Heading towards May

Posted on April 4, 2014 by operaramblings

Here are a couple more upcoming events that readers may be interested in. The Royal Conservatory has a festival of contemporary music from April 21st to May 25th. There are eight concerts in a variety of genres. The most interesting to me is on May 22nd when there is a concert to celebrate R. Murray Schafer’s 80^th birthday. The concert will feature four pieces; Quintet for Piano and Strings Shafer himself, played by the ARC Ensemble; a world premiere of The Questioning by Canadian composer Christos Hatzis, written for and played by the Afiara String Quartet, Faster Still, a work by the by Canadian composer Brian Current played by the ARC Ensemble; and the Canadian premiere of Dutch composer Louis Andriessen’s Anaïs Nin, a semi-staged work for chamber ensemble, video, and mezzo-soprano, based on the diary entries of Anaïs Nin. Singing the role of Anaïs Nin will be a favourite of mine, Wallis Giunta most recently seen in the COC’s Così fan tutte. More details and tickets available here.

On May 1st at 1pm 96.3 FM are broadcasting Sondra Radvanovsky in recital live from the Zoomerplex. You can catch it on the radio or at www.classical963fm.com. There’s also a draw for free tickets for the recital and the reception before. I believe to enter you need to email name, phone number and email address to classical963fm1031@gmail.com.

Toronto Summer Music Festival

Posted on April 3, 2014 by operaramblings

Toronto Summer Music will run from July 22 to August 12. There’s a wide variety of programming but the highlights for opera and song fans are as follows:

Sondra Radvanovsky is in concert on Thursday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m. at Koerner Hall. The programme is “favourite Italian opera arias”.. Whether it’s orchestral or piano accompaniment I don’t know.

Christopher Maltman accompanied by Graham Johnson will be at Walter Hall on Wednesday, August 6 at 7:30 p.m.with a programme titled The Soldier: From Severn to Somme which will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War. It will include songs by Mahler, Mussorgsky, Butterworth, Ives, Finzi and Poulenc.

On Thursday, August 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Walter Hall, Peter McGillivray and pianist David Louie will join TSO principals Jonathan Crow and Etsuko Kimura (violin), Eric Nowlin (viola), David Hetherington (cello) and Yao Guang Zhai (clarinet) to perform a Viennese programme featuring Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer and Waltzes by Strauss, all in arrangements by Schoenberg and Berg.

The annual TSM Academy Art of Song Recitals will take place on Friday, August 8th (my birthday, send cake) at 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. at Walter Hall. These are the showcase recitals for the 12 young singers who were awarded TSM Academy scholarships and who will have prepared with French baritone François Le Roux and pianist Graham Johnson. Naturally, no programming has yet been announced.

Festival, Weekly and Flex passes ($202 -$592) are on sale as of April 3, 2014. Individual concert tickets ($20 to $99) will be on sale as of April 17, 2014. To purchase festival passes and single tickets visit www.torontosummermusic.com , call 416-408-0208 or visit the Weston Family Box Office at the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Voicebox: Opera in Concert 2014/15 season

Posted on March 30, 2014 by operaramblings

According to Schmopera, the line up for 2014/15 for the Voicebox: Opera in Concert season at the Jane Mallett Theatre will be Manuel de Falla’s La Vida Breve, Weill’s Street Scene, Charpentier’s Louise and the premier of Isis and Osiris by composer Peter-Anthony Togni with a libretto by Sharon Singer, both Canadians. The only one of these I’m at all familiar with is La Vida Breve, which is rather good (DVD review). However there’s plenty of information on Isis and Osiris available here and here. The latter link includes almost 18 minutes of music from the piece.

All in all, as one has come to expect from Voicebox, an interesting line up. More details here as they become available.

