This evening we went to The Toronto Music Garden to see Winona Zelenka play Bach's Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major. We passed through the Music Garden last week while walking home from the Exhibition and we found it thoroughly charming. So many 'parks' are a clump of grass, some trees, a few benches, and some sculpture that seems to have been picked more for durability than quality. The Music Garden is meticulously laid out and provides a complete experience as you wander its curvy little paths. It's built around the movements of Bach's Cello Suite No. 1, so it was especially nice to see one of the other suites performed - my favourite of the set, I think - especially the Prelude and the Sarabande.
The performance was wonderful, and it was perhaps one of the last hazy pink summer evenings we'll be getting this year. Unfortunately, it was also an open-air concert right by the lakeshore. So it was actually
- Prelude for solo cello and duo 2500 horsepower turboprops
- Allemande, accompanied by Porter Airlines Flight 261 to Ottawa
- Courante, in C major, with a ship's horn in F# sostenuto
- Sarabande, with random fireworks from somebody's balcony
- Bourree, with choreography and accompaniment by a huge flock of starlings
- Gigue with streetcar
We were all encouraged afterwards to let the Toronto Port Authority know what we think about continuing to allow loud commercial air travel out of the island airport.