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Fretting about what to buy for your loved ones? Have no fear — Toronto Star writers advise you on gifts for everyone from the theatre buff to the music lover to the hardcore gamer

FOR THE THEATREGOER

When it comes to buying a holiday gift for the theatre buff in your life, I believe in going back to basics: give ‘em the real thing.

A true fan doesn’t want a T-shirt or a poster or a book about the theatre. They want to go see a play.

And although Toronto isn’t as bad as New York or London when it comes to pricing, it still can be a costly enough experience that taking advantage of some discounts available at this time year can be a good idea.

Here are a few suggestions:

A Yuletide Sampler Go off on your own and purchase tickets for holiday shows like White Christmas at the Sony Centre (until Jan. 5, 416-872-2262); Peter Pan at the Elgin (until Jan. 5, 416-314-2901); Christmas With the Rat Pack at the Princess of Wales (Dec. 20 to 31, 416-872-1212); High School Musical: The Ice Tour, Dec. 21 to 30 at the Rogers Centre (416-870-8000 or ticketmaster.ca); and The Wizard of Oz at the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People (until Dec. 30, 416-862-2222).

Canadian Stage Company Want to see Fiona Reid in The Clean House or Arsinée Khanjian in Judith Thomson’s latest? You can take the family or some friends from work and save 50 per cent on tickets.

Here’s how it works: Between now and Dec. 21, call CanStage’s box office at 416-368-3110 and request either FamilyFlex or CorpFlex.

In either case, you’ll get four tickets for any available performance for any show remaining in the season for the price of $112, all taxes and handling charges included. That’s half of the regular price.

For a complete look at the shows available, go to canstage.com.

Dancap Productions Aubrey Dan’s new production company believes in making things easy for the customer – and that extends to the holiday season. If you’re stuck for an idea, give your musical-loving buddies a $25, $50, or $100 Dancap gift certificate, which they’ll be able to use for shows like Avenue Q or Jersey Boys.

For a full schedule and information on ordering, go to dancaptickets.com.

Mirvish Productions It’s only logical our biggest producer should have the most options. In addition to Christmas With the Rat Pack, they also have We Will Rock You, still blasting out eight shows a week at the Canon Theatre, and there are special holiday packages available at $50 a ticket.

You can also purchase seats for Dirty Dancing and four shows premiering early in the new year, Whistle Down the Wind, Twelve Angry Men and The Life and Times of Nicholas Nickleby. Or give friends and loved ones gift certificates they can use for these shows, or for two not on sale yet: The Ha’penny Bridge and The Sound of Music.

Stage West The popular dinner theatre in Mississauga has a variety of special holiday deals available that can be used all year round. For example, $149 will get you dinner and a show for two – as well as a bottle of wine! Check them out at: www.stagewest.com/festive_season.asp.

Stratford and Shaw Our two major festivals’ box offices open just in time for seasonal purchases. As of today, you can call the Stratford box office at 1-800-567-1600 or go online at stratfordfestival.ca to buy tickets to see Brian Dennehy in All’s Well That Ends Well, Christopher Plummer in Caesar and Cleopatra or 15 other potentially stunning productions next summer.

Shaw becomes available to the general public as of Dec. 14 and they can be reached at 1-800-511-SHAW or shawfest.com for tickets to Wonderful Town, An Inspector Calls, or nine other stylishly staged shows for the new season that starts in April.

Tarragon Theatre The home of Canadian theatre is offering a special “Greatest Hits” package, presenting a trio of wildly successful shows from Canadian authors who are being revived by popular demand between September 2008 and May 2009: Wadji Mouawad’s Scorched, Hannah Moscovitch’s East of Berlin and Daniel MacIvor’s A Beautiful View. All three of these plays got four-star reviews from me in The Star and, at $100 for the package, I can’t think of a better buy. Call the theatre at 416-531-1827 for more details.

