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Max Dean's "Robotic Chair", The Gryphon Trio, Philip Glass and Leonard Cohen's Book of Longing...All to be part of Toronto's Inaugural Luminato Festival
Wednesday November 29, 4:45 pm ET


TORONTO, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ - It's been six years in the making, the culmination of mutual admiration between two of the world's most celebrated artists of their generation. Toronto will be the first to experience the musical achievement of Philip Glass' new concert work based on the poetry of Leonard Cohen's Book of Longing. Just one example of how imagination comes alive at Luminato, Toronto's inaugural multi-disciplinary arts festival taking place June 1 - 10, 2007.
"Here's an open invitation to audiences of every background to experience artistic excellence and to connect with the community's creative spirit," said Janice Price, CEO, Luminato. "Let's celebrate collaboration, embrace diversity and provide access to art from around the corner and around the globe. It's all about imagination stirred in a new Toronto tradition, served up Canadian style and peppered by the world."


Three new program announcements today include:

- A presentation in partnership with the Art Gallery of Ontario -
The debut of "The Robotic Chair" is a kinetic installation and
collaboration between artists Max Dean, Raffaello D'Andrea and Matt
Donovan

- The Gryphon Trio presents Christos Hatzis' Constantinople -
A multimedia theatre event that interweaves visual art with
instrumental and vocal music performance that envelops the audience

- The world premiere collaboration between Canada's beloved poet,
novelist and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, with critically
acclaimed international composer Philip Glass, in a debut evening-
length concert work based on Cohen's Book of Longing
Commenting on the unprecedented collaboration, Philip Glass says, "I found Cohen's work intensely beautiful, personal and inspiring. Six years in the making, our stars are finally aligned and I am very excited to open the performance in Toronto. For me, this is both a departure from my past work and a fulfillment of an artistic dream."

"Today's announcements exemplify the kind of innovative, original and multifaceted programming that reflects the spirit of Luminato," says David Pecaut, founder and Co-Chair of Luminato. "We trust that people will discover a new community of global ideas - encountering superb art in the most spontaneous ways."

NEW LUMINATO EVENTS

WORLD PREMIERE - Book of Longing: A new work by Philip Glass based on the poetry of Leonard Cohen

June 1-5, Elgin Theatre
-----------------------

For the first time, world-renowned composer Philip Glass collaborates with Canadian icon Leonard Cohen for a remarkable musical performance based on Cohen's most recent collection of poetry, Book of Longing, at Toronto's Elgin Theatre. Philip Glass, in the year of his 70th birthday, is currently composing a new score set to Cohen's first poetry collection in over 20 years. Cohen's words will be eloquently expressed in an evening-length concert work performed by a seven-piece instrumental ensemble and four singers, with Glass on keyboards. This unprecedented occasion represents a once-in-a-lifetime experience for audiences of all backgrounds.

This is AMAZING !!! The things that continue to be unveiled in Leonard's world are astounding . I would LOVE to see this on tape/dvd. I wonder if it will be recorded for posterity.

Henning ~ Has Philip been eavesdropping on you ?

You WILL be going, yes, Anne ??


~ Lizzy

Was a bit of media coverage of this one:

Toronto Globe and Mail:

Cohen, Glass team up for Luminato fest

Poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen is joining up with composer Philip Glass to create an original production for Toronto's first Luminato Festival - a musical work based on Cohen's The Book of Longing . And Glass plans to come to Toronto for the work's premiere at the multidisciplinary arts festival, scheduled to take place June 1 to 10, 2007. Indeed, he'll take part in it as a keyboardist working with an instrumental ensemble. ``For me, this is both a departure from my past work and a fulfilment of an artistic dream,'' Glass said.
Luminato is being designed to combine free public events, street celebrations and original cross-disciplinary works created for the festival, and will consist of more than 90 events across the city, from traditional and contemporary theatre, dance, visual arts, design, architecture, music and literature. Yesterday, organizers announced two other highlights: One, created in partnership with the Art Gallery of Ontario, is The Robotic Chair , an installation by artists Max Dean, Raffaello D'Andrea and Matt Donovan. The other: The Gryphon Trio will perform at the premiere of Canadian composer Christos Hatzis's Constantinople , a multimedia theatre event in partnership with the Banff Festival. The work will explore that city's cultural blend of East and West, Muslim and Christian, through visual art and instrumental and vocal music. Janice Price, Luminato's CEO, says that these original works are ``all about imagination stirred in a new Toronto tradition, served up Canadian style and peppered by the world.''

Toronto Star:

Philip Glass concert based on Cohen poetry to debut in Toronto

Toronto will be the first to experience composer Philip Glass's new concert work based on the poetry of Leonard Cohen's Book of Longing. The work will premiere June 1 to 3 at the Elgin Theatre during the inaugural Luminato festival.
"I found Cohen's work intensely beautiful, personal and inspiring," said the classically trained Glass, whose musical explorations in the past have involved the likes of Ravi Shankar, David Byrne, Paul Simon and Suzanne Vega.
"Six years in the making, our stars are finally aligned and I am very excited to open the performance in Toronto."
The concert will be performed by a seven-piece ensemble and four singers, with Glass on keyboards.

