Category Archives: Toronto opera news and views

Gaslight

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gaslight_1Later this month there is an Ingrid Bergman retrospective at TIFF Cinematheque to celebrate the 100th anniversary of her birth.  There is one (vaguely) opera related film in the offering; Gaslight, a 1944 thriller directed by George Cukor about the niece of a murdered opera singer, Alice Alquist.  The girl aspires to an operatic career too and we do see Bergman practicing an aria from Lucia di Lammermoor.  However the main plot turns on the Bergman character (Paula) marrying and returning to her aunt’s house in London where she is subjected to attempts by her husband to drive her mad to get possession of the house where he hopes to find the jewels he murdered Paula’s aunt for in the first place.  The denouement is precipitated by a young Scotland Yard operative who, as a small boy, was given a glove worn by Alice as Juliette and signed by Gounod. Continue reading →

A nice cup of LooseTEA

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improvLoose TEA Music Theatre have just announced their latest project; a transladaptation of Gounod’s Faust called Disassociative Me. It will run for three performances at RED nightclub, 135 Liberty Street on August 18th, 20th and 22nd.  No details on casting and stuff yet.  There’s also a fundraiser to support the production.  It’s called Whose Opera is it Anyways? and it’s on 22nd July from 7pm to 10pm at The Office pub on John Street.  Assorted brave, or foolish, singers will be taking the games from “Whose Line is it Anyway” and daring to do them while singing opera!  There’s also a comedian and a DJ.  Tickets are $25 and incude snacks and a glass of wine.

More summer music

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mbThere may not be a lot of opera per se in Hogtown during the summer but there’s a fair amount of music of interest to the likes of us.

Toronto Summer Music Festival has some interesting offerings.  The opening night concert, Americans in Paris, features Measha Brueggergosman in works by Gershwin, Bolcom and copland as well as instrumental pieces.  And pretty much closing the festival out is a Karita Mattila recital with Bryan Wagorn on piano, on August 7th in a recital that includes works by Strauss, Sibelius and Sallinen.  Details at www.torontosummermusic.com.

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Toronto Summer Opera

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vampyrThere’s not a lot of opera in Toronto in the summer but Summer Opera Lyric Theatre has announced it’s 29th season of performances by young and emerging artists in Toronto.  This season there are three offerings:

  • First up is Marschner’s Der Vampyr.  There are four performances on July 31st (8pm), August 2nd (2pm), 5th (2pm) and 8th (8pm).
  • Ambitiously enough, this is followed by Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos on August 1st (2pm), 4th (8pm), 6th (8pm) and 8th (2pm).
  • And finally, another rarity, von Flotow’s Martha.  Again four performances on August 1st (8pm), 5th (8pm), 7th (8pm) and 9th (2pm).

All three shows are directed by Bill Silva-Marin and will be performed in the Robert Gill Theatre at the University of Toronto.  Single tickets are $28 ($22 students/seniors) or $60 for the lot.  Tickets are available by phone at 416-366-7723 or online at www.stlc.com.

A Chair in Love

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https---img.evbuc.com-https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.evbuc.com%2Fimages%2F13688002%2F47251331097%2F1%2Foriginal.jpg?rect=0%2C16%2C540%2C270&s=e19a1b917b8dc5d8a03bd5627ce280f9OK everything about this has me intrigued.  Opera by Request are putting on a semi-staged version of John Metcalf and Larry Tremblay’s A Chair in Love.  It’s about an angsty film director who falls in love with a chair despite his dog’s best efforts to avoid disaster.  It’s on Friday July 17th @ 7:30pm at the Array Space (155 Walnut Avenue), and features William Shookhoff (music director and pianist), Abigail Freeman (Chair), Michael Robert-Broder (Truman), Gregory Finney (Dog), and Kim Sartor (Dogtor/Doctor).  Tickets are $20 and available here.  Despite Metcalf’s heritage I don’t think it’s in Welsh though the chance to see Greg bark in Welsh would be worth the price of a ticket.

Soundstreams subscription offer

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Soundstreams, Toronto’s contemporary music specialists, have pointed out that one can use their “Pick 3” subscription package to get a discount on all three of their vocal offerings in 2015/16.  The three shows are:

  • A concert with Adrianne Pieczonka and Kristina Szabó in a varied, indeed fascinatingly eclectic, programme on September 29th 2015.
  • Boesmans’ opera Julie which runs November 17th to 29th 2015.
  • A choral concert with Scottish composer James MacMillan including his Seven Last Words from the Cross.  This one is on March 8th 2016.

Subscription packages start at $135 and are available at soundstreams.ca

Late listing

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tkTeiya Kasahara and Stephanie Yelovich have a couple of recitals this week.  The show is billed as Majesty, Madness and Murder and will feature Italian opera and art song.  Mark-Anthony Del Brocco will accompany.  It’s a fund raiser for the girls to study in Italy this summer and it’s pay-by-donation.

You can catch them tomorrow night at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, 320 Charlton Ave W, Hamilton or on Friday at First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto, 175 St. Clair Ave W, Toronto.  Both shows start at 7.30pm.

Rehearsing the Apocalypse

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R. Murray Shafer’s 1980 “musical pageant”, Apocalypsis, is being restaged this year by Luminato.  It’s currently in rehearsal and yestrday I got to see part of a staging rehearsal.  It’s an unusual work requiring massive forces (500-1000 performers depending who you read) and combines spoken word, dance, singing and other things I’m not sure I have the vocabulary for.  Oh, and yes, it depicts the end of the world!  It’s big, loud, exciting and a bit mad.  Part ego trip, part acid trip perhaps?

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Casting for Julie announced

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cervoni

Lucia Cervoni as Carmen in Magdeburg

The casting for Philip Boesmans’ chamber opera Julie, to be staged by Soundstrams and Canadian Stage in November has been announced.  The title role will be sung by London, Ontario mezzo Lucia Cervoni.  I’ve not seen her but judging by reviews she seems to be very much in the same space; physically and vocally, as Malena Ernman who premiered the role.  Jean, her feckless lover, well be sung by Clarence Frazer.  He’s been on terrific form lately and seems a good pick, though it’s a rather thankless role.  The toughest sing in the piece is probably Christine, Jean’s fiancée and a servant in the household.  This goes to Ottawa’s Sharleen Joynt.  She really impressed me as Zerlina in Against the Grain’s #UncleJohn and I’m really intrigued to see what she does with a high coloratura role which is, I believe, her normal turf.  Continue reading →

The Royal Conservatory 2015/16 season

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PD32029780_Terfel__1514579cThe Royal Conservatory has now announced the 2015/16 season.  The full details plus how to subscribe, buy tickets etc is here.  It’s the usual rich mix of music in a wide range of genres.  Here are the things I will be looking out for:

April 24th 2016 in Koerner Hall at 3pm there’s a recital by Bryn Terfel with Natalia Katyukova.  This is definitely the big name vocal gig of the season.

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