{"id":36054,"date":"2016-04-11T09:35:23","date_gmt":"2016-04-11T13:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=36054"},"modified":"2016-04-18T09:59:03","modified_gmt":"2016-04-18T13:59:03","slug":"critics-picks-seven-shows-worth-seeing-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2016\/04\/11\/critics-picks-seven-shows-worth-seeing-this-week\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC’S PICKS | Seven Shows Worth Seeing This Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the week of April 11 to 17<\/h3>\n
\"COC
COC | Carmen (centre) Paul Gay as Escamillo. Photo from Carmen (Canadian Opera Company, 2010); (Photo: Michael Cooper)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\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

I am currently on assignment, getting my fill of opera and the arts in amazing Berlin, but you know what? I\u2019m looking forward to coming home for a sampling of what TO has to offer musically this week.\u00a0 It may be less variety, but I find the quality at home to be consistently high:<\/p>\n

Tuesday 12<\/h2>\n

COC<\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0Georges Bizet\u2019s Carmen at The Four Seasons Centre. 7:30 p.m. $55-435 (Repeats\u00a0April 12 to May 15. Start times vary)<\/p>\n

The Canadian Opera Company\u2019s spring season opens on April 12 with Carmen.<\/em> This is the same Michael Yeargan production as seen in the past, but now directed by fast-rising Canadian stage director Joel Ivany of Against the Grain Theatre fame. With a total of 13 performances, all principal roles are double-cast. The two performances this week (April 12 and 17) stars Georgian mezzo Anita Rachvelishvili, who has previously sung Carmen and Dulcin\u00e9e at the COC. Don Jose is American tenor Russell Thomas, who was Hoffmann a few seasons back.\u00a0 Micaela is former COC Ensemble Studio soprano, Simone Osborne. American bass-baritone Christian Van Horn returns as Escamillo. Paolo Carignani conducts. According to the most recent statistics of the past five seasons, Carmen<\/em> is the second most performed opera in the world, just behind La traviata<\/em> and ahead of La boheme<\/em>. For veteran opera attendee or neophyte alike, you can\u2019t go wrong with this piece. See\u00a0link<\/a>, for all the details.<\/p>\n

OPERA ATELIER\u00a0<\/span>|\u00a0Lucio Silla<\/em> at the Elgin Theatre. 7:30 p.m. $38 -191 (Repeats April 12, 15 and 16)<\/p>\n

Opera Atelier, Canada\u2019s premiere Baroque opera company, continues its spring season of Mozart\u2019s early work, Lucio Silla<\/em>, with three performances (Apr. 12, 15, 16) this week at the Elgin Theatre. It received rave reviews from audiences and critics alike, with good reason.\u00a0 It\u2019s the same production that made a splash at Salzburg and La Scala. Kresimir Spicer leads a stellar cast of Peggy Kriha Dye, Meghan Lindsey, Allyson McHardy and Mireille Asselin. \u00a0Details found, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wednesday 13<\/h2>\n

TSO<\/span>\u00a0| Angela Hewitt at Roy Thomson Hall. 8:00 p.m. $33.75 -148 (Repeats April 13, 14 and 16. Start times vary)<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s premiere Bach pianist Angela Hewitt returns for three performances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall, as both soloist and orchestral leader in the Bach pieces. She plays the Bach piano concertos in F Minor and D Minor. As an interesting juxtaposition, the concert also features Shostakovich Symphony No. 8. Remember the Saturday concert is half an hour earlier but with only one of the Bach concertos, the D Minor.\u00a0 Peter Oundjian conducts. More info, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thursday 14<\/h2>\n

SOUNDSTREAMS<\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0Steve Reich at 80<\/em> at Massey Hall. 8:00 p.m. $22 -67.50<\/p>\n

The adventurous Soundstreams is presenting Steve Reich at 80<\/em>, where the American composer is celebrating his 80th<\/sup> birthday at Massey Hall on April 14, with a long list of featured musicians performing his music. If new music and Steve Reich is your thing, this is an important event not to be missed. Full details, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

COC<\/span>\u00a0| Kara Huber at The Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre. Noon. Free!<\/p>\n

Music and sports don\u2019t seem to mix but in reality, there are a surprising number of people devoted to both. I, for one, am a baseball and<\/em> an opera fan, as I am fond of saying that both are long-winded! American pianist Kara Huber is giving a noon hour concert at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre on Thursday, April 14\u00a0which she calls Baseball, Yoga, and Other Sports for the Contemporary Pianist.<\/em>\u00a0 She\u2019s performing works inspired by the world of sports. The program includes a world premiere by David Rakowski and the Canadian premiere of Douglas Pew\u2019s Bagatelles<\/em>, as well as Canadian composer Alexina Louie\u2019s Put on Your Running Shoes<\/em> and a work by Annie Gosfield inspired by the pivotal Yankees-Dodgers Game 4 in the 1941 World Series. Sounds like fun!\u00a0 Here\u2019s a PDF<\/a> of the program.<\/p>\n

MUSIC TORONTO<\/span> | DuoTergeon at Jane Mallett Theatre. 8:00 p.m. $10-55<\/p>\n

Music Toronto presents its last concert of the 2015-16 season on Thursday, April 14 8 p.m. at the Jane Mallett Theatre, with the appearance of the Berlin-based Artemis Quartet. The program features pieces by Beethoven, Wolf, and Shostakovich. \u00a0Concert details found, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sunday 17<\/h2>\n

MOOREDALE CONCERTS<\/span> | Afiara String Quartet at Walter Hall. 8:00 p.m. $10-55<\/p>\n

The Canadian chamber group, the Afiara String Quartet, is giving a concert on April 17 at Walter Hall under the auspices of the Mooredale Concerts. On the program are works by Mendelssohn and Dvorak. Joining them is the Canadian and principal bass of the LSO, Joel Quarrington. Info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

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Musical Toronto | Critic\u2019s Picks for the Week of April 11 to 17.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":36070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5723,3895],"tags":[5876,5913],"yst_prominent_words":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/CP-april11-17.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-9nw","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36054"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36054"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36302,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36054\/revisions\/36302"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36054"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=36054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}