th ISSUE 04 FREE www.scena.org April – May 2004 cene English Canada National Edition Frances Ginzer and Adrianne Pieczonka Scaling Valhalla Sumi Jo Interview Special on Asian Musicians Summer Camps Classical Music Calendar & Picks Southern Ontario & Western Canada Canada Post Publications Mail Sales Agreement n˚. 40025257 Passing the Torch GreatGreat Recordings Recordings of of the the Century Century A celebration of the defining moments in the history of recorded music. For more than 5 years, Great Recordings of the Century has been the world’s premier re-issue series. Later this year, EMI Classics will cap the series at 150 titles, all of which genuinely deserve the description Great Recordings of the Century. 10 new releases arrive March 16, with a final 10 in September 2004 Great Artists of the Century A celebration of our greatest recording artists - past,Great present andArtists future of the Century This month, along with the penultimate release of Great Recordings of the Century, EMI Classics is proud to announce its successor: Great Artists of the Century. Keeping the same high standards of remastering and packaging as its predecessor, each program in the new series honours one of the great artists who recorded for EMI during its first century. The first 25 releases feature: Alban Berg Quartett, Leif Ove Andsnes, Janet Baker, Sir Adrian Boult, Maria Callas, Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, Georges Cziffra, Jacqueline Du Pré, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Walter Gieseking, Carlo Maria Giulini, Tito Gobbi, Hans Hotter, Mariss Jansons, Herbert Von Karajan, Nigel Kennedy, Otto Klemperer, Stephen Kovacevich, Dinu Lipatti, Yehudi Menuhin, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Galina Vishnevskaya All titles in both series have been transferred and, where appropriate, newly remastered from the original source materials by EMI’s renowned team of engineers at Abbey Road Studios. Available wherever good music is sold, or at www.shopemi.com/classical Contents Photos: Michael Cooper 26 Frances Ginzer & Adrienne Pieczonka: Scaling Valhalla NEWS & PERFORMANCE SPECIAL: ASIAN MUSIC 6 Notes 18 Where East Meets West: Contemporary 8 The Piano Lesson of the Future Chinese Music 25 Neuroscience Working for Music 19 Chinese Composer Tan Dun Fuses Old with New 29 Selected Discography of Die Walküre 20 The Rise of Asians in Classical Music 30 Atom Egoyan and Michael Levine Tackle 21 Kent Nagano—Fresh Air in Montreal Die Walküre 22 Lang Lang: In Full Flight 41 English Canada Concert Perspective: 24 Sumi Jo—Devoted to Music Southern Ontario, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria JAZZ 32 The Asian File: New Sounds in Improvised Music MUSICIAN’S CORNER in Vancouver 10 The Right Bow 33 Jazz CD Reviews 11 New Instruments 12 Summer Camps: My Summers in Music REVIEWS 14 Summer Camps: CAMMAC—50 Years and 34 CDs Counting 38 DVDs 16 Summer Camps Guide 39 Books CALENDAR 40 Toronto, Southern Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, Radio, TV The Music Scene The Music 4 April-May 2004 th cene English Canada Edition < << April–May 2004 Vol. 2.2 Publisher La Scène Musicale / The Music Scene Classical Music and Directors Wah Keung Chan (pres.), Sandro Scola, Anne-Marie Babkine < Editor Wah Keung Chan < Assistant Editor Réjean Beaucage Opera News CD/Books Editor Réjean Beaucage Contributors Philip Anson, Misha Aster, Pierre-Marc Bellemare, Kenna Burima, Marc Chénard, Michael Cooper (cover photo), Bruno Deschênes, Jean-Sébastien Gascon, WS Habington, < Robert Jordan, Denise Lai, Gordon Morash, Lucie Renaud, Anna Sampson, Paul Serralheiro, Joseph K. So, Andrew Thompson Found Daily at Translators Jane Brierley, Anna Sampson Proofreaders Eric Ginestier, Tom Holzinger, Gillian Pritchett, Annie Prothin, Anna Sampson Regional Calendar Eric Legault www.scena.org Graphics Albert Cormier, Eric Ginestier, Martin L’Allier Website Normand Vandray, Mike Vincent, Linda Lee Admin. Assistant Antoine Letendre, Gabriel Malenfant, Johanne Poirier Other content: Office Manager Anne Gilbert Accounting Joanne Dufour Articles, Interviews, CD Reviews, The Canadian Classical Music Director, Marketing and Funding Gillian Pritchett Volunteers Wah Wing Chan, John Defayette, Tom Holzinger, Calendar, Press Releases, Bring a Teen!, Webcasts, Downloads, Dean Jobin-Bévins, Lilian Liganor, Stephen Lloyd, Phyllis Potts, Renée Rouleau Bring a Teen Gillian Pritchett La Scena Musicale Magazine, Message Board, CD Contests, Distribution Anne Gilbert (Manager): Spotlights, The Lebrecht Weekly Southern Ontario, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver & Victoria Printer Calgary Colorpress Address 5409 Waverly St., Montréal Québec, Canada H2T 2X8 June 2004 Tel.: (514) 948-2520 / Fax: (514) 274-9456 th Editorial (514) 274-1128 8 National Summer Festival Issue Advertising Bernadette Lacroix-Bjornson (514) 935-3781 Jean-Sébastien Gascon (514) 948-2520 Mike Webber (514) 287-7668 National Sales (non-musical) Relations Media (450) 661-8200 [email protected] • Web : www.scena.org production – artwork : [email protected] The Music Scene is the English Canada Edition of La Scena Musicale. It is dedicated to the promotion of classical music. It is published four times per year. Inside, readers will find arti- cles and reviews, as well as listings of live concerts, lectures, The Music Scene / La Scena Musicale films and broadcasts. LSM is published by La Scène Musicale/The Music Scene, a registered non-profit organiza- tion. La Scena Musicale is Italian for The Music Scene. 