THE VOICE | Angela Hewitt and Anne Sofie von Otter: 'Medium' is the Message
By Neil Crory on January 11, 2015
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By Neil Crory on January 11, 2015
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By Colin Eatock on January 10, 2015
The Juilliard String Quartet played at the Jane Mallet Theatre on Thursday evening – bringing with them a chilly program for a chilly January night. The program was part of Music Toronto’s Contemporary Classics series...
(Continue reading)By Paul E. Robinson on January 8, 2015
Andris Nelsons is only 36 but already he has emerged as one of the leading conductors of his generation. After an extensive search he was chosen to head the Boston Symphony, one of the world’s finest orchestras. He recently concluded his tenure as music director of the City of Birmingham Orchestra – Simon Rattle’s old band until he went to Berlin – and he is in demand at the Met and virtually all the leading orchestras in the world. This new DVD finds him on the podium in front of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and this remarkable orchestra has never sounded better...
(Continue reading)By Paul E. Robinson on January 2, 2015
Music-lovers fortunate enough to have got a ticket for the recital given by Argerich and Barenboim in Berlin this past April must still be smiling ear to ear. This was truly a historic occasion and one of the great musical events of anybody’s lifetime. Argerich is 73 and Barenboim is 72 and each of them has long since been established as one of the foremost performers of their generation. And on the evidence of this recording their artistry has never been better...
(Continue reading)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...
(Continue reading)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...
(Continue reading)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...
(Continue reading)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...
(Continue reading)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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