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Gustav Mahler celebrated on a high note
On Wednesday evening, a magical event took place under the rooftop of 20 St. Joseph’s Street.
It was an event honouring Austrian composer Gustav Mahler, a visionary composer of the 19th-20th century and the symbolic figure behind a Toronto-based non-profit organization.
It was a music gala that starred two of Canada’s music talents, composer Kevin Lau and mezzo-soprano Susan Platts.
More importantly, it was the 10th birthday celebration of the Toronto Mahler Society founded by yours truly. It is an organization that Maestro Thomas Dausgaard describes as “glad it even exists,” while Maestro Daniel Harding sends his prized Deutsche Grammophon recording of Mahler’s Tenth as a special memorabilia for this occasion.
The full house attendance of the Canadian Music Center attests to the basic question: “why a Mahler society in Canada?” As the most cosmopolitan city in Canada, Toronto is a mecca of growing excellence in the Arts. Expectations overall are high, and local talents are flourishing. Even the classical music audience is growing with sophistication, which is a reason that led to the establishment of new music venues and growing regional centers like the Canadian Music Center. As a testimony of the interests in Mahler’s music, a varied audience attended this 10th birthday celebration – music students, industry leaders (in education, healthcare, finance, government and non-profits, technology), as well as retired professionals. Old and new friendships bonded under Mahler’s banner during a carefully designed program lasting for 4 hours.
Dr. Kevin Lau opened with a lecture discussing Mahler and his music from the lens of a young composer. He talked about basic fundamentals of music writing, the forms and writings from Bach, Beethoven, Mozart to finally where Mahler’s music stood in this continuum. To illustrate, Dr. Lau drew examples from Mahler’s Sixth and the unfinished Tenth symphonies to highlight concepts of dissonance and consonance. To end, Dr. Lau ended with Leonard Bernstein’s famous quote, “Mahler had one foot in the 19th century and the other plunging into the soils of the 20th century.”
Mezzo-soprano Susan Platts then joined with society member Elizabeth Lau on the piano for a lovely rendition of Mahler’s Rückert Lieder. These are songs of beauty and nostalgia based on poems by Friedrich Rückert. Ms. Platts brought clean articulations in the German language, with soothing and ringing vocal lines that floated amicably under Ms. Lau’s meticulous accompaniment. Both performers had less than 2 hours of rehearsals during the past month, but left audiences impressed on a high note.
The two guests were then joined in a panel discussion with the audience, exploring their musical upbringings, their interests and working experiences in Mahler’s music, and how music of other composers play an integral part in their individual professions. Dr. Lau had once considered Astrophysics as a profession, while Ms. Platts once pondered the path of a designer. Our fortune indeed they opted the paths of a professional musician instead.
A birthday celebration would not be complete without desert and prizes. Guests enjoyed creative cupcakes made by designer Elizabeth Borres, while 12 of our guests were lucky recipients of special prizes valued at over $1,000.
The success of this event would not be possible without the generous time and enthusiastic contributions of society members, volunteers and community partners. They include: Caroline Hughey and Amber (Canadian Music Center), Chris Giuliani (Château des Charmes), Jobert Sevilleno (Kindred Spirits Orchestra), John Terrauds (Musical Toronto), Bonnie Booth (Ontario Philharmonic), Cameron Slone (Royal Conservatory of Music/Koerner Hall), Raymond Chan/Vivian Chan/Elizabeth Lau/Andrew Macrae/ Liliana McCullough/Winnie Wong (Toronto Mahler Society), Natasha Bood (Toronto Summer Music Festival), Adam Debevc (Toronto Symphony Orchestra), Thomas Dausgaard, Daniel Harding, Kevin Lau, Susan Platts, Sue Spence, Elizabeth Borres (Gotta Eat Cake), Robin Elliott (Daniel et Daniel), and anonymous donor (florist on King Street West).
As a memento of this Toronto Mahler Society milestone, Maestro Dausgaard pre-recorded this short excerpt (a full version of this video lasting over 15 minutes can be found on our website's “Resources” page).
For information on events, meetings and membership applications of the Toronto Mahler Society, please check our website for the latest updates.
By: Patrick P.L. Lam
Photos Courtesy: Andrew Macrae, Toronto Mahler Society
March 16, 2013 — David Briggs at St. James Cathedral
On March 16, 2013, Toronto Mahler Society invited renowned Organist and composer David Briggs to talk to us about his transcription of Mahler symphonies for organ. Since September 2012, David Briggs has been artist-in-resident at St. James Cathedral and one of his roles is to oversee the project of renovating the grand church organ. Our members were glad to be able to hear this great organ performed live in the excellent acoustic setting of the cathedral.
David started the meeting with introducing his transcription of Mahler Symphony No. 5 for organ and the process of transcribing orchestral works that is as complex as Mahler symphony for the organ. He fell in love with this Mahler symphony since his student's day playing viola in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain under the late Sir Charles Groves and it has always been in his mind to transcribe this work for the organ until 1998. David played the first 2 movements and the famous Adagietto movement of Mahler Symphony No. 5 on the organ, it was truly an amazing experience to hear this massive work on the organ without losing the characteristics of Mahler's orchestration. After his first transcription of Mahler Symphony No. 5, he has already transcribed Mahler Symphony No. 6, 3 and 2 for organ, he has already recorded the first 3 transcriptions and the recording of Mahler Symphony No. 5 transcription has been a best seller since its release. His recording of transcription of Symphony No. 3 will be coming out soon.
The latest transcription is the Symphony No. 2 which will have its public premiere at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City in April followed by eight further performances in Germany, UK and USA. We were very fortunate to be able to hear movements of his latest work including the last movement which is intended for choir and organ. It was a wonderful experience to hear the different voices of the symphony played by different sections of the organ using the 5 chambers of the organ to create a 3D effect.
At the end, David told us the history of the organ at St. James and detailed the multi-year project to renovate the organ with new additions. Our members were fascinated by David's playing and were able to appreciate the power of the organ with transcriptions of Mahler's symphony.
More information about David Briggs and his work can be found at his website.
Saturday, January 19 - 2 to 4 pm - North York Central Library
The TMS held its first meeting of 2013 with a recording presentation of Mahler’s Symphony No.6, followed by an overview of the unfinished single movement Piano Quartet and Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs.