April in Toronto

Posted on March 21, 2014 by operaramblings

The opening weekend of April is almost absurdly rich in opera going opportunities and I’ve already previewed it here. There are updates on the Tapestry/Volcano show Revolutions. This is going to be highly experimental and aims to “test the boundaries of how opera is presented in the 21st century.” by exploring the relationship between physical and musical expression. Marie- Josée Chartier (contemporary dance), stage director Michael Mori, will work with four athletic young opera singers, Neema Bickersteth, Andrea Ludwig, Adrian Kramer and Andrew Love. Unfortunately it’s one night only and I shall be at the opening of Peter Sellars’ production of Handel’s Hercules at the COC. Eric Owens, Alice Coote, Richard Croft, David Daniels and Lucy Crowe are singing and Harry Bicket is in the pit. If that’s not incentive enough the COC is offering a 25% discount if you buy tickets to any two of the three spring operas (the other two are Roberto Devereux and Don Quichotte). Continue reading →

Lepage at TIFF

Posted on March 18, 2014 by operaramblings

There’s going to be a Robert Lepage retrospective at the TIFF Bell Lightbox from March 27th to April 1st. Most of the screenings/events will focus, naturally enough, on Lepage’s output for cinema but there are a couple of showings of interest to opera fans. On Saturday March 29th at noon there’s a showing of his production of Berlioz’ La Damnation de Faust first seen in the MetHD series and the following day at 12.30 pm one can see Susan Froemke’s documentary Wagner’s Dream about the making of the Metropolitan Opera Ring cycle. Lepage will be present at both shows.

Upcoming events

Posted on March 11, 2014 by operaramblings

There’s quite a lot happening before the COC season kicks off again with the opening of Handel’s Hercules on April 5th. Here are some of the highlights including several rarities.

On March 22nd at 7:30pm and 23rd at 3pm the Cantemus Singers are putting on a concert performance of Purcell’s The Fairie Queene at the Church of the Holy Trinity. The cast includes Iris Krizmanic, soprano (Juno); Maria Soulis, soprano (Mopsa); and Michael Pius Taylor, tenor (Phoebus). Tickets are $20; $15(sr/st); $10(child).

Continue reading →

Maria Callas in a non singing role

Posted on March 6, 2014 by operaramblings

There’s a Pasolini retrospective on at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Next Thursday at 6.30pm they are showing his Medea which features one Maria Callas in her only non singing role. Whether that’s a good thing or not probably divides opera lovers but there you go.

No question it’s a good role for her.

Exciting Toronto contemporary vocal/opera news

Posted on March 6, 2014 by operaramblings

There is a plethora (relatively speaking) of contemporary vocal works and opera coming to Toronto in May/June. Lydia has the scoop at Definitely the Opera.

Another intriguing program from the Talisker Players

Posted on March 5, 2014 by operaramblings

The Talisker Players are presenting a show called present Creature to Creature on March 16 and 18 at Trinity St. Paul’s Centre. It’s inspired by mediaeval bestiaries and takes on human foibles through the lens of animal behaviour. It had better be good because I can scratch quite nastily. The Taliskers will be joined by mezzo soprano Norine Burgess, baritone Geoffrey Sirett (more impressive every time I see him), and theatre artist Ross Manson.

Continue reading →

New Canadian works from Essential Opera

Posted on March 3, 2014 by operaramblings

Not sure how this managed to fly under the radar but Essential Opera have a show of three Canadian premieres at Heliconian Hall on April 5th. The works are:

Etiquette
Composed by Monica Pearce, libretto by John Terauds
Pitting politeness and perfection against the harsher facts of life, through the eyes of Dorothy Parker, Emily Post and Nancy Astor.
Learn more about Monica and her music on her website: http://www.monicapearce.com

Regina
Composed by Elisha Denburg, libretto by Maya Rabinovitch
The story of Regina Jonas, the first woman to be ordained a rabbi – in 1935 Berlin – and the young student who discovers her truth.
Learn more about Elisha and his music on his website: http://www.elishadenburg.com

Heather (Cindy + Mindy = BFs 4EVER)
Composed by Christopher Thornborrow, libretto by Julie Tepperman
A hard-hitting introduction to the vicious reality of online bullying between girls and young women.
Learn more about Chris and his music on his website: http://christhornborrow.com/

A “first draft” of part of the last was featured at a Tapestry Shorts show not so long ago.

The performance team is:

MUSICAL TEAM:
Music director: Cheryl Duvall
Conductor: David Passmore
CAST:
Erin Bardua, soprano
Maureen Batt, soprano
Julia Morgan, mezzo
Keith O’Brien, baritone
Jesse Clark, baritone

There’s a crowd funding project and more details at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/new-canadian-premieres-with-essential-opera

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