Stravinsky – Pulcinella; Divertimento
Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Gustavo Gimeno
Harmonia Mundi HMM905384 (tso.ca/about/orchestra/pulcinella)

It was about time for the TSO to get a regular recording contract with a multinational label. French Harmonia Mundi is now releasing their second disc from the TSO conducted by Gustavo Gimeno.

The disc starts with the fairly rare Divertimento from The Fairy’s Kiss, Stravinsky’s balletic tribute to Tchaikovsky, a labour of love, mostly based on fragments from songs and piano pieces orchestrated to suggest the very essence of Tchaikovsky’s style, while maintaining a subtle Stravinskian presence. 

The orchestration of Pulcinella is far more spare and Neo-classical, providing the clarity and simplicity of combinations of basic colours. The tunes contain frequent ear-worms, largely gleaned from Paisilello and others, which are hard to get out of one’s head. This dynamic performance of the complete ballet features vocal soloists Isabel Leonard (mezzo-soprano), Paul Appleby (tenor), and Derek Welton (bass-baritone).

Canadian Kelly-Marie Murphy was commissioned by the TSO to write Curiosity, Genius and the search for Petula Clark to commemorate Glenn Gould, and the 70th anniversary of his debut as a teenager with the TSO. It was premiered by Peter Oundjian in 2017.  Although only 11 minutes in length it is packed with a myriad of brightly scored events, saturated with quicksilver fragments that course by with fierce speed in a stunning orchestral display.

Gimeno leads the orchestra with his usual precision and meticulous control. The sound is perfect to capture the slight resonance of the soundstage giving it a natural depth. The performances are meticulous but also affectionate. Pucinella is less mannered than fun.

This is a most auspicious release and is not to be missed by anyone who cares for this orchestra and their new conductor.

Rituæls
Collectif9
Analekta AN 955 (collectif9.ca/en/rituaels)

With the recent announcement that Rituæls has earned Collictif9 a 2025 JUNO Award nomination in the Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble) category, the intrepid ensemble may finally become celebrated for daring to go where proverbial “angels fear to tread.” Collectif9 sweeps into the musical continuum going back and forth in time stretching their distinctive interpretations of seminal repertoire as they do so. From the medieval ecstatic mystic Hildegard von Bingen through mid-20th century Neo-Romantic Michael Tippett, “Holy Minimalist” Arvo Pärt to musically omnivorous Bryce Dessner, and the  daring Canadians Nicole Lizée and Jocelyn Morlock, Collectif9 justifies the JUNO nomination.

On Rituæls Collectif9 explores the nature of connections, a voyage departing way back in time to arrive at some point in an elegant 21st century conservatoire. Yet somehow, to describe it as such might give the impression of overcooking, when in fact this is a masterpiece of subtlety.

The music floats gorgeously – from the opening Drone across the sound of von Bingen’s O vis æternitatis and Pärt’s Psalom, through to Dessner’s Tenebre – executed to perfection by the ensemble. The rich and unpredictable and eloquent musicality of the Canadians’ work – Lizée’s ethereal Another Living Soul and Morlock’s penitent Exaudi – add to the surprises, to every delicate curlicue of a bassline melody and close-knit ensemble passages which this extraordinary Canadian nonet executes to perfection.

For the Time, Being
Andy Haas
Resonant Music 019 (andyhaas.bandcamp.com/album/for-the-time-being)

Be ready for the unexpected: intense, at times blasting loud, unforgettable, disturbing, boundary-pushing avant guard jazz/improvised/composed music in this solo release by Canadian experimental saxophonist Andy Haas. 

After performing with Toronto’s Martha and the Muffins, Haas moved to New York City in 1984 where he collaborated with avant-garde musicians John Zorn, Marc Ribo and others. Here, four decades later, Haas controls self-generated tremolos, guitar pedals, extreme panning and manipulated vinyl LPs while playing saxophone to create unique, multi-layered sonic landscapes. Haas suggests listening on a good low-end response system to get the full effect.  

