Shortly after moving back to Toronto following my graduate studies in composition at McGill University in the late 1980s, I attended a concert by Hemispheres in the Great Hall at the Music Gallery, then located at Queen and Dovercourt. Bob Stevenson was one of the performers, playing the clarinet. I was intrigued by the ensemble’s sound—a large group bringing classical and jazz musicians together.
Some say April is the cruelest month, but in 2025 I think it was December, when The WholeNote DISCoveries lost two beloved members of the team. I’ll come back to my dear friend Daniel Foley at the end of this column, but for openers I want to talk about Raul Luiz D’Gama Rose, or Raul da Gama as I knew him, who passed at the age of 70 after a long and valiant struggle with cancer.
Raul was a celebrated poet who came from a distinguished musical family. He began his studies at Trinity Music College in London and went on to achieve a Masters’ degree in Romance Languages. He wrote for numerous publications, notably CODA and Downbeat magazines and allaboutjazz.com. He helped Danilo Navas develop latinjazz.net, Jazz Global Media and the worldmusicreport.com.
Raul joined the WholeNote team in the fall of 2015, contributing three reviews to Volume 21, Number 4 – Contact Contemporary Music, Kronos Quartet and jazz singer Andrea Superstein – giving us a hint of his eclectic tastes.
Since that time, he filed nearly 450 reviews of releases in every genre that we cover, showing a depth of knowledge and understanding in virtually every field. Raul was my go-to reviewer when I had something a little off the beaten track, but also for mainstream releases and standard repertoire. I could always count on him to file on time, no matter how many assignments I burdened him with, and to find something interesting and enlightened about each disc. These pages just won’t be the same without his insights and observations. I will miss him dearly.
I will end on a very sad note. My long-time friend and colleague Daniel Foley died in December at the age of 73. I worked with Daniel at New Music Concerts for my entire 20-year tenure there, and he was also a frequent contributor to these pages with 285 reviews published since the inaugural edition of DISCoveries back in July 2001. Daniel, best known here for his astute assessment of practically every Mahler recording to grace our pages in recent years, was an extremely talented, multi-faceted individual active as a composer, music copyist, graphic designer, webmaster, programme annotator and photographer. All of this came in handy at NMC, where he wore many hats. He also served as the tour coordinator for NMC’s trip to China as the invited resident ensemble for the Beijing International Composition Workshop in 2016. Many-faceted indeed!
As mentioned, Daniel was an exceptional Mahler scholar – he owned scores of all the symphonies, which he would consult while preparing his reviews – but he was also partial to the music of Richard Strauss and Edgard Varèse, Paul Hindemith, Ferruccio Busoni, Charles Koechlin, and the Second Viennese School of Arnold Schoenberg and company. He was very discerning in his tastes, and particular in his views. He would only accept an assignment if he could properly praise the performance, all the while insisting on mentioning any flaws or shortcomings he found. He was steadfast in his integrity.
As a composer Daniel wrote for a wide range of instruments and occasions, making important contributions to the repertoire of some otherwise neglected instruments including double bass, bass clarinet, accordion, organ and flute ensemble. I received a note of condolence from renowned accordionist Joseph Petric saying “Dan wrote the first work I ever commissioned on an OAC grant (1979) followed by four other small chamber works, all of them strategic and innovative contributions to the canon. His St. George Blues for viola (Doug Perry) and accordion is a masterwork.”
I also knew Daniel Foley as a dear friend. In honour of my 50th birthday he composed the piano trio Chanterelle dedicated to “le Trio Poulet,” so-called because my amateur ensemble would get together on Sunday afternoons to play trios in my living room while a chicken roasted in the kitchen for our dinner. Fond memories! I also had the pleasure of making music with Daniel himself at the piano, as we explored the music of Arvo Pärt (Spiegel im Spiegel) and Olivier Messiaen (Louange à l’Eternité de Jésus). These were real milestones in my development as a cellist, getting to know some favourite pieces from the inside out, and with his vast understanding, Daniel was a truly inspired guide on that voyage.
In a Facebook posting flutist Nancy Nourse shared “Truly upsetting news! This fall we at Flute Street were honoured to receive a wonderful surprise-- a new major composition, Concertiina, that Daniel Foley had just completed for us. We have it scheduled to perform next season, but it will be so sad, not to have him there in person to hear it. Yes, we must continue to keep his music in the air. RIP Daniel.” It’s a consolation to know there is still more of his music to come, and players who will keep the music alive.
I will not be alone in missing him. He leaves behind a whole community of friends and admirers, as well as a legacy of scores at the Canadian Music Centre.
BEECROFT, NORMA MARIAN: It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Norma Marian Beecroft in her 91st year, peacefully on Saturday, October 19, 2024. … A beloved Canadian composer, electronic music pioneer, and trailblazer in the world of modern music. Norma’s legacy will continue to resonate through her groundbreaking compositions, the artists she inspired, and the profound impact she had on Canadian music. Norma had an unwavering commitment to supporting young composers and musicians, many of whom cite her as a mentor and inspiration. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, November 16, 2024 … In lieu of flowers, donations to the Canadian Music Centre, (CMC) in memory of Norma Beecroft, would be especially appreciated by the family.
‘We can’t think about contemporary music in Canada without thinking of Norma Beecroft. With her passing this week at 90, we’re reminded how, in these moments, an artist becomes the sum of every chapter they’ve written. Norma was a true force in adventurous music …. She knew that detailed, artful compositions – lovingly crafted and meticulously performed – could unlock entirely new worlds for any audience.
Her innovative spirit continues to inspire, most especially in her pioneering work with electronic music, which she began exploring in the 1960s. There are captivating photos of her in her early 30s in the University of Toronto Electronic Music Studio surrounded by the seemingly magical equipment of the time, an exciting maze of buttons, knobs, and tangled wires. In 1967, this was cutting-edge technology—large machines that allowed composers to manipulate sound in ways never heard before, and a stark contrast to the sleek, digital tools we use today.
Sorry, but I’m going to have to skip over much of Toronto-born artist Michael Snow’s vast and diverse body of work, including milestone experimental films, sculptures, paintings, prints, photographs, holographs, slide projections, videos, books and recordings (78, LP, cassette, CD, streaming), among other media. While primarily highlighting his lesser-known career in live music, I’d be remiss if I didn’t first mention a few of his large scale Toronto public artworks.
