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.
Tuesday 17
Toronto Symphony Orchestra | TSYO’s Spring Concert. 7:30 p.m. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. West $23
Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and conductor Earl Lee perform Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite and Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra. | Listing
Wednesday 18
Canadian Opera Company | Vocal Series: Opera Out of the Box. 12 p.m. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St. W. Free. Show up early to ensure a seat.
COC Ensemble Studio soprano Danika Lorèn and pianist Stéphane Mayer present “a program of original compositions, unique arrangements, and out-of-the-box interpretations.” There’s a note stating that “Explicit language, sexual themes, and a toy gun will be present…more suitable for an adult audience,” – a first for an RBA noon hour concert! | Listing
Royal Conservatory of Music | Max Raabe and Palast Orchester. 8 p.m. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. $45-$100.
The popular Max Raabe and his Palast Orchester regularly sells out Koerner Hall. He and his band are returning for the fourth time in a concert of music from the Golden Age of Berlin in the 1920s. | Listing
Thursday 19
Opera Atelier | Monteverdi: The Return of Ulysses. 7:30 p.m. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. $39-$157. Repeats Apr 21, 22, 24, 27, 28. Check listing for start times.
OA presents Monteverdi’s The Return of Ulysses. Croatian tenor Krešimir Špicer returns to OA in the title role, and Quebec mezzo Mireille Lebel is Penelope. Also features Carla Huhtanen ( Fortuna/Melanto), Isaiah Bell (Eurimaco), and Christopher Enns (Telemaco). David Fallis leads the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. | Listing
Friday 20
Royal Conservatory of Music | Royal Conservatory Orchestra. 8 p.m. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. $25-$55.
COC Music Director Johannes Debus leads the Royal Conservatory Orchestra in a program of Berlioz, Poulenc, and Bernstein. Soloists are Linda Ruan and Charissa Vandikas, piano duo. | Listing
Saturday 21
Tafelmusik | Close Encounters … in Vienna and Madrid. 2 p.m. Temerty Theatre at the Telus Centre. $45 Repeats Apr. 25 11 a.m. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave.
Musicians of the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (John Abberger, oboe; Christina Zacharias, violin; Patrick Jordan, viola; Margaret Gay, cello) play a program of works by Vanhal, Boccherini and Mozart. | Listing
Soundstreams | Freddy’s Tune. 8 p.m. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. $22-$67.50
Scott Good (trombone), Annalee Patipatanakoon (violin), Roman Borys (cello), James Parker (piano), Roberto Occhipinti (bass), Dafnis Prieto (drums), and Cheldon Paterson (turntables) perform a program of “Chamber Jazz at its Hottest.” | Listing
Sunday 22
Canadian Opera Company | The Nightingale and Other Short Fables. 2 p.m. Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St. W. $50-$350. Seven more performances to May 19. Check website for start times.
A revival of the innovative and visually striking Robert Lepage production. It’s not every day that the orchestra pit is filled with water while the musicians are onstage, with much of the action involving puppets! It is best to have a seat not too far away, given the peculiarity of the staging. Jane Archibald (Nightingale), Owen McCausland (Fisherman), Oleg Tsibulko (Emperor). Johannes Debus conducts. | Listing
Royal Conservatory of Music | Gerald Finley with Julius Drake. 3 p.m. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. $40-$95. 2 p.m. pre-concert talk with Rick Phillips.
The great Canadian baritone Gerald Finley and pianist Julius Drake in a recital of Schubert, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and English/American folk songs. | Listing
Roy Thomson Hall | Itzhak Perlman. 3 p.m. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. $39.50-$149.50. Stage seating tickets start at $199.50.
Legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman returns to play a program of Schubert, Beethoven and Dvorak, with Rohan De Silva at the piano. | Listing