This is not noise; Haas has thought out his music well in these seldom heard frequencies. Opening (de)compose starts with repeated different pitch notes. Drama is created as the repeated notes get a little slower, then are separated by silences then back to repeats. Swells, drones, low grumbles, descending pitch effects, intriguing at times squeaky sax notes create a chaotic feel. The next tracks expand on these sonic ideas. But Still Madness has different higher sound colours with a sudden change to lower pitches. Clear sections with an unexpected louder crashing element add intensity midstream in the noisy A Strange Nothingness. Its louder closing effects add an unexpectedly reflective nature to the work.

Haas’ undefinable perplexing music is highlighted by low frequency machines and saxophone effects in this brilliant sound experiment. It may be difficult listening, but it’s well worth the effort!

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Voix Jetées
Paramirabo; Sarah Albu
ATMA ACD2 2887 (atmaclassique.com/produit/voix-jetees)

Not to wade into politics, but a movement has been afoot in early 2025 to “buy Canadian,” a citizenry reaction that is perhaps equal parts jingoism and an extended middle-finger to our neighbours to the south. And if such a nationalistic approach works for the purchase and consumption of beer and groceries, then why not for music too? As such, add Voix jetées by Montreal’s Ensemble Paramirabo to your list, as this excellent chamber music group serves up a compelling selection of largely contemporary Canadian classical pieces on its newest, and fifth, recording.

Under the fine artistic direction of flutist Jeffrey Stonehouse, Paramirabo’s six musicians (plus guest vocalist Sarah Albu on Keiko DeVeaux’s haunting L’écoute du perdu) traverse musically through five new pieces penned by a cohort of exciting young composers. While the specific compositional styles vary, of course, with avant-gardism (Nicole Lizée’s Music for Body-Without-Organs), chamber ensemble interplay, and the bio- or eco-musical “natural sounds” of whale cries (Jared Miller’s Leviathan) all represented beautifully, it is cohesive ensemble playing and an assured sense of musicianship that unite this terrific 2024 ATMA Classique release. Further, according to Stonehouse’s liner note comments, it is constructs of memory and the displacement of self that thematically cleave together the selection of pieces heard here, representing some of Ensemble Paramirabo’s most performed repertoire of the last five years. Good for Stonehouse and ATMA for immortalizing these sounds on this fine digital capture.

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Frank Horvat – Anatomy of the Recovering Brain
Kathryn Ladano
I Am Who I Am Records LTLP21 (iam-records.com/releases/anatomy-of-the-recovering-brain)

The story of Anatomy of the Recovering Brain began in the fall of 2020 when Kathryn Ladano was rear ended at a Toronto intersection. Although the impact was not physically rough, it changed her life in very major ways as she fought to keep teaching and recover from the trauma. Brain injuries can be extremely deceptive, showing little outward evidence of their effects, but internally one’s world is completely transformed with headaches, concentration problems and many other issues. In addition to teaching university music courses, Dr. Ladano was also Artistic Director of Kitchener-Waterloo’s contemporary music organization NUMUS. In 2021 composer Frank Horvat and Ladano “conceived the idea of creating a composition that would shine a light on the profound challenges of living with an acquired brain injury. At the time, even playing her instrument for five minutes caused severe pressure in her head, making the completion of this hour-long piece a remarkable achievement in her recovery.”

Anatomy of the Recovering Brain is an important and original work that brings together several “guest” musicians (Richard Burrows - vibraphone, Morgan Lovell - cello, Greg Turner - piano, Pam Patel - soprano) who complement the stories of Ladano and five other acquired brain injury survivors. The six ten-minute movements are named after the individuals (Kathryn, Russ, Paul, Melanie, Lucy, Jeffrey) and Ladano plays bass clarinet throughout over a moving palate of electronic sounds. The 60 minutes flow from one story to another: the bass clarinet and backing electronics are a constant throughout with the guest musicians supplying different timbres. Each person narrates their own story and their words mix with the acoustic and electronic sounds. I was fortunate enough to attend the premier of this work in Kitchener in June of 2023 where the event was attended by friends, musicians, politicians and individuals from the brain injury community. It was exciting that this work brought together so many people from different backgrounds and this recording should also reach beyond the traditional “new music” audience. Great thanks is owed to Horvat, Ladano and everyone else involved in this production. 

