraction. The score is minimalistic<br />
with the composer’s aim being to distill the music<br />
so that the narrative shines through.<br />
Tagaq and Pallett: To get us rock and rolling<br />
into the Christmas season, what surely will be an<br />
explosive event will be happening at Massey Hall<br />
on December 1 when two previous Polaris award<br />
winners - Tanya Tagaq and Owen Pallett – take the<br />
stage. Pallett is a Canadian composer and violinist<br />
whose creative output spans writing orchestral music<br />
and performing in the indie music scene using programmed loop<br />
pedals to send his sound into multiple speakers. Tagaq, who appeared<br />
in R. Murray Schafer’s Apocalypsis back in June, is renowned for her<br />
extreme range of primal vocal sound that arises out of her Inuit throat<br />
singing heritage. She will appear with members of her band, percussionist<br />
Jean Martin and violinist Jesse Zubot, with a special appearance<br />
by the improvising Element Choir directed by Christine Duncan.<br />
Gnosis: Shock waves will also spread on November 27 and 28 when<br />
Arraymusic and the Music Gallery team up to present the world<br />
premiere of Gnosis, a large-scale work created by former Torontonian<br />
David Virelles. Virelles sought out the Music Gallery as his venue of<br />
choice to present this work which offers a kaleidoscopic ride through<br />
the percussive rhythms of Cuban music. The evening will be an<br />
opportunity to hear the unique drums used by the Afro-Cuban secret<br />
society Abakuá, as well as master drummer Román Díaz performing<br />
with members of the Array Ensemble.<br />
Thin Edge, Spectrum, Toy Piano: Three of Toronto’s younger and<br />
blossoming presenters are hot at it this month with their opening<br />
David Virelles<br />
concerts of the 2015/16 season.<br />
Founded four years ago in 2011, the Thin Edge<br />
New Music Collective begins its season with “Light<br />
Show” on November 29, including the Toronto<br />
premiere of Music for Lamps, an installation and<br />
performance work for 12 sound and light emitting<br />
lamps. Other works by Oesterle, Murail and<br />
Bolaños Chamorro complete a program that also<br />
includes visual illuminations and silent film.<br />
Spectrum Music, founded in 2010, opens its<br />
season on November 14 with a concert delving<br />
into the complexities of colonial exploration. The<br />
program is made up of a suite of works narrating<br />
the adventures of explorers from the 15th century<br />
JUAN HITTERS<br />
that left the world forever changed. As an interesting<br />
twist, each new work is paired with a reimagined<br />
classic folk song performed by singer-songwriter Alex Lukashevsky.<br />
Kicking off their eighth season on Novembert 21, the eclectic Toy<br />
Piano Composers presents “To Be Announced III”– a program of six<br />
world premieres by emerging composers curated from TPC’s national<br />
call for new works.<br />
Additional Concerts and Performances of contemporary music<br />
New Music Concerts has two events this month. On November 8,<br />
an R. Murray Schafer CD benefit concert and on December 6, a<br />
program featuring two works by French composer Philippe Leroux,<br />
who currently teaches at McGill University, works by Gérard Grisey<br />
and Elliott Carter, and a newly commissioned piece by one of Leroux’s<br />
former students, Scott Rubin.<br />
group of 27 and Eric Paetkau presents Loved and Were Loved<br />
by Canadian composer John Burge, November 6, in a novel venue:<br />
the ground floor “Garage” at the Centre of Social Innovation at 720<br />
Bathurst Street.<br />
New Music Kingston: Works by John Estacio, Vivian Fung and<br />
Jordan Pal, November 11, in the new but already muscally thriving<br />
Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts in Kingston.<br />
Music Toronto presents a world premiere commission by Nicole<br />
Lizée, performed by the Cecilia Quartet November 5.<br />
Heliconian Club celebrates the music of Canadian composer Kye<br />
Marshall, including a world premiere for harp duo. November 20.<br />
University of Toronto Faculty of Music: Works by Christos Hatzis,<br />
Dean Burry, Julie Spencer, Dinuk Wijeratne and George Kontogiorgos,<br />
December 7.<br />
Wendalyn Bartley is a Toronto-based composer and electrovocal<br />
sound artist. sounddreaming@gmail.com.<br />
18 | Nov 1 - Dec 7, 2015 thewholenote.com
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