For the theatre fan who has everything

What if you have a partner, relative or friend who already buys tickets to everything in sight? Then you’ll be thankful for this: The Noël Coward Collection on DVD from BBC Video. It’s an unbelievable treasure trove consisting of 21 of his plays, along with numerous other documentaries, interviews and special features. The casts include Judi Dench, Paul Scofield, Joan Collins and Deborah Kerr. An absolute must for fans of “The Master.”- Richard Ouzounian

FOR THE CONCERT LOVER

When it comes to a gift for the music lover in your life, nothing beats tickets to see their favourite artist. Some of the most anticipated shows – k.d. Lang, Spice Girls – are already sold out, but here are a few worthy stocking stuffers.

For the hip-hop oriented high-schooler Winterfest with Omarion, Trey Songz and Mario, Dec. 26, Massey Hall, 7 p.m., $66.50 - $98.

For the jazz curious Jason Marsalis, Jan. 11, Trane Studio, 8 p.m., $20 @ 416-913-8197.

For the metalhead Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Zombie, Jan. 21, Air Canada Centre, 7:30 p.m., $58-$108.50.

For the rockabilly John Mellencamp with Tom Cochrane & Red Rider, Feb. 6, Air Canada Centre, 7:30 p.m., $39.50-$150.

For the hot chick Chris Botti, Feb. 20, Massey Hall, 7:30 p.m., $45-$65.

For the suburbanite Matchbox Twenty, Feb. 22, Air Canada Centre, 8 p.m., $49.50-$85.50.

For the church-goer Harlem Gospel Choir, Feb.23, Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m., $22.50-$52.50.

For the sophisticate Pink Martini, March 15, Massey Hall, 8 p.m. $29.50-$49.50 @ roythomson.com or 416-872-4255.

For those who remember the good ol’ days Glenn Miller Orchestra, July 9, Roy Thomson Hall, 8 p.m., $64-$78 @ roythomson.com or 416-872-4255.

For the unflagging Céline Dion, Aug. 27-28, Air Canada Centre, 8 p.m., $63.25-$195. 

Unless otherwise noted, all tickets available at ticketmaster.ca or 416-870-8000. At press time, these shows still had tickets available. 

For the jazz fan who has everythingFor the diehard jazz lover on your list, consider signing them up for the 35th annual International Association of Jazz Educators conference being staged Jan. 9 to 12 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Aimed at education, teacher training and professional development, the event features an intriguing array of live interviews, panels, workshops and more than 100 concerts. The 2008 lineup includes a U.K. showcase helmed by British saxist Courtney Pine, performances by singer Kurt Elling (below), guitarist Lionel Loueke, The Tierney Sutton Band and trumpeter Christian Scott. Advance registration and membership costs about $540; lower for students. Visit iaje.org.

- Ashante Infantry

FOR THE FILM BUFFCool gifts for movie fans this season come in both small and big packages.

Let’s work our way up:

iPod Touch: The latest extension of the category-killing Apple gizmo looks like the skinny brother to the iPhone, the super cell that still hasn’t come to Canada. But anyone looking for a great handheld movie experience won’t feel shortchanged.

The 3.5-inch screen seems positively huge compared to previous iPod iterations, allowing you to comfortably watch a downloaded or ripped movie in a coffee shop, say – and if that coffee shop has Wi-Fi access, you can also use the iPod Touch to surf the Internet. Just don’t try to make any calls with it.

Bob’s right here: There’s been much ado this fall about Todd Haynes’s I’m Not There, the movie that uses six wildly different incarnations of Bob Dylan to present a tangled-up portrait of the artist.

But why not have Dylan himself show you his various sides? Delight rock and film fans with the new DVD The Other Side of the Mirror, Murray Lerner’s documentary of Dylan’s shape-shifting appearances at the Newport Folk festival from 1963-65.

We watch Dylan evolve from a nervous folkie in the Woody Guthrie tradition into a shade-wearing and ear-blasting rocker. It might settle the argument once and for all about whether the crowd was really booing Dylan during his electric debut in 1965.

While you’re at it, you might also want to pick up the DVD of another rock movie that Lerner co-directed, Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who, which similarly benefits from great vintage footage.

Fantasy corporate T-shirts: Any fool can sell out to The Man and wear a T-shirt proclaiming employment by or allegiance to a real capitalist enterprise like Ford or Coca-Cola. But how cool is it to wear a T-shirt for a fake corporation, like the kind you see in movies?