TMS member Larry Isaacson started with an overview of the Symphony, followed by a discussion on various recordings of his choice on the work, including John Barbirolli’s with the New Philharmonia Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly’s with the Gewandhaus Leipzig at last year’s BBC Proms, Yoel Levi’s with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and David Zinman’s with the Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra, among others.
Larry also discussed his preference in the order of the two inner movements (Scherzo-Andantino orAndantino-Scherzo). With the Finale, he illustrated the dramatic (“tragic”) elements, particularly the music following the representative hammer blows. To illustrate this point, Larry played a brief excerpt from the documentary on this Symphony, Going Against Fate.
A lucky winner, John Wearing, correctly answered Larry’s challenge question pertaining to his presentation, earning John a prized Mahler Sixth recording. View Larry’s presentation.
Following intermission, TMS member Elizabeth Lau gave a thoroughly-researched study of the Piano Quartet. She included a slide show of the original manuscript and identified the major themes of this unfinished Mahler composition written during his student years. We learned from Elizabeth that Mahler was influenced from styles of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and contemporaries as Saint-Saëns in the work’s conception. Attendees then saw a full video performance of the Piano Quartetgiven by the Domus Piano Quartet.
Finally, TMS host Patrick Lam fast-forwarded from Mahler years to 1948, the year to the birth of Strauss’s Four Last Songs. As Patrick reminded, the Four Last Songs will be performed end of this month by the Ontario Philharmonic Orchestra, with Metropolitan Opera sensation, American soprano Angela Meade. Another focus of his presentation was a celebration on the life and artistry of Swiss soprano, Lisa Della Casa, who sadly passed away last year in December at age 94. A formidable interpreter of Strauss, Patrick highlighted his claims with two song excerpts. View Patrick’s presentation.
A lucky winner and new TMS member, Sorina Oprea, correctly answered Patrick’s challenge question pertaining to his presentation, earning Sorina a prized ticket to the Ontario Philharmonic/Angela Meade performance. The ticket was graciously provided by the Ontario Philharmonic.
Here are excerpts from two anonymous attendees, who commented on the three speakers today:
Comment #1:
“…Last Monday, during Rick Philips lecture about George Szell, I just listened - for the first time in my life - to an excerpt of the Strauss Last Songs, with Elisabeth Schwartskopf. I was totally mesmerized and I was decided to attend your meeting to find out more about them. The presentation was beautiful and I was convinced this is a concert I want to attend. So, thank you for a precious gift. Actually, all the 3 lectures today were of great quality and sensibility. I am happy I decided to become a member of your society.”
Comment #2:
“Once again, another great meeting that I am so glad to come.”
Summary prepared by: Patrick Lam
Photos Courtesy of: Toronto Mahler Society
Saturday, October 13, 2012 - 2 to 5 pm - Room 303, Metro Hall (3rd floor)
Toronto Mahler Society closes its 2012 event season
The Toronto Mahler Society (TMS) concluded its 2012 season of activities with an admission-free meeting dedicated to Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
The meeting, which took place at the Toronto Metro Hall, started with the screening of Part 1 of a documentary film on Sibelius. In “The Early Years”, celebrated filmmaker Christopher Nupen covers Sibelius’ progress from his early patriotic compositions, to the time of his Third Symphony. It features Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in formidable performances of well-chosen excerpts, including Finlandia and the Violin Concerto with soloist Boris Belkin. All in attendance greatly enjoyed the music as well as the film’s brilliant visual elements: the many family portraits and life footage of Sibelius and his family, as well as Finland’s islands, mountains, forests and lakes.
(Consulate of Finland presents a gift)
During the break, Ms. Laura McSwiggan, from the Consulate of Finland in Toronto, presented a CD of Sibelius music to the winner of a raffle. Ms. McSwiggan invited guests and fellow music lovers to a screening of the film “Sibelius”, by Timo Koivusalo (details here). Ms. McSwiggan’s presence was a great recognition to the TMS’s efforts in highlighting composers contemporary to Mahler.
The second half of the meeting was dedicated to a review of Sibelius’ Symphony No 2 in D Major, Op. 43. The symphony premiered on March 8th 1902 in Helsinki, and was conducted by the composer himself. The group listened to selections of various recordings of this masterpiece, including the Vienna Philharmonic, under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. This was a timely discussion in anticipation to performances given by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under guest conductor Douglas Boyd.
The meeting ended with a run-down of the Toronto Mahler Society’s events for 2013 and a calendar of concerts in Toronto.
2013 marks the 10th Anniversary of the creation of the Toronto Mahler Society. Stay tuned for exciting activities ahead.
Noon–3 PM, July 7th, 2012 — Mahler Anniversary Event (Lunch)
On July 7th, 2012, Toronto Mahler Society celebrated Mahler's birthday over lunch at Serra Ristorante. Soprano Florence Maltese Pfaus and fellow Mahler member Patrick P.L. Lam gave their reflections on the life and work of baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and conductor Bruno Walter. Rare radio interviews with these two musicians were presented during lunch. In the English interview with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, the German Baritone reflected on his career and his vocal interpretations of Brahms’ Vier ernste Gesänge, Schubert’s Die Winterreise, Schumann’s Dichterliebe and Wolf’s Lieder. Bruno Walter discussed his views on conducting and the elements that he believed were frequently lost in a concert performance and why music should not be strictly considered as a form of “entertainment.” Fellow guests and members who attended the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Mahler's Symphony No. 8 in June then discussed their experiences and impressions on these performances. A birthday cake followed to celebrate Mahler's birthday. A lucky draw ended the delightful afternoon, with prizes that were rare, memorable, and specially chosen for this occasion on Mahler's anniversary. These included Mahler stationeries from Vienna and a DVD of Percy and Felix Adlon’s film Mahler auf der Couch, among others. Our guests and members enjoyed the luncheon, presentations and discussion with fellow Mahler friends. Many have already inquired us about next year’s celebration and look forward to it!
Happy 152th Birthday to Gustav Mahler!!
Summary prepared by: Ricker Choi and Raymond Chan
Photos Courtesy of: Toronto Mahler Society
April 27 & May 10, 2012 — Movie Night event and Encore presentation of Mahler auf der Couch — Canadian premiere of the film by Percy & Felix Adlon
On Friday April 27, the Toronto Mahler Society organized its first “Movie Night” at the T-Buds Tea-lounge and Créperie from 6-8pm. An enthusiastic audience packed the venue, including members of the TMS and the Toronto Friends of Classical Music among others. This evening’s presentation featured the Toronto (and Canadian) premiere of Percy and Felix Adlon’s film Mahler auf der Couch (“Mahler on the Couch”), which revolves around a fictionalized account of the encounter between Gustav Mahler and Sigmund Freud. The TMS is proud to be one of very few organizations in North America offered a public license to screen this Mahler film, the only one in Canada to date.
