What Has Happened to Post-Christian Canada?

A dozen years ago, I was sitting in a suburban Vancouver church on a Saturday afternoon, waiting for my young sons’ piano recital to start. I looked around the rented facility, new to me, and noticed an impressionistic painting of the crucifixion toward the front of the sanctuary.

British Piano Music

KENNETH LEIGHTON: Sonatinas Nos. 1 and 2, op.1; Sonata No.1 op.2; Sonata No.2 op.17; Five Studies op.22; Fantasia Contrappuntistica (Homage to Bach) op.24; Variations op.30; Nine Variations op.36; Pieces for Angela op.47; Conflicts (Fantasy on Two Themes) op.51; Six Studies (Study-Variations) op.56; Sonata (1972) op.64; Household Pets op.86; Four Romantic Pieces op.95; Jack-in-the-Box; Study; Lazy-bones. Angela Brownridge (pno). Delphian DCD 34301-3 (3-CD set).PATRICK PIGGOTT: Fantasia quasi una Sonata; 8 Preludes and a Postlude (Third Set). Second Piano Sonata. Malcolm Binns (pno). British Music Society BMS 430CD.SORABJI: Fantasia ispanica. Jonathan Powell (pno). Altarus AIR-CD-9084.ROWLEY: Concerto for piano, strings and percussion, op.49. DARNTON: Concertino for piano and string orchestra. GERHARD: Concerto for piano and strings. FERGUSON: Concerto for piano and string orchestra, op.12. Peter Donohoe (pno and c.), Northern Sinfonia. Naxos 8.557290.Severnside Composers’ Alliance Inaugural Piano Recital. GEOFFREY SELF: Sonatina 1. IVOR GURNEY:Preludes, Sets 1, 2 and 3. JOLYON LAYCOCK: L’Abri Pataud. RICHARD BERNARD: On Erin Shore. STEVEN KINGS: Fingers Pointing to the Moon. SUSAN COPPARD: Round and Around. JOHN PITTS: Aire 1; Fantasies 1, 5. JAMES PATTEN: Nocturnes 3, 4. SULYEN CARADON: Dorian Dirge. RAYMOND WARREN: Monody; Chaconne. Peter Jacobs (pno). Live recording, 23 February 2005. Dunelm DRD0238.Severnside Composers’ Alliance – A Recital by two pianists. MARTINŮ: Three Czech Dances. BEDFORD: Hoquetus David. JOHN PITTS: Changes. HOLLOWAY: Gilded Goldbergs Suite. JOLYON LAYCOCK: Die! A1 Sparrow. POULENC: Élégie. LUTOSLAWSKI: Paganini Variations. Steven Kings, Christopher Northam (pnos). Live recording, 14 May 2005. Dunelm DRD0243.‘Transcendent Journey’. FOULDS: Gandharva-Music, op.49; April-England, op.48 no.1. CORIGLIANO: Fantasia on an Ostinato. PROKOFIEV: Toccata, op.11. With works by BACH-CHUQUISENGO, HANDEL, BEETHOVENLISZT, BACH-BUSONI, SCHUMANN. Juan José Chuquisengo (pno). Sony SK 93829.

London, Trinity College: Roger Smalley at 60

In the mid-1960s Roger Smalley was a leading exponent of the music of Stockhausen (whose student he became). But except for his own performance of Klavierstück IX (at his piano recital which I did not hear) this early influence was hardly to be felt in the 60th birthday celebrations hosted by Trinity College of Music, London in May. Under the overall artistic direction of Douglas Finch, a series of concerts and recitals presented a cross-section of work from the past two decades.