1999 SOCAN
the Wm. Harold Moon Award
Dec. 1999. Words & Music magazine, by Rick MacMillan
[...]
SOCAN's highest honour, the Wm. Harold Moon Award, went to
Oskar Morawetz for bringing international recognition to Canada through his
work. The Czech-born composer, who has lived in Canada since 1940, has seen his
works performed by more than 120 orchestras, under some of the finest conductors
of the century, and by a wide array of soloists, including Anton Kuerti, Yo-Yo
Ma, Rivka Golani, Lois Marshall, Jon Vickers, and Maureen Forrester.
Morawetz's award was presented by renowned Canadian cellist
Shauna Rolston, yet another champion of his music. The composer, 82, offered
sincere thanks for the recognition, and delighted the audience with a personal
anecdote about Glenn Gould, who performed and recorded Morawetz's Fantasy
for piano solo. When Morawetz questioned the eccentric pianist's failure to
observe the tempo and dynamic indications in the score, Gould argued that he
wouldn't change a thing, and retorted "It seems to me that you don't really
understand your own music."
[...]
