MUSIC APPRECIATION COURSES
WITH INSTRUCTOR DON ANDERSON
2012 – 2013 SEASON
Co-presented by the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts

GLENN GOULD, GENIUS

“No doubt about it; that nut’s a genius.” – conductor George Szell
Celebrate the 80th anniversary of Canada’s greatest gift to classical music with this extraordinary course! Through a wide-ranging selection of CDs and DVDs, it explores the many pursuits that made up Glenn Gould’s incredible genius: keyboard soloist (piano, harpsichord, organ), recording artist, documentarian, writer, speaker, philosopher, composer, conductor, comedian.

Daytime Course
Tuesdays, Oct. 2 – Oct. 30
10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Evening course
Wednesdays, Oct. 3 – Oct. 31
6:30 – 8:30 pm
FEE: $75 (5 weeks)

LEGENDARY MUSICIANS II

Celebrate the timeless artistry of more musicians whose brilliant virtuosity and profound humanity made them legends in their fields! Through audio recordings, concert and documentary films, Don Anderson examines the music-making and the personalities of violinist Jascha Heifetz, cellist/conductor Mstislav Rostropovich (two sessions), the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and conductor/composer/pianist/author/teacher Leonard Bernstein (two sessions).

Two years ago, the first Legendary Musicians course drew rave reviews, such as:
The best course yet – incredible insight into very special talents.
This course was heaven – it brought me to tears of joy and sorrow.

Don’t miss this one!

Evening course
Mondays, Nov. 5 – Dec. 10
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Daytime Course
Tuesdays, Nov. 6 – Dec. 11
10:30 am – 12:30 pm

FEE: $90 (6 weeks)

CHORAL CLASSICS

The massed voices of a chorus make a sound like nothing else, and this absorbing course surveys the full history of this glorious medium. It presents a wide range of music from many lands for mixed, male, female, and children’s choruses, and covers the development of choral music from Gregorian Chant to beautiful recent works by composers such as Arvo Pärt. It includes complete DVD performances of a Bach cantata, Haydn’s oratorio The Creation, Verdi’s Requiem (featuring Luciano Pavarotti), and Carmina Burana by Orff.

Evening course
Mondays, April 8 – May 13
6:30 – 8:30 pm

Daytime Course
Tuesdays, April 9 – May 14
10:30 am – 12:30 pm

FEE: $90 (6 weeks)

All courses are held at the Millennium Library, 251 Donald St.
Buchwald Room, second floor
To enrol or for more information, call the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts at 204 943 6090 or email info@mcma.ca.
Please note that contents, fees, dates and locations are subject to change.

Master filmmaker Tony Palmer’s two new films, Gustav Holst: In the Bleak Midwinter, and The Wagner Family, are now available on DVD.
In the tradition of his other magnificent biographies of major British composers (Britten, Walton, Vaughan Williams), the Holst film offers a dazzling and deeply moving portrait of a fascinating musical genius.
A marvellous, epic film. – The Sunday Telegraph
Magnificent and mesmerising…a seamless blend of beautiful photography, penetrating insight and sublime music.
- The Times
Overwhelming, stunning…passionate and moving. – The Independent
Reviews for The Wagner Family:
An extraordinary achievement. A superb piece of work. – Barry Millington, Evening Standard
A storming curtain-raiser. Palmer casts narrative convention to the wind, instead immersing us immediately in the bewildering genealogy of the Wagners. It’s an astonishing tale which Palmer tells with all his usual brilliance.
- Gabriel Tate, Time Out
You can order both films at: http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk

I’m delighted that the recently completed Legendary Musicians course at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts earned high marks from the class members. They rated it at 89% “excellent” for overall impression, and 93% “excellent” for me personally. My sincere thanks to you all. Here are some samples from the students’ comments.

