Wednesday saw the first lunchtime concert of the season in the RBA. And, of course, it was the COC’s Ensemble Studio performing. Angelo Moretti was away singing in Quebec so there were six singers and two pianists with an aria for each singer.
The season starts to ramp up a bit…
Concerts and Opera
As has become the custom, the two members of the Ensemble Studio completing their stints at the end of this season gave a “Les adieux” recital in the RBA on Tuesday. It was time to say goodbye to Emily Rocha and Duncan Stenhouse with Liz Upchurch as our stalwart accompanist.
Emily chose a programme of mostly French chansons which was really rather lovely. She sang smoothly and expressively in Bizet’s Chanson d’avril and with a rather elegant languor in Paladilhe’s Psyché. There was more of the same in songs by Debussy and Poulenc; beauty, control, expressiveness! The one venture intoi opera was “Prendi, per me sei libero” from Donizetti’s l’elisir d’amore reminding us that she will be singing Adina at the COC next season. Elegant singing here too, coupled with plenty of heft.
Continue reading
Thursday’s RBA concert featured members of the Ensemble Studio singing German Lieder. First up were tenor Angelo Moretti and pianist Kimly Wang with Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte. Although this is probably the first true “song cycle” in German I feel it doesn’t get done nearly as often as the better known Schubert and Schumann cycles and it’s really pretty interesting. I think it was also my first time hearing Angelo sing in German and he’s really very good. This was a well articulated, rather beautifully sung set with equally skilled accompaniment. Continue reading
Thursday’s noon hour in the concert was a really great idea; combine the COC Ensemble Studio with the COC Orchestra for an all Mozart concert. Mozart’s Symphony No.35 in D major (Hafner) was split into into its four movements with pairs of arias inserted between the movements to create what Johannes Debus, conducting, described as an opéra imaginaire. It worked really well.
Here’s some of what January has to offer…
Toronto Operetta Theatre is doing Imre Kalman’s The Czardas Princess over the New Year holiday. It’s st the Jane Mallett Theatre and there are shows on December 30th and January 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
Tuesday lunchtime in the RBA saw the traditional annual holiday gig by the (much depleted by sickness etc) Ensemble Studio. Last minute drop outs meant it was pretty short but what there was was very decent.
Last Tuesdays’s concert in the RBA featured four singers and two pianists from the Ensemble Studio in a concert of highly recognisable opera arias. I guess with Barber of Seville and Rigoletto coming p on the FSC stage that was a bit inevitable. It was though very well done with all four singers not only singing well but really conveying a sense of character.
‘Tis the season of family holiday shows and Messiahs. Not that I’m planning to do much of either but here are some shows that you might be interested in…
The free concert series in the RBA kicked off on Wednesday with, as usual, a performance by the artists of the COC’s Ensemble Studio. Owing to illness only five singers performed and only one of those, Emily Rocha, was a returnee. The other four singers and both pianists were newcomers. It was short but enjoyable.
