{"id":65540,"date":"2019-12-17T14:10:43","date_gmt":"2019-12-17T19:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=65540"},"modified":"2019-12-17T14:38:06","modified_gmt":"2019-12-17T19:38:06","slug":"primer-mervon-mehta-takes-us-inside-7th-21c-festival-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2019\/12\/17\/primer-mervon-mehta-takes-us-inside-7th-21c-festival-line\/","title":{"rendered":"PRIMER | Mervon Mehta Takes Us Inside The 7th 21C Festival Line-up"},"content":{"rendered":"

From American icon Laurie Anderson to global jazz experiments with Danilo P\u00e9rez and Zakir Hussain, intriguing vocal staged works and more, 21C aims to dazzle Toronto audiences with a diverse line-up of international talent.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Top,
Top, l-r: Danilo P\u00e9rez (image John Abbott); Laurie Anderson (image Ebru Yildiz); Alice Ping Lee Ho (image Bo Huang). Bottom, l-r:
Against the Grain, Ayre; Philip Sly & Chimera (images courtesy of the artists)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s people doing interesting, important, vital pieces.\u201d Mervon Mehta<\/strong>, Executive Director, Performing Arts for The Royal Conservatory, is talking about the upcoming seventh iteration of the 21C Music Festival.<\/p>\n

21C Music Festival brightens the post-holiday landscape with three weeks of contemporary music, presenting eight concerts over three weekends<\/strong> from Saturday, January 11 to Saturday, January 25, 2020<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Festival lives up to its billing of presenting \u201cnewly minted music\u201d with a program that includes five world premieres<\/strong>, along with one North American<\/strong> and four Canadian premieres<\/strong>. Of the five world premieres, four involve Canadian composers (Allison Au, Barbara Croall, Ryan Davis, and Bekah Simms) and one American (John Patitucci).<\/p>\n

Within the idea of presenting new music, Mehta leaves the door open to multiple styles and genres. \u201cFrom the beginning, we never wanted to pigeonhole this,\u201d he explains. \u201cMost of it is classical in form.\u201d He points out the inclusion of a tabla concerto and jazz in the program. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the mix.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Toronto audiences that drive the adventurous programming. \u201cI think people are catholic in their tastes,\u201d he says. \u201cWe love mixing it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Laurie
Laurie Anderson (Image : Ebru Yildiz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the offerings this year, the biggest name is that of American arts icon Laurie Anderson<\/strong>. According to Mehta, she\u2019s been on his radar for as long as there has been a 21C Festival. \u201cI\u2019ve been an admirer and fan of hers forever,\u201d says Mehta. There were a few attempts in the past where schedules didn\u2019t line up before they meshed for 2020. \u201cThe good news is that she\u2019ll be here for several days,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s one of those wonderfully lovely artists,\u201d he says. Mehta describes how he got a message through her agent to call her directly to talk about programming. \u201cEverything was wide open,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s not normal.\u201d Over several phone calls, they hammered out the program.<\/p>\n

While the January 18 Canadian premiere of Anderson’s solo works and collaborations with long time music partner, cellist Rubin Kodheli<\/strong> \u2014 titled The Art of Falling<\/em> \u2014 has been sold out for some time, there are other opportunities to see Anderson and experience her work.<\/p>\n

For those lucky enough to already have a ticket, Anderson describes The Art of Falling program in her own words:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Art of Falling<\/em> is an extended improvisation for viola, cello, and electronics. Hypnotic stories, politics, and dreams weave in and out of the music. My ambition with The Art of Falling<\/em> is to make a piece that is one long sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with her own performance, Anderson will be working with musicians from The Glenn Gould School. For 21C Cinq \u00e0 Sept<\/em><\/a><\/span>, an early concert (5 p.m.) on January 18, they will perform the Canadian premiere<\/strong> of her composition Shutter Island.<\/em> Also on the bill are the Canadian premiere of Kaija Saariaho<\/strong>\u2019s Laconisme de l\u2019aile<\/em>, the world premiere of Ryan Davis<\/strong>\u2019s latest work for viola, voice, and live electronics, and Christos Hatzis<\/strong>\u2019s \u201cThe Mega4 Meta4\u201d from Earthrise<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Royal Ontario Museum will host Laurie Anderson: To The Moon<\/em><\/strong> from January 11 to 25. The 15-minute installation, developed with Taiwanese artist Hsin-Chien Huang<\/strong>, takes viewers on a virtual reality trip to the surface of the moon set to Anderson\u2019s music.<\/p>\n

On January 19, the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema will screen Anderson\u2019s 2015 film Heart of a Dog<\/em>. The movie focuses on the death of her dog Lolabelle in 2011, and takes viewers on a journey through love and loss set to her music. Anderson will be on hand for a post-screening talk hosted by Mehta.<\/p>\n