A Handsome Silhouette
Hungarian Trio
You have to admit, the newly renovated Royal Conservatory of Music cuts a mean profile.
Just days ago, this was the handsome silhouette of the RCM that I discovered against a morning sky as I did a Tim Horton’s run on Bloor Street at the close of my vacation. Darkened for its first Christmas break after a 3-year renovation*, this slightly doctored image shows off the
Not-So-New Kid on the Block
Greensleeves, Traditional
There’s nothing quite like a fresh sheet of ice!
It’s nice to see that some things don’t change! Welcome to the University of Toronto’s Varsity Arena, the ‘old kid on the block’. Newly integrated into U of T’s renovated Varsity complex, this wonderfully storied building, replete with its fold-down red and blue wooden benches, is nestled in a city block that has undergone a
Ye Olde Firestone Factory
Bach Partita, Movement 1
In the same way that musicians fall in love with the music of Bach, members of TLR gravitated towards this window as an iconic focal point when a group of us drove out to Hamilton - The Hammer - in two carloads to infiltrate the massive, abandoned Firestone Factory on a recent, chilly Sunday last month.
The 1st movement of Bach’s Partita for Solo Flute
Firestone Syrinx
Debussy, Syrinx
A cold day at the old Firestone factory, and I was worried about whether my G#-key was going to keep freezing up on me as I played Debussy’s Syrinx!
Duo for Flute and Chairlift
Duo for Flute & Chairlift 2
Here is a second improv that I recorded while riding the chairlift at Mansfield Ski Club. In this one I incorporate some flutter-tonguing to mimic the distinctive chattering of the chair as it passes each of the 60 foot pylons. Thankfully there weren’t many skiers on the slopes that afternoon, so I basically had the chairlift to myself. I
Spring Skiing in December
Duo for Flute & Chairlift
There have already been waves of snowstorms in Southern Ontario, and in fact it was the first coast-to-coast white Christmas in Canada since 1971 - but late in December, the weather had turned mild and I found myself just north of Toronto with an hour or two of muted daylight on my hands: a perfect chance for a little spring skiing in December!
As I steered
The Snowman Cometh!
I Saw Thee Ships - Traditional
This was the first of at least three fine snowmen that I spotted as I traversed Toronto’s Ramsden Park* with a steady rain moving in. By the time I had finished recording - tricky in wet weathe - it had turned into a steady downpour…uh of rain, not snowmen!
With no-one in sight and only the muted sounds of sirens, distant
Winter Solstice
Happy Winter Solstice from Urban Flute Project!
The nights have been getting so long and lingering, the darkness so palpable - like a veil of silence thrown over the land - you could almost reach out and touch them.
When darkness prevails, I love the impenetrable, mystical feeling that goes along with this time of year. So you can well understand that I have
Silver Bells
Playing one of my weekly retirement home gigs earlier this same day, there was a request for Silver Bells, the one carol that wasn’t in my Readers Digest compendium of Christmas Carols. So this is for that resident at Donway Place!
The Royal Conservatory is just moved back to their splendid digs on Bloor Street, next to the already infamous ROM Crystal, and what
A Stelco Moment
Looking out from one of the wonderfully decrepit Firestone buildings, here is a member of the TLR reflecting on the demise of the adjacent Stelco factory in Hamilton.
Flute Junket
Always on the lookout for unusual spots to play, it’s almost like I’m constantly on assignment scouting out interseting spaces to record in. This latest was a particularly surprising ‘flute junket’ - junk being the operative word!
Fine acoustics can pop up where you least expect them…check out this massive interior!
It may be odd to admit, but I have never done a ‘dump run’ here in Toronto*, and
The Voice of Firestone
Bach, Sarabande*
Returning on a rain-soaked QEW from a long day’s outing to Hamilton’s wonderfully derelict Firestone Warehouse Complex with some of the TLR gang, the penny suddenly dropped: The Voice of Firestone!
From 1949-1963, The Voice of Firestone was synonymous with the finest of classical music programming, on both radio and television. What a legacy, and kudos to Firestone for their visionary sponsorship of music, utilizing leading-edge media of