{"id":36406,"date":"2016-04-25T11:19:29","date_gmt":"2016-04-25T15:19:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=36406"},"modified":"2016-04-26T10:14:13","modified_gmt":"2016-04-26T14:14:13","slug":"critics-picks-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2016\/04\/25\/critics-picks-4\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC’S PICKS | Twelve Shows You Should Absolutely See This Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the week of April 25 to May 1<\/h3>\n
\"Critic's
Critic’s Picks for classical music and opera events in Toronto for the Week of April 25 to May 1, 2016.<\/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><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Top on my list this week is the COC spring season of a rarity, Rossini\u2019s <\/span>Maometto II<\/span><\/i>, which is likely a Canadian premiere. \u00a0Then there\u2019s the ever-popular <\/span>Carmen<\/span><\/i>. The TSO performs Mahler <\/span>Symphony No. 1<\/span><\/i>, and Tafelmusik is offering <\/span>Zelenka and Bach<\/span><\/i>, featuring winners of their recent vocal competition. <\/span><\/p>\n

Monday 25<\/h3>\n

GALLERY 345<\/span>\u00a0| Sujari Britt at Gallery 345. 8:00 p.m.\u00a0$10-20<\/p>\n

A year ago, I accidentally stumbled onto a Youtube video of 11-year old cellist Sujari Britt performing bits and pieces of the Elgar <\/span>Cello Concerto<\/span><\/i>, my desert island piece. Elgar composed this late in his life, a piece so autumnal and poignant that it\u2019s a challenge to even the most technically accomplished and experienced artist in full maturity. And here\u2019s young Sujari playing it with all the musicality and depth of feeling one would want! Well, she\u2019s not playing Elgar in her recital at Gallery 345 on April 25<\/span>th <\/span>since there\u2019s no orchestra. On the program are two Bach Cello Suites plus Brahms, Saint-Saens and Messiaen. \u00a0She is now 14 and a student at Manhattan School of Music. I\u2019m very curious about this concert and I do think she\u2019s well worth hearing. Here\u2019s a link<\/a> to her short documentary.<\/span>\u00a0For concert details,\u00a0see here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tuesday 26<\/h3>\n

COC<\/span>\u00a0| Vocal Series: Fruitful and Sacred Ground<\/em>\u00a0at The Four Seasons Centre, Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. 12:00 p.m. Free!<\/p>\n

Canadian soprano Simone Osborne, a former COC Ensemble Studio member and a Met Auditions Winner, takes time out from her Micaela duties to give a free noon hour recital at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre on April 26<\/span>th<\/span>. \u00a0Her pianist is the excellent American Stephen Hargreaves, who offered impeccable support to Cl\u00e9mentine Margaine in her recital last Friday. The program includes Debussy\u2019s <\/span>Ariettes oubli\u00e9es<\/span><\/i>, Canadian composer Matthew Emery\u2019s <\/span>Three Songs<\/span><\/i>, plus pieces by Mozart and Cole Porter. Be sure to show up an hour early to ensure a seat. Info found, here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wednesday 27<\/h3>\n

CMC\u00a0<\/span>| The Cecilia String Quartet at Canadian Music Centre. 7:30 p.m. $15-20<\/p>\n

The Cecilia String Quartet is giving a recital of three Canadian commissions at the Canadian Music Centre on April 27<\/span>th<\/span> 7:30 p.m. The three composers are Katarina Curcin, Nicole Liz\u00e9e, and Kati Ag\u00f3cs. I have not been able to find the names of the pieces on the CMC website<\/a>. Other details, here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

TMC\u00a0<\/span>|\u00a0Haydn\u2019s <\/span>The Creation<\/span><\/i> at Koerner Hall. 7:30 p.m.\u00a0$20-87<\/p>\n

The premiere choral group in Canada, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, is presenting Haydn\u2019s <\/span>The Creation<\/span><\/i>, on April 27<\/span>th<\/span> 7:30 p.m. at Koerner Hall. This is a real cornerstone in the oratorio repertoire, demanding on the chorus and the three soloists. On this occasion, it\u2019s soprano Leslie Ann Bradley, tenor Zach Finkelstein and baritone Alexander Hajek, all well known to Toronto audiences. The TMC and Festival Orchestra is under the direction of Noel Edison. Info, here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

