Oscar Peterson

"You can't just sit down and play the piano. You have to think of phrases, colours, intensities. That's the only way it can be."
Oscar Peterson

True magic has left the world with the death of Mr. Oscar Peterson. I was lucky enough to hear him in concert live once, in an intimate venue. It felt as if there were nothing between me and the soul of the music he was presenting. By soul I am using the ancient greek sense of the word which embodies the melding of the senses and the mind creating a projection of something more than we usually experience directly on earth. With Mr. Peterson's playing it was as if Plato's projected shadows assumed warmth, colour and dimension.

If you had the patience to sit and listen contemplatively, his musicianship took you to places not quite expected. It was like a train trip; one not only experienced the sense of moving down the road, but the pleasures of all the surrounding views.

I agree, we will not see his like again, but we will see musicians, inspired by his talent, who catch our imaginations fully, and that is his great legacy to us.

Haunted by Psyche

In Greek mythology, Psyche was described as the most beautiful woman in the world who attracted the amorous attention of the god Eros. Psyche became the lover of a mysterious paramour who would not reveal himself; she of course turned on the lights one night and found out Eros was in fact her lover. For some reason that was the end of the relationship, until a series of tasks assigned to Psyche were completed (editorial aside: religious mythology does not have to make sense, it just has to attract and hold your attention). So Eros is seen begging assistance of a pantheon of goddesses to help Psyche complete her tasks, and as a reward at the end Zeus grants her immortality, and she and Eros live happily ever after forever.

At least until Freud gets hold of the story at the beginning of the last century. He ends up describing a permanent conflict between Id, Super Id and Psyche in the human condition, and poor Psyche becomes a neurosis (which, when you think about it, is sort of a god-like condition for the 20th century).

So here is a playlist to explore what we believe about love and relationships in the late 20th and early 21st century. I think the ladies approach the topic quite differently from the gentlemen, so the voices are separate in the listing.

Adi Braun - Hymme A L'Amour
Julie London - Two Sleepy People
Ella Fitzgerald & Oscar Peterson - How Long Has This Been Going On
Ethel Waters - Maybe Not At All
Katie Melua - The Closest Thing to Crazy
Sarah Noni Metzner - Constant
Sophie Milman - Something in the Air Between Us
Katie Melua - If You Were a Sailboat

Teddy Thompson - Shine So Bright
Patrick Park - Stay with Me Tomorrow
Paolo Nutini - White Lies
Jamie Cullum - Photograph
Michael Franti & Spearhead - Love, Why Did You Go Away?
Vargas Blues Band - I Need Your Love So Bad
Ryan Adams - The Sun Also Sets
Jeremy Fisher - Shooting Star (In Spite of It All)
Paolo Nutini - Autumn
Jason Danieley - You Walk with Me

All this music is available to buy on line. Please support the artists!

Calgary Opera's Rigoletto

Calgary Opera and the Jubilee Auditorium are consistent about two things. On opening night the show will not be quite ready for prime time. It will hang together well enough, and they will likely get it fixed by the final performance on Friday, but, we really should be offered discount tickets for the opening night.

More on this later, but let it be said the cast was superb. Glorious singing from beginning to end. So there is a third thing Calgary Opera is very consistent with: casting the ideal people for the roles. In advance there was the anticipation of hearing Richard Paul Fink in the lead role. His rich baritone is ideally suited to Verdi and it was a real treat to hear him live after so many afternoons on the radio. His stage presence adds to the voice characterization. David Pomeroy has the ideal tenor for the Duke's role - melodic and heartfelt throughout. He was particularly effective in conveying the lack of self awareness that is central to this role, particularly in the Donna e mobile aria. Tracy Dahl exceeded expectations, bringing to the role a new colour in her voice that created a wonderfully realistic portrayal of Gilda who is torn between being a captive pet of her father, longing for the perfect first love, being rewarded with the ultimate betrayal, and then taking flight from life in the guise of self sacrifice.

So, what was not ready?

Yet again the sound technicians spent the first part of the evening tuning the hall. Really, is that not supposed to happen during rehearsals? This is not a problem unique to the Jubilee. The Jack Singer does the same thing. Shame.