That’s the idea behind Mike Ford’s Last Exit To Nowhere (www.lastexittonowhere.com), a British firm that makes realistic corporate Ts for fantasy firms. Rock it like a Blade Runner replicant with a Tyrell Corp. shirt or dodge stomach-busting critters aboard Alien’s Nostromo space ship with your Weyland-Yutani Corp. threads. And if you’re getting hot under the collar like the righteous cop in The Wicker Man, grabbing thyself a Summerisle tourist T. Faux is the way to go.

Blade Runner-a-go-go: Guilty pleasure or wretched excess? You be the judge, but watch geek eyes bulge as you present a briefcase packed with all five official versions of Blade Runner, Ridley Scott’s 1982 cult film about a Los Angeles of constant rain and killer replicants. Keyed to the current release of Blade Runner: The Final Cut, this kit includes the original U.S. and European releases, an early work print, the 1992 director’s cut and the new final cut, each with a slightly different version of the story.

The cool extras include a different version of the controversial Harrison Ford voiceover, a “collectible’ model spinner space toy and an origami unicorn. True Blade Runner geeks will understand, and want.

Ford in a box: John Ford received four Best Director Oscars (a feat still unmatched) during his storied career and many consider him the greatest filmmaker ever. His prolific time at 20th Century Fox, where he made more than 50 films from 1920-’52, is saluted with Ford at Fox, a 21-disc set that presents many of the films he’s known for (including The Grapes of Wrath, Drums Along the Mohawk and How Green Was My Valley) as well as many that have never been released to DVD. The latter includes the rarity The Iron Horse, his silent epic about the building of the transcontinental railway.

For the cineaste who has everything

And for the film fan who has everything, and who is brave enough to risk getting a black eye, how about the Movie Spoilers T-shirt from Threadless (www.threadless.com), the T-shirt company that dares to be different? The shirt bellows out the endings to some two dozen classic movies, although a couple made in the last few years. It’s clever and eye-catching, but wearers had better hope that the big guy sitting next to them at the bar isn’t a movie buff, or that he has already seen all these flicks. Mercifully, the shirt leaves out the titles of the films. 

- Peter Howell

FOR THE COUCH POTATO

As if Christmas wasn’t scary enough in and of itself, there’s some spooky stuff out now for the TV enthusiast on your gifting list. Quite a few groundbreaking, and oddly unnerving shows, have recently received the complete-season, fancy-box treatment.

X-Files: The Complete Collector’s Edition The show was eerie, sexy and perfect for approximately the first half of its nine years and this release is packaged in an appropriately pretty fashion, featuring an eye staring you down as you unwrap it. Included on the 61-disc set is the feature film, Fight the Future, and more extras than you can shake a can of black oil at. Featuring character profiles, commentaries, “threads of mythology,” deleted scenes and games.

Also, a comic book, poster and many more happy-making features. ($293.99)

Angel Collectors Set Scary good. Scary poignant. Scary bad in places. (Places like the last episodes of Season 4). Before David Boreanaz became the cheerful Bones guy, he was the brooding vampire with a soul who helped the helpless and looked sexy and Byronian doing it. There is nothing new in this set in terms of extras, but the handy little box makes it easier to cuddle. ($125.99)

Twin Peaks Definitive Gold Box Edition The first season broke all the rules of television and opened the door for many of the arch-having, non-stupid, imaginative shows to come after. The second season was scary in its mega-slide to idiocy once David Lynch lost interest. This edition has all kinds of goodies, including a beautiful little slice of Lynch hanging out in a diner discussing the show. $69.99.

