Critic’s Picks (Nov. 6 – 12)
Ludwig van Toronto’s weekly Critic’s Picks are a fully curated list of some of the best concerts happening now through the end of the week. This is not to say we are the provocateurs of taste, but simply seek to provide a good weekly summary. For a look at the full breadth of what’s available in and around Toronto, check out our curated concert listings here.
Monday 6
International Resource Centre for Performing Artists | Singing Stars: The Next Generation. 7:00 p.m. Zoomer Hall, 70 Jefferson Avenue. $30/$20
Ten young professional singers who participated in IRCPA’s Encounter with Brett Polegato perform in recital with pianist Rachel Andrist. Sopranos Brianna de Santis and Vania Margani; mezzo Beste Kalender; tenors Asitha Tennekoon, Jacques Arsenault and Jean-Philippe Lazure; baritones Andrey Andreychik, Bradley Christensen, Clarence Frazer and David Diston. | Listing
Gallery 345 | The Art of the Piano: Marc Pierre Toth. 8 p.m. 345 Sorauren Ave. $25/$10(st)
Germany-based Canadian pianist Marc Pierre Toth gives a recital of Beethoven Sonatas No. 2, 20, 21, and 27. | Listing
Tuesday 7
Music Toronto | Benjamin Grosvenor, piano. 8 p.m. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. $55/$50
English pianist Benjamin Grosvenor returns to Toronto under the auspices of Music Toronto for a varied program of Mozart Sonata in B-flat Major, Brahms Four Pieces, Op. 119, Debussy L’après midi d’un faune, Berg Sonata, Op. 1, and Ravel Gaspard de la nuit. And a novelty – he’s playing Hommage à Brahms by Brett Dean, as interludes between the Brahms pieces. | Listing
Thursday 9
Women’s Musical Club of Toronto | Zodiac Trio. 1:30 p.m. Walter Hall, University of Toronto. $45
The Zodiac Trio (Vanessa Mollard, violin; Kliment Krylovskiy, clarinet; Riko Higuma, piano) specializes in contemporary and eclectic repertoire. On the program are works by Stravinsky, Piazzolla, Khachaturian, Shostakovich, Bartok, as well as Paul Schoenfield and Nicolas Gilbert. | Listing
Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Afghanistan: Requiem for a Generation. 8 p.m. Roy Thomson Hall. Repeats Nov. 11. $50.75-$154.
The centrepiece of TSO’s Remembrance Day concert is Afghanistan: Requiem for a Generation, by Canadian composer Jeffrey Ryan and Suzanne Steele, Canada’s war poet in Afghanistan. Tania Miller conducts. Also on the program are works by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Soloists are soprano Measha Brueggergosman, mezzo Allyson McHardy, tenor Colin Ainsworth, baritone Brett Polegato, joined by the Toronto Children’s Chorus and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Highly recommended. | Listing
Tafelmusik | Mozart’s Piano. 8 p.m. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. Repeats Nov. 10, 11, 12. Check website for start time. $19-$116.
Fortepiano specialist Kristian Bezuidenhout returns to Tafelmusik as guest director in a program of Johann Christoph Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, and Mozart. | Listing
Friday 10
National Ballet of Canada | The Winter’s Tale. 7:30 p.m. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. Repeats Nov. 11,12,15,16,17,18,19. Check website for start times. $39-$265.
The Fall Season of the National Ballet of Canada opens with The Winter’s Tale, based on Shakespeare’s late work. Music by Joby Talbot and choreography by Christopher Wheeldon. Check website for casting details. | Listing
Royal Conservatory of Music | Barbara Hannigan and Reinbert de Leeuw in Recital. 8 p.m. Koerner Hall. $40-$95
The trailblazing Canadian soprano gives a Liederabend of songs by composers of the Second Viennese School (Berg, Schönberg, Webern, Zemlinsky), plus Alma Mahler and Hugo Wolf. The pianist is her long-time collaborator Reinbert de Leeuw. On Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m., Hannigan gives a masterclass at Mazzoleni Hall, Royal Conservatory of Music. Not to be missed. | Listing
Sunday 12
Amici Chamber Ensemble | Inspired by Canada 3 p.m. Mazzoleni Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. $45/$40(sr)/$15(30& under)/$10(st).
Amici, in its 30th anniversary season, celebrates Canada 150 with Inspired by Canada, an eclectic program of works by Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Claude Léveillée, Gilles Vignault, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Scott Joplin, Ernest Seitz, Serouj Kradjian, Antoine Gérin-Lajoie. The soloist is soprano Mireille Asselin. | Listing
Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra Fall Concert. 3 p.m. George Weston Recital Hall, Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St., North York. $16-$28
The season-opening concert of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra opens with the Overture to Verdi’s La forza del destino, followed by the ever-popular The Moldau by Smetana. The centrepiece is the Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 | Listing
Royal Conservatory of Music | Angela Hewitt. 3 p.m. Koerner Hall, Telus Centre, 273 Bloor St. w. Sold Out
Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt returns to Toronto for an All-Bach program of four Partitas. It was her playing of Bach that propelled Hewitt to fame when in 1985 she won the Toronto International Bach Piano Competition, which led to a recording on the Deutsche Grammophon label. This concert is sold out, but do call or visit the box office for returns. | Listing
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