First Class ... this Philip Glass production. This and Vern Silver's thread about Leonard's now showing up [and in a positive fashion ~ "Gravel voice but somehow it's soothing"] in TV-program dialogue reminds me of what I wrote to someone in a PM earlier today ~ "I'm so glad to see the world becoming aware of him at such a fast rate in the past several years. I would love for him to enjoy the full realization [if that's even possible] of his impact, with evidence all around during his lifetime." The continuing developments are so excellent... a new one at nearly every turn . Yesterday, on NPR, the music fade-out at the conclusion of a Daniel Shore commentary was "1000 Kisses Deep" instrumental, a sax maybe? I thought of Paul Ostermayer. It was so beautiful and, in exactly the same vein, I thought of how Beatles tunes have become classic and are heard everywhere as instrumentals.


~ Lizzy

Anything Glass does will be 1st class. Here at the Jacobs School of Music at IU, he is "1st Class Glass." I suppose this to be one slick musician
Who will be in Toronto for these performances????Would sure love to have a program of one of these events! Heck, I would even take a used ticket stub in the deal!
The Gryphon has just performed in Bloomington this summer....so take it from me that you lucky Canadians will be getting a double dose of Class. They are top flight artists indeed.
I need a program...help....anybody

Ronn

Leonard Cohen + Phillip Glass = Excellent!

Thanks Jarkko and Parky for posting this!

I went to the Illuminato website and got on their email list to be notified when tickets go on sale.

Think they'll both be there?!!

evelyn

Truly marvellous news. Can't wait to hear this one way or the other.

A reminiscence: FNAC store, Lyon, one afternoon in the mid-90's, I'm browsing among the Glass CDs, look to my left and see the great man standing there, checking out his own disks! Turned out to be doing a Q&A in-store and a solo piano recital that evening. Great musician, very self-effacing. Said 'Why, thank you!' in a genuinely pleased/surprised way as I gushed my praise.

BTW, Glass has previous 'form' (as they say on Brit cop shows): he set a poem from Spice Box for choir, recorded on the Songs from Liquid Days CD released by Silva Classics (UK) some time ago (details somewhere in the files).

It seems that this premiere is before the Canadian (Luminato Festival, Toronto, June 1-5) or at least simultaneous. (UK premiere is at Barnican, in October.)

2007 Spoleto Festival offers varied premieres

(Charleston-AP)
January 2, 2007 -

The Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston will feature an array of performances never before seen in America this spring.

Tickets for the arts festival went on sale Tuesday morning. The 31st annual festival will run from May 25th through June 10th.

Spoleto will feature 125 performances, including the first American production of "Book of Longing," a 12-part music cycle by Philip Glass based on Leonard Cohen's poetry collection of the same name.

Spoleto will also feature the American premieres of two French operas, Gluck's comic Baroque opera "Merlin's Island or The World Upside Down." The other is contemporary composer Pascal Dusapin's "Faustus, the Last Night."

Also on the schedule is the opera "The Rise and Fall of The City of Mahagonny," by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht.

Source: http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5880076

Also: http://www.spoletousa.org

As you can see from Philip Glass himself, the Luminato festival in Toronto is the World premiere. The Spoleto festival in the States is advertising the American premiere. Tickets are already on sale for the one in South Carolina. It takes place after the Canadian show. Philip Glass plays in the show in both countries. There will be three performances of the show in Toronto and three in the States. 1-3 June in Toronto and 6-8 June in South Carolina.

http://www.philipglass.com/?cmd=news
http://luminato.ca/
http://www.spoletousa.org/

The rumour has been confirmed - Philip Glass is using LEONARD'S VOICE in his composition.


Book of Longing - Philip Glass’ original concert work based on Leonard Cohen’s first collection of poems in over 20 years. Recently nominated for an Oscar for the score to the film Notes On A Scandal, Glass will perform on keyboards with a seven-piece instrumental ensemble, four vocalists and voice-over narration by Cohen. Following its world premiere at Luminato, Book of Longing will tour to the Spoleto Festival (Charleston), Barbican Centre in London, England and additional American and European festivals and performing arts centres over the next year. Elgin Theatre, June 1-3.

Tickets for the London show are already on sale, and going fast.
The show is on Saturday 20th. October 2007.

The Barbican has one of those state of the art sites where you can pick your actual seat online with just one click of the mouse.

https://www.barbican.org.uk/eticketing/index.asp

Be there or be square, as my old dad use to say.

Ta Ken

Thank you, Ken! I now have my ticket .

Ken,

Many thanks for the information.

I have just booked two tickets for this event.

My wife says that she'll be happy to attend even if it's just a recording of Leonard reciting the names of all London's tube stations!

My wife says that she'll be happy to attend even if it's just a recording of Leonard reciting the names of all London's tube stations!

Gift ~ Hilarious

Know all will enjoy the show, no matter who, no matter what.



~ Lizzy

Will be attempting to keep most current info on Toronto events under the other gatherings-toronto thread....

Have impressive list of attendees so far.