Masters of Horror, Season One All of the masters of horror from the excellent first season live in a cute little house/DVD box. But there is nothing cute about these hour-long efforts from the likes of John Carpenter, John Landis, (shudder) Dario Argento and (double-shudder) Takashi Miike. The episodes have director commentaries and some long and very interesting making-of featurettes. ($69.99)

The Addams Family: The Complete Series The scariest thing about the Addamses is how much more of a functional family they are than most non-monstery families you’ve ever come across. The set has commentaries, a guest star featurette, theme song karaoke and a bit on the whole snap-snap thing and how it came about. ($69.99)

Also scary: Stargate SG-1: The Complete Series Collection (scary mostly because of how heavy it is. And the many, many hours of your life you will spend on the massive amount of special features, old and new). $311.11. Miami Vice: The Complete Series (scary mostly because of the fashion). $149.96; Seinfeld: The Complete Series (scary mostly because of Elaine’s hair in the early years). $244.27; Northern Exposure: The Complete Series (scary mostly because you realize John Corbett used to be all kinds of hot). $149.96; The O.C.: The Complete Series Collection (scary mostly because the first season already seems oddly aged) $148.18; Gilmore Girls: The Complete Series (scary mostly because of the super-cutesy and pastelly packaging) $213.15; Chappelle’s Show: The Series Collection (scary mostly on account of how it makes you pee your pants) $40.43.

Not scary at all, but really, really season-appropriate: Christmas Time in South Park with seven episodes of sacrilegious fun. $16.99.

The prices listed are from chapters.indigo.ca and amazon.ca and are subject to change(s). They’ve probably already changed 11 times since yesterday.

For the channel surfer who has everythingIt’s not just a collection of some 90 episodes of dirty, funny Family Guy. No, no. With the Freakin’ Party Pack, you’ll get ping-pong balls, net and paddles as well at poker chips and cards and dice. It all comes in a handy-dandy see-through container, which can easily be used as a lunch box at a later date. Stewie says: “Beautiful. And while we’re at it we can light up a doobie and watch porn?” $143.98

 - Malene Arpe

FOR THE STUDIOUS TYPE

There are books we buy for ourselves, books we buy for others and books we wish others would buy for us.

These latter two categories are at the heart of holiday gift-giving. Think of a book you might hope to receive and then turn that thinking around when looking at the readers and book lovers on your list. The book should also qualify as an extravagance, either because it’s a tad too expensive or possibly a title you already own in another form.

Most of the recommended books on this list fit that principle:

Roald Nasgaard, Abstract Painting in Canada (Douglas & McIntyre) $85 There is more to abstract painting in Canada than the iconic works of Paul-Émile Borduas, Jean-Paul Riopelle and Guido Molinari, as is illustrated in this thorough and thoroughly gorgeous survey.

Anne Newlands, Canadian Paintings, Prints and Drawings (Firefly) $69.95 This handsome survey of 164 familiar Canadian works of art, ranging from the 17th century until now, touches all the bases, from Tom Thomson’s The Jack Pine to Jack Chambers’ 401 Towards London No. 1 to General Idea’s AIDS.

Helen Humphreys, The Frozen Thames (McClelland & Stewart) $24.99 Proof that not all attractive parcels come in big packages: This small but fetching title packages 40 short, colourful narratives set on occasions between 1142 and 1927 that London’s Thames River froze, an original and imaginative approach to historical fiction.

Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner: Illustrated Edition (Doubleday Canada) $37 Hosseini’s hugely popular novel about life in Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban has been refurbished to include colour and black and white photographs taken in that war-torn country.

Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace (Knopf) $47 Too busy, lazy or Cyrillic-challenged to learn Russian but have always wanted to read Tolstoy’s mammoth epic, set during the Napoleonic Wars? No worries. Here’s a new translation by the acclaimed husband and wife team of Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.

Yann Martel, Life of Pi: Illustrated (Knopf Canada) $45 Given the continuing popularity among younger readers of Martel’s Booker Prize-winning novel, its transformation into an illustrated text by Croatian artist Tomislav Torjanac makes perfect sense.

Lana Slezic, Forsaken (Anansi) $45 Photographer Lana Slezic’s eye-opening photographs of Afghan women are insightful, often disturbing and, yet, somehow affirming.

Melanie Dunea, My Last Supper (Bloomsbury) $49.95 No, not an investigation of Leonardo’s famous painting or even a collection of menu preferences by death row inmates. Instead, this book tells you how and what 50 famous chefs, including Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali, would eat for their culinary exit.

