Today marks 116 years since the debut concert at Massey Hall on June 14, 1894. This first concert featured Handel’s Messiah performed by a 500-voice choir and the 70-member “Grand Festival Orchestra.” Glorious indeed, the Evening Star declared Massey Music Hall (as it was then known) as a “palace” and declared “Splendid Harmony Dedicates a Temple Devoted to the People.”
“Temple” really is a rather perfect word to describe how we feel about this special place and how the city as a whole has felt about it for 116 years. It has been a very significant scene within Toronto and certainly within the larger music community around the world, commanding respect and reverence. Example: leading up to their two-night stand last week, The National declared Massey Hall “one of those famous, iconic places we’ve been dying to someday get to a point where we can play.”
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Massey Hall
It has been three years since we (Women Fully Clothed) have performed in Toronto. We’ve been touring Canada, we’ve taken our show to Edinburgh and Chicago. We’ve meet some incredible people, seen some breathtaking sights, eaten large quantities of amazing (and sometimes not so amazing) food, shopped at countless stores and drank gallons of Tim Horton’s coffee … and now we are back in Toronto!!
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Massey Hall,Teresa Pavlinek,women Fully Clothed
Some of you have lasting memories from concerts that went down in history. Some of them, likely from shows at Massey Hall. From Neil Young in 1971 to Bob Dylan in 1980 or, and boy I wish I was there for this one, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and The Quintet in 1953. Whether you’ve seen Gordon Lightfoot or Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison or Bob Marley…We’ve seen concerts we loved, that left us wanting more and even those that didn’t quite live up to our expectations. The good, the bad, the memorable and the forgettable…if you’ve been in those red velvet seats, there’s a good chance you have your own Massey memories. I’ve seen many shows at Massey Hall and there are certainly a lot of moments that stand out for me. But right here, right now, November 28th, 2008 takes the cake.
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Hawksley Workman,Massey Hall
On the surface, the two shows presented in our halls this Saturday couldn’t seem more opposite. At Massey Hall, Classic Albums Live perform Pink Floyd’s The Wall and at Roy Thomson Hall, TSO continue their week-long festival, a tribute to iconic composer Jean Sibelius. Perhaps the two have more in common than one might think.
A fiercely poetic and passionate composer, Jean Sibelius (1865 – 1957) has been described as a monumental figure in shaping the Finnish national identity. Revered for works such as Finlandia, his artistic output, which famously includes seven symphonies, were virtually all composed prior to 1926. A composer during the tale end of the Romantic Movement, his compositions echoed the natural beauty, fragility and allure of his homeland. Often describing the sounds of his music by the sights and smells of the seasons, his was a dark and meticulous effort, which to this day remains as important to the culture of the Finnish people as it does to the treasured works of the genre. CONTINUE READING >
Classic Albums Live,Finland,Massey Hall,Pink Floyd,Romantic Movement,Roy Thomson Hall,Sibelius,Syd Barrett,TSO
Emilie-Claire Barlow
PERFORMANCES
Emilie-Claire Barlow (Thursday and Friday): The charming and talented Emilie-Claire Barlow returns to Glenn Gould Studio for two nights of delightful jazz vocals. To get to know Emilie-Claire a little bit better, check out her website and blog (and be sure to let her know if you know where to buy quince this time of year or are in the market for a grand piano.)
Classic Albums Live Performs Pink Floyd: The Wall (Saturday): The name says it all: these folks are brilliant at performing uncannily realistic recreations of albums (classic ones), live. Last fall, Classic Albums Live brought us Abbey Road on its 40th birthday and now you have a chance to hear Pink Floyd, “Note for note. Cut for Cut. Brick by brick.” Whether you need one or not, prepare yourself for An Education
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Classic Albums Live,Craig Ferguson,Emilie-Claire Barlow,Juno Awards,Massey Hall,Metric,National Post,NPR,Pink Floyd,Robots,Royal Wood,The Buzz,The Wall
In the lower level of Massey Hall you’ll find ‘Centuries,’ a fully-stocked bar you can visit pre-show and at intermission of most performances. The room is filled with artefacts illustrating the admirable history of Massey Hall, perhaps most notably the “Decade Panels” that line the entrance corridor to ‘Centuries.’ Starting with 1894-1904, a panel is present for each decade since Massey Hall opened. The panels feature news articles, photographs, programmes and other paraphernalia that aim to give a slice of life at Massey Hall from that period in history. In this column, we look at each decade and highlight some of the items included in these panels. Of course, for a more in-depth look, next time you’re at Massey for a show, head on over to ‘Centuries’ and check them out. This week, we take a look at 1994 – 2004, the final in a series of tributes to Massey Hall’s glorious history. CONTINUE READING >
Centuries,Massey Hall,Morrissey
Massey Hall has a great legacy of intuitive, groundbreaking, and inspired performance and so it’s not surprising that the Hall has long been a home for innovative, collaborative, and cutting edge jazz. In this grand tradition, the Jazz @ Massey Hall series brings heavyweight composer and pianist Brad Mehldau and the Brad Mehldau Trio for a performance next Saturday evening. Judging from this recent 4 star Globe and Mail review of his latest album Highway Rider, what Brad Mehldau adds to this tradition is the ability to redefine and interpret the expectations of the genre and perhaps poses the question:
Has the very term “genre” become obsolete? CONTINUE READING >
Brad Mehldau Trio,Globe And Mail,Highway Rider,Jon Brion,Massey Hall,Nick Drake,Oasis,Radiohead
In the lower level of Massey Hall you’ll find ‘Centuries,’ a fully-stocked bar you can visit pre-show and at intermission of most performances. The room is filled with artefacts illustrating the admirable history of Massey Hall, perhaps most notably the “Decade Panels” that line the entrance corridor to ‘Centuries.’ Starting with 1894-1904, a panel is present for each decade since Massey Hall opened. The panels feature news articles, photographs, programmes and other paraphernalia that aim to give a slice of life at Massey Hall from that period in history. In this column, we look at each decade and highlight some of the items included in these panels. Of course, for a more in-depth look, next time you’re at Massey for a show, head on over to ‘Centuries’ and check them out. This week, we take a look at 1984 – 1993, the tenth in a series of eleven tributes to Massey Hall’s glorious history.
Massey Hall 1984 – 1993
The late 80s and early 90s remain a special place in many of our hearts – a time filled with hair-crimping irons, leg warmers, and Cyndi Lauper. While we don’t see a presence from Ms. Lauper on this decade panel, the delightful neon colours of yesteryear do show themselves, particularly in the form of a backstage pass for The Beach Boys as well as in a flyer for The Peking Acrobats. On the heels of their massive hit single Take On Me, a-ha performed at Massey Hall on October 16, 1986 (the band returns to Toronto for the first time since then on May 10 2010. CONTINUE READING >
Aretha Franklin,Arthur Miller,Beach Boys,Blue Rodeo,Cats,Centennial Concert,Centuries,Dalai Lama,David Broadfoot,Gordon Lightfoot,Intimate Grandeur: One Hundred Years At Massey Hall,John McDermott,Massey Hall,Mendelssohn Choir,Sharon Lois And Bram,The Peking Acrobats,Tom Jones,Toronto Symphony Orchestra,William Kilbourn
