By Neil Crory on November 4, 2014
The American-born, Greek soprano, Maria Callas (1923 - 1977), must hold a record for the sheer number of studio recordings made within a 20 year period: 26 complete operas and 13 recital discs in total. Apart from a few 78 rpms made at the beginning of her career for the CETRA label, all of Callas' subsequent recordings were made by EMI. Together, these discs became the backbone of EMI's rich vocal catalogue.
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By Michael Vincent on November 3, 2014
Arguably Eglar’s strongest work, the Dreams of Gerontius is a kind of sacred cantata-oratorio conjured up from the depths of pre-world War I turmoil. It is an important creative triumph for Elgar, and proved he could write religious music on par with the greats, such as Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven and Verdi.
The piece is rarely heard outside of Europe, and seeing it on the Toronto Symphony Orchestra season’s line-up against the usual pork and beans repertoire is pleasant surprise for those of us who would like to hear more than his Pomp and Circumstance Marches or Enigma Variations.
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By Lev Bratishenko on November 3, 2014
Seven seasons of Opéra de Montreal have trained me to read a season brochure cynically and only with chemical support. I must find satisfaction in the absence of disaster rather than the chance of a triumph. Objectively, of course, this is awful; I love opera but have to travel for interesting productions. But I am much calmer now.
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By Curtis Perry on October 30, 2014
Suffice to say, it has been a long and tumultuous week in Ottawa. For some here in the nation's capital, it was recently capped off with a remarkably timely and well-executed rendition of Liszt's Lenore and the Dante Symphony.
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By Paul E. Robinson on October 27, 2014
Capriccio was described by its creators – Richard Strauss and Clemens Krauss – as “a conversation piece for music in one act.” In fact, it was Strauss’ fifteenth and last opera, premiered in wartime Munich in 1942.
As the work of a 78-year-old composer it is remarkable. Yet it will probably always be a work for connoisseurs rather than the general public. For a one-act opera at about two and a half hours it is excessively long, and the musical style is almost continuous recitative. And the subject matter is, depending on your point of view, either rarified art or pretentious chit-chat. Some critics have even suggested it is little more than a make-work project for an aging composer.
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By Michael Vincent on October 26, 2014
This is 1735, and the plot is slightly drunken, (Handel, after all). The Elgin Theatre’s gilded balconies shimmer as the patrons wander in from the un-seasonably warm October evening, hinting of unease for good Opera.
Other than an errant spring in the Theatre’s 100-year-old aging seats, this was Opera Ateliers night to shine. In a city that adores all things early music, (even the Canadian Opera Company has jumped on that bandwagon), it was a sure fire hit – or was it?
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By Neil Crory on October 20, 2014
The much-anticipated Toronto debut of the $300,000.00 pianist - Rafał Blechacz - took place on Sunday afternoon at Koerner Hall. The near capacity audience was treated to a somewhat old-fashioned programme which included Bach's Italian Concerto, Beethoven's "Pathétique" Sonata and, after intermission, a collection of diverse works by Frédéric Chopin.
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By Paul E. Robinson on October 20, 2014
It has long been known that Dvořák’s New World Symphony was inspired by African-American and Native American music. And Dvořák himself mentioned Longfellow’s The Song of Hiawatha as another source of inspiration. But most musicians and musicologists were reluctant to be more specific than that. In recent years, however, the musicologists Joseph Horowitz and Michael Beckerman have tried to show that all of these elements, especially the Hiawatha story, can be linked to specific passages in the New World Symphony...
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By Michael Vincent on October 18, 2014
As some have already heard - I have recently been asked to join the Toronto Star to contribute reviews and advise them on upcoming shows. I will keep Music Toronto readers up to speed as they appear. Unfortunately I am not allowed to print it in full on Musical Toronto, but we can post an excerpt and link.
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By Michael Vincent on October 17, 2014
You’ll want to dance when you hear these tunes! Suzie LeBlanc says of her new CD of Christmas music titled, La Veillée de Noël (Christmas Eve) out this past Tuesday, October 14.
Fiddle or voice, music is an inseparable part of the Acadian cultural tradition. In the Maritimes, old French songs ring out like heirlooms moving across generations as seamlessly as the Nova Scotia fog belt.
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