As John Terauds hands over the reins, I would like to first express my gratitude to John for this opportunity, and also to the readers of this blog. I do not take this task lightly, and it is my pleasure to keep this space active in John’s absence.
Like many of you, I have been an avid reader of John’s work from early on. My role as online editor for one of Canada’s largest classical music magazines required my keeping up on the hundreds of classical news events and reviews that float around the internet each day. Most were mere filler or dull platitude. But there were always a few critics who stuck out of the crowd with a sense of real substance. John Terauds was one of those critics, and to be taking over as editor of this blog is more than surreal. As John begins a new chapter of his life, I too begin a new chapter with this endeavour.
When discussing the possibility of taking on this blog with a colleague I was asked, why blog at all?
Blogs are a funny thing. They seem to come out of nowhere, and have mysterious names like, “The Omniscient Mussel.” But scanning the current cast of classical blogs, it strikes me how mature they have become. Musical Toronto is case in point, as they seem to be only getting smarter, and they are getting read.
Classical blogs come in two forms: professional and amateur. On the professional end of the spectrum are professional critics who blog within the confines of tightly controlled news outlet websites; on the amateur end of things are classical music aficionados. The first group are fairly cordial, but left wanting. This group tends to save their best stuff for print, and people know it. As for the amateurs, despite plenty of enthusiasm, quality can be hit-and-miss as they struggle to rise above the fray.
Musical Toronto seems to offer the best of both worlds. This space will continue be a place to confide in Toronto’s vibrant musical community. Its focus will be on classical music, and the things, and the people that affect it.
Besides my own writing, I will be inviting regular contributors on board to help populate the ideas shared here. These will include weekly reviews from some of Toronto’s best offerings. It will incorporate commentary on classical and opera stories from all around the world. We will also touch upon some book and CD reviews, as they come in.
John has expressed interest in doing some post here and there as well, and I look forward to sharing those with you. I know John will be following the posts here as well, and am sure readers will find him chiming in from time to time.
As a few readers have commented, I indeed have some very big shoes to fill. The truth is, I’m not going to try to fill them. This blog will carry on, and that is the important thing. I’ll admit this task is a bit daunting, but I am full of excitement at the prospect of maintaining this space as a permanent fixture of Greater Toronto’s music community. But as John said, I’m probably a little crazy too.
As an aside, I have started an official facebook page for the site. It will include all future posts, as well as some additional goodies from time to time.
In the meantime, I will leave you with a wildly interesting chronological survey of the opening chords of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony. You will hear the two opening E-flat major chords played by 57 different orchestras spanning 87 years, from the Berlin State Opera Orchestra (Oskar Fried) to the great Gewandhausorchestar Leipzing (Riccardo Chailly).
Michael Vincent