Niagara Symphony set to start the New Year musically

So here we are, into the final weekend of January, 2009 already! Where does the time go? At least the days are getting longer, so there is light at the end of that proverbial tunnel we are in known as winter in Canada. And like a sleeping bear awakening from a hibernation nap, the Niagara Symphony readies itself for the first concert of the new year on Sunday afternoon at the Marilyn I. Walker Centre for the Performing Arts at Brock University.

This will be the first Masters concert of the new year, and promises to be a good one, too. Titled Postcards From The Sky, the title of the concert is also the title of the first work on the program, written by Marjan Mozetich, whose music the Symphony played last season as well. This piece is on a disc from CBC Records featuring all Mozetich compositions titled Affairs of the Heart, and is available through my website, A Web of Fine Music, found at www.finemusic.ca. Also on the program is the Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37 by Beethoven, with featured soloist Stephan Sylvestre. I always enjoy hearing the Beethoven piano concertos, and in fact a brand new recording of all five is now available on three discs from EMI Classics featuring the young piano virtuoso Evgeny Kissin along with Sir Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. It is readily available through A Web of Fine Music as well. Rounding out the programme will be the Symphony No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 55 by Camille Saint-Saens, and that promises to be an interesting conclusion to the afternoon's performance.

Once again a guest conductor will take the podium, as is the case with most every concert this season with the departure last summer of Music Director Daniel Swift. For this concert, Rosemary Thomson returns to conduct the Niagara Symphony. Years ago, Rosemary recorded a CD titled Continuum, which is a collection of contemporary works by various Canadian composers, performed by a chamber ensemble conducted by Thomson. I just happen to have a few copies of the recording on hand for the concert, and I will have them available at the table in the lobby before, at intermission and after the Sunday afternoon concert.

Tickets are still available for the peformance, by calling the Brock box office at (905) 688-5550, ext. 3257. And if you go, be sure to stop and say hello in the lobby!

Just before wrapping up the entry for today, I want to offer a thank you to Karena Walter and Tiffany Mayer of the St. Catharines Standard, who wrote about me and my business, A Web of Fine Music, in their Search Engine feature, part of the Diversions section of this Saturday's Standard. I heard from Karena a couple of weeks ago, as an enquiry came in to them asking about the whereabouts of Downtown Fine Music, which used to be located on St. Paul Street before it closed in 2003. I was happy to supply the required information, and even more glad to see the entry in today's paper. Thanks Karena and Tiffany, and by the way, the Search Engine feature just happens to be my favourite part of the Saturday Standard and the first part I read every Saturday!

January 24th, 2009.