By Paul E. Robinson on December 19, 2014
Just a few weeks ago, I was standing in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg admiring its vast holdings of mostly European art, pondering the vision of the great Eighteenth Century tsaritsas, especially Catherine the Great (1729-96) who made it all possible. Now comes this imaginative CD researched and performed by mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, celebrating the music from this period. I was primed and ready, you might say, to enjoy this new release and it didn’t disappoint me...
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By Michael Vincent on December 18, 2014
Like tree-lighting ceremonies, Santa Claus parades and yuletide office parties, George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” is, for many, a tradition without which Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir have always delivered the most popular Messiahs in town, but they differ widely...
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By Paul E. Robinson on December 16, 2014
Here we have two complete cycles of the 15 Shostakovich string quartets. How to choose between them? Actually, anyone seriously interested in this music needs have both of them.
The Beethoven Quartet cycle is practically self-recommending. The original members of the quartet worked together for the first time in 1923 as the Moscow Conservatory Quartet and regularly thereafter into the 1970s. As the Beethoven Quartet this great Soviet ensemble worked closely with Shostakovich for most of his life and gave the premieres of most of his quartets. The details of the relationship between Shostakovich and the Beethoven Quartet are well told by producer Jacob Harnoy in his liner notes. He quotes first violinist Dimitry Tsyganov on the subject of how they went about preparing the composer’s new quartets...
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By Colin Eatock on December 15, 2014
The King’s Singers aren’t just an ensemble – they’re an institution. Founded at King’s College Cambridge in 1968, the vocal sextet now contains none of its original members. However, with about 150 recordings to their credit and countless tours around the globe, they’ve built a strong brand-name and a devoted fan-base.
Evidently, more than a few of those fans live in Toronto: Koerner Hall was filled to capacity on Sunday afternoon for a Christmas program by the ensemble. It was also evident from the enthusiastic applause in the hall that their fans weren’t disappointed. I wish I shared their unbridled enthusiasm – but I came away with a somewhat different impression...
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By Jenna Douglas on December 13, 2014
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By Paul E. Robinson on December 8, 2014
It’s that time of year again when we are inundated with those all too familiar Christmas songs that we once loved and now loathe. It is simply too much to have canned Christmas music coming at us everywhere we go. How about some peace and quiet? And wasn’t that the original message of Christmas i.e. Peace on Earth?
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By Lev Bratishenko on December 7, 2014
How do you bring a 188-member orchestra and chorus, their equipment and a dozen soloists from Italy to North America? You buy a ship, crew it, and like the Ark, stock two of every musician. Half will be eaten on the journey. Though historical precedents suggest it may be unsustainable, such extravagance was worth it. To the families of the eaten: we salute you. William Tell was a triumph.
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By Paul E. Robinson on December 4, 2014
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By Michael Vincent on December 2, 2014
Itzhak Perlman is one of the last of the Violin Rat Pack — an exclusive club with members including Jascha Heifetz, Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrakh and Isaac Stern. It is a club in decline, making virtuosi like Perlman all the more valuable.
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By Paul E. Robinson on December 1, 2014
Just over a month ago the London Philharmonic and its music director Vladimir Jurowski gave a concert in Roy Thomson Hall that elicited rave reviews. The major work on the program was the Symphony No. 8 by Shostakovich. Clearly, Jurowski had a special affinity for the music of this composer. Here they are again, on a new CD on the orchestra’s own label, and again playing symphonic music by Shostakovich. And again it would be appropriate to reach for the superlatives.
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