Last Tuesday lunchtime in the RBA we got a sneak preview of some of the music that will feature at this year’s 20th anniversary Toronto Summer Music.

There was soprano Caitlin Wood with Philip Chiu performing three French chansons; at least one of which will feature in Mary Bevan and Roger Vignoles’ Walter Hall recital.  Cait herself will be performing as part of the cast of Brian Current’s opera Missing during the festival.

The rest of the show (not unreasonably) featured retiring artistic director Jonathan Crow with various collaborators.  There was the Adagio-Allegro from very Mozartian Duo for Violin and Viola in B-flat major K.424 played rather nicely with Barry Shiffman.  There was Janáček’s Violin Sonata in G-sharp Minor JW VII played with Philip Chiu.  This was really interesting.  It’s highly virtuosic and while the piano part is quite melodic most of the time, the violin gets to do some rather strange though rather wonderful things.  This piece wiull also feature in Jonathan’s farewell recital.

Finally there was the final movement from Brahms’ Piano Quartet No.1 in G Minor Op. 25.  This is fast and furious with a bunch of music in Zigeuner style.  Did Brahms really think that was Hungarian or Roma?  In any event irt was madly virtuosic and played superby with Jonathan and Philip joined by Barry Shiffman on viola and Ellamay Mantie on cello.

There is of course much more to enjoy at TSM.  There’s tons of chamber music, quite a lot of song, some cheesy Vienneezy stuff and two full operas; Claudio Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea and Brian Current’s MISSING; a really important piece about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.  Tickets and ticket packages are on sale at the TSM website or through the RCM box office.