Jane Urquhart (editor), Penguin Book of Canadian Short Stories (Penguin Canada) $35 Canadians write short stories as well as anyone in the English-speaking world, what with internationally recognized masters Alice Munro, Mavis Gallant and Alistair MacLeod leading the charge.

- Vit Wagner

FOR THE GEEK AT HEART

Considering the plethora of licensed goods out there, two thoughts hit me while constructing this gift guide of gloriously geeky products. First, we truly are living in the golden age of geek chic as there are action figures, toys, clothing and collectibles for all stripes and inclination of fandom. And how insanely difficult would it actually be for completists to collect all of these things? While one might be spoiled for choice, here’s a list of a few things we saw that should please the nerdy out there.

Superhero sort of Lit With graphic novels enjoying a wonderful resurgence right now, there are plenty of new cool books on the shelves. For the old school fan, the Marvel True Believers retro pop-Up books are big, colourful representations of Marvel’s finest. So far, Spider-Man and the X-Men have their own versions of these books where our favourite heroes literally burst from the page. $27.95 from the Silver Snail (367 Queen St. W., 416-593-0889)

In terms of actual prose, the two hot books out there are Austin Grossman’s Soon I Will Be Invincible, a thinly veiled take on a Justice League-like group of heroes. It’s told from the perspectives of a new heroine, Fatale, and Dr. Impossible, the brilliantly flawed Lex Luthor-type villain of this world. The other one is Hero, a gay coming-out story by Perry Moore.

Doctor Who doesn’t love remote control stuff The Mini R.C. Dalek Battle Pack is all kinds of cool. Coming with two Daleks so they can fight each other, any scarf-wearing Who fan will love this. $54.95 from Suspect Video (619 Queen St. W., 416-504-9116).

Robotic games More than meets the eye might be the perfect way to describe chess, and the Transformers Chess Set is the perfect gift for old school and new fans of Autobots and Decepticons. One problem? They don’t transform. But hey, Mindgames (various locations) has marked the set down from $49.99 to $29.99.

New movies or bust While last year’s big hits still have interesting product all over the place – anyone for a 300 Spartan cape ($274.99) and sword with belt and scabbard ($191.99)? – geeks like to be ahead of the game. Two big flicks coming next year include Iron Man and G.I. Joe and The Silver Snail has two awesome busts, one of Iron Man’s helmet for $459.99 and a great limited edition bust of the original American Ninja, Snake Eyes, for $389.99.

Skull-picking: For the history buff, why not turn them on to the bunk science of phrenology, the ancient art of reading bumps on a skull to diagnose illness and personality? Cool design shop Morba (665 Queen St. W., 416-364-5144) has phrenology heads that point out just where to feel to see what ails you. A 12-inch head goes for $118.00.

For the geek who has everything

Any big-time music nerd is probably still hanging onto their vinyl or cassette tapes, even though most likely the bulk of their music-listening is done through the computer these days. Ion’s Tape2PC USB Cassette Archiver (below) and USB Turntable ($200 and $150 at Urban Outfitters, respectively) are the perfect devices to help bring their music into this century by converting it to MP3s.

- Raju Maduhar

FOR THE GAMER IN YOUR LIFE

Video games, and related accessories, make for ideal stocking stuffers for the young and young at heart – but with so many products to choose from, shopping for a gamer can be an overwhelming experience.

In other words, how do you know which games are worth getting blisters over and which ones will likely become beer coasters? Here are some games and accessories worth putting under the tree:

Band in a box Easily one of the best games of the year is MTV Games’ Rock Band, a music rhythm game that includes a guitar peripheral (which can also be used as a bass), collapsible drum kit and real sticks, and a microphone so the whole family can rock out in front of the same TV to hit songs from yesterday and today (or even over the Internet with friends in another city). The game and instrument bundle sell for $169.99 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3; the stand-alone game sells for $59.99.

Taking charge While the Nintendo Wii’s motion-sensing controller is one of the most exciting things to happen to the gaming industry in a long while, it’s no secret the AA batteries in the Wii remote can drain faster than the pipes in a Mario Bros. game. Good news: the “Nyko Wii Charge Station” ($38.99) includes rechargeable batteries for two Wii remotes, a docking station to recharge them and rubber-lined controller backs for greater grip.

