Orchestra Toronto offers a musical trip to Paris for their next concert. Pardon Our French, with a program that spotlights the music of Ravel and Gershwin, takes place April 19 in the George Weston Recital Hall.
While its heart is in Paris, the music is infused with jazzy rhythms and harmonies.
“We are excited to be performing this selection of music as we explore together how French and American composers of the early 20th century absorbed and reimagined each other’s musical languages,” said Michael Newnham, Music Director of Orchestra Toronto in a statement.
“In a city of such great diversity, like Toronto, the variety and bustle can be overwhelming, yet recognizable. Likewise, this music takes the audience on a journey that is both exciting and familiar. From the sparkling energy of Overture for Orchestra to the grandeur of Ravel’s Boléro and his haunting piano concerto to the brassy swagger of Gershwin, our audience will be transported emotionally and musically to the streets of the city of lights, through the eyes of the local and the visitor.”
The program includes:
- Tailleferre: Overture for Orchestra
- Debussy: Children’s Corner
- Ravel: Concerto for the Left Hand, featuring Dr. Michael Kim, pianist
- Gershwin: An American in Paris
- Ravel: Bolero
Dr. Michael Kim
Kim is Dean of the Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University in London, Ontario, and a veteran concert pianist. He is the former Director of the School of Music at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and served as Dean of Music and Vice-President External at Brandon University, in Manitoba.
Kim earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Juilliard School. He won a silver medal in the 1992 Scottish International Competition in Glasgow, and a grand prize at the Canadian Music and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation National Radio Competitions. He was also a prizewinner in the Leeds and Ivo Pogorelich International Piano Competitions.
He has also toured the world as a solo recitalist throughout North America, the United Kingdom and South Korea.
Dr. Kim’s repertoire is wide ranging, and includes several concertos that he’s performed as a soloist with the Boston and Cincinnati Pops, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony, and symphonies across North America, including Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Milwaukee, Green Bay and Oklahoma City.
He is also a passionate chamber musician and collaborative artist, and performs frequently with his wife pianist Dr. Kyung Kim and sister violinist Helen Kim. He has worked with he Bakken Trio, James Ehnes, Edgar Meyer, James Campbell, members of the Canadian Brass, and the Ceclia, New Orford, Fine Arts, New Zealand String Quartets.
As a recording artist, Dr. Kim’s playing can be heard on releases by the Arktos, CRI, Summit, and Orpheum Masters labels.
Ravel: Concerto for the Left Hand
He’ll be performing Ravel’s iconic Concerto for the Left Hand. It was composed for Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who had lost his right arm in combat during World War I. He developed his left hand to an incredible degree, and began by arranging works for left hand himself. He went on to approach composers such as Paul Hindemith, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Benjamin Britten to create works for him.
The composer himself wrote, “In a work of this kind, it is essential to give the impression of a texture no thinner than that of a part written for both hands. For the same reason, I resorted to a style that is much nearer to that of the more solemn kind of traditional concerto.”
The pianist complained, however, when he first received Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand. After he read the manuscript and saw the opening cadenza, a long stretch of solo playing, he told the composer, “If I wanted to play without the orchestra, I wouldn’t have commissioned a concerto!”
Ravel refused to make any revisions, however, and Wittgenstein was forced to perform it as is at its Viennese premiere on November 27, 1931.
The Concert
Orchestra Toronto is a hybrid orchestra. The organization was founded in 1954, and incorporates nearly 100 musicians.
The concert takes place April, 19, 2026 at the George Weston Recital Hall at the Meridian Arts Centre, with a pre-concert chat with Music Director, Michael Newnham.
Find concert details and tickets [HERE].
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