Volume 25 Issue 7 - April 2020

some day when I’m retired and have a big library, I could just walk up
to the shelves and say, ‘Hmm what do I want to read today?’ And have
practically everything, Paradise Lost, or Wings of the Dove, or Roald
Dahl complete tales.”
And when a global pandemic strikes and puts a pause on everything,
what better refuge than a library so well stocked?
How does he decide what to buy? “One of the writers that I love,
the Australian Steve Toltz, has a character in A Fraction of the Whole
say: ‘All great books are about other books.’ I think that’s true. Often
when you read, somebody will mention a book in conversation, or the
dust jacket will say this is like X, Y or Z. For example, when I read The
Beach by Alex Garland, which was made into a movie with Leonardo
Di Caprio, the blurb described it as a combination of Lord of the
Flies and The Magus by John Fowles. So after that I read The Magus;
and while that was happening, somebody said to me OMG you have
to read Fowles’ The Collector, so I read that. I think the same thing
happens with movies.”
“My goal was that some day when
I’m retired and have a big library,
I could just walk up to the shelves
and say, ‘Hmm what do I want to
read today?”
By now we’ve crossed to the large video collection on the other side
of the room –another two standalone cases. Many TV series on BluRay,
and a place of prominence for Dr Who, and Martin McDonough’s
film In Bruges. And also … The Seven Year Itch with Marilyn Monroe?
“There was a deal on Amazon for nine Marilyn Monroe films and I got
all of them, … Niagara, Some Like it Hot, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
One of the films had Montgomery Clift, and so I started buying
Montgomery Clift films. I was re-watching Sunset Boulevard and that
same year that Gloria Swanson was nominated for an Oscar, Judy
Holiday won it for Born Yesterday. So I looked for it and it’s now one
of my favourites. Then I started buying Judy Holiday films.”
Are there actors, directors whose aesthetic he prefers or is influenced
by? “I’m into… economical actors. I wouldn’t say Bette Davis is
subtle but she’s economical in the way she uses gestures and looks.
I don’t find her hysterical … even when she’s over the top, she’s efficient.”
The stars of old Hollywood had greater presence, and were
certainly not chameleonic, the way some of the method actors of
today are. Is the old school closer to his tastes? “Hmm… This is what I
liked when working with Yannick Nézet-Séguin – and the first thing I
did with him was here in Toronto, a Faust production when the Four
Seasons Centre opened as the new home for the COC. Yannick really
allows the artist to inhabit things in their own style. He provides a
comfortable environment for you to shine. I think that’s true for a lot
of old directors and conductors, people like James Levine … you could
see that they helped singers. It feels that in contemporary art-making
there’s much more control asserted by the director, more direction
placed on the artist.”
But should we be nostalgic for an era of megastars who, while they
sold a lot of tickets, never particularly bothered to act? Is it bad that
we now expect even divos and divas to act – and for opera to be a
full theatrical experience? “No, I agree. As an actor I’ve worked with
Pierre Audi, with Robert Wilson, James Robinson, Kelly Robinson …
Some have a more realistic approach, some are funnier, some are more
surreal. I’m used to all of those styles; it gives me a greater adaptability
when it comes to working with a new director.”
Other actors he appreciates are Daniel Day-Lewis (speak of
“chameleonic!”), Colin Firth, Julianne Moore (“she’s incredible”). “I
love Gene Kelly and admire his ability to be so elegant and masculine
From a combination of
COVID-19, travel restrictions,
and precautions,
we regret that our final
concert of this season on
Thursday, April 16th with
QUATUOR ÉBÈNE
must be cancelled.
thanks patrons for their patience
and goodwill, and wishes
all music lovers well
Check out our
2020 – 2021 season!
See page 2 for the full season details
For full details, see
www.music-toronto.com
Tickets: 416-366-7723
option 2
27 Front Street East, Toronto
| music-toronto.com
thewholenote.com April 2020 | 11