Patrick Lam, founder of TMS, started with an introduction on the TMS and a background to the film, while T-buds staff attended guests’ dining needs. The film lasted for 100mins. Afterwards, Patrick led a group discussion (for his presentation, click here), and by approximately 8:45pm, the event came to a close.
Overall, attending guests at the premiere agreed this was a fine film directed by the Adlon father and son duo, and congratulated on the successes of the actors. Unfortunately the video equipment fell far short of the necessary requirements, such that the film could not be fully enjoyed by our guests. Despite these circumstances and to our encouragement, the TMS had an overwhelming attendance beyond our RSVP guest list, which reached over the maximum house capacity of 35. It did not take the TMS long to realize an “Encore” to the Film was very much in need. With permission and support by the Film’s North American distributor (special thanks goes to the Adlons for recommending the TMS to them), an “Encore” event was promptly scheduled.
On Thursday May 10, the TMS presented the Film at the University of Toronto’s O.I.S.E. Building from 6:30-8:30pm. In addition to individuals who came to the premiere and repeated their RSVP again at the “Encore,” an additional 20 new guests participated. Several individuals had to make last-minute cancellations due to clashes with other priorities. To begin, Patrick provided a similar background presentation, but included two video snippets on Youtube taken from the 2010 L.A. Film Festival (watch on YouTube) and 2011 New York Jewish Film Festival (watch on YouTube). After the screening of the Film, Patrick led an active discussion with the engaging audience. Specifically, three questions were raised by Patrick:
- Were you impress with the plot? What about the actors?
- Did you find the music in this film appropriate with the plot?
- If you were Mahler, would you react any differently or would you also visit a psychiatrist?
Once again, this cohort of guests applauded for the remarkable story-line of the Film, and especially the acting of the two main actors, Johannes Silberschneider as Gustav Mahler and Barbara Romaner for both her enactment as Alma Mahler and début on the movie screen. TMS member Mladen Vranic said “he [Silberschneider] was phenomenal. I don’t know if really was Mahler’s, he portrayed all these anxieties, his faced changed all the time.” On the relationship line between Alma and Gustav Mahler touched on this film, TMS member Andrew Duic said “There is a good biography on Alma Mahler [“Bride of the Wind,” 2001]; it describes the relationship that Alma had with many lovers, very much the same way we saw it in the movie. It was quite impressive.” Moreover, the group unanimously felt the music did justice to coincide with the plot of the Film, and few asked if the actors had to be musically trained or even played some of the piano/vocal excerpts heard in the film. Mila Fitatova, one of the attendees from TFCM, said “the music for all scenes, all parts of the Movie was very, very appropriate. I find it was in great consonance with the whole drama. Sometimes I feel like the music of Mahler, not always is/should be pleasing. Not at all! It sometimes gives me pain; I love it, and I enjoy it a lot!” To elaborate on this further, TMS member John Chiu raised the interesting observations that only the “adagios” were used throughout the movie, but no usage of the “three hammer blows” (from Mahler’s Symphony No.6) was heard anywhere to coincide with the Film as it unfolds. A very keen observation.
To listen to the full discussion again, please click here.
Patrick ended the discussion stating that this film Mahler auf der Couch is not available as a commercial release in North America yet, and there is only a possibility that the film may hit cinema screens in Toronto (Canada) in the near future. He suggested that viewers should consider supporting this film in the future should it ever go public.
To conclude the evening, Patrick informed guests of the next TMS event – a Q & A event is scheduled with the soloists at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra on the week of June 11th. For details to this event, stay tuned to this site or write us an This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Summary prepared by: Patrick P. L. Lam
March 24, 2012 Mahler 1 presentation by TSO musician and Bruckner 3 "Learn and Listen"
On March 24, Toronto Mahler Society was excited to have Mr. David Bourque to present his "Mahler 1 : An Orchestral Player's Perspective" presentation to our members. Mr. Bourque has just retired from Toronto Symphony Orchestra after 28 years as bass clarinettist, he has played Mahler under Sir Andrew Davis, Giuseppe Sinopoli and Gunther Herbig. In his presentation, he showed us what it is like to play Mahler in an orchestra and demonstrated a clarinet passage in Mahler 1. With different editions of Mahler 1 available, he also pointed out the importance of following detail markings in the score. With an exclusive access to the Mahler's own score of Mahler 1 from New York Philharmonic, Mr. Bourque highlighted some differences in Mahler's own score and the published score, there are also markings by Leonard Bernstein and Bruno Walter in the same score. He also showed a video of Mahler 1 with Abbado and Lucerne Festival orchestra, it is a very touching performance as the musicians put in all their effort to enjoy the music under the leadership of Abbado. With effective use of audio-visual material, Mr. Bourque's presentation was excellent to help us understand Mahler's first symphony. He used special markings to highlight particular passage in the score while we listen to the music. Our members were fascinated by the Mahler 1 presentation and would like us to invite Mr. Bourque to talk about other topics in the future.
After a short break, Raymond Chan provided an overview of Bruckner Symphony No. 3 for our members to prepare for the upcoming Toronto Symphony Orchestra concert in April. He started with talking about the history and structure of the work, followed by discussion on the different versions of the symphony. As there are many versions of this work, it's important to know which version is being performed. To demonstrate this, two video clips of the scherzo movement were shown, one was conducted by Mariss Jansons and the other by Gerog Solti, both with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. These 2 clips used different versions of the work, the first one is the 1889 version while the second one is the 1877 version with the extra coda. We also listened to the scherzo movement of the Mahler's piano duet arrangement of the 1877 version.
Here are audio recordings of the lecture:
2012 03 24 - Part 1 - Mahler Sym 1 - Talk
2012 03 24 - Part 2 - Bruckner Sym 3 - Talk
Below are some photos from the event.
Summary prepared by: Raymond Chan
Photos courtesy of: Toronto Mahler Society
2012 Feb 18 – LA Phil Live - Mahler 8
On February 18th, 5 pm, the LA Philharmonic Orchestra broadcasted their live performance of Mahler's Symphony 8, "Symphony of a Thousand" in Toronto's Cineplex theatres. Below are the views and experiences of two Toronto Mahler Society's members.