Christian Thomas – Dragon Pipa Concerto
Liu Fang; FILMharmonique Orchestra; Francis Choinière
GFN Productions (gfnproductions.ca/albums/pipa-concerto)

The pipa, a stringed instrument capable of a unique percussive sound that is beautiful and was previously unknown to me, is a plucked (as opposed to bowed) traditional Chinese instrument perhaps most analogous to that of the European lute. In the skilled hands of Liu Fang, the Chinese-born Montreal resident heard here on Christian Thomas’ Concerto for Pipa and Orchestra “Dragon,” the instrument is given a wide creative berth to be featured in front of a rich orchestral backdrop for impressive results. 

Recorded at Maison Symphonique in Montreal in September of 2024, Thomas’ four-movement concerto is handled with aplomb by Orchestre FILMharmonique under the direction of conductor Francis Choinière. A musical fusion in the truest sense of the word, here blending Eastern and Western musical styles and traditions, Thomas’ concerto musically charts the life cycle of a dragon from babe to matured Dragon Emperor as a celebration of 2024’s designation as Chinese Year of the Dragon. 

The recording, and subsequent live performances, also represents a celebration of the creativity (particularly when it comes to classical music) that is found and supported within Quebec. The project’s two principals, Fang and Thomas, both based out of La belle province, collaborate meaningfully together, demonstrating that creative purpose and artistic excellence can traverse country of origin, background, and cultural context. 

Finally, GFN Productions, the label on which this fine recording has been released is a Quebec-based production and promotion company formed in part by conductor Choinière, proves once again that creative genre-bending projects whose unifier is musical excellence will always find an audience and a home.

Vraiment plus de Snipettes!!!
Martin Tetrault
ambiences magnetiques AM 280 CD (actuellecd.com/en/album/6706-vraiment-plus-de-snipettes)

If ever there was an embodiment of organic music this would be it. Veteran improvisor, skilled turntablist and sound technician Martin Tétrault once again mines his collection of archival works to complete the third in a series beginning with Snippettes, Plus de Snippettes, and now Vraiment Plus de Snippettes!!!

The album is filled with gems and insights, and includes so many profound predictions it seems almost impossible that the source materials are entirely vintage. Tétrault’s immense skill in assembling his past works, mostly from cassette and reel-to-reel archival material, makes the album seem effortless, almost accidental, but that is a large part of his prowess as the truest form of his artistry is being able to make music from nearly anything. So many of the quoted texts seem to be evaluations of our current social and political climate (such as my favourite quote from track 9 “Because people who don’t know what they’re talking about are always against the issue.” And from track 11 “In short, what you are thinking is that, in the current climate, society is losing much more than it is gaining from its ostracism. Absolutely, not recognizing people as they are is always a loss for society.”) The tracks are each phantasmal in their montages of sources yet remain very direct in composition. They are united in brilliant uses of rhythm and texture as well cohesiveness throughout. 

As a whole the album flows as an extremely fun listen, a vintage cocktail of memorabilia (much of the technologies in the collections are no longer in use) but don’t hesitate to reach into the English translations of the French source texts if needed (included on the album’s website) to fully appreciate the dry wit and humour of the selections. In one sense, bring your party hat and enjoy Tétreault’s share of wonder and exploration; in another sense the album is deeply profound.

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Alexandre David – Photogrammes
Quatuor Bozzini; Plaisirs du clavecin; Orchestre de l’Agora
Collection Quatuor Bozzini CQB 2434 (collectionqb.bandcamp.com/album/alexandre-david-photogrammes)

What distinguishes the music on this disc – particularly the final work, Photogrammes – is the manner in which music is created by applying dramatically a new, decidedly spectral, musical chromatograph (à la Gérard Grisey) of colours and tone textures. This is evidence of the highly fecund intellect of composer Alexandre David. Lest this idea of “musical chromatography” makes this sound as if the music were expelled from the innards of a machine, it should be made eminently clear that conventional acoustic instruments have been used to make this striking music.  