It’s alien to me From Edmonton-based BioWare comes one of the most ambitious fantasy epics in recent memory: Mass Effect ($59.99). In this Xbox 360 exclusive, you assume the role of commander of the S.S. Normandy, who travels throughout the galaxy to face a vicious enemy before it destroys everything in its path. Handpick your squad-mates and vehicles and engage in strategic combat on various planets, asteroids and spaceships – but each decision you make has its own consequence.

It’s-a-me, Mario! In Nintendo’s Super Mario Galaxy ($49.99), everyone’s favourite plumber is back, and this time he’s out of this world. In fact, this space-age single-player game is one of the best Mario games in recently memory.

Players can use the Wii’s motion-sensing controllers to zap to various planets, collect items, solve puzzles and fight baddies. Colourful graphics and a terrific soundtrack add to the fun.

For the gamer who has everything

You haven’t played Halo 3 unless your tush has rumbled while firing at aliens. The Renegade Game Chair ($299.99) features 12 vibrating motors so you can feel every bump or zap in your favourite games. This comfortable recliner also includes headrest-mounted 3D-stereo speakers and coordinated lighting effects and is compatible with Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Windows PCs, Macs and portable music players. 

- Marc Saltzman 

FOR THE AUDIOPHILE

Megadeth, Warchest (Capitol/EMI) Yeah, Rhino Records’s new Heavy Metal Box is a handsome package, but don’t insult your favourite metalhead by treating him (or a way-cool her) like a generalist – go deep and go specific with this bad-ass, four-CD, one-DVD monument to the on-again/off-again genius of Dave Mustaine. There’s a steep tail-off from the glory days of “Peace Sells” and “Hangar 18″ to the present, admittedly, but the 1990 live show from Wembley Stadium captured on Disc 4 will still singe your eyebrows. Some of the studio versions actually seem slow and restrained by comparison. And, dear lord, you’ve gotta see Warchest’s 3-D packaging to believe it. Nicely done.

Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures (1979), Closer (1980) and Still (1981) Separate the poseurs lining up to cop some of the Best Band Ever’s cool after perusing Control at the multiplex by sitting ‘em down with two-and-a-half of the most brilliant and soul-scrapingly ugly post-punk albums of all time. Rock doesn’t get any better – or more unsettling – than it does on Rhino Records’s pristine reissues of Joy Division’s original, suicide-truncated three-album Factory catalogue, but the bonus live discs included in each package will inspire renewed awe in serious fans, who will be further awed if presented with the vinyl box set that Rhino is offering of all three double LPs. Buy one of them, at least, for your idiot nephew who thinks My Chemical Romance is “tortured.”

Pink Floyd, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (EMI) Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall are cool and everything, but it’s about time Floyd’s epochal, acid-gobbling 1967 debut and its sadly departed architect, Syd Barrett, got some proper love, too. This “deluxe,” triple-CD reissue – mono and stereo versions of Piper, plus another CD of early Floyd singles like “Arnold Layne” and “See Emily Play” – has next to nil to offer in terms of undiscovered material. But it comes in a nifty, cloth-bound package reminiscent of a children’s book like The Wind in the Willows, from whence the album drew its name, and contains a booklet reproducing most of Barrett’s original artwork for the record. Plus, it’ll be awesome to bust out “Lucifer Sam” on Christmas morning. Buy it for your favourite burnout.

Radiohead, In Rainbows “Discbox” (Independent) vs. Radiohead, Album Box Set: 1993-2003 (Parlophone/EMI) Anyone within reach of a computer and who has a casual interest in Radiohead already has In Rainbows, obviously. But true acolytes who can’t spare the $80 or so required to nab the forthcoming “discbox” version – two CDs, two vinyl LPs, the downloadable file, extra tunes and a whole mess of new artwork by longtime pal Stanley Donwood –will be blown away by your thoughtfulness and Internet prowess if this prize package (see www.inrainbows.com) turns up in their hands. Anyone who has never heard of Radiohead before the In Rainbows hype is ripe for education by the seven-disc box of the band’s previous catalogue that spurned EMI subsidiary Parlophone Records is offering in retaliation. It’s also in a USB “stick” shaped like that bear logo from Amnesiac, naturally, to suck collectors and completists in.