Ricker Choi, Scotiabank Plaza Theatre
I was thrilled to see a splendid performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, broadcasted live from Venezuela! I had always been fascinated with the Faust legend, and couldn’t wait to hear Mahler’s setting of the closing scene where Faust's soul was on his way into heaven. Of the two movements, I loved the second the most. To me, the opening of the second movement, depicted the ascetic life of the anchorites. The music was haunting and eerie, evoking a rocky barren landscape. Two minutes into this movement was a short brass chorale: full of warmth and humanity - in great contrast to the opening. This gradually led to passionate orchestral outbursts. It was as if we first saw the anchorites from a far distance, and we were now getting closer and closer to them.
I loved when the chorus then entered, painting now the barren landscape with their words "Forests are swaying near, Rocks press upon, Roots cling to them, ..." Particularly moving was the recurrence of the brass chorale and then the line "Lions silently prowl, Tame, surrounding us." Following this choral episode, a baritone solo entered (the voice of Pater Ecstaticus, sung by Brian Mulligan), singing passionately “Eternal, ecstatic fire, Glowing bond of love, Seething pain of the breast, Sparkling divine ecstasy.” Now, the anchorites were speaking to us directly. We could no longer just observe, but were now deeply involved in their pleads.
The next moment I found truly moving was when the singer Kiera Duffy in the role of Mater Gloriosa walked out slowly high up in the balcony, surrounded by a warm orange glow and accompanied by the magical sound of harps. Her warm smile fully conveyed the love and mercy of God. Even though she had minutes to go before singing her few lines, her grand and majestic entrance made it clear that she was the turning point in the Symphony, in which the fate of Faust’s soul was determined. When she sang her lines, the voice soared high up towards heaven: "Come! Elevate yourself to higher spheres! If he perceives you, he shall follow you." Interestingly, Mater Gloriosa gave Faust the ultimate choice of entering Heaven or not, instead of the traditional Christian view that God is the ultimate judge. With "If he perceives you, he shall follow you," perhaps Goethe invited us to have free will. I found this episode particularly moving.
From this moment on, the symphony reached its final “chorus mysticus.” The fascinating aspect was that Faust's soul never appeared - not a line was ever heard by him. Perhaps this was Goethe's (and Mahler's) way to universalize the work - that all of us are sinners, awaiting the mercy of God for His forgiveness. Another consequence of not seeing Faust on stage was that I could visualize Faust's unseen soul ascending to heaven while listening to the ending of the Symphony.
I found the first movement of the Symphony too Christian-centric and lacked humanity. The triumphant and glorifying themes did not move me. Another disappointment I had was the sound system in the theatre room at Scotiabank Theatre. There was no depth in the sound; it was flat. There was no reverberation, as if the performance was held in a very dry hall.
In conclusion, I loved the unique experience of viewing up close singer's facial expressions, which amplified the emotions of their voices. I just wish the movie theatre's sound system has better sound quality.
Elizabeth Lau, Cineplex Odeon Sheppard Grande
I was so glad I attended the Mahler 8th symphony. I appreciated very much the Toronto Mahler Society's effort in informing its members of this event. Being a novice in the music of Mahler, it was the first time I heard the 8th symphony, and the second time a full Mahler symphony (the first one was the 5th symphony, also organized by the TMS). The title “Symphony of a Thousand” in itself – implying a work that requires some one thousand performers, stirred my curiosity to go and explore the music.
I learnt this was a unique performance being part of this remarkable Mahler Project – an international collaboration led by conductor Gustavo Dudamel performing Mahler’s complete symphonies, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela to honor the 100th anniversary of Mahler’s death. I felt more excited. No wonder there was a large turnout in the audience!
Instead of committing to a live performance downtown at the Roy Thomson Hall, I thought being able to attend a full concert performance live from Caracas at Cineplex theatres was invaluable and an 'efficient' way to hear unfamiliar works with distinct interest. It was very convenient to be able to go to a local theatre, as the concert showed at Richmond Hill, North York and Downtown Toronto.
Watching the LA Phil Live performance surpassed my goal of sampling the 8th symphony! As I was not familiar with the music, the introductory part with exclusive interviews with Dudamel was helpful and revealing. Hosted by John Lithgow, the behind-the-scene content and the Q& A with conductor and guest artists also added a lot to my understanding on my first hearing of this work. One part in the introduction that fascinated me especially was getting exposure to the children choirs and musicians in Caracas. I remember seeing many joyful faces of very young children singing and playing instruments - apparently that was part of the amazing El Sistema program of music in Venezuela.
I thought the Cineplex medium – with large HD screen - was especially apt for watching a large-scale work such as this. Mahler 8th involves a very large orchestra: percussion timpani, cymbals, bass drum, tamtam, triangle, a glockenspiel, an organ, a piano, two harps, a celesta, and mandolin, etc, etc. I read ”…Mahler recommended that in very large halls, the first player in each of the woodwind sections should be doubled and that numbers in the strings should also be augmented.” The vocal section included two SATB choirs, a children's choir, and eight soloists. The camera moved from place to place to focus on different musicians and instruments, captured close-up shots and vital moments when the music calls for them. Some examples were: the entry of the mass chorus, the trombones and the trumpets in a marching theme, the two choirs in dialogue, the meditative theme led by solo soprano, the harps and off stage brass section, to finally Mater Gloriosa’s entry on the balcony. The many close-up shots of Gustavo Dudamel, showing his facial expressions and joy in his eyes, when one typically only sees a conductor's back in a live concert, makes a favorable Cineplex experience! Being a choral symphony, I also enjoyed seeing the text at the bottom of the screen throughout the performance. What an advantage!
This was a splendid cinematic and musical experience. It was also a really good preparation for the upcoming Mahler 8th concert in June. Now having gained a clear understanding in the structure of the Symphony: first movement a setting of the hymn Veni creator spiritus and second movement a setting to the last portion of Goethe's Faust, I will be able to concentrate on the music as I look forward to the performance by the Toronto Symphony led by Peter Oundjian. It will be interesting to compare these two contrasting performances.
