Classical Music and Opera Events, Toronto, May 27 - June 2, 2019. — Classical music and opera events happening in and around Toronto for the week of May 27 – June 2.

Critic’s Picks (May 27 – June 2)

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.

Monday 27

Jewish Music Week in Toronto | From Broadway to the Met. 7:30 p.m. Beth Tikvah Synagogue, 3080 Bayview Ave. $36(in advance)/$40 (at the door). Tickets at bethtikvahtoronto.org

Among the many events scheduled for Jewish Music Week (May 27 – June 2) is From Broadway to the Met, a concert of music by Jewish composers, including Gershwin, Kalman, Offenbach, Lerner and Loewe, and Leonard Bernstein. Mezzo Lauren Segal, tenor Guy Mannheim, soprano Nofar Yacobi, soprano Kati Szabo Kovari, and tenor Hazzan Tibor Kovari. Go to website for other events. | Details

Shaftesbury Salon Music Series | A sumptuous Night of Song. 7:30 p.m. Atrium, 21 Shaftesbury Ave. $30

Mezzo Simona Genga, a COC Ensemble Studio artist, performs English and French Art Songs as well as works by Strauss and Freedman. Stephane Mayer is the pianist. | Details

Wednesday 29

Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Denk Plays Mozart. 8 p.m. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. $40.75-$154. Repeats May 30 and June 1.

American pianist Jeremy Denk plays Mozart Piano Concerto No. 14 in E Flat Major K449 and No. 25 in C K503. Also on the program – Rondo in A Minor and the Overture to Don Giovanni. RBC Resident Conductor Simon Rivard leads the TS forces. | Details

Friday 31

Canadian Music Centre | Prehistoric Ligeti/Classical Context. 7:30 p.m. Canadian Music Centre, 20 St. Joseph St. $20.

A concert-lecture featuring the music of Ligeti written prior to his escape from the Soviet Union. Andrew James Clark guides listeners through events in Ligeti’s early life while he and others perform Ligeti’s music, much of which was forbidden at the time. Programme: Musica Ricercata I, VII (1951); Five Arany Songs (1952); Métamorphoses Nocturnes (1954); Cello Sonata (1948); Etudes: Fem, Cordes à vide (1985 – 2001); Canadian Première* String Quartet No. 1. | Details

Saturday 1

National Ballet of Canada | Physical Thinking. 7:30 p.m. Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St. W. $40-$265. Six performances running to June 8. Check website for start times and casting.

An evening of three works by choreographer William Forsythe — The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, Approximate Sonata and The Second Detail, set to music by Franz Schubert and Thom Willems. | Details

Opera by Request | Nabucco. 7:30 p.m. Christ Church UCC, 1700 Mazo Cresent, Mississauga. $20.

Nabucco, the early Verdi masterpiece, receives a concert performance with piano. To my knowledge, it has never been staged by the COC. Gene Wu, baritone (Nabucco), Cristina Pisani, soprano (Abigaille), Dylan Wright, bass (Zaccaria), Cian Horrobin, tenor (Ismaele), and Megan Symon, mezzo (Fenena). William Shookhoff is the pianist and conductor. Since there is no mention of a chorus on the website, the famous “Va, pensiero” is likely going to be cut, unfortunately. | Details

North York Concert Orchestra/Jubilate Singers/Hart House Chorus | Ode to Joy. 8 p.m. Yorkminster Citadel, 1 Lord Seaton Road. $30/$25(sr)/$10(st). Repeats Sunday, June 2 7:30 p.m. at Church of St Peter and St Simon-the-Apostle, 525 Bloor Street East, Toronto.

North York Concert Orchestra (Rafael Luz, Artistic Director) presents Beethoven Symphony No. 9, with soprano Andrea Lett, mezzo Danielle MacMillan, tenor Michael Barrett, and baritone Bradley Christensen. They are joined by the Jubilate Singers and members of the Hart House Chorus. In addition, the program also includes Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Villa-Lobos’s Melodia Sentimental, and Schubert’s “Gretchen am Spinnrade” and “Ständchen.” | Details

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Joseph So

Joseph So is Professor Emeritus at Trent University and Associate Editor of Opera Canada.He is also a long-time contributor to La Scena Musicale and Opera (London, UK). His interest in music journalism focuses on voice, opera as well as symphonic and piano repertoires. He appears regularly as a panel member of the Big COC Podcast.He has co-edited a book, Opera in a Multicultural World: Coloniality, Culture, Performance, published by Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group).

CRITIC'S PICKS | 7 Concerts You Absolutely Need To See In Toronto This Week (May 27 – June 2)