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Remembering Kristallnacht
Today’s concert at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre as part of the Canadian Opera Company’s noon-hour series was a special program titled “Remembering Kristallnacht”, presented in partnership with...
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Steffani: more devotion than drama
I am grateful for the gift of a new voice, a new composer introduced to me by Tafelmusik, Ivars Taurins, and Krisztina Szabo. It’s truly a magical thing. I was pondering the experience of classical...
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Opera 5 –Open Chambers
Walter Pater famously said “all art constantly aspires to the condition of music”. But did anyone bother to ask “what then does music aspire to”? Does music seek to be something more, or should it...
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Who do you love?
When the phrase popped into my head (spoken), I was thinking of Tchaikovsky. But immediately I heard Ronnie Hawkins’ song in my head. When I heard this near the start of The Last Waltz, and come to...
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No Forbidden Questions as Aaron & Michael talk about Verbotenlieder
Aaron Durand + Michael Nyby = Tongue in Cheek Productions. No that’s not a formula but come to think of it there is a curious creative chemistry, a tendency to energize. I find it exciting to talk to...
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Toronto Symphony–Mendelssohn Choir Messiah
Toronto is Messiah town, as I’ve joked before. Handel’s most popular Biblical oratorio is everywhere at this time of year. Tonight I took in the second of six offered this week by the Toronto Symphony,...
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Verbotenlieder subculture
This is not a review. I had the exquisite pleasure of going to Lula Lounge tonight for Verbotenlieder, Tongue in Cheek Productions’s latest extravaganza. The premise as I understood it from my recent...
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Sing-Along Messiah 2018
You can change the location but the song remains the same. Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra & Chamber Choir led by Herr Handel himself gave us their annual sing-along Messiah. The previous 31 have been...
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Pollyanna and the lessons of 2018
In past years my annual review was out in December, but this time it’s later than usual: because I’ve had a real holiday this year, more sleep and more silence than usual, dodging the viruses &...
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Kiviuq Returns: truly an Inuit Epic
I came out of the matinee of Kiviuq Returns: An Inuit Epic in an altered state of reality. It’s new but it’s old, it soothes you even as it challenges you. They set the bar very high for what’s to come...
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21C – TSO – Goodyear
Tonight the Toronto Symphony joined forces with members of the Glen Gould School to launch the 21C Festival at Koerner Hall. We heard six works including two world premieres to conclude: Terry Riley:...
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Zukerman, Mozart and the TSO
While tonight’s Toronto Symphony all-Mozart concert, conducted by violinist Pinchas Zukerman was 180 degrees in the opposite direction from what they were up to yesterday at Koerner Hall, launching the...
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Julie Tepperman & Chris Thornborrow: Hook Up
How do people meet, and what’s involved in making connections? I keep asking this question about the arts because in case you haven’t noticed, you can’t do it alone. Yes there are people like Beethoven...
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The Harlequin Salon
In a week juxtaposing new (21C festival) and old (the Toronto Symphony playing Mozart with Pinchas Zukerman), I came finally to see The Harlequin Salon by Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, including a...
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TSO: Sir Andrew Davis Conducts Wagner
If you’re a fan of the music of Richard Wagner chances are you’re fully aware that the Toronto Symphony are showcasing some of his best known music this week, in a concert tonight that repeats Saturday...
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Fierabras in concert
Voicebox /Opera in Concert offered a highlight in a splendid week of music theatre in Toronto, reminding us of why they are such a crucial part of the mix in this city with their concert performance of...
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Barbara Hannigan on Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine’s Day. Tonight I’ll be listening to the Toronto Symphony celebrate the day under the leadership of Barbara Hannigan, who will also be singing. Soprano Barbara Hannigan, singing &...
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Glimpses of The Eternal Feminine with Barbara Hannigan
When I posted that photo at lunch earlier today from last night’s Toronto Symphony concert, I joked that Barbara Hannigan is a precedent setter. Even so I understated what we saw & heard tonight....
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The Angel Speaks
Tonight I was present at the North American Premiere of The Angel Speaks, a program of several works in several styles from Opera Atelier in a single performance for a small audience at the Royal...
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Look at The Angel Speaks
I’m sharing some lovely photos by Bruce Zinger of last night’s North American premiere of The Angel Speaks at the ROM, featuring Opera Atelier and select artists of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra....
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