I attended the second of two performances of their season opener by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir at Roy Thomson Hall last night. It was an enjoyable and well constructed programme. It opened with two pieces by composer in residence Tracy Wong. Patah – Tumbuh (Broken – Renewed), for choir and children’s choir (Toronto Children’s Chorus) riffs off Malaysian proverbs and gamelan. It’s an upbeat, rhythmic piece that got a really nice performance, especially from the children. Then they got their own place in the sun for a medley of Malaysian folksongs; which was also fun. Was this the first time Malaysian music has been performed at Roy Thomson?
Here’s what I’m looking forward to in a busy November.
Dean Burry’s setting of Alfred Noyes’ The Highwayman has now been released on CD. I think it’s the same performance that was previously released on Youtube by Queen’s University. If it’s not the same performance then it’s certainly the same performers and I really don’t have more than a few incidental thoughts to add to 
I use the word sumptuous in at least two senses. This is a really good recording with a fine period instrument ensemble and voices carefully matched to parts. It’s also very carefully researched in the quest to get as close as what Monteverdi’s audience heard as possible. It’s also sumptuous in presentation. It’s a beautiful hardback book with 3 CD slots built in. The binding and printing are Folio Society quality. It’s sumptuous also in terms of book content. The English language version has 165 pages of explanatory essays plus libretto and translation! There is a wealth of information on what was happening in Venetian theatre , as well as influences from further afield. There’s a section on how discoveries in the sciences were reshaping perspectives on art and aesrthetics and there’s a load of detail on the links between the commedia dell’arte and the opera stage. For a music loving bibliophile it’s a real treat.
operaramblings 