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 26
The Associates of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra | The Small Concerts: The Companion’s Guide to Rome. 7:30 p.m. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. $22/$20(sr,st)
The chamber musicians of ATSO (Amanda Goodburn, violin; Theresa Rudolph, viola; Emmanuelle Beaulieu Bergeron, cello; Samuel Banks, bassoon) performs a program of Mozart, Francois Devienne and Andrew Norman. | Details
Tuesday 27
Canadian Opera Company | Dance Series: Highlights from Anastasia 12 p.m. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre. Free. Be sure to show up early for a seat.
The 17-member Ballet Jörgen presents highlights from Anastaisa, created by Artistic Director Bengt Jörgen, set to a score by Ivan Barbotin. | Details (PDF)
Music Toronto | Pianist Dénes Várjon. 8 p.m. Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. $50-$55/$10(fulltime st)
Hungarian pianist Dénes Várjon plays a program of Beethoven, Bartok and Liszt. | Listing
Canadian Stage/Tapestry Opera | The Overcoat: a musical tailoring. 8 p.m. Bluma Appel Theatre. Previews Mar. 27, 28. Opens Mar. 29. Runs to April 14. $35-$99.
A new opera by composer James Rolfe with libretto by Morris Panych, The Overcoat is based on a short story by Russian author Nikolai Gogol. Co-produced by Tapestry Opera, Canadian Stage and Vancouver Opera, the cast includes Geoffrey Sirrett, Asitha Tennekoon, Peter McGillivray, Andrea Ludwig, Aaron Durand, Erica Iris, Keith Klassen, Giles Tomkins, Caitlin Wood and others. Leslie Dala conducts. | Listing
Wednesday 28
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir | Sacred Music for a Sacred Space. 7:30 p.m. St. Paul’s Basilica, 83 Power St. $50-$35/$20(30 and under) Repeats Mar. 30
Given this is Easter week, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir is presenting Sacred Music for a Sacred Space, a concert of contemplative music at St. Paul’s Basilica. On the program are works by Healey Willan, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Eriks Esenvalds, Felix Mendelssohn, Pawel Lukaszewski, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Anton Bruckner, John Tavener, and Eric Whitacre. The guest conductor is David Fallis. | Listing
Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Brahms and Rachmaninoff. 8 p.m. Royal Thomson Hall. Repeats Mar. 29, 2 p.m. $40.75-$154
Conductor Stephane Deneve conducts the TSO in Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 with pianist Lars Vogt. Also on the program is Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. | Listing
Thursday 29
Canadian Opera Company | Highlights from Monteverdi’s The Return of Ulysses. 12 p.m. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre. Free. Be sure to arrive early for a seat.
Opera Atelier’s spring production of The Return of Ulysses receives a sneak preview, with commentary by Marshall Pynkoski, and performances by artists from the Opera Atelier. | Listing
University of Toronto Faculty of Music | Winner’s Recital of Jim and Charlotte Norcop Prize in Song and Gwendolyn Williams Koldofsky Prize in Accompanying. 12 p.m. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building. Free.
Mezzo Simona Genga and pianist Jialiang Zhu are the respective winners. Genga joins the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio this fall. No program details at press time. | Listing
Friday 30
Music at Metropolitan | Bach: B Minor Mass. 7:30 p.m. Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E. $30/$10(18 and under)
The annual Good Friday concert this year is Bach’s Mass in B Minor, featuring Ellen McAteer, Gisele Kulak, Christina Stelmacovich, Charles Davidson and Daniel Lichti. Metropolitan Festival Choir and Orchestra. | Listing
Kindred Spirits Orchestra | Tchaikovsky and Liszt. 8 p.m. Flato Markham Theatre for the Performing Arts, 171 Town Centre, Blvd., Markham. $15-$40.
Pianist Ricker Choi and harpist Teresa Suen-Campbell are the soloists in this concert, with a program of Liszt’s Totentanz and Piano Concerto No. 2. Suen is the soloist in the Concerto for harp by Chan Wing-Wah. Also on the program is Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 3. Kristian Alexander conducts. | Listing
Saturday 31
Met Live in HD | Cosi fan tutte. 12:55 p.m. Select Cineplex cinemas in the GTA. $28 Encores on May 5, 7, 9, 13, June 2.
The Mozart comic opera Cosi fan tutte receives a spanking new production, directed by Phelim McDermott, who has time and place shifted it to Coney Island in the 1950’s! A fine cast starring Amanda Majeski (Fiordiligi), Serena Malfi (Dorabella), Ben Bliss (Ferrando), Adam Plachetka (Guglielmo), Kelli O’Hara (Despina), and Christopher Maltman (Alfonso). David Robertson conducts. | Details
LUDWIG VAN TORONTO
