CBC Radio: Commissions

So you want to write a fugue?

It’s a question Glenn Gould asked, and answered back in 1963.

More recently, CBC senior producer Neil Crory decided to revisit the idea for a very special concert held at the Glenn Gould Studio on what would have been Gould’s 75th birthday, September 25, 2007.

Program

Ka Nin Chan, Toronto Lydia Wong
[A Fantasia and Fugue]

Malcolm Forsyth, Edmonton Peter Tiefenbach
[Preludio e Fuga sul nome di Glenn Gould]

Stewart Goodyear, Toronto Stewart Goodyear
[Prelude and Fugue]

Gary Kulesha, Toronto Andrew Burashko
[Fugue and Postlude]

Andrew P. Macdonald, Sherbrooke Robert Kortgard
[Toccata e fuga in memoriam Glenn Gould]

Diana McIntosh, Winnipeg Stephen Clarke
[A Mir Prelude and Fugue, with an oblique reference to space]

Jocelyn Morlock, Vancouver David Swan
[Prelude and Fugue]

André Ristick, Montreal Gregory Oh
[Prélude et Fugue]

Heather Schmidt, Toronto Heather Schmidt
[Twelve for Ten (Prelude-Fugue to Glenn Gould)]

Ana Sokolovic, Montreal Christina Petrowska-Quilico
[prelude and fugue for gg]

In searching for a way in which CBC Radio 2 could pay tribute to pianist Glenn Gould during this celebratory anniversary year, I was reminded of the means by which composers throughout history have honoured the memory of Johann Sebastian Bach - the composer most associated with Glenn Gould. Composers from Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt and Max Reger to Hanns Eisler, Walter Piston and Nino Rota have all celebrated Bach's genius with works based upon the letters of his name: B-A-C-H (NOTE: in German B = B flat and H = B natural). In this spirit, CBC Radio 2 has commissioned ten composers, from coast to coast, each to write a prelude and fugue based upon the available letters in Glenn Gould's name (G-E-G-D) for performance and broadcast from Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto on what would have been the pianist's 75th birthday: September 25, 2007.

-NEIL CRORY, Senior Music Producer

Art of Time Ensemble

Toronto's Art of Time Ensemble recently presented music inspired by the 19th century songwriter and composer Franz Peter Schubert.

Here's an example of one of the pieces commissioned by CBC Radio and performed by Martin Tielli.

The House With the Laughing Windows (runs 4:45)

The East Coast World Music Summit

One of the Highlights of the East Coast Music Awards in Halifax was "The East Coast World Music Summit" a concert that showcased the remarkable diversity of music available in that region. The concert featured an eclectic blend of east coast musicians including Scott Macmillan, Daniel Heikalo, Asif Illyas, Tom Easley, Chris Church, John Spearns, Cathy Porter, Glenn Coolen, Saeed Foroughi, Mark Currie, Mehdi Koushesh, Dinuk Wijeratne and Ian MacMillan. Many of the works performed on this show were commissioned by the CBC especially for this group and this performance.

Wonsthru composed by Glen Coolen (runs 5:29)

Bridge Over the Oceans composed by Saeed Foroughi (runs 7:34)

K'Gari composed by Asif Illyas (runs 6:14)

Fire in the Sky composed by Chris Church (runs 8:00)

Audio files use Windows Media Player

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