City - my/maSCENA

Photo: Michael Cooper

Review | COC’s Tosca

By Denise Lai on 8 May 2023 City, Concert Reviews, Toronto, Vocal

Tosca is a riveting drama of love, lust and betrayal. Add in Puccini’s impossibly lush score and a few show-stopper arias, this opera is the whole package. Directed by Paul Curran, this COC revival of the 2017 production features brand new leads in their COC debuts: Irish soprano Sinéad Campbell-Wallace as Tosca and Italian tenor Stefano La Colla as Cavaradossi, and expectations are high. What you missed La Colla is a fine, smitten Cavaradossi. His warm, creamy sound carried the high notes beautifully. Tosca is a temperamental character – loving and charming one moment, jealous and angry the next. Campbell-Wallace,…

Photo: Michael Cooper

Review | Canadian Opera Company’s Macbeth a Hit with some Misses

By Denise Lai on 8 May 2023 City, Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Opera, Toronto, Vocal

Emboldened by witches’ prophesies and with strong encouragement from his wife, Macbeth turns into a power-thirsty man who uses violence to annihilate everything in his way to seize Scotland’s throne. Verdi’s ominous score is enhanced by dramatic stage effects: dark sets punctuated by thunder and lightning; ghostly appearances of witches and three demonic children; bloodied bodies rising from the dead. Although the murders are all swiftly carried out, David McVicar‘s COC/Chicago co-production delivers a longing sense of foreboding and some genuinely frightening moments. What you missed There was all-round good singing from the male leads. American baritone Quinn Kelsey’s debut…

Newswire | The Tango Trilogy: concert for cello, bandoneon, and percussion with guest Marcelo Nisinman

By Newswire on 8 May 2023 Classical Music, Montreal, Newswire, Strings

The Tango Trilogy: concert for cello, bandoneon, and percussion with guest artist, Marcelo Nisinman The versatile cellist Juan Sebastián Delgado will share the stage with the famous bandoneonist and composer Marcelo Nisinman in a concert dedicated to contemporary tango and improvisation. They will present the world premiere of the piece The Tango Trilogy, written for bandoneon, cello, and percussion with Krystina Marcoux (Stick&Bow). Nisinman’s music is hauntingly beautiful, raw, and personal and its deeply rooted in the tango’s vocabulary while pushing the genre into new sonic dimensions. Nisinman has collaborated with Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, Gary Burton, and Piazzolla’s quintet…

Photos: Allan Cabral

Review | Epic Interpretation of Messiaen’s Turangalila-Symphonie

By Andrea Rush on 5 May 2023 Concert Reviews, La Scena Online, Toronto

Since assuming the podium as TSO conductor, Gustavo Gimeno’s leadership of the TSO to its rightful place on the world stage has been self-evident. His commitment to twentieth century music on a grand scale and to showcasing Canadian talent is unquestionable. Thursday night’s concert, the colossal Turangalila-Symphonie (10 movements, 4 themes, no break) was the piece de resistance. The Turangalila is a rare treat to perform and to experience. Flanked by the star soloists, piano virtuoso superpower, Marc-André Hamelin on one side, facing off with ondes Martenot expert Nathalie Forget, Maestro Gimeno explained the Sanskrit title-creation, time and joy which…

Newswire | Ukrainian Dmytro Udovychenko Wins CMIM Violin 2023

By Newswire on 5 May 2023 Montreal, Music Competition, Newswire, Violin

Montreal, May 5, 2023 – Violinist Dmytro Udovychenko from Ukraine has been awarded the Grand Prize of the Violin 2023 edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM). Demonstrating a remarkable mastery of technique and brilliant musicality, violinist Dmytro Udovychenko distinguished himself in the Final, and throughout the 2023 Violin Edition. The Grand Prize winner of Violin 2023 was also recognized by special prizes. The Final took place on the evenings of May 3 and 4 at the Maison symphonique, as six finalists performed a concerto of their choice with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), the official orchestra…

Photo: ensemblescholastica.ca

Newswire | Beautiful Miracles With Ensemble Scholastica & Lamia Yared!

