Some Sound Advice for Music Lovers: Impressionism in Music
Starting on October 17, Toronto Public Library welcomes renowned classical music journalist and educator Rick Phillips to the Bloor/Gladstone branch where he will deliver the first of a three-part lecture series, Impressionism in Music.
Rick Phillips, who many people in this country listened to on CBC radio for decades, continues to guide music lovers through classical music, teaching people how to listen and what to listen to. He's a reviewer, lecturer, journalist and even a tour guide. In January 2014, he will be leading tours to the Salzburg Mozart Woche 2014 and in June 2014, to Leipzig for the International Bach Festival. It is difficult to think of a more wonderful way to see Europe.
But Torontonians need only hop on the subway to hear Rick Phillips speaking about music this fall. And it is all completely free of charge. Only at the library!
Impressionism in Music will explore the ways in which it was influenced by the late 19th century French movement in painting by Monet,
Cezanne and Renoir. Looking at the music of Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and others, Rick Phillips will explain the new, subtle forms of
music that were meant to appeal more to the senses than to the mind.For a taste of this beautiful and complex music, just listen to Alfred Cortot playing Debussy' s Préludes.
The library of course has many books about Debussey and Ravel. We also have scores of all kinds, which may be borrowed from at Toronto Reference Library. This is a link to works by Debussy and for works by Ravel just click on the score on the left of this page. You can also listen to many hundreds of recordings of both composers' music on the Naxos label–the library has the entire catalogue on line.This, too, is completely free.
In December, Phillips brings us a second series of talks on another composer, Antonio Vivaldi. Entitled The Unknown Vivaldi, the series will take listeners beyond The Four Seasons with an excursion into the vast and unfortunately less well-known body of work by this composer, who was a musical genius. The series begins at Palmerston on December 3.
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