2012 January 21 – “Of Love, Death and Beyond” – Toronto premiere of Jason Starr’s Mahler 2 documentary
January 21st marked not only the first Toronto Mahler Society event of this year, but it was an equally important date to local music enthusiasts and film documentary lovers in Toronto. Together with the Cultural Media Collaborative and its award-winning artistic director Mr. Jason Starr, the TMS proudly presented the Toronto premiere to Jason Starr’s “Of Love, Death and Beyond,” a documentary on Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony. Since summer 2011, TMS core members diligently organized logistics to public viewing rights, distributed advertisements at various outlets, and located a sizable venue to accommodate the enthusiastic responses. The TMS selected the downtown historical venue, Bloor Street United Church, for this important screening. Over 40 attendees commuted long distances on a cold Saturday afternoon to participate in this 2½ hour event. If one word can be used to describe an attendee’s impression and aftermath of this documentary, engaged would serve this function.
Patrick Lam from the TMS hosted this documentary screening (for his presentation slides, please click here). He started with a quick introduction to Mr. Jason Starr’s prolific career, gave a slideshow of photos taken at the New York premiere of this documentary past December, and alluded to the fact Mr. Starr’s interests on Gustav Mahler had precedence in a previous documentary. Mr. Starr’s “What the Universe Tells Me,” a documentary on Mahler’s Symphony No.3 (see VAI, Cat#4267), won numerous awards in Canada and abroad since its release in 2004. “Of Love, Death and Beyond” (see VAI, Cat #4560) is Mr. Starr’s latest creative output on the composer, in which Starr and other scholars in this documentary addressed a fundamental question: is Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony a musical essay of mere religious beliefs to life and the afterlife? Perhaps, as the speakers in this documentary alluded, the “Resurrection” Symphony can be viewed as a musical essay of greater universal truths, one in which Mahler joins life and death with an element of “love,” a trinity that defines a path to resurrection.
Inviting such eminent Mahler scholars as Constantin Floros (University of Hamburg), Peter Franklin (University of Oxford), Henry-Louis de la Grange (Int’l Mahler Society), Stephen Hefling (Case Western University), Donald Mitchell (University of Sussex), as well as leading-thinkers and pioneers in musicology (Morten Solvik, Renate Stark-Voit), philosophy (Martha Nussbaum), recording (Jerry Bruck) and theology (Neil Gilman and Catherine Keller), this documentary adopts a combination of ‘old’ and ‘new’ devices. Historical re-enactments, interviews and innovative computer graphics weave the framework, and together with Thomas Hampson as an engaging narrator, this combination evokes numerous cues throughout the documentary that stimulate a viewer’s higher brain centers.
“Of Love, Death and Beyond” is divided into nine sections. The first section dissects the origins and founding idea of “death” in the “Resurrection” Symphony. Some of these include Mahler’s personal life accounts (with Marion von Weber; tragic deaths in his family) and literary influences (from Adam Mickiewicz’s original text to Siegfried Lipiner’s translation of Mickiewicz’s writings). Together, these sources stimulate Mahler to conceive the music of Totenfeier (“Funeral Rites”) in 1888, which is to become the first movement of this colossal work. Reception of this music, at the time in the late 19th century, was not well received as it is now. Here, the documentary illustrates one such occasion, a historical re-enactment of the infamous reaction from Hans von Bülow, the preeminent musical figure in 19th century Europe: “…if this is music I hear, then I know nothing about music!” The second section elaborates on the literary devices Mahler drew to compose the inner movements. Des Knaben Wunderhorn (“The Youth’s Magic Horn”), a collection of German poetry written by Achim von Arnim and Clemns Brentano, was held at high esteem by Mahler, of which he wrote music to the entire collection published under the same title. Two poems in particular, “St. Anthony of Padua’s sermon to the fishes” and “Primeval light,” are not only referenced in the inner movements, but they are evidently the key to one’s understanding behind the penultimate question in this Symphony: what is it that turns “death” to “life?” Should the answer to this question lie restricted to a particular religious faith? Speakers of this documentary argue that the symbolism of “love,” that of universal love and unconditional love, may be the gateway from “death” to “life.” One comes to grasp that Mahler consolidated this idea through his musical portrayals of youthfulness (i.e., “a single female, almost childlike voice”) and of a red rose (i.e. representing a purity of love). Finally, the third section, represented by the Finale of this Symphony, unifies these philosophical concepts into a mighty force of humanly voices from two soprano/mezzo-soprano soloists and a mixed chorus. The path to “Resurrection” is vividly articulated in music by Mahler, including the use of off-stage brass instruments, and cleverly adaptation of texts by Friedrich Klopstock and Mahler himself. A rebirth of life is reached gloriously and triumphantly at the final episode of this movement, and as Morten Solvik in this documentary notes, one technique was Mahler’s ingeniously craftsmanship in modulating the Dies Irae motif, the motif of the dead.
Music presented throughout this provoking 90mins documentary is taken from a live performance of the “Resurrection” Symphony conducted by Neeme Järvi, together with soprano Twyla Robinson, mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer, and members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Choral Artists and the Boys Choir of Hambourg. A studio performance of “St. Anthony of Padua’s sermon to the fishes” by Thomas Hampson and Craig Kutenberg at the piano is also included.
The TMS was pleased to invite Canadian music producer, host and teacher Mr. Rick Phillips as an honorable guest to this event. Raymond Chan from the TMS introduced Mr. Phillips on stage, who then led attendees to a roundtable discussion of comments and questions for about 20mins. The floor was opened to a stimulating conversation and a total of 9 attendees raised comments and questions. The consensus appeared to agree on the idea Mahler wrote the “Resurrection” Symphony as an affirmation to a universal truth, as suppose to the conventional bias towards a single religious faith on this topic of afterlife. Mr. Phillips wrapped up this segment reminding the audience how Mahler deliberately removed references to “Jesus Christ” in the text used in the Finale movement of this Symphony.
For the remainder 25mins, Patrick played the two additional bonuses included in this documentary, followed by a brief slide presentation on the Toronto Mahler Society for the benefits of new attendees and regular TMS members. He outlined the aims, meetings and events of the TMS, introduced its core members, and presented a collage of important milestones as the TMS approaches its 10th anniversary next year. Last but not least, the TMS commends on the excellent services of its core members and volunteers, one of which is Larry Isaacson, who will be stepping-down in these roles for the Society. Larry has been instrumental in building the existing TMS website almost single-handedly and in helping to coordinate meetings and events. The TMS is happy to welcome four new volunteers: Ricker Choi, Elizabeth Lau, Andrew Macrae and Jim Weaver.
