Prior to Saturday night’s concert of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM), Maestro Nagano humorously warned certain members of the audience they might want to block their ears as the OSM’s brass section had been augmented by 12 additional trumpets distributed in the balconies at the sides of and behind the stage. He also mentioned that the first piece to be performed, Leoš Janáček’s Sinfonietta, had not been played by the orchestra for quite some time.
It is a pity this work has not been heard more often. As mentioned in the program notes, Janáček drew his inspiration from a military-style fanfare he had heard in a park in Brno, and the work was offered to celebrate Czech independence gained following the end of WWI. The OSM gave a stirring performance whose detail and clarity blended perfectly with the numerous trumpets. All five of the brief movements showed the orchestra at its best, including the rousing conclusion. Read More
Fans of photography and of 20th century art have one last chance to view a spectacular exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa until Sunday, April 1st, 2012.
Made in America 1900-1950 features some 130 photographs of American masters such as by Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Clarence White, Paul Strand, Walker Evans, Margaret Bourke-White, Dorothea Lange, Berenice Abbott, Ansel Adams, Lisette Model, Weegee, and members of New York's Photo League.
The exhibit takes museum-goers through the two main tendencies in the development of photography during this period. On the one hand, there were those photographers who viewed the medium as another way to express images, shapes, forms and feelings. This is art for art’s sake, and in some of the photos displayed it is almost as if we are looking at black and white works by the impressionist painters themselves.
The other trend displayed is the documentary approach. These photographers were highly skilled and their images are imbued with great use of forms and placement of the subject matter, but there is an underlying message, often one of social commentary. And so there are many photos showing the disadvantaged as well as ordinary working people, children, cities and the country. But as we are reminded looking at one of images featured in the exhibit, Ansel Adam’s Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, the scenes presented to us on photographic paper are not necessarily free from manipulation even if the image is incredibly clear and detailed. Read More
It seems unlikely that Maestro Kent Nagano had the Oscars’ weekend in mind when he planned this season’s schedule for the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM). Nevertheless, there was measure of serendipity in the timing of the four sold-out concerts this week at the Maison Symphonique which included two works by Mozart so famously featured in the multiple Academy Award winning film Amadeus.
Although Amadeus was not mentioned anywhere in the program notes, the dramatic initial passages of Mozart's Symphony number 25, showcased in the opening sequences of Miloš Forman’s 1984 Best Picture, were familiar to almost everyone in the hall. Read More
The Gazette editorial “Quebec gives new meaning to the term ‘nanny state’ ” (June 3) makes many valid points contrasting freedom against the alarming trend toward excessive state intervention in almost every aspect of our lives.
This latest example of state intervention involves the imposition by secularists of their ideology by force of law so that the ability of parents to decide on the content of their own children’s daycare programs and activities will be severely curtailed.
For example, words such as “Christmas” and “Passover” will no longer be permitted to be uttered in hearing distance of toddlers’ sensitive ears. Read More
Some would argue that manners are a vestige from the past, and are not necessary in our modern, technology-driven world. I disagree. Manners are standards of social demeanour that exhibit one’s civility and decorum. They provide society with a code of unenforced yet accepted rules to promote communal harmony, and grant us a simple way to express respect towards each other. This courtesy is what separates humans from other members of the animal kingdom. Read More