John Weinzweig, 1913-2006 August 28, 2006
Posted by Dale in Music, Trombone.add a comment
On Thursday, August 24, we lost our “Dean of Canadian Composers”, as John Weinzweig was fondly called. Weinzweig was the first person in this country to pursue classical music composition as a career, and although there were many obstacles to overcome along the way, he successfully achieved his goal. His efforts, along with his teaching and his tireless advocacy for Canadian music, created an environment in Canada that allowed a whole new generation of Canadian composers to flourish. There are now close to 600 Associate Composers of the Canadian Music Centre, and few of those who studied here could say that they haven’t been influenced by Weinzweig in one way or another.
Weinzweig composed two works of note for trombone: “Riffs II” for solo trombone, written for Al Kay in 1991, and “Divertimento No. 5″ (1961) for solo trumpet, solo trombone and wind symphony. Visit my List of Canadian Compositions for Trombone for more details. I performed “Riffs II” a number of years ago in London, Ontario in a recital which Weinzweig attended, and at which his wife Helen gave a reading from her new book. It was a great pleasure to meet this wonderful couple, and a real thrill for me to perform John’s work in his presence.
I am sure there will be many performances of his works in the coming future, as people pay tribute to this great man. I hope that musicians and concert-goers alike will recognize the enormous contribution he made to music in Canada.
Adventure in St. Margaret’s Bay August 25, 2006
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I am staying with my friends Curtis Dietz and Gina Patterson in Hackett’s Cove, Nova Scotia, just outside of Halifax. Curtis and I are playing together tonight in a concert series in Mahone Bay. Last night I stayed in a tent on their wonderful waterfront property, and was lulled to sleep by the waves of St. Margaret’s Bay lapping against the shore. The sounds of deer munching on foliage woke me through the night, as did the sound of a seal’s bark, and various other critters, but it had no negative impact on the quality of my sleep. It was just so nice to feel so intimately connected to nature. This morning after breakfast, Curtis and I headed out into the bay in his zodiac, and went for a hike on Shut-In Island. The photo below was taken from the top of the island, looking east towards Peggy’s Cove. It was a great day to be out on the water. Nova Scotia has some spectacular scenery. It’s ridiculous, actually, how much time I spend here, and how little I’ve seen. I’ve really gotta get out more. And although today is not a day off for me (I won’t get one of those for a couple more weeks), the pleasure of today’s adventure had the same effect: I feel relaxed, renewed, and energized. Thanks, Curtis!
Speeding Trucks August 23, 2006
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One thing that makes me very nervous is big trucks that don’t obey the rules of the road. It’s one thing to be behind the wheel of a Honda Civic and go a little over the speed limit, but you’d think that if you were the driver of an 18-wheeler, carrying who-knows-how-many-tons of stuff, that you would be sensitive to your own potential for causing disaster. It’s not just speeding that bugs me, tailgating seems to be a favourite pastime too. I mean, how fast do they think that thing will come to a stop? I will say that there are a lot of really good drivers out there, and if you’re one, I salute you. As with any profession, there are good ones, and there are not-so-good ones. Sadly, it is the latter that people notice, and that can give a profession a bad name. Life is full of compromises – we all (6.5 billion of us) share the same air, the same water, the same roads. Next time you want to do your own thing, take a moment to think about how that may impact on other people. Is it really so important to get those Mini Bug Vacs to Wal-Mart by noon?
The Thrill of New Music August 14, 2006
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Last night my new music ensemble eklektikos gave a successful performance at UPEI. One of the criteria for determining the success of a new music concert is whether the audience outnumbers the performers, which makes last night all the more amazing since there were 12 of us performing! As the name of the group implies, we strive for an eclectic approach, both in instrumentation and in the style of music presented, and we try to make it fun for the audience as well. It can be difficult trying to arrange rehearsals with such a variety of people involved, and to even find repertoire in the first place, but it’s always worth the effort. Although it wasn’t specifically a Canadian concert, we ended up playing a lot of Canadian pieces (8 out of 11 in fact), I think due to the fact that the Canadian Music Centre is such a great resource for finding repertoire. Many of the pieces we played had not been heard by either us or the audience before, so it was an adventure for all of us. For me, this kind of experience is incredibly stimulating, and I never seem to tire of it. I just get so excited exploring new repertoire, discovering unknown gems, and then sharing that music with other curious and interested people. It’s even more thrilling to perform works that nobody has ever heard before, and last night we gave two World Premiere performances. For me, nothing else gets my creative juices flowing as much – it energizes me, and sustains me through the more mundane parts of life as a musician. What lies ahead for my group, and for music in general? I can’t wait to find out!
Happy Friendship Day! August 7, 2006
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Back in May I wrote about International Friendship Day (see “In Celebration of Friends”), and I just realized I forgot all about it. It was yesterday. All the same, yesterday did revolve around friends: In the afternoon I performed on a recital (billed as “The Musical Lowdown”) with bass trombonist Bob Nicholson (my brother-in-law), tubaist Greg Irvine (one of my former teachers), and pianist Fran Gray. It was a very enjoyable way to spend the afternoon. Then Bob and I headed straight to a family reunion party for one side of his (and my wife’s) family. We had a great time. So let’s see if I can remember the next one: August 5, 2007. And a belated Happy Friendship Day to you all!
Island Shine August 7, 2006
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Several years ago I came across a very fine Polish vodka (Luksusowa) that is actually made from potatoes – any other vodka I’ve ever seen is grain distilled. It gave me a great idea: PEI is renowned for its great potatoes – there couldn’t be a better place to start a company that makes potato vodka. And better yet, use organically grown potatoes for a truly premium product. Well, it seems someone else thinks the same way I do, and she’s beaten me to the punch. Cindy Burton has founded the Salty Dog Distillery and plans to produce three types of premium vodka using locally grown organic ingredients: “Island Shine” made from potatoes, “Canadian Maple Shine” from maple sap, and “Honey Shine”. It looks like Blueberry Shine and Cranberry Shine are in the works as well. To top it all off, Cindy plans to use Green Power to run the distillery, to work with local farmers in promoting sustainable farming practices, and to adopt a “no waste” process where all byproducts are used for something. Check out her website and see if you are as impressed as I am. Incidentally, Cindy is one of two Islanders selected to compete in the upcoming CBC reality TV show Dragons’ Den where entrepeneurs pitch their business idea to investors, and could walk away with all the money they need to make their idea a reality. Best of luck, Cindy! That’s one show I’ll be following with interest.
Creative Proposal August 3, 2006
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So last night at the show (Anne of Green Gables – The Musical) we were witnesses to one of the most creative marriage proposals I’ve ever encountered. At the end of the show, after the bows, Director of Guest Services Terry Stevenson came onstage and went through a ruse of drawing a seat number out of a hat to choose the winner of a prize. The winner came up on stage to receive her prize, but was first required to answer a couple of skill testing questions. After a couple of questions by Terry, the woman’s boyfriend then appeared on stage and asked her to marry him. Surprise! My first reaction was “Who does this guy think he is that he can hold a thousand people hostage while he creates his own 15 minutes of fame.” But Bob pointed out that it is good PR for the Centre, and based on the oohs and aahs and cheers by those in the audience, it would seem that many people are willing to sacrifice a few minutes of their day to be entertained by some guy’s narcissism in the name of Romance. So to all the single guys out there: Top that!