To end, here are comments left by attendees of this event:
"This meetup and DVD presentation provide an insightful analysis of Mahler's 2nd symphony. My enjoyment of this powerful symphony is now elevated to a much higher level." - Pierre Au, Toronto Friends of Classical Music
"The documentary was powerful and insightful. It was well worth braving the cold to attend." - Ron, Toronto Friends of Classical Music
"An entire film to explain the second Symphony in laymen's [sic] terms. Fantastic!" - John D, Toronto Friends of Classical Music
"Excellent. So interesting to see the Documentary. And the young man in charge was so efficient [sic] and gentle. He with Raymond, had carried in loads of equipment from the parking lot. Easy to get to the location from St. George subway. Altogether, well organized and extremely well attended by what seemed to be other groups as well as the Mahler Society and the CMG." - June Gurvich, Toronto Friends of Classical Music
"The conversation with Rick Phillips was really excellent!" - Larry Isaacson, Toronto Mahler Society
"I really liked the Powerpoint [sic.] presentation, Patrick, very well done!" - Lyda Weaver, Toronto Mahler Society
Summary prepared by: Patrick P.L. Lam
Photos courtesy of: Toronto Mahler Society
2011 November 19 - Dinner & Deborah Kirshner Interview
Drawing the curtain to another successful year, the Toronto Mahler Society hosted its final meeting of 2011. TMS arranged this at the gorgeous Sterling Room of the Wildfire Steakhouse and Wine Bar Restaurant. In a never-attempted arrangement, a TMS meeting was combined with a social dinner event at this same venue to encourage participation. More than 25 attendees showed up at the meeting; at one point, the TMS worried they would have to turn late-comers away as the room capacity was reached. 23 guests stayed for the dinner. The turnout to both was outstanding.
Starting 30 minutes later than the scheduled time, the TMS meeting was divided into two segments:
In the first part, we were privileged to host Canadian author Deborah Kirshner to talk about her new novella, Mahler’s Lament. Deborah is the recipient of the 2003 Gold Medal National Award in Arts and Literature and the 2006 Banff Center Fellowship for Creative Non-Fictional writing. Patrick was the interviewer (for PDF of his presentation, click here; for audio of the Q&A, click here . For more photos from the event, click here.
In less than 70 minutes, Patrick exchanged a series of dialogues with Deborah that touched on two major topics. First, Patrick examined Deborah’s background on Mahler and her writing process, and second, the two discussed the episodes and plot of the novella, which involved the premiere of the “Titan” Symphony (No.1), and the adulterous love affair between Gustav Mahler and Marion von Weber. Through quotations from Deborah’s novella and her elaborations, one got a step closer to understand the inner psyche and complexity behind the personality of Mahler. His camaraderie with fellow musicians, family members, and particularly, the woman gender was emphasized. The Q&A ended with questions from attendees, which included those from John Chiu, Andrew Macrae, and Ida Neufeld. Nearly all the attendees bought copies of Deborah’s novella; those who didn’t already had copies with them. Here were some comments on the Q&A:
“The evening was very good. The author of the book, Mahler's Lament, by Deborah Kirschner, gave a wonderful talk with the host, asking very well prepared and informative questions." - Comment from Ida Neufeld
“This was very well prepared with excellent organization, the flow to your questions were clear and easy to follow, and it was great to see many interactive discussions afterwards." - Comment from David Berlin, Founding Editor of The Walrus Magazine
In the second part, Patrick gave a whirlwind overview to recordings and musical excerpts of the “Titan” Symphony highlighted in the Q&A. The reference to Songs of the Wayfarer and the Blumine movement were highlighted, the latter on its associations with Marion von Weber. What was most interesting is rather than doing a straight recording comparison in his 20 minutes presentation, Patrick chose a never-been-heard performance of the 1889 version of the “Titan” Symphony. This was a recent live performance by Hugh Wolff and the New England Conservatory Orchestra. Patrick illustrated several differences in this version to the standard edition of the “Titan” Symphony now known today, but he placed emphasis to new material that constituted the final pages of the last movement. To close, he drew parallels between Mahler’s “Titan” and that of Richard Strauss’s Don Juan, which was premiered to great success 9 days prior to the disastrous reception at the premiere of the “Titan” Symphony. Here were some comments on Patrick’s recording presentation:
“Thanks, Patrick; your presentation was exceptional and truly outstanding.” - Comment from Dale Gray
“Really liked the way you presented the Symphony to us.” - Comment from Ricker Choi
The social dinner commenced at 7:50pm after the organizers settled issues with seating arrangements to late-comers. The dinner ended at around 10:45pm. During the dinner, Raymond reminded attendees on the next Mahler meeting, which will be held on January 21st 2012 to showcase Jason Starr’s new documentary on Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony. Patrick also took a poll from the attending guests on the choice of this venue, the duration of the meet-up, and this new arrangement of combining a Mahler meeting with a social dinner at one venue. Although there were 2 to 3 members who had concerns earlier at the time of organizing, the unanimous response from attending guests clearly reflected their satisfaction and support to these arrangements. The total sum spent during the dinner was $1,108,52. Finally, an attending guest Ida Neufeld, commented that she would suggest future lectures to involve discussions on the psychological background of Mahler, at the time of his writing. Here were some comments on the dinner:
“I would definitely vote to come back to this place again.” - Comment from Lyda Weaver
“This place is on the pricier end, but it is great to see the Society is moving a notch up.” - Comment from Dale Gray
“I really enjoy the dish I ordered!” - Comment from Don Cullen
“I would suggest the Society consider the Parmigiano Italian restaurant, which is also near this neighbourhood, close to the subway and has a private room, but on the 2nd floor. Take a look at it. But I don’t mind coming back to this venue again in the future.” - Comment from Lynda Moon
2011 September 24 - Mahler's Adagios & Video: Mahler: Autopsy of a Genius
Eighteen people attended this meeting at the Centre for Inquiry location on Beverly Street. This was our last meeting here as the CFI is moving and it is not clear if their new location can accommodate our meetings in the future. This location is the only one we had for showing videos and presentations. (No pictures of the meeting were taken.)
Larry made a presentation on Mahler's Adagios, starting with the playing of the beginning of 2 adagios from unnamed composers for the attendees to guess. Naming Mozart & Tchaikovsky were easy but the named works were much harder. (Advantage presenter!)