Spectacularly, David has emerged from the tradition like a man with a resonant hallelujah and a dramatic epiphany. All the conventional tools of music are clearly present here – melody, harmony, rhythm – complete with surprising tempi, startlingly moody accelerando and ritardando, the lot. 

However, what is notable about David’s music is that gone are the melodic, structural and harmonic hooks that have been expressively blunted through overuse. David has tossed all of this dross overboard, rebuilding his music from what might – or mightn’t – be left.

Nanimissuat Île-tonnerre – with text by the Innu poet Natasha Kanapé Fontaine and throat-singing melded into the chorale – is the most riveting moment on the disc. This is not easy music to nail. But Orchestre de l’Agora, with Nicolas Ellis conducting, shepherds these crack musicians through David’s masterly opuses realising his ideas faithfully, without compromising his sound-world.

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Almost As Soft As Silence
Christopher Whitley (solo violin, free improvisation)
Independent (christopherwhitley.bandcamp.com/album/almost-as-soft-as-silence)

Is there a perfect composition to showcase one of the finest violins in the world? Violinist Christopher Whitley was inspired to record some free expressions with his 1770 Taft Stradivarius violin (on generous loan at the time from the Canada Council Instrument Bank) for a shorter, 30-minute disc of what could best be described as love poems to the violin. Recorded in one single take, unedited, each miniature composition reflects the relationship between the violinist and his prized loan and the resonance of the St. Stephens church in Belvedere, CA. Whitley, a stunningly versatile performer with everything from classical, new music, improvisation, jazz, folk and rock in his skill set, takes a breather to play freely, thoughtfully, and authentically, allowing the instrument to sparkle unadorned. Whitley chooses to record the miniature compositions in single takes, one leading to the other almost as gestures. The title track almost as soft as silence is a mere sparkle at 15 seconds long, whereas the others such as seven and a5 b5 g5 range between two to four minutes of divine simplicity, allowing the instrument to breathe, and capturing the essence of both artists – the player and the maker. The album recording was videotaped and is available on YouTube, but I found listening was even better on its own.

This album was perfect scoring for the snowstorm raging outside my window; wind sweeping in gestural gusts kept perfect pace with the sonic explorations. Less about technical wizardry and more about a duet between player and instrument, in a sense it felt more like being back at the beginning of the life of the 1700 Stradivarius. Without the clutter of pyrotechnics or dramatic composition, we have an intimate and pure setting to enjoy the offering, like fine morsels of cheese without the bread.

Fluid Dynamics
Rachel Lee Priday; David Kaplan
Orchid Classics ORC100323 (orchidclassics.com/releases/orc100323-fluid-dynamics)

What strikes me the most about this album is the sheer beauty of the music. Flowing, poetic, immeasurable, visceral and cinematographic, the music is an alluring ode to what lies deep within. The collaborative musical/visual project of violinist Rachel Lee Priday, oceanographer Georgy Manucharayan and six contemporary composers is beaming with imagination and curiosity. Manucharayan’s job includes studying the motion of the oceans and the reasons for it, and in the process he makes experimental videos of these fluid dynamics, using classical music to amplify the movements. It is out of his work that the idea arose to pair the commissioned pieces with selected videos, resulting in a stunning project whose depth is best experienced in live performances.

Rachel Lee Priday’s playing is captivating and intense. Virtuosic, with clear direction, and the imagination and sonority of an exceptional artist, Priday reflects the dance of the ocean effortlessly and naturally. All but one of the compositions are written for solo violin and require an exceptional amount of stamina and energy in performance. Four are commissioned for this project while the remaining three are earlier commissions by Priday.

