Greetings from Switzerland! Your alte Jungfer (not pictured) is having a brief respite here before the Festspiel-Marathon begins at the end of July, so this week I am sending you something a bit more bucolic than usual: a traversal of the Golden Age of the Canadian Parlor Song by Canadian diva Mary Lou Fallis.  

This is an album I always play when I need to put a smile on my face. The project was obviously a great labor of love for all involved, and is done with just the right amount of camp without becoming grotesque or disrespectful. The songs are charming, and La Fallis (who I understand is a well-known Lucia) is a national treasure. So go play some lacrosse or take your girl out to the rink and enjoy!

Primadonna on a Moose: The Golden Age of the Canadian Parlor Song

Mary Lou Fallis, soprano
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The Victoria Scholars
John Greer, conductor
January/April 1997
Toronto

01 Paddle Your Own Canoe
02 Canadian Sleigh Song
03 Le grand seigneur
04 Andalouse
05 A Maiden’s Heart
06 I Cannot Sing Tonight
07 We Dye to Live!
08 Lacrosse, Our National Game
09 The Snow Shoe Tramp
10 Take Your Girl Out to the Rink
11 Often
12 Oh! What a Difference Since the Hydro Came
13 Have Courage My Boy to Say “No”
14 Mary Pickford – The Darling of Them All
15 You Can’t Drive My Dreams Away
16 Bý the Banks of the Saskatchewan
17 The Organist’s Last Amen
18 The World is Waiting for the Sunrise