Rufus Wainwright: A Woman’s Face (Sonnet 20); Paradis: Overture to Der Schulkandidat; Mozart: “Temerari! Sortite! … Come scoglio” from Così fan tutte, K. 588; Haydn: Scena di Berenice, Hob. XXIVa:10; Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G Major. Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Gustavo Gimeno, conductor, Anna Prohaska, soprano. March 22, 2025 at Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto.
Going to a concert nowadays is not unlike attending a sports game, which begins with singing the national anthem. The TSO seems to have taken up this trend by playing O Canada to start the evening, giving a nice boost of much-welcomed nationalistic pride.
Saturday’s concert was a showcase of Soprano Anna Prohaska, TSO’s Spotlight Artist this year. The TSO has recently announced its European tour in early 2026. Prohaska is one of the guest artists joining this tour, and a concert in Madrid will feature almost the same program.
As a nod to our country, the program opened with Rufus Wainwright’s “A Woman’s Face” from Five Shakespeare Sonnets. Sonnet 20, which extols a woman’s beauty, is among the best known of Shakespeare’s works of this genre. Prohaska sings a simple melody from the choir loft, against hushed and delicate accompaniment from a celeste, strings and woodwinds, creating a meditative spell.
While Prohaska made her way down to the stage, the orchestra played a rarely-heard overture by Maria Theresia von Paradis. Her opera “Der Schulkandidat” is her only surviving orchestral work, which was rediscovered long after her death and not published until 1992. The lively and rhythmic work was played with vibrant energy and balanced harmony from the orchestra.
Prohaska then sang snippets from two operatic works. In the aria “Come scoglio” from Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, the character of Fiordiligi shows her loyalty to her fiancé by steadfastly rejecting the advances of men in disguise to test her faithfulness. Prohaska deftly nailed the fast scales and octave leaps with a bright-sounding coloratura.
In the “Scena di Berenice” by Joseph Haydn, Prohaska used a more mature voice to capture the emotional turmoil of Berenice, who is overwhelmed with grief and despair as she faces the imminent death of her lover. Her expressive singing was matched with intense playing from the orchestra.
Prohaska has a pure, angelic voice which was audible but not quite loud enough to soar over the orchestra. From where I sat in the mezzanine, I could hear the lovely melody but could not make out the words. Part of the problem is the acoustics of Roy Thomson Hall, and it is difficult for any soprano to compete against a 40-piece orchestra when they are not playing from a pit like at the Four Seasons Centre.
Mahler No. 4
The evening’s showpiece was Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G major. The themes of life, death, and the afterlife are recurrent in Mahler’s works, often with an undercurrent of darkness. By contrast, the fourth symphony is a light-hearted, sunny piece which depicts a journey from the earthly to the heavenly, and of the afterlife as seen through the eyes of a child. One can picture children playing, and almost hear the sounds of sleigh bells against angels singing in heaven in the first movement.
The second movement is an unmistakable dance, but not quite a happy one. Alas, Mahler’s dark side is still present in the jarring and dissonant melodies. One unique element is the use of the “scordatura” violin, played by guest concertmaster Gregory Ahss, who had to switch between two violins throughout the movement.
In the ultra romantic third movement, conductor Gustavo Gimeno painted a serene picture of heaven, drawing some very expressive playing from the orchestra and highlighting the rich textures of Mahler’s score. Gimeno’s excellent use of dynamic contrasts from pianissimo strings to thundering climaxes released emotions in ways that only Mahler’s quintessential music can.
Prohaska returned for the final movement, which is based on the song “Das himmlische Leben” (The Heavenly Life). The text references a litany of saints and describes a blissful, childlike paradise with heavenly feasts and joyful activities. Prohaska was at her best, singing with a light, clear, and innocent tone, with moments of whimsical humour. This was well-balanced by ethereal woodwinds and strings, creating a child’s vision of heaven. The movement ends not in a bang, but in a whimper. For dramatic effects, there was a prolonged pause and silence before Gimeno put down his baton, and we could finally release our held breath.
Mahler’s Fourth will be played in four of the nine concerts in the TSO’s upcoming Europe tour. If this concert was any indication, Europe is in for a treat.
As a side note, Saturday’s concert also celebrated the career of Amy Joanou-Canzoneri, who is retiring after 30 years with the TSO. The violinist was greeted with a heartwarming speech from Gimeno and standing ovations from the audience. Congratulations and Happy Retirement, Amy.
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