The Director's take on the opera and the unique stage design were a challenge. The stage direction and set worked extremely well in the first act; failed completely in the second, and struggled but managed to work in the third.

The problem seemed to be that with the concept we the audience would require some overstated symbolism to 'get the drift.' Guess what, Verdi has already done that with the score. All the director and stage designer really need to do is reference the vivid imagery, not pound it in with distracting props. Did we really need the moon for Gilda's first act aria? Did we really need Gilda's white dress, red dress and then white dress again? And we definitely did not need the oversize Halloween pumpkins to symbolize the twisted, haunted and broken minds of the court? They reminded me of the universally reviled post modern Euro-trash production of Macbeth that Chicago Lyric put on a few years ago. A main feature of that set was a gigantic armoire which all the murdered characters used for their entrances and exits just so we would know the Macbeths had skeletons in their closet.

The music was great. The CPO sounding wonderful in their reading of the score.

Perhaps what Calgary Opera needs is to appoint someone with the authority to oversee these concept productions and remind the 'creators' that less is more, and to simplify is better than complex elaboration when all they need do is enhance the images and emotions in the work. And, for sure, if it is a new work, spend the money on adequate rehearsal time before opening night.

Time Warping

Les Violons du Roy is a magnificent chamber orchestra based in Quebec City. While playing on modern instruments, they use Baroque bows and bowing techniques. There is an energy to this group's playing that makes all of its performances transport the audience back in time. As the music critic for the Toronto Star said after their presentation of Messiah in Toronto it was convincingly authentic sounding. I was there and can only agree.

One of their most recent recordings has them paired with Vivica Genaux, the American mezzo soprano who is staking out a great international career in baroque repertoire. The CD presents Handel and Hasse arias. The discipline of the singer and the orchestra is perfectly matched with enthusiastic and joyful energy they have discovered in the arias.

The aria from Alcina is peerlessly performed. I last heard Jennifer Laramour sing this in the Chicago production of Alcina, and thought that was the finest baroque singing I had ever heard. This rendition at least matches that evening.

Next up from Les Violons du Roi is a new CD of Handel's Water Music in early November. I am looking forward to grabbing it as soon as it is available, not least because the work is the first piece of classical repertoire that I remember actually liking.

Shooting Stars

October 20, 2007. The Liberty Lounge at Mount Royal College. Justin Nozuka and Nathan Wiley. Enough said? I think not.

Nathan Wiley opened and it was the first time I had caught his act. You know it's a good night when you want the opener to play for another hour, at least. Where does he get the inspiration for these songs that explore the dark alleys of the urban soul? His repertoire reminded me of Fado, the European Urban music genre which only appears late at night in Lisbon to sing of human frailty and celebrate, in a backhanded way, that it is fundamental to the human condition to push back against what fate deals us. May it please the music gods to bring Nathan Wiley back for a full evening.

Justin Nozuka appeared with his small but tight band. Great musicians all, particularly the bass guitar. I have been listening to Justin's CD, Holly, for weeks, but was still unprepared for the magnetic intensity of his live performance. He held the crowd spellbound with is guitar playing and that soulful voice, that ripples along the melodies. Again, what great lyrics, exposing what it means to be haunted by Psyche, who was the lover of Eros before Freud used the term to describe the complexities of the human mind and soul interaction. When he and his bass guitar player started playing riffs at each other it was music making at its most magical. I doubt if we will ever have the opportunity to see him again in such a small venue; he seems destined for super stardom.

Two for Two

The good news is that Ground Zero Theatre and Hit and Myth Productions scored again with "The Full Monty." It is also great that Calgary audiences rewarded the show with sell outs.

These guys have the true formula for presenting magical theatre. Find an interesting show; hire half a dozen superb musicians to play the score; recruit great comic actors who can also sing and put the show on in what feels like the best tradition of the Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney musicals of the 1940's.

The Grand Theatre itself is a wonderful space, allowing an intimacy between the characters and audience that can not occur in larger venues. This really played a key role in this show as the music and lyrics are very much akin to Haiku Poetry - an illumination of the characters being portrayed. I doubt if there has been a better rendition of the the second act love anthem "You Walk with Me" anywhere else, because the beauty of the voices and subtle intensity of the performances were allowed to shine in relatively intimate space.