The album opens with Gabrielle Smith’s Entangled on a Rotating Planet, a wild, energetic, mesmerizing piece. Waterworks by Paul Wiancko, inspired by the energy of a whirling red vortex, brings in a masculine, rhythmical pulse. Convection Loops by Cristina Spinei and Three Suns by Timo Andres are consummately poetic; witnesses to the vastness and colours of the oceans. In addition to two lovely compositions by Leilehua Lanzilotti, ko’inoa and to speak in a forgotten language, the last piece on the album, Violin Sonata by Christopher Cerrone, featuring David Kaplan on piano, is an edgy expedition into a sonic palette.

sedgeflowers MANTRA
HereNowHear
False Azure Records FAR no.2 (falseazurerecords.com/2024/12/06/no-2-sedgeflowers-mantra)

Aleatory approaches to art, where chance and randomness play a central role in determining the outcome and direction of an object (material, musical or otherwise), is a 20th-century creative technique that found legs in literature (the cut-up technique of William S. Burroughs and John Lennon), as well as music (perhaps most famously associated with John Cage’s Music of Changes). Said technique is also associated with the German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. Often, however, his work utilizing this method is overshadowed by his seminal electronic compositions (Studie I and Studie II) that have made a more pervasive cultural impact, influencing everyone from Aphex Twin, Thurston Moore and Sonic Youth, Miles Davis, Frank Zappa and the Grateful Dead. 

What is sometimes lost in the application of the labels “controversial,” “modernistic” and “groundbreaking,” that are so often attached to Stockhausen’s output, is the fact that many of his pieces are also beautiful, accessible and imminently listenable. This is particularly so when performed by the talented young piano duo of American Ryan MacEvoy McCullough and Canadian Andrew Zhou. Recording for False Azure Records at various points between 2018 and 2022, this newly released album pairs Stockhausen’s famous 1970 Mantra (which utilizes a 13-note tone-row) with two new “companion” compositions by John Liberatore and Christopher Stark, for a satisfying listening experience. 

With McCullough and Zhou doing double-duty on both piano and various cymbals and hand percussion instruments, this beautifully recorded and mixed double-CD offers a welcome introduction for anyone interested in the music of Stockhausen, or in the exciting new talents of these fine pianists. 

Edward Smaldone – What no one else sees…
Brno Philharmonic; Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Opus Zoo Woodwind Quintet
New Focus Recordings FCR425 (newfocusrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/what-no-one-else-sees)

By calling his 2024 disc What No One Else Sees… Edward Smaldone was not telling us (unless you read between the lines of his booklet notes) that he was a musical omnivore. But that’s exactly what he comes across as. Every important musical dialect today collides in his music. 

According to his Bandcamp page “Smaldone blends influences from the worlds of twelve tone music, jazz, and extramusical realms like architecture and poetry to write attractive, sophisticated works that highlight his penchant for vibrant orchestrations and instrumental virtuosity.” 

If that introduction hasn’t piqued your interest in listening to Smaldone’s music, nothing may move you to. You would, of course, be missing out on something exquisitely different: a volcanic mix of “Bebop… jazz harmony, improvisation” and myriad idioms from classical music. 

You would also miss out on Prentendo Fuoco, and pianist Niklas Sivelöv’s incendiary solo, with the Brno Philharmonic responding in kind, plus three other remarkable works. The ghosts of Charlie Parker, Ravel, Ligeti and Boulez all surface on this disc. 

Even if Smaldone hasn’t read De Andrade, his artistic “cannibalism” may have helped shape the burgeoning career of a unique musical omnivore.

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Horizon Song
Scott Grant 5
Cellar Music CMR221123 (scottgrant5.bandcamp.com/album/horizon-song)

Horizon Song by the Scott / Grant 5 offers tasty twists to a detail-oriented listener, while being palatable and polite enough to put on over dinner. A friend described a track they’d heard on the radio as “smooth,” but this was a positive nod to the group dynamic rather than an accusation of innocuousness. 