1 Issue Subscriptions Surface mail subscriptions (Canada) cost $40/yr (taxes included) to cover postage and handling costs. Please mail, fax or email your name, address, telephone no., fax no., and email address. Donations are always welcome. (no. 14199 6579 RR0001) Ver : 2004-03-15 © La Scène Musicale / The Music Scene. copies across Canada All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be repro- 84 000 duced without the written permission of La Scena Musicale / The Music Scene. Québec > Montréal > Ottawa > Toronto > Southern Ontario > ISSN 1703-8189 (Print) ISSN 1703-8197 (Online) Winnipeg > Calgary > Edmonton > Vancouver > Victoria Canada Post Publication Mail Sales Agreement No. 40025257 For Advertising Register your Festival. Reserve your space now! Promotion: (514) 948-2520 • Save 30% - 40% http://ads.scena.org http://festivals.scena.org (514) 948-2520 April-May 2004 5 Notes WAH KEUNG CHAN and ANNA SAMPSON Industry News that the seasons are long. The crux of the mat- ter is that people don’t know what actually to Bravo! and Canadian Opera expect when they come to a concert. You have Company to launch Bathroom Divas to find a way to [move classical music from the Bravo! and the Canadian Opera Company are periphery of general culture back toward the teaming up with Kaleidoscope Entertainment centre]. This is not something that I really have in the reality-based TV craze by introducing the energy to do, nor do I care to do it. I was Bathroom Divas, an opera version of the pop- born to be a musician and that’s what I want to ular Canadian and American Idol shows. Until do. Because of financial difficulties and the March 31, 2004, non-professional Canadian Deborah Voigt Replaced at Royal Opera diminished role of music, there are expecta- contestants 18 years or older, male and female, News that the Royal Opera at Covent Garden tions for music directors to do a lot of things can enter by submitting a photo and a demo of has replaced soprano Deborah Voigt due to her concerned with fundraising, with social activi- three contrasting arias. size and weight has renewed debate on the ties. I really have no interest in these things.’’ Judges Philip Boswell, Artistic Administrator power shift in opera: staging versus singing. of the COC, and Sandra Gavinchuk, Music On March 7, 2004, the London Daily Telegraph Administrator at the COC, have actually been published an interview with Voigt under the running the company’s Call for Bathroom headline “Royal Opera sacks diva who was ‘too Divas public auditions for the last three years. fat for dress.’” Back in 2000, Voigt had been The new incarnation will see about 30 final- contracted to appear in the summer 2004 pro- ists compete in late April. Throughout June, duction of Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos. July and August, the chosen bathroom diva will In 2002, when the producers decided to set the go through an intense training process devel- opera in modern times and dress the heroine oped by the COC. The public will see the win- in a black evening gown, director Peter Katona ner at the COC’s August Harbourfront concert. decided Voigt did not fit the production’s con- In September, Bravo! will telecast about six cept. Royal Opera withdrew her contract and Kitchener-Waterloo episodes of the experience. she went public in a February 2003 interview Symphony Fires Fischer-Dieskau For more info visit www.bathroomdivas.com. on Andante.com. Sadly, Ariadne is Voigt’s sig- The last three months have been a tumultuous nature role, and she is considered one of the time for music lovers in Kitchener-Waterloo. In Ontario Youth Choir Cancelled leading dramatic sopranos in the world. In late November, the board of the Kitchener- The 32nd Ontario Youth Choir summer progam recent years, her weight has fluctuated as she Waterloo Symphony informed conductor has been cancelled this year because of finan- tried various diets. Following snippy comments Martin Fischer-Dieskau that he was relieved of cial difficulties. Ontario Choirs, the youth pro- from Katona on opera singers (“They say, ‘In his duties as artistic director two years before his gram’s parent organization, has launched a order to be able to sing well I need to eat a lot’”) contract formally expired, and just one year after drive to try to avert bankruptcy. In the past the and amidst the large public and media outcry, the board had seemingly given the maestro a youth program would welcome 40 talented Royal Opera has apologized and offered to hire vote of confidence with a one-year extension to singers between the ages of 16 and 22 from Voigt in the future.