What fun I will have this winter tracking down shows produced by all these independent Calgary companies and attending many. I love it that these guys seem to truly believe that it is possible to make a living working in the theatre in Calgary. I will buy tickets, and encourage friends to join me.

Stalked By Eros

I enjoy picking a theme and creating a playlist, selecting songs from my CD collection. The most recent theme is 'Stalked by Eros.' If you think about it, in literature and song Eros has two major aspects.

There is the 'driven by lust' theme. For example there is Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra" or "Othello." In music there is Verdi's "Tosca," just to name one example. Of course, the lesson that we humans never learn is that signing on with this aspect of Eros never ends well. But we do seem to like to sing about the experience.

The second major aspect is the quest for the perfect romantic partner; think Valentine's Day. Much of the classic repertoire from Tin Pan Alley in the 1930's and1940's is the most familiar interpretation of this aspect. These "encounters" can end well, usually only in fairy tales but there is Beethoven's "Leonore." More frequently it ends badly as described in the medieval chansons of courtly love and Lerner and Lowe's "Camelot."

What I found most interesting in selecting the songs for this playlist is the number of current singers who are writing and performing songs, almost meditations, that contemplate the very human reaction to these two aspects of Eros. "Where is the bargain with this cruel god?" seems to be the quest. These artists are working in the best traditions of the traveling troubadours of centuries ago. A very lucky time to be listening, in my opinion.

Here is the list of performances I chose for "Stalked by Eros"

• Walking the Back Streets and Crying - Vargas Blues Band
• The Next Step - Kelley Hunt
• All Around Man - Bluff City Backsliders
• Back to the Ground - Jamie Cullum
• Nature Boy - Nate Birkey
• Couer de Parisienne - Rufus Wainwright
• La Vie en Rose - Sophie Milman
• Taking a Chance on Love - Ethel Waters
• Out of Nowhere - Ella Fitzgerald
• Heart and Soul - Mel Torme
• A Sunday Kind of Love - Ella Fitzgerald
• The Man I Love - Sophie Milman
• The Man that Got Away - Judy Garland
• Drunk on Your Tears - Jeremy Fisher
• Think Again - Teddy Thompson
• I Taught Myself How to Grow Old - Ryan Adams
• Loving You - Paolo Nutini
• Stay - Sophie Milman

All these performances can be purchased on line, and please support the artists by paying for the music you want to have in your collection.

Opening the Season

The 2007 - 2008 theatre and concert season opened with a bang, literally. Theatre Calgary's production of The Wars was astonishingly good on virtually every level.

I approached this work with much trepidation. It is sheer delight to live in a city where the major and new companies nurture and produce new work. But after the disaster of last season's Frobisher from Calgary Opera, I had many questions about how this novel which uses World War I as a driver of the stories about how governmental and societal violent insanity impacts ordinary humans could be shrunk to the space of a stage. It turns out the answer was that one does not shrink it, but uses multi-media and brilliant stage design to suggest the full scope of the time and place.

I salute the playwright. Timothy Findlay's voice was ardently clear throughout.

There is not enough good that can be said about the cast. The work requires a true ensemble effort around a central character who is on stage virtually every minute of the production. They succeeded magnificently.

Findlay's strength is to engage one both intellectually and emotionally at the same time. This work succeeds in achieving this same magic. I shall not soon forget the final scene. Two words tie the final knot in the tapestry that has been woven through the evening. I was shaken to the core.

Summer Festivals

What a great summer of music in Calgary.

Michael Franti came back to Calgary and blew a new hole in the ozone layer in early July. His band, Spearhead, has one of the finest drummers I have ever heard. But it is the energy blowing from the stage that is amazing. I hope the US elects a president he can respect in 2008 so he can be less political. I want him to go back to being the troubadour of the urban experience.

Then there was the Calgary Folk Music Festival. Four days of exploring the music of some very interesting musicians, although in blazing heat. Bought 9 CDs on site, a new record for me. They have preserved the essence of the weekend though.

The music at the Calgary International Blues Festival was great. The new site is tragically wrong though. Who wants to sit in a paved parking lot, no shade, fenced off from anything green?