{"id":34652,"date":"2016-02-29T18:16:52","date_gmt":"2016-02-29T23:16:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=34652"},"modified":"2016-03-01T10:24:16","modified_gmt":"2016-03-01T15:24:16","slug":"34652","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2016\/02\/29\/34652\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC’S PICKS | Fourteen Shows You Should See This Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CP-Vilde-Frang\"<\/p>\n

Musical Toronto\u2019s weekly Critic\u2019s Picks are a fully curated list of some of the best concerts happening now through the end of the week. Of course, this is not to say we are the provocateurs of taste, but simply seek to provide a good weekly summary. For a look at the full breadth of what\u2019s available in and around Toronto, check out our concert listings in the\u00a0Musical Toronto Datebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Monday 29<\/h3>\n

THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO<\/span>\u00a0| Benjamin Butterfield\u00a0<\/i>and Steven Philcox\u00a0<\/i>at Walter Hall. 7:30 p.m. $10-40<\/p>\n

Canadian tenor Benjamin Butterfield is making a rare recital appearance in Toronto on Monday, Feb. 29th 7:30 p.m. at Walter Hall on the campus of the University of Toronto. He is singing the great Schubert song cycle “Die schone Mullerin,” with collaborative pianist Steven Philcox. Butterfield teaches voice at the University of Victoria. It’s been ages since I last heard the lyric tenor – I think the last time was in Janacek’s Cunning Little Vixen at the COC over ten years ago.\u00a0 I look forward to hearing him. \u00a0Full details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tuesday 1<\/h3>\n

MUSIC TORONTO<\/span>\u00a0| Steven Osborne\u00a0<\/i>at the Jane Mallett Theatre. 8:00 p.m. $10-50<\/p>\n

Music Toronto brought Scottish pianist Steven Osborne to Toronto for his debut back in 2007. He’s back once again for a recital on March 1st 8 p.m. at the Jane Mallett Theatre. He is playing Schubert, Debussy and Rachmaninoff on this occasion. Info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

TALISKER<\/span>\u00a0PLAYERS<\/span> |\u00a0Spirit Dreaming<\/i>\u00a0<\/i>at\u00a0Trinity St. Paul’s Centre. 8:00 p.m. $10-40 (Repeats Mar. 2)<\/p>\n

On March 1st and 2nd \u00a08 p.m. at the\u00a0Trinity St. Paul’s Centre,Talisker Players\u00a0is presenting\u00a0Spirit Dreaming<\/i>, a program that features music by ts are sopranoIlana Zarankin\u00a0and mezzo\u00a0Laura McAlpine, as well as actor\/director\u00a0Andrew Moodie\u00a0who will be reading tales of creation myths from various indigenous cultures. For details, see here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wednesday 2<\/h3>\n

TSO<\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0Vivaldi Concerto for Two Trumpets<\/span>. at Roy Thomson Hall. 6:30 p.m. $29.50-83.75<\/p>\n

If Baroque (and Classical) is more your thing, be sure to attend a concert of works by Vivaldi, Paganini, Rossini and Haydn, featuring TSO musicians, a nice counterbalance to a week of new music. TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian shares conducting duties with RBC Resident Conductor Earl Lee. Soloists are concertmaster\/violinist Jonathan Crow. Teng Li (viola), Joseph Johnson (cello), James Gardiner (trumpet), Steven Woomert (trumpet), Michael Sweeney (bassoon) and Sarah Jeffrey (oboe). Listing info found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RCM<\/span>\u00a0| String Concerts: Vilde Frang and Michall Lifits\u00a0<\/i>at Koerner Hall. 8:00 p.m. $30-65<\/p>\n

I remember my disappointment when Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang cancelled her TSO dates last season, although she was brilliantly replaced by Jonathan Crow.\u00a0 Hopefully this time, she’s going to show up for a recital with pianist Michail Lifits at Koerner Hall on Wednesday, March 2nd 8 p.m. On the program are works by Schubert, Faure, and Witold Lutoslawski. More info found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thursday 3<\/h3>\n

ADAM SHERKIN<\/span>\u00a0at Bluma Appel Lobby, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. Noon. Free!<\/p>\n

Canadian pianist and composer Adam Sherkin is giving a noon hour recital on March 3rd at the Lower Bluma Lobby of the St. Lawrence Centre. The recital is called Preludes of the North, in which Sherkin plays excerpts of Rachmaninoff’s Preludes Op. 32, plus his own composition, Postludes from Adlivun (2014). Full details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

WOMENS MUSICAL CLUB OF TORONTO<\/span> | Music in the Afternoon\u00a0<\/i>at Walter Hall. 1:30 p.m. $45<\/p>\n

The 119th season of the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto continues with the Daedalus Quartet on March 3rd 1:30 p.m. at Walter Hall. I am told that there’s going to be an announcement of the 2016-17 season before the start of the concert!\u00a0 I’m looking forward to finding out what delights WMCT is bringing to its loyal audiences. The Daedalus Quartet is made up of violinists Min-Young Kim and Matilda Kaul, violist Jessica Thompson, and cellist Thomas Kraines. They will be playing a program of Jean Sibelius, Johannes Brahms and James MacMillan.\u00a0 More details\u00a0found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

OPERA YORK<\/span> | Donizetti’s\u00a0Don Pasquale<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>at Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. 7:30 p.m. $40-110. (Repeats Mar. 5)<\/p>\n