Two Mahler Adagios were presented, each with an overview, a bit of structure (as found in Gustav Mahler: The Symphonies by Constantin Floros), the reading of a letter from Mahler to Alma (from the book Gustav Mahler: Letters to his Wife edited by Henri-Louis de la Grange and Gunther Weiss in collaboration with Knud Martner) and then the playing of the full movement in performances by Claudio Abbado conducting the Lucerne Festival Orchestra.
Although there are many wonderful adagios, time allowed only these 2:
1) Andante Commodo, the 2nd (or 3rd) movement from Symphony No.6 and
2) "What Love Tells Me", the 6th and final movement of Symphony No. 3
After a very short break (and a scramble to find a replacement for a non-functioning projector with a large computer screen that Raymond secured), we played the video noted above. The video was excellent and informed a number of attendees that Mahler was much more than his music.
After the meeting a few attendees wanted the name of the books and the video.
2011 July 9 - Mahler Birthday Dinner
20 attendees were present to celebrate the 151st anniversary of Mahler's birth (1860 July 7). Having done this for the first time last year, this is now an annual tradition.
This year the event was held in the Courtyard Restaurant in Yorkville. Everyone appeared to have a good time as the sound level was quite high until the food was served. Unlike last year, we did not have a private room and thus no speaker or presentation. However, we did have a birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday Gustav, accompanied by the restaurant's violinist.
20 attendees were present to celebrate the 151st anniversary of Mahler's birth (1860 July 7). Having done this for the first time last year, this is now an annual tradition.
This year the event was held in the Courtyard Restaurant in Yorkville. Everyone appeared to have a good time as the sound level was quite high until the food was served. Unlike last year, we did not have a private room and thus no speaker or presentation. However, we did have a birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday Gustav, accompanied by the restaurant's violinist.
2011 June 15 - TSO Rehearsal
The TSO granted our society 10 spots to attend the rehearsal of Mahler 5 & Bruch's Scottish Fantasy with Joshua Bell.
2 members and 8 other attendees had a good time watching the rehearsal. In Part 1, it was interesting to see how Joshua Bell worked with Peter Oundjian to get across his ideas on how the orchestra should play a particular part. The orchestra took a break and back in a room, a first violinist spoke to us and answered our questions about what it is like for her to play Mahler. In part 2, Mahler 5 was the subject. There were a number of areas that Peter Oundjian wanted to rehearse, not in movement sequence. Near the end, the non-string members of the orchestra were excused and then they played the Adagietto straight through in a little over 9:30. Thanks to the volunteer host who looked after us.
2011 June 11 - Mahler 5 & Europe Reports & CD Listening
20 attendees were present at this meeting held at the Northern District Library.
Larry presented Mahler's 5th symphony, timely due to the forthcoming TSO performances. The presentation followed the usual format of some talking with lots of musical examples from all movements.
After the break, Patrick briefly talked about the Leipzig Mahler Festival just completed and passed around some material from the festival that another attendee had brought to the meeting. Raymond then showed his pictures from his recent trip to Vienna, including the Mahler grave in Grunding. Raymond closed with the playing of CDs from a few Mahler performances.
2011 March 12 - Mahler 6 & Strauss Alpine Symphony
26 attendees were present at this meeting held at the Centre for Inquiry location, including a number of first timers. We hope they will return.
Patrick presented our new membership program as the first item. (At the break, 12 attendees signed up to become the first 'members' of TMS.)
Andrew then presented his thoughts on Mahler's Symphony No. 6 with this title “Of Cowbells and the Numinous: Explorations in Mahler’s ‘Tragic’ Symphony”; an exploration of Mahler’s spiritual journey as embodied in the music of the symphony. Using his "Mac", he presented a slide show with numerous music examples to illustrate his points including a Bach chorale to relate to Mahler's chorales found in the first movement. He broke down the music of the 1st movement into its several components, helping us understand how Mahler put this together. He briefly spoke about the Andante/Scherzo Scherzo/Andante issue without taking sides. He concluded with the hammer blows of the final movement, playing the last minute or so in silence to see who was surprised by the sudden 'double forte', 3 bars from the end.
After the break, Patrick showed a video that explored the tone poem "Eine Alpensinfonie (An Alpine Symphony)" by Richard Strauss. The documentary explained each phase of the Alpine journey with orchestral examples. (There was also a handout with more information on this work as well as suggested recordings.)
Reminder: This work will be performed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Andrew Davis on May 11, 12. Concert details are here
Patrick then presented some recent CDs & DVDs that he recommends, handing them around for attendees to see. He made an offer to facilitate a group purchase of these and other recordings if enough people are interested. An e-mail is to be sent out.
We closed with ideas from attendees for future meetings. The ideas were: show Bernstein lecture on Mahler; do comparative listening & discuss; and listen to one work by movement or totally & then discuss.
2010 October 26: An Evening with Maestro Thomas Dausgaard
All who attended had a very enjoyable evening listening to Maestro Dausgaard who answered prepared questions as well as questions from the attendees.
We learned about his first musical recollections with his father on the piano; a reminiscence of a former conducting teacher; his first conducting experience in high school with his own work; how he prepares the orchestra for a performance; his thoughts on Mahler & Nielson; and host of other things. Maestro Dausgaard spoke with absolute candor and openness.
For those who are not familiar with Maestro Dausgaard, he was in town to guest conduct the TSO in Bruckner 6. A guest conductor annually since 2002 with the TSO, his most recent performance was the presentation of all 7 Sibelius symphonies to great acclaim this past April. He is the Chief Conductor of both the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra / DR.
We also held a draw for an autographed copy of the 2010 release of Music of the Spheres composed by Rued Langgaard, conducted by the Maestro.
The winner was a student, pictured below with Maestro Thomas Dausgaard.
2010 October 02: Mahler 2, Dies Irae
14 people attended this meeting held at the Centre for Inquiry on Beverly Street.
We first discussed our impressions of the TSO Mahler 2 concerts that most of us had attended last week. As usual, there were a variety of opinions and it was a good discussion. This was followed by a video presentation of the third movement of M2 from a video called Vision Mahler that displays a series of coloured moving shapes that are supposed to mirror the music (instead of seeing the orchestra play it.) Some liked it, some did not. It was preceded by a video with the conductor Semyon Bychkov answering some questions.
Next, Raymond, Patrick & Larry presented coming events, websites, etc. to alert attendees about what Mahler 150 events are taking place. (One interesting fact to emerge is that few, if any, of the attendees actually visit this web-site!)