U2, The Joshua Tree (Island/Universal) Twenty years on, the thought of any more Bono than absolutely necessary horrifies, but “Bullet the Blue Sky” alone ranks this breakthrough album as one of U2’s finest. The two-CD “anniversary” edition adds some unreleased tunes, a concert DVD and … uh … an essay by the Edge.

For the rock fan who has everything

Led Zeppelin, Mothership (Atlantic/Warner) As much as it hurts to pimp another re-re-remastered greatest-hits cash grab by a bunch of disgustingly wealthy dino-rockers, if there’s a single music fan on your list who’s never felt the full might of “When the Levee Breaks,” this mixed-for-maximum- loudness compilation is the rock version of the Children’s Bible. Two discs and 24 tracks plus a live DVD if you’re into Robert Plant’s “package.” For the Zep aficionado, there’s also a wicked new double-disc reissue of The Song Remains the Same soundtrack with smokin’ tunage previously heard only onscreen and, of course, as much spiffed-up “Dazed and Confused” wankery as anyone can handle.

- Ben Rayner

FOR THE CLASSICAL AFICIONADO

Since Sam’s closed and HMV downsized, the place to go for classical discs in Toronto is Atelier Grigorian (you can visit them at grigorian.com for info). All the chosen items cost less than $50:

Noël noël There’s a rich tradition of Christmas carols from France that are a refreshing break from ’round-the-clock “White Christmas” in every public place. Montreal-based Baroque specialists Les Boréades have just released Noëls (ATMA), 12 carols gorgeously arranged for recorder player Francis Colpron, violinist Hélène Plouffe, gambist Susie Napper, keyboard player Marie Bouchard and others.

Rare opera French record label Naïve is part of a massive Italian effort to record all of the music of Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) preserved in the Turin branch of the Italian National Library – about 400 works in all. The project started in 2000 and is set to run for another eight years and a total of about 100 CDs.

So far, the period-performance interpreters have produced consistently rich, vibrant readings. This world-premiere recording of the opera Atenaide, which had its premiere in Florence in 1728, raises goosebumps with the Technicolor sounds of ensemble Modo Antiquo. The fabulous singing cast on this three-CD set is led by French soprano superstar Sandrine Piau, in the title role, and tenor Paul Agnew.

Chamber greatness The Alban Berg Quartet, born in Vienna in the mid-1970s, will dissolve into history at the end of this season, leaving a rich, glorious legacy of sensitive, expressive playing.

To mark the milestone, EMI has released a value-priced five-CD box set of recordings made between 1979 and 1997. The box contains a wide range of pieces to please the chamber-music fanatic as well as a newbie listener – from Josef Haydn and Beethoven to Johann Strauss Sr. and Leos Janacek.

Glenn Gould to go Besides a steady stream of reissues from Sony, CBC Records has released two particularly interesting box sets. The first, Glenn Gould: The Young Maverick, contains six CDs providing a cross-section of music he recorded before he signed up with Columbia Records.

This is young Gould at his most energetic, including a 1954 recording of the Goldberg Variations that is substantially more charged than his famous Columbia debut version.

There are also great Beethoven concertos with the TSO and conductor Ernest MacMillan as well as 20th-century Viennese fare, such as Anton Webern’s Variations for Piano. For people who want words with their music, there is a five-disc set called Glenn Gould: The Radio Artist. This box includes the famous radio docs The Idea of North, The Latecomers and The Quiet in the Land, as well as portraits of cellist Pablo Casals and conductor/arranger Leopold Stokowski. This is a treasure.

Sony’s Christmas special is offering an 80-disc boxed set of Gouldiana where each CD sits in a miniature reproduction of the original LP dust jacket. Grigorian’s has it at a special price of $249.98.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 2nd, 2007 at 9:02 pm and is filed under Christmas, Holidays, Seasonal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.