Ludwig van Toronto’s weekly Critic’s Picks are a curated list of some of the best concerts happening now through the end of the week. For a look at the full breadth of what’s available in and around Toronto, check out our curated concert listings here.
Critic’s Picks (Oct. 8 – 14)
Tuesday 9
Canadian Opera Company | Vocal Series: The Best of Rossini. 12 p.m. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St. W. Free. Be sure to show up early for a seat.
COC Ensemble Studio artists (soprano Lauren Margison, mezzos Simona Genga and Simone McIntosh, and pianists Rachael Kerr and Stéphane Mayer) present an interesting program of works by Rossini – selections from Soirées musicales and La regatta veneziana, Mathilde’s aria from William Tell, and excerpts from WOW Factor, a new piece of musical adaptation from La cenerentola combined with original music by Stéphane Mayer and a new English libretto by Joel Ivany. | Details (PDF)
Wednesday 10
Canadian Opera Company | Chamber Series: Haydn and Beethoven: Viennese Masters. 12 p.m. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, 145 Queen St. W. Free. Be sure to show up early for a seat.
The recital by Rosebud String Quartet (Aaron Schwebel, violin; Sheila Jaffe, violin; Keith Hamm, viola; Leana Rutt, cello), was postponed from last April. On the program are two string quartets by Haydn and Beethoven. | Details (PDF)
Tafelmusik | Vivaldi con amore. 8 p.m. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. $30-$78. Repeats Oct. 11, 12, 13, 14 (mat), 16 (George Weston Recital Hall).
Elisa Citterio leads the Tafelmusik forces in “a celebration of Vivaldi’s most energetic and amorous concertos,” including Concertos for violin “Lamoroso” and “L’amato bene;” Concerto for 2 oboes in C Major; and Concerto for lute in D Major. | Details
Canadian Opera Company | Eugene Onegin. 7:30 p.m. Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St. W. $45-$350. Five more performances to Nov. 3.
This celebrated Met production of Eugene Onegin by the Canadian duo of Robert Carsen (director) and Michael Levine (designer) finds new life at the COC. It opened on Sept. 30 to uniform praise for its terrific singing and evocative production. Gordon Bintner (Onegin), Joyce El-Khoury (Tatiana), and Joseph Kaiser (Lensky) lead a superlative cast. Johannes Debus conducts. A must-see. | Details
Thursday 11
Canadian Opera Company | The Mathieu’s Piano. 12 p.m. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St. W. Free. Be sure to show up early for a seat.
Canadian pianists Rosemarie Duval-Laplante and Jean-Michel Dubé perform works for piano two and four hands by Andre Mathieu, Rodolphe Mathieu, Mozart, Debussy, and Gershwin. | Details
Friday 12
Soundstreams | Six Pianos. 8 p.m. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. $37.50-$67.50.
Soundstreams’season-opening concert features Steve Reich’s Six Pianos, and a new commission for multiple pianos from Canadian composer André Ristic, alongside works from John Cage, Witold Lutosławski, Alexina Louie and Juliet Palmer. Performing are pianists/percussionists Russell Hartenberger, Greg Oh, Stephanie Chua, Ryan Scott, Radka Hanáková and Midori Koga. | Details
Saturday 13
Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Dvořák New World Symphony. 7:30 p.m. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. Repeats Oct. 14 3 p.m. $51.50-$113.
Uzbek conductor Aziz Shokhakimov leads the TS forces in a perennial favourite, Dvořák’s New World Symphony. Also on the program are Beethoven’s Leonore Overture and Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, with pianist George Li. | Details
Canadian Opera Company | Hadrian. 7:30 p.m. Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St. W. $45-$350 Seven performances to Oct. 27. Start times vary.
The world premiere of Canadian singer/songwriter/composer Rufus Wainwright’s Hadrian is here! He states that he wants to bring “grand” back to opera, and he may just do it with this show. It stars American baritone Thomas Hampson as Hadrian, Canadian tenor Isaiah Bell as Antinous, Finnish soprano Karita Mattila as Plotina, and Canadian soprano Ambur Braid is Sabina. Canadian heldentenor Ben Heppner comes out of retirement to sing the cameo role of Dinarchus. Johannes Debus conducts, and Peter Hinton directs. | Details
Tallis Choir | William Byrd: Loyal Subject and Subversive. 7:30 p.m. St. Patrick’s Church, 141 McCaul St. north of Dundas. $30/$25(sr)/$10(st)
The 36-voice Tallis Choir of Toronto (Peter Mahon, Artistic Director) specializes in the music of Renaissance, particularly 16th Century Italy and England. For this concert, they perform the music of the Tudor Era composer William Byrd and his contemporaries, including Mass for Four Voices and the Great Service. | Details
Sunday 14
Li Delun Music Foundation | Leonard Gilbert Piano Recital. 3 p.m. Glenn Gould Studio $25.
Canadian pianist/lawyer Leonard Gilbert was a winner of the Canadian Chopin Competition, and represented Canada at the Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw. He has since become a lawyer, yet maintaining his piano performing career. He is playing a program of works by Beethoven, Debussy, Chopin, Ravel, and Prokofiev. | Details