The album is right at home within the Cellar Music Group catalog, and with excellent casting. Scott and Grant are guitarist Andrew Scott and trombonist Kelsley Grant, with Amanda Tosoff, Neil Swainson and Terry Clarke rounding out the quintet. This rhythm section gives Horizon Song’s nine tracks the ample swing and groove they require, while sounding current and interactive enough to appeal to a contemporary audience. This might just be the through-line of the album: embracing classic aesthetics, but never trapped in a time capsule. 

All of Horizon Song’s tracks are originals, with Scott penning seven tunes and Grant contributing two beautiful waltzes. The tracks go together seamlessly and feature each member of the quintet. The album’s title track might just be the aforementioned “smooth” sounding piece, and there’s plenty of contrast from the snappy Punctuality to the groovy The Problems of Your Future.  

Scott breaks up his guitar sound with nylon-strings on a few tracks, and Tosoff doubles on electric keyboard, all captured beautifully at the Gordon Wragg Recording Studio in Toronto. I have critiqued an album or two from this studio for sounding “cold” while precise, but there is grit and warmth to Horizon Song that brings to mind recordings from the 60s and 70s. Whatever your usual listening tendencies, you’ll find something here to enjoy.

Live! In Harmony
Samuel Bonnet Trio
Divertissement Mercier (samuelbonnetguitar.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-harmony)

Samuel Bonnet is a jazz guitarist currently living in Montreal. Born in Israel, he studied classical and jazz guitar in France, graduating in musicology at the University of Paris. In 2009 he moved to Montreal to study classical guitar. Bonnet’s unique jazz sound relies on using a nylon stringed classical guitar amplified to produce a rich and nuanced sound. Jazz has a history of including classical guitar: for example in the bossa nova tunes of Carlos Jobim and the legendary New York guitarist Gene Bertoncini who, decades ago, studied classical guitar to reinvent his jazz playing.

Live! In Harmony is Bonnet’s second trio recording and the performances are from the Jazz Room (Waterloo, ON) and Rucher de Bolton (Quebec). This album shows jazz at its essential elements: a clean amplified acoustic guitar, upright bass (Jonathan-Guillaume Boudreau) and drums (Simon Bergeron) playing unique arrangements of eight standards. All the arrangements are thoughtful and original. For example, the Nardis cover is quite beautiful beginning with a swishing drum intro which introduces the delicate guitar melody, where Bonnet throws in a few harmonics, and includes a contrapuntal interplay with the bass. The audience’s applause on all tracks adds to a sense of immediacy. The trio’s performances of these and other tunes can also be found on Bonnet’s YouTube Channel.

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Particules Sonores
Alain Bedard Auguste Quartet
Effendi FND174 (alainbedardauguste.com)

For the nearly 20 years, in six albums and numerous tours that have taken this ensemble throughout the globe, Alain Bédard and his storied Auguste Quartet have been considered one of Canada’s most prestigious quartets. Now, with their latest release, the ensemble helmed by bassist/composer Bédard explores the nature of particle physics and music. The compositions have been penned by quartet members Bédard, Marie Fatima Rudolph and Michel Lambert The quartet is comprised of these stellar, primarily Quebec-based musicians, along with Mario Allard on saxophones. 

There are ten envelope-pushing tracks here, all at once challenging, innovating and thrilling, including Bédard’s inveigling Profumo Chaneleone. It features a visceral, facile piano solo from Rudolf and superb drumming from Lambert, while Bédard’s solid bass lines anchor what chooses to be anchored and propels the rest through this complex, modal composition. Also, Lambert’s A Goose Story captures both the delight and horror of fairy tales, incising us with percussive arrows and mesmerizing us with his dynamic percussion. 

Another delight is the light-hearted Il Cappello de mia Sorella (My Sister’s Hat), which steps out of the stratosphere for a bit, bringing us a thoroughly lovely track, filled with the highest possible musicianship. Celestes (adapted by Bédard) deep dives into bebop heaven, replete with a ridiculous tenor solo from Allard and another dose of stirring piano from Rudolf. The closer, Bis du Gras Mollet  (Bédard) is another example of divine quantum entanglement and the power of music-driven sound particles to communicate, calm, thrill and amaze within the organized chaos of jazz.