The best course yet – incredible insight into very special talents.
The best course you’ve ever done!!
Most enjoyable: To my surprise, the thing I enjoyed the most was the generous visuals, but even then I never wanted any of the sessions to end. With Don Anderson we are in superior hands. It seems to me I am surrounded by musically knowledgeable people, but for me this course was heaven – it brought me to tears of joy and sorrow.
I’ve taken a number of these music appreciation courses with Don. This one was the most engaging and entertaining to date. Loved the Pavarotti films and music!
Don does such a wonderful job of presenting the course material that I can’t think of a single thing that could be improved upon. I come to all of Don’s courses and I have never been disappointed in any way. I continue to be amazed at how knowledgeable he is and how thoroughly he researches his material. Tuesday mornings are the highlight of my week!
Excellent – Don’s presentation is absolutely first-rate in all that he offers. Please keep these valuable series going. We are indeed fortunate to have Don Anderson here in Winnipeg. All his courses are extremely informative and stimulating in our musical lives.
Don has continually presented superb programs. Each one is extremely well planned and executed. Don is very knowledgeable and goes to a lot of trouble to present a wonderful program. He has certainly expanded our knowledge and appreciation of the world of music.

Watch for another Legendary Musicians course during the 2012-2013 season!

Journey to two of the world’s most musical cities – with Don Anderson as your musical host! In partnership with Continental Travel, the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts offers a fabulous trip to Vienna, the gorgeous, charming city where Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, the Strauss family and Mahler lived and worked. You’ll also visit Salzburg, where Mozart was born, and The Sound of Music was filmed.

Highlights include the glories of cathedrals, imperial residences, museums, galleries, composers’ homes, lunch in the Vienna countryside, a day-trip to Eisenstadt to visit the spectacular palace where Joseph Haydn lived and worked – and much, much more! Don has chosen many of the activities himself, based on personal experience. He will enrich your experience through daily illustrated talks on the musical histories of the cities and their composers, and will be available to answer all your musical questions. Expert local guides will lead the field trips, and you’ll have free time to explore the cities on your own.

Tour dates: May 12-23, 2011
Tour cost: $3999.00 Canadian funds, based on double occupancy.
Single supplement: $763.00

Price includes:
- round trip air fare Winnipeg/Vienna
- 10 nights accommodation in first-class, four-star hotels
- hotel taxes and service charges
- English-speaking guide throughout
- porterage of one bag at hotels/airports
- nine buffet breakfasts/three lunches/two dinners
- entrance fees as outlined in the itinerary
- deluxe motor coach for transfers and excursions
- daily, illustrated morning presentations by Don Anderson, covering the musical history of Vienna and Salzburg
- ticket for Johann Strauss’s operetta Die Fledermaus at the Vienna Volksoper
- $100 donation to the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts
Not included:
- airport taxes $375 (taxes are subject to change)
- gratuities to guides/drivers/restaurants
- meals, excursions and other events not specified in itinerary
- beverages during meals unless indicated
- items of a personal nature
- cancellation and/or medical insurance

For further information (including a full itinerary), and to make your bookings, please contact Charlene Underhill at Continental Travel.
Call 989 9642 or email charlene@continentaltrav.com

I’m delighted to tell you that I have a new client! The Toronto Summer Music Festival will be presenting its fifth season of concerts, coaching sessions and master classes from July 19 to August 14. The concerts have been expertly programmed under the artistic directorship of the widely experienced conductor, Agnes Grossmannn, and they feature many superlative international artists. I will be writing copy for the festival’s season brochure, and other marketing materials. Full details of the festival will be available on its website (www.torontosummermusic.com) on April 1. I will also be giving a pre-concert talk, illustrated with recorded musical examples, on Tuesday August 3 at 6:45 pm, in Walter Hall on the University of Toronto campus. In support of the recital that master pianist Andre Laplante will be giving at 8:00 pm that same evening, the subject is Beyond Patriotism: How Chopin and Liszt Transcended the Limitations of Nationalism. If you’re in Toronto that night, I’d be very happy to see you there!