The COC winter season may be over, but there are still plenty of operas in town, albeit smaller in scale. Opera York is presenting Don Pasquale on March 3rd and 5th 7:30 p.m. at the Richmond Hill Performing Arts Centre. Michael Robert Broder sings the title role. Anne Marie Ramos is Norina, Dion Mazerolle is Dr. Malatesta, and Jonathan MacArthur sings Ernesto. Geoffrey Butler conducts and Renee Salewski is the stage director.\u00a0Details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

TORONTO CITY OPERA<\/span> | Strauss’\u00a0Die Fledermaus\/<\/i>Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore\u00a0<\/i><\/span>at Bickford Centre Theatre. 7:30 p.m. $15-28 (Repeats\u00a0Mar. 5-6; start times vary)<\/p>\n

Toronto City Opera’s two productions that opened last week continue this week. L’Elisir d’amore is on March 3 & 5 7:30 p.m., and Die Fledermaus on March 6 at 2 p.m. at the Bickford Centre. Info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Friday 4<\/h3>\n

RCM<\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0Karen Gomyo, Christian Polt\u00e9ra and Juho Pohjonen<\/span>\u00a0<\/i>at Koerner Hall. 8:00 p.m. $35-75<\/p>\n

Another interesting chamber recital at Koerner Hall features Canadian violinist Karen Gomyo, with cellist Christian Poltera and pianist Juho Pohjonen on Friday, March 4th 8 p.m.\u00a0 They are playing Haydn’s Piano Trio in E Major, plus works by Janacek and Dvorak. Go to this link<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n

OPERA BY REQUEST<\/span> |\u00a0Mozart’s\u00a0Cos\u00ec fan tutte<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/i>at College Street United Church. 7:30 p.m. $20<\/p>\n

Opera By Request is presenting La traviata on March 4th 7:30 p.m. with three well-known soloists – soprano Allison Arends is Violetta, Ryan Harper sings Alfredo and Andrew Tees is Germont, plus soloists and chorus of the University of Toronto Scarborough Concert Choir, Lenard Whiting, director. William Shookhoff, music director of OBR, is at the piano. The concert takes place at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in York Mills, 2737 Bayview Avenue. Phone 416 455-2365 for reservations and information.<\/p>\n

Saturday 5<\/h3>\n

TSO<\/span>\u00a0| New Creations Festival: Fragile Absolute<\/span>.\u00a0at Roy Thomson Hall. 8:00 p.m. $33.75-148<\/p>\n

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is presenting its annual New Creations Festival.\u00a0 It’s a cluster of concerts dedicated to new music, featuring both Canadian and international composers and performing artists.\u00a0 As a classical music lover who has been attending live performances for over fifty years, I admit that I love my warhorses. But I totally recognize that for classical music to survive and thrive into the future, we need new works that reflect 21st-century aesthetics and audience sensibilities. Just last season, I heard a striking piece presented by the TSO New Creations Festival, the concert performance of\u00a0 British composer George Benjamin’s opera, Written On Skin.\u00a0 This season from March 5 to 12, the TSO is putting on three performances of six premieres, co-curated by TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian and Australian composer Brett Dean. On Saturday, March 5th 8 pm at Roy Thomson Hall, we’ll hear composer Anthony Pateras’ Fragile Absolute, a work for wind instruments, percussion, electronics and celeste.\u00a0 Also, Brett Dean’s Viola Concerto where the composer is the soloist. Canadian composer Kevin Lau’s intriguing Concerto Grosso for Orchestra, String Quartet and Turntables (!) – the DJ is Skratch Bastid. The fourth item on the program is Gyorgy Kurtag’s The Answered Unanswered Question. The only Kurtag I’ve heard is his interesting and very intense Kafka Fragments staged by Against the Grain two seasons ago. There will be pre-concert, intermission and post-concert chats. More info found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sunday 6<\/h3>\n

RCM<\/span>\u00a0| Mazzoleni Masters: Le travail du peintre\u00a0<\/i>at Mazzoleni Concert Hall. 2:00 p.m. $25<\/p>\n

An interesting recital for voice fans is Le travail de peintre, a concert that’s part of the Royal Conservatory of Music Glenn Gould School’s Mazzoleni Masters Series. It features soprano Mireille Asselin, baritone Brett Polegato, and pianists Peter Tiefenbach and Rachel Andrist. On the program are works by Poulenc, Debussy, Faure, Wolf and others, centered around the theme of music inspired by paintings and painters. This recital series is curated by GGS faculty soprano Monica Whicher and pianist Rachel Andrist. Concert takes place on Sunday March 6th 2 p.m. at the Mazzoleni Hall, Royal Conservatory of Music. Concert details found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ORPHEUS CHOIR<\/span> | Sound of Eternity\u00a0<\/i>at Metropolitan United Church (Toronto). 2:00 p.m. $10-35<\/p>\n

Very intriguing is this concert by the Orpheus Choir on Sunday March 6th 4:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan United Church.\u00a0 Bach’s B Minor Mass is paired with The Sound of Eternity, the Canadian premiere of a film by Bastian Cleve that interprets the Bach’s work. According to Orpheus Choir’s website, “Cleve’s 27 short episodes move from Alpine mountains to glaciers to peaceful valleys and pulsating metropolitan cities…..this breathtaking choral and cinematic tour-de-force offers a powerful meditation on the circle of life.”\u00a0 Soloists are soprano Jennifer Krabbe, mezzo Anita Krause, tenor Charles Sy and baritone Geoff Sirett. Orpheus Choir is joined by Chorus Niagara and the Talisker Players. Info found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

#LUDWIGVAN<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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