By Newswire on 2 May 2023 Baroque and Early, Classical Music, Montreal, Newswire

Montréal, April 26, 2023 – Ensemble Scholastica is pleased to announce its upcoming concert interweaving musical cultures, Miragres fremosos, featuring virtuoso singer and oud player Lamia Yared. The concert will be held on Thursday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Notre Dame de Bon Secours Chapel. The program showcases songs and poetry from medieval Andalusia, where arts, architecture and many other fields were deeply influenced by Muslim culture in the early Middle Ages when these lands came under Muslim rule. Christian and Sephardic influences also continued to develop under Alphonse X “the Wise,” who reigned over the kingdoms of…

Newswire | Stella Musica Festival: Cultural Crossroads, from Spain to The Balkans

By Newswire on 1 May 2023 Classical Music, Montreal, Newswire, World Music

Montreal, Monday May 1, 2023. For an 8th edition, the Stella Musica Festival, under the artistic leadership of its founder Katarzyna Musiał, is back in order to promote women in music. The three events scheduled as part of the festival will take place from Wednesday, May 31 to Friday, June 2. Its unique formula includes an intimate concert, a round table and a Grand Concert. The festival presents artists of exceptional talent, offering an innovative programming highlighting various cultural traditions, from Spain to the Balkans as well as the music of Indigenous peoples. During this 8th edition, the public will…

Photo: Tam Lan Truong

Newswire | The Concours musical international de Montréal Announces its Six Finalists

By Newswire on 1 May 2023 Montreal, Music Competition, Newswire, Violin

Montreal, April 30, 2023 – Following a closely contested Semifinal, the names of the six finalists of the Violin edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) were announced this evening in Bourgie Hall. Emotions were palpable as the jury, chaired by Richard Rodzinski, revealed the results. The 12 semifinalists of Violin 2023 gave us an extremely high-level competition featuring a succession of memorable performances. Since April 25, 24 violin virtuosos from 11 different countries have been vying to rise through the ranks of this prestigious Montreal competition. Chaired by Richard Rodzinski, the international jury is comprised of: Koichiro…

Newswire| CMIM: Violin 2023 Semifinalists

By Newswire on 28 April 2023 Classical Music, Montreal, Music Competition, Newswire, Violin

Twenty-four young violinists dazzled us with their talent, their virtuosity, and their musical artistry, over the course of the First Round of the 2023 Violin Edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM), which took place on April 25, 26, and 27. Following the conclusion of this first stage of the competition, the jury has selected twelve Semifinalists. Here are the 12 violinists selected for the Semifinal, in order of appearance: Saturday, April 29, 2023, 2 pm 1. Dmytro UDOVYCHENKO (Ukraine) | pianist: Francis Perron 2. Nathan MELTZER (United States) | pianist: Umi Garrett 3. Michael SHAHAM (Israel) | pianist: Jinhee Park Saturday, April 29, 2023,…

Photo: JAG Photography

Review | TSO, Fabien Gabel, Jean-Guihen Queyras & Camille Pepin Celebrate French Music

By Andrea Rush on 28 April 2023 Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Toronto

The TSO’s prominence on the global concert stage continues to surge. The April 26 concert featured French conductor Fabien Gabel, French/Canadian-born cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, and the North American premiere of contemporary French composer Camille Pepin’s latest work, Laniakea. Judging from the lack of empty seats at Roy Thompson Hall, the message has gained momentum: classical music is alive and well when the programming and performers are stellar. Fresh from his debut in Chicago barely a few days ago, Fabien Gabel’s TSO debut opened with the fanfare of Camille Pepin’s Laniakea. Tonal orchestration is accessible. It paints images, through harmony and…

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