John Beckwith. Canadian Composer Portraits. Toronto: Centrediscs, 2003. CMCCD 9 103. $20.00. Two compact discs. Disc 1: Beckwith documentary produced and presented by Eitan Cornfield (54:37). Disc 2: The Trumpets of Summer (speaker; soloists; instrumental ensemble; Festival Singers of Canada, Elmer Iseler, conductor) (33:45); Taking a Stand (Canadian Brass) (12: 13); Synthetic Trios (Therese Costes, soprano; Connie Gitlin, clarinet; Delores Kay-Hee, piano) (1 8 :12); Stacey (Monica Whicher, soprano; Stephen Ralls, piano) (13 :42). -ohBeckwith has been one of the most an economy of means while expressing a wide important musical figures in Canada for range of emotions. Further insightll the last fifty years, contributing so much comments are contributed by John Weinzweig, to the Canadian musical makeup. Most who Helmut Kallmann, Beverley Diamond, and are involved in music in Canada today have Kenneth Winters. Eitan Cornfield's been influenced by his impact as performer, documentary also does a nice job of linking the teacher, critic, writer, administrator, or conversation to relevant clips of recordings of composer.' This new volume of the Canadian Beckwith's works. Happily, the pieces are ComposerPortraits series ofrecordings brings listed in the accompanying booklet, an together a documentary and four compositions improvement over earlier volumes in the fi-om his substantial and eclectic oeuvre. series, which were criticised for omitting this information. Does this two-CD set on the Canadian Music Centre's Centrediscs label provide a Does the choice of pieces included on the good portrait of Beckwith the composer? The second CD enhance the portrait? As with the documentary that comprises the first CD is an other volumes in the Canadian Composer improvement over the 1986 Beckwith LP Portraits series, no new recordings were made album in the Anthology of Canadian Music spec8cally for the John Beckwith volume; series. In the latter, the generous selection of instead, they were selected fiom pre-existing works was accompanied by a personal but releases. The Encyclopedia of Music in rather one-dimensional interview with the Canada lists eighty-three compositions by composer. A better composite emerges in the Beckwith for the stage, orchestra and band, new documentary by not only incorporating chamber ensembles, piano, choir, voice, and the words of Beckwith himself, but others collage or incidental settings. It is apparent close to him, including his spouse, Kathleen that he has been very productive since 1990 McMorrow, and son, Larry. McMorrow (the year of the latest composition listed describes Beckwith as being a compact person there), because his compositions now number with large hands and feet and a flamboyantly more than 130. A database search in August expressive face. His music too demonstrates 2003 of the Canadian Music Centre's new Web site returned over 107 Beckwith scores as well as 15 commercial recordings which 'Timothy J. McGee, "John Beckwith and include compositions by him. It would have Canadian Music," in Taking a Stand: Essays been appropriate to include in this new portrait in Honour of John Beckwith, ed. Timothy J. deserving works that have not enjoyed McGee (Toronto: University ofToronto Press, commercial recordings. One might choose the 1995), 5-8. documentary cantata, The Hector (1990), The Shakespearean allusion is evoked by the Peregrine (1989) for viola, percussion and accompanying band, a new version of an small orchestra, or beep (1990) for soprano, Elizabethan broken consort. Beckwith baritone, chorus and percussion. Nevertheless, modestly refers to the work as a choral suite, the four works included on the second CD are but the multi-faceted treatment of Margaret at least representative of each of the last four Atwood's text reaches beyond that of decades of the twentieth century. A magtllfied conventional incidental music, and by analogy portrait, illustrating a variety of styles and captures a sense of "the play apart fiom the instrumentation, is available if one considers play." Hamlet discovers the "conscience of the works included on another CD recording, the king" through the play within; Beckwith also entitled John Beck~ith.~Besides the expresses the ambience and mood of the Quartet (1977) for strings, this recording theatre-goers as if by looking down fiom features keyboard music, an important genre in above and dropping into "the scene." Beckwith's oeuvre. Considered jointly, these two recordings are of comparable breadth to The recordings of the other three works the body of works presented in the earlier are all fiom live concert presentations that help Anthology of Canadian music volume. In to capture the immediacy of the music. While fact, of the eleven works included there, five the indicated choreography of Taking a Stand have been repackaged for the two Centrediscs is lost, one can still hear the mobile nature of productions. The picture becomes even more the Canadian Brass' performance and the complete by adding the four orchestral works audience's response to the whimsical, witty (recorded fiom 1992 to 1996) included in aspect, a characteristic of several of CBC Records' new release, Ovation 3.3) Beckwith's pieces. The 1969 recording of The Trumpets of Summer with prominent soloists and the Synthetic Trios has had several Festival Singers of Canada conducted by performances; this recording is taken fiom a Elmer Iseler conveys not only the freshness, concert celebrating the fortieth anniversary of sense of occasion and theatricality of the work the Canadian League of Composers. The title itself, but also the vibrancy of the theatre scene refers to the unusual process in which the in Stratford at that time. From a work was composed as is indicated both by the compositional standpoint, The Trumpets of invented syllables of the soprano and the Summer employs two twelve-note series, a percussive sounds introduced by the clarinetist technique that perhaps reflects Beckwith's and the pianist. abiding interest in the music of Anton Webern. I particularly enjoyed Monica Whicher's and Stephen Ralls' perfomce of Stacey. lJohn Beckwith, Centrediscs CMC-CD The six songs in this cycle constitute a vivid 5897,1997. portrayal of the main character in Margaret Laurence's novel, The Fire-Dwellers. Judging 30vation 3, musique Canada music: by the telling and sensitive setting, Stacey Norma Beecroft, Barbara Pentland, MacAindra's ruminations with God obviously Talevaldis Kenins, John Beckwith, Gilles struck a chord with Beckwith. Tremblay,CBC Records PSCD 2028-5,2003. This, then, is a signtficant recording in the intimately acquainted with the art of one of Canadian Composers Portraits series. I have Canada's most distinguished composers. enjoyed discovering more of John Beckwith's music while writing this review, and I hope Peter Higham that this CD set receives wide distribution, Mount Allison Universily allowing many listeners to become more .