After the break for coffee & cookies, Raymond presented a video of M1, movement 3, performed by Simon Rattle & the Berlinner Philharmoniker, their opening concert of this season. This was preceded by a short video of Simon Rattle discussing Mahler that was quite interesting.
Next was a presentation by Andrew of the history & use of Dies Irae, from the original chant to Mozart to Berlioz to Rachmaninov, ending with its use in Mahler 2. This was a 'slide presentation' with embedded music. The presentation was very well done & we hope Andrew can do another one in the future.
With time running out, Patrick was able to provide his recommendations regarding Mahler 2 performances as follows:
Video: Boulez (VPO), Haitink (RCO Kerstmatinees)
CD: Bernard Haitink ( Miah Persson, Christianne Stotijn, Chicago SO); Paavo Järvi (Alice Coote, Natalie Dessay, Frankfort RSO); Johnathan Nott ( Anne Schanewilms, Lioba Braun, Bamberg SO)
The fee to attend was $7, up from last year due to increased fees for room rentals & refreshments.
2010 July 10: A Dinner Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Mahler's birth
All 23 of us had a great time celebrating this event, held in the private room at the Grano restaurant on Yonge Street, to pay tribute to the great (or perhaps the greatest) composer that is the reason for our society.
All those who attended were given a Mahler pin in return for their $5 admission fee.
We held a raffle to raise funds for the society with 5 prizes donated by members and the Toronto Summer Music Festival.
As requested, some attendees had a Mahler memory or item to present, including: one's first Mahler record; a 1911 Etudes magazine that contained a Mahler Interview; a facsimile of Mahler's birth certificate; a video showing one's young son reacting positively to the music of Mahler; and the solo singing of the first part of Veni Creator Spiritus (M8) in Gregorian chant.
Agnes Grossmann delivered an engaging presentation focusing on Das Lied von der Erde with musical examples. She will be conducting this August 7th as part of the Toronto Summer Music Festival. Assisting with the presentation was her husband, Maestro Raffi Armenian.
And finally, we had a delicious cake, donated by Grano, with candles and we all sang Happy Birthday.
We intend to do this again next year, something other Mahler societies have been doing for years.
2010 June 06 Talk: - Larry W. Isaacson & Patrick P.L. Lam on Mahler Symphony No. 8
There was a turnout of 11 attendees at the Fairview Public Library. Larry made a presentation on the symphony, playing several musical examples. A few of the attendees indicated that they would be going to the M8 in Ottawa & we also heard briefly about other live performances of M8 attended. We also had the benefit of an attendee who noted that the German prose in Part II is quite beautiful when spoken & that this was one of the allures of the Goethe Faust to people who speak German, similar to Shakespeare for the English language.
Patrick closed the session with his favourite recordings, playing the opening & closing of Part I from the Solti (CSO) & Bernstein (LPO). He also showed a brief video from the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra that was promoting the recent recording of M8 under Tilson Thomas, another favourite. Patrick spoke about why he liked what he liked & also played a Mitropolus (VPO) that we all agreed was not in the same class.
The cost to attend was $5. Link to Handout
2010 March 23 - Video re Mahler Symphony No. 3
Approximately 30 members & friends of the Toronto Mahler Society attended this event at the Centre for Inquiry. The primary item was to view this video & discuss what we saw: What the Universe Tells Me (Unraveling the mysteries of Mahler's Third Symphony). As usual, we had a break for coffee and a snack. The cost to attend was $5 to cover expenses.
As you can see from the picture below of many of the attendees, we had a good time.
2010 February 7 - Talk: Patrick P. L. Lam on Mahler Symphony No. 3
Approximately 25 members & friends of the Toronto Mahler Society attended this event at the Northern District Library. Patrick gave us a presentation on the symphony, explaining the program that Mahler had originally provided but later withdrew, illustrated with musical samples. After the break, Patrick provided his views on the best recordings of this work, including the Jean Martinon recording with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Patrick's presentation was well received and attendees definitely deepened their understanding of the great work. Link to Handout
2009 December 6 - Video: Shostakovich Symphony No. 5
Shostakovitch's work is closely related to Mahler's and Shostakovitch considered Mahler his favorite composer. Also, since the Toronto Symphony Orchestra had performed this work on Nov 26, 28 and 29, it was a great opportunity to learn more about this work and discuss its meaning. The video "Keeping Score - Shostakovich Symphony No. 5" created by Michael Tilson Thomas with the San Francisco Symphony was shown & discussed. Another member shared his trip in 2009 to the Mahler Library in Paris with pictures & other material. Quite interesting.
This event was held in a member's apartment thus limiting the attendance. We have since located another venue for showing videos to a larger number of attendees.
2009 August 22 - Talk: Rick Phillips on "Conflict and Contrast in Mahler's music - the reasons and purpose"
Mr. Rick Phillips was our invited speaker to talk about a very interesting aspect of Mahler's music. Mr. Phillips is the former host of CBC Radio's Sound Advice, he is a well known music appreciation teacher in Toronto and host of pre-concert talks for Toronto Symphony Orchestra & others. He has taught various music appreciation classes at the Royal Conservatory of Music, including one all about Mahler's work.
The topic, as noted above, was well delivered. Rick explained how conflict was a major characteristic of Mahler's music as well as his life and he explored this theme in Mahler's music and explained why conflict and contrast are so important to the understanding of Mahler's music.There were a number of musical examples played to assist us in our understanding.
Rick's talk was well received by about 25 attendees.
The meeting took place at the Northern District Library. A fee of $15 was charged to cover the music talk, room rental & refreshments.
April 25, 2009 - Mahler Symphony No. 6
This meeting was hosted by Mr. Peter Fulop in his home, as a prelude to the TSO performances of M6 on May 28 & 30.
Mr. Fulop is a renowned Mahler recording collector and he has been in the business of historical recordings. He has built an extensive collection of Mahler recordings. including 150+ of M6. He previously published the "Mahler Discography" which is currently being revised for the Mahler Centenary in 2010. His business website and Mahler recording sites are these:
http://mahlerrecords.com
http://www.mikrokosmos.com
The meeting was enjoyed by all and were grateful for his hospitality and expert knowledge on Mahler recordings.
The meting took place at Mr. Fulop's home as noted above, limiting attendance to a maximum of 15 people.
