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Commissioning
of New Works
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The Listeners by John Greer. A song cycle for
tenor voice and piano, setting the poem by Walter de la Mare. First
performance on January 13, 2008, by Lawrence Wiliford, tenor and Stephen
Ralls, piano. |
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| The
Death of Orpheus by Derek Holman. A song
cycle for tenor voice and piano, setting two poems by Arthur
Golding, linked by a Shakespeare Sonnet. This work was commissioned
with the assistance of The Laidlaw Foundation and received its
first performance on March 13, 2005. |
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| Lament
by Derek Holman. This song, commissioned by The
Aldeburgh Connection, completed a cycle of three, entitled A
Lasting Spring (to Shelagh in memory of Niki). The other
two were premiered at a concert The Joy of Niki at Roy
Thomson Hall in June 2004, The entire cycle, with this new song
added was performed in our concert series on December 5, 2004.
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| Suite
for Solo Piano by Derek Holman (not yet performed).
This set of character pieces pays homage
to various friends and acquaintences, including such major
contributors to the Canadian cultural scene as Greta Kraus,
Nicholas Goldschmidt and Robertson Davies. |
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| The
Heart Mislaid by Derek Holman. A song cycle for tenor
voice and piano, setting four poems by Douglas LePan. This work
was commissioned with the assistance of The Laidlaw Foundation
and received its first performance on April 28, 2002.
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| Liebesleid-Lieder
by composer John Greer. A suite of fifteen songs for vocal
quartet and piano four-hands, conceived as a modern answer to
Brahms's Liebeslieder Waltzes, looking at the foibles
of love and romance. The settings are mostly of Dorothy Parker.
This work was commissioned by The Aldeburgh Connection for its
20th anniversary gala concert and premiered on January 13, 2002
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The
Toronto Songbook, a collection of five songs by five Toronto
composers, premiered on April 30, 2000 as part of a concert entitled
Toronto, a musical century. The individual songs are:
Venus
and Pomona (Robert Finch) by composer Derek Holman.
Poem from Double Tuning, published by Porcupine's
Quill, 1984; used with the kind permission of the Estate of
Robert Finch. This work was commissioned with the assistance
of Connie MacDougall and James MacDougall.
Blue Heron Near the Old-Mill Bridge (Raymond Souster)
by composer Gary Kulesha. Poem from Collected Poems
of Raymond Souster, by permission of Oberon Press. This
work was commissioned with the assistance of Kenneth and Carol
Anderson.
Brunswick Avenue (Dennis Lee) by composer Erik Ross.
Poem from Civil Elegies and Other Poems, published
by Anansi, 1972; used with the kind permission of the poet.
This work was commissioned with the assistance of Anne Drozd.
Spinnaker (Richard Outram) by composer Roger Bergs.
Poem from The Promise of Light, Anson-Cartwright Editions,
Toronto, used with the kind permission of the poet. This work
was commissioned with the assistance of Rosemary Kilbourn
and Hilary Kilbourn, in memory of William Kilbourn, a Toronto
historian and writer.
A Man and his Flute (Miriam Waddington) by John
Beckwith. Poem from The Last Landscape, Toronto:
Oxford University Press, 1992, copyright © Miriam Waddington.
This work was commissioned with the assistance of Martin and
Judith Hunter.
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| Variations
upon a melody by Doctor Arne, for two pianos, by composer
Derek Holman, premiered on April 25, 1999 at the concert
The Lyre of Orpheus, which explored music in the life and
work of Robertson Davies. The theme used in the work is the melody
of Arne's "Water parted", from Artaxerxes, which makes
an appearance in Davies novel A Mixture of Frailties. This
work was commissioned with the assistance of The Ontario Arts
Council. |
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Airs
and Echoes Upon a Ground, for two pianos by composer Derek
Holman, premiered on February 1, 1998 at the concert in honour
of Lois Marshall. This work was commissioned with the assistance of
The Laidlaw Foundation.
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| Stacey, settings of a text by Margaret Laurence for soprano
and piano, by composer John Beckwith, also premiered
on on February
1, 1998 at the concert in honour of Lois Marshall. |
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| Allegory
of Sweet Desire (after Agnolo Bronzino) by John Greer
for soprano and piano, to texts about love by Greek and Latin
poets, and inspired by the Bronzino painting (see right). Premiered
in a recital by soprano Adrianne Pieczonka with pianist Stephen
Ralls, on March 9, 1998. Commissioned through a private donation.
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| Studies
and Rambles of Wasagewanoqua by John Greer. For soprano
and piano. This piece was based on the writings of early Canadian
tourist Anna Jameson, and premiered in a concert, Lady Blarney
in March 1996, about Mrs Jameson's life and travels here in
Canada. Monica Whicher, who premiered this piece for us performed
it again on tour in Atlantic Canada in 1997. Commissioned with
the assistance of the Laidlaw Foundation. |
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| A
song tableau The Magic Casement by Timothy Sullivan
for soprano, mezzo and piano duet. Premiered in a program May
Day Revels in May 1994. This work has recently been recorded
by ClassX discs, on a CD Golden Fire of works by Timothy
Sullivan. |
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| Contrasts,
by Derek Holman. For four voices and two pianos. This was
a setting of five poems illustrating five different aspects of
the Canadian heritage. It premiered in a concert All Around
the Circle in May 1992. It was also performed in concerts
given in Edinburgh, Glasgow and at the Aldeburgh Festival in June
1992, and again on April 27, 1997, as part of our Toronto Sunday
Series. Commissioned with the assistanceof the Canada Council.
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| Music
for voice and percussion instruments by John Beckwith as
a setting for a reading of Margaret Atwood's poems, The
Journals of Susanna Moodie, and premiered in a program by
the same name in May 1990. Four voices, piano and various percussion
instruments. |
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| The
Owl and the Pussy Cat, by Harry Somers, a setting of
the Edward Lear poem. Performed at Young People's Theatre Musical
Mondays Series in February 1989. It was performed again by us
on April 30, 2000. This work has been performed on at least one
other occasion by another concert presenter. Commissioned with
the assistance of the Canada Council. |
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| Nicholas
Knock by composer Derek Holman, a setting of a children's
poem by Dennis Lee. Soprano, treble, tenor and two pianos. Performed
at Music at Sharon in 1988, and in the Walter Hall Series in a
program Scenes from Childhood in November 1988 and for
Young People's Theatre Musical Mondays Series in February 1989.
Commissioned with the assistance of the Canada Council. |
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First
commission All Around the Circle by Toronto composer, John
Greer. Four voices and two pianos. Performed in our Toronto
Sunday Series in January 1988, and at the Aldeburgh Festival in
June, 1988; performed again in our Toronto Sunday Series in May
1992, and again in April 1997. The work was featured on our first
CD The Aldeburgh Connection, by CBC Records, released in
1995. It has also been performed by other music organizations.
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