Please join me this Sunday, February 7, for a pre-concert chat sponsored by the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. My special guests will be two gifted and eloquent composers, Jim Hiscott and David Scott. We’ll be talking about their fascinating new pieces that will be performed at the next MCO concert. Your questions will be welcome, too. That’s at 2:00 pm Sunday at McNally Robsinson Booksellers, in the Grant Park Shopping Centre.

I regret to announce that the string quartet course at the University of Winnipeg has been cancelled. My apologies to all of you who expressed an interest in it. Maybe it will come back to life again one day!

Due to last week’s blizzard, the first evening session of the French opera course was postponed until tonight, Feb. 1. The remainder of the course will follow in weekly instalments and will conclude on March 15, one week later than originally planned. The evening screening of The Tales of Hoffmann will take place as scheduled, on Tuesday Feb. 9 at 6:45 pm, and there will still not be a class on Feb. 15.

Melody, beauty, colour – that’s French opera! Don’s next course at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts explores three centuries’ worth of this magnificent art form. And it gets under way in just a few days’ time. You’ll enjoy recorded selections from more than 40 French operas, all the way from the Baroque splendours of Rameau, through the spectacular grand operas of Meyerbeer, Rossini and Spontini; the melodious, exotic operas of Gounod, Massenet and Delibes; the dreamy impressionist world of Debussy; and the cheeky comedies of Ravel and Poulenc. Featured singers range from such contemporary greats as Renee Fleming, Ben Heppner and Samuel Ramey, to “golden age” artists such as Joan Sutherland, Jussi Bjorling and Marilyn Horne. Video highlights include more than an hour’s worth of Bizet’s Carmen, and a complete production of Ravel’s delightful one-act fairy tale, L’Enfant et les sortileges (The Child and the Magic Spells).

Evening Course
Six Mondays, January 25 to March 8, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm (No class February 15)
Daytime Course
Six Tuesdays, January 26 to March 9, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm (No class February 16)

Bonus film screening:
The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)
The brilliant film makers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (the creators of the classic ballet film, The Red Shoes) transformed Jacques Offenbach’s grand opera into a phantasmagorical opera/ballet bursting with gorgeous, Oscar-nominated Technicolor imagery. Legendary dancers Moira Shearer, Robert Helpmann and Léonide Massine perform the choreography of Sir Frederick Ashton, to a soundtrack conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham.
Two screenings: Tuesday, February 9, 1:00 pm to 3:15 pm & 6:45 pm to 9:00 pm

FEE: $80/$70 for members of Creative Retirement and students of the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts.
To enrol or for more information, call the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts at 204 943 6090 or email info@mcma.ca. Due to class size limitations, we suggest enrolling at your earliest convenience.

I’m delighted that the just-completed The Heart of Tchaikovsky course at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts drew such an enthisiastic response. Here are a few of the many compliments that the classmembers wrote:
What a lot of time, work and organization Don Anderson dedicated to selecting and perfectly cueing recordings, selecting readings from biographies, and melding the lectures, the historical information and the musical selections each week to give a balanced, complete, relevant and informative whole, with the inclusion of less familiar works to expand the musical experiences of his students. Thank you so much, Don, for all the advanced thinking, planning, presentation and organization. I’m looking forward to Mendelssohn!
All of the sessions were helpful, Don Anderson shares his wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm with all chosen music, all tied together in a wonderful experience for all of us who are fortunate enough to attend!
Don’s readings from the letters, etc. and his explanations of themes or other salient points in the pieces we listen to. Also the use of varied media for instruction and informing us is very helpful. For the given time, nothing more could have been included as Don makes use of every moment and keeps the class moving along right on schedule. Length of course was very suitable and I enjoyed the add-ons, the afternoon Margot Fonteyn film and the Nutcracker Remix. We are given the info early so we can make whatever arrangements may be necessary.