Category Archives: Toronto opera news and views

Get your Messiah here

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life-of-brian-movieAs Brian Cohen discovered picking a Messiah is a tricky business.  So is picking a Messiah.  As usual the winter solstice season in Toronto offers multiple options.  The nearest thing to the John Barbirolli approach is the TSO at Roy Thomson Hall.  This is your big, grand Messiah with famous soloists, modern instruments and a big chorus.  This year, besides the perennial Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, there are soloists Erin Wall, Liz DeShong, Andrew Staples and John Relyea and, best of all, Andrew Davis conducts.  This one is on December 15th, 16th, 18th and 19th at 8pm with a 3pm matinee on the 20th.

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Upcoming shows

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There are a few new interesting shows coming up.  Fawn Chamber Creative have announced a fully staged production of Adam Scime’s L’homme et le ciel.  This has been in the works for a while.  I missed last year’s workshop performance but caught an excerpt from Bicycle Opera Project.  It made me want to see the whole thing.  The piece takes its story from the 2nd century Christian literary text The Shepherd of Hermas, and depicts the journey of a male slave named Hermas as he struggles to accept his humanity within the parameters of his faith. Hermas, a pious man, has spent his life striving to live a righteous life, only to discover that there are elements of human instinct that cannot be denied. Hermas’ break in self-concept leads him down a path of discovery through a series of out of body interactions and revelations, which slowly bring him closer to understanding.  Music by Adam Scime, libretto by Ian Koiter.  Amanda Smith directs and the singers are Alexander Dobson, Larissa Koniuk and Adanya Dunn.  It’s playing at The Music Gallery on December 3rd and 4th at 8pm.  Tickets here.

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Music at the AGO

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London National Gallery Top 20 13 JMW Turner - The fighting TemeraireThe Art Gallery of Ontario is starting a new Friday night music initiative.  Each Friday night in November (6th, 13th, 20th, 27th), the inaugural month of AGO Friday Nights, will celebrate the opening of J.M.W. Turner: Painting Set Free, a major exhibition featuring the works of Joseph Mallord William Turner. The AGO is partnering with Tapestry to present Music Set Free, a special performance featuring pianist/composer Adam Sherkin and mezzo-soprano Marion Newman.  Capturing a selection of music from Turner’s time in addition to pieces inspired by his influences, subjects and artistic practice, the concert will feature works ranging from Beethoven to Britten, as well as a special world premiere of an original work by Adam Sherkin, commissioned by Tapestry for the occasion. Music Set Free is curated by Michael Mori, Artistic Director of Tapestry Opera.  The performances will be from 7.30pm to 8.30 pm and are included in the admission price to the exhibition.  There will be a bar and food and stuff too.

First week of November

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1.sevenA few notable events this coming fall week.  Tuesday sees the COC’s annual gala competition for young singers, Centre Stage.  Prizes and possible places in the Ensemble Studio for next year are up for grabs.  The public part of the event starts at 5.30pm at The Four Seasons Centre with a cocktail reception followed by the final round of the competition.  Unusually this competition feature the full COC orchestra, not just piano.

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A quick look at the COC’s 2014/15 financials

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jane_1415accountsI haven’t really done a full analysis of the COC’s recently released financials but what I have done suggests cause for cautious optimism.  As anyone who reads this blog knows I have, for the last three years or so, pointed up the rather stark reality underlying the company’s relentlessly optimistic propaganda.  To whit, a steady decline in seats sold, revenue and realisation (actual revenue dollars per seat sold).  This year doesn’t look so bad.

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Coming up week of October 26th

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NextWaveKelseylg812The first part of the week isn’t too crazy.  Quinn Kelsey, currently singing Germont at the COC, has a noon recital in the RBA on Tuesday.  Rachel Andrist will be at the piano and the program includes Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel and Finzi’s Let Us Garlands Bring.  Enticing I think.

Wednesday sees a premiere and fundraiser for Syrian refugees; David Warrack’s Abraham at Metropolitan United Church.  Then on Thursday there’s Toronto Darknet Market, a fundraiser with an edge, this time for an upcoming production of Charpentier’s Medée.  Both causes worth supporting.

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Upcoming events – mostly November

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AbrahamsOratorio_Poster_v1.4As ever there’s no shortage of announcements of new and interesting stuff in the Toronto area.  Here are a few from the inbox.  Next week, there’s a premiere of David Warrack’s oratorio Abraham.  It’s a multi-faith event in aid of the Syrian Refugee Program at Metropolitan United Church.  It’s on Wednesday, October 28th at 8 p.m. at Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen Street East, Toronto.  Richard Margison stars as Abraham and joining him are five principal vocalists; Ramona Carmelly, Meredith Hall, Hussein Janmohamed, George Krissa and Theresa Tova, three choirs: the Elmer Iseler Singers, the Jarrahi Sufi Choir with Whirling Dervishes,and the Bach Children’s Chorus  David Warrack will be at the piano.  Whirling Dervishes?  Get in!  It’s a good cause.  General admission tickets are $54; $36 for students.  $75 VIP tickets offer reserved seating and an invitation to the post-concert reception.  Tickets and more information at www.abrahamoratorio.ca. Continue reading →

A worthy cause

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p1130277-001_scaleThis just in.  Apparently Dean Burry doesn’t drink enough beer to generate a sufficient supply of bottle caps to make himself an Ugly Stick.  I find this hard to believe and probably puts his Newfoundland citizenship at risk but there you go.  So, he wants your bottle caps and he wants them by November 15th.  Send your bottle caps via post (apparently this still exists) to Toronto Masque Theatre, 383 Huron Street, Toronto  M5S 2G5. For larger donations (Robert Pomakov are you reading this?) and alternative delivery methods, please call TMT on 416 410 4561.

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Coming up

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pandtThere are a couple of opera openings next week.  Pyramus and Thisbe; the Barbara Monk Feldman, Monteverdi, Chris Alden creation, opens at the COC on Tuesday 20th for a run of seven shows and Opera Atelier are opening a run of six shows of Lully’s Armide at the Elgin starting on Thursday evening.  Both shows are very much a case of Canadian talent on display with no big international names.  La Traviata continues at the COC in tandem with Pyramus and Thisbe.

darknetThere’s one interesting new announcement for the following week.  Amanda Smith and Alaina Viau are collaborating on a show called Toronto Darknet Market.  It’s inspired by those parts of the internet that even I don’t know about and will run as a sequence of three performances on the 29th starting at 8pm.  It’s at 8-11 which is at 233 Spadina (south of Dundas).  It’s a PWYC fundraiser for a chamber production of Médée by Marc-Antoine Charpentier next year.  Toronto needs more staged baroque opera that’s not Opera Atelier so this initiative deserves support.  There will be good young singers on display with music by Purcell, Berg and Cage among others.