We turn to the arts to move us: to uplift, transport, provoke. But during this time of crisis, so many large and small cultural institutions have gone dark, so many voices diminished.
Turning to Canada Day, though, it’s time to celebrate the resilience of Canadian culture, so The Globe and Mail and nine leading organizations have collaborated on a video project. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has arranged and performed the Leonard Cohen song, Anthem, whose poignant lyrics about finding hope at a time of tribulation are sung by three artists from the Canadian Opera Company. Seven dance companies from across the country have also participated: the Atlantic Ballet, Les Grandes Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, the National Ballet of Canada, Red Sky Performance, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and Ballet BC.
“There is a crack in everything,” writes Cohen, whose lyrics from this 1992 song have recently become a social-media prayer. “That’s how the light gets in.”
Table of contents
Choose a performance • National Ballet of Canada • Ballet BC • Banff Centre • Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers • Red Sky • Les Grands Ballets • Atlantic Ballet
Behind the music • Profiles of the performances • An oral history of Anthem
Behind the scenes • Music and production credits
National Ballet of Canada
Ballet BC
Banff Centre
Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers
Red Sky Performance
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal
Atlantic Ballet Atlantique Canada
Music and production credits
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
First violin: Jonathan Crow, Amanda Goodburn • Second violin: Paul Meyer, Sergei Nikonov • Viola: Victor Fournelle-Blain, Ivan Ivanovich • Cello: Joe Johnson • Bass: Jeffrey Beecher, Dave Longenecker • Flute: Julie Ranti • Oboe: Keith Atkinson • Clarinet: Eric Abramovitz • Bassoon: Darren Hicks • Horns: Neil Deland, Christopher Gongos, Nicholas Hartman • Trombone: Vanessa Fralick • Harp: Heidi Bearcroft • Percussion: Charles Settle, John Rudolph
Music by Leonard Cohen
Canadian Opera Company
Tenor: Matthew Cairns • Sopranos: Anna-Sophie Neher, Midori Marsh
Lyrics by Leonard Cohen
Editing and production
Editor: Patrick Dell • Assistant editor, sound mixing: Lucas Waldin • Digital design: Evan Annett • Producer: Craig Offman
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