TORONTO OPERETTA THEATRE\u00a0<\/span>|\u00a0Los Gavilanes (The Sparrow Hawks)\u00a0<\/span><\/i>at Jane Mallett Theatre. 7:30 p.m.\u00a0$20-87 (Repeats April 29, 30 and May 1 [3:00 p.m.])<\/p>\n

The Toronto Operetta Theatre is venturing into the unfamiliar with the Canadian premiere of <\/span>Los Gavilanes (The Sparrow Hawks)<\/span><\/i>, a Zarzuela by composer Jacinto Guerrero. \u00a0It stars Miriam Khalil and Ernest Ramirez. Larry Beckwith conducts. April 27<\/span>th<\/span> 8 p.m. at the Jane Mallett Theatre. Also on April 29, 30 and May 1. More details found,\u00a0right\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thursday 28<\/h3>\n

COC<\/span>\u00a0| Vocal Series:\u00a0Collaborations<\/span><\/i>\u00a0at The Four Seasons Centre, Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. 12:00 p.m. Free!<\/p>\n

Every year, the young artists of the COC Ensemble Studio and the Atelier lyrique of the Opera de Montreal get together for a joint concert, <\/span>Collaborations.<\/span><\/i> This free event takes place at noon April 28<\/span>th<\/span> in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. No program announced yet but it\u2019s always good, sung by beautiful, fresh, young, well-trained voices. Be sure to show up an hour early to ensure a spot. Info, here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Bizet\u2019s <\/span>Carmen<\/span><\/i> at the COC continues this week on April 28 and 30 at the Four Seasons Centre. I\u2019ve seen both casts and they are all terrific. There are two sets of principal singers \u2013 for April 28 it\u2019s Cl\u00e9mentine Margaine, David Pomeroy, Karine Boucher and Zachary Nelson. April 30 is Anita Rachvelishvili, Russell Thomas, Simone Osborne and Christian Van Horn. Paolo Carignani conducts. Details, here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

TSO<\/span>\u00a0| Toronto Symphony Orchestra with Matthias Pintscher (conductor) at Roy Thomson Hall. 8:00 p.m. $33.75\u2013148 (Repeats April 30)<\/p>\n

German conductor and composer Matthias Pintscher makes his Toronto Symphony Orchestra debut on April 28 (repeated April 30) in Mahler\u2019s <\/span>Symphony No. 1<\/span><\/i>, as well as his own composition, <\/span>Towards Osiris<\/span><\/i>. You can hear him talk about his composition here<\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0Also on the program is Mozart <\/span>Piano Concerto No. 24, K. 491<\/span><\/i>, with Israeli pianist Inon Barnatan. Full details, here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

TAFELMUSIK<\/span>\u00a0| Zelenka & Bach\u00a0at Trinity St. Paul\u2019s Centre. 8:00 p.m. $15-81 (Repeats through May 1)<\/span><\/p>\n

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir under the direction of Ivars Taurins is presenting Bach\u2019s <\/span>Cantata 202<\/span><\/i>, the so-called Wedding Cantata, together with <\/span>Missa Omnium Sanctorum, ZWV 21<\/span><\/i> by Czech composer Jan Dismas Zelenka. The soloists, in addition to the regularly scheduled German soprano Dorothee Mields, are winners of the recent Tafelmusik Vocal Competition \u2013 mezzo Kim Leeds, tenor Jacques-Olivier Chartier, and bass-baritone Jonathan Woody. The concert takes place at Trinity St. Paul\u2019s Centre on April 28, 29, 30 and May 1. More info found, here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Friday 29<\/h3>\n

COC<\/span>\u00a0| Rossini’s,\u00a0Maometto secondo<\/span><\/i> at The Four Seasons Centre. 2:00 p.m. $25-355. (Repeats through May 14. Start times vary)<\/p>\n

The second opera of the COC Spring Season, <\/span>Maometto secondo<\/span><\/i>, opens on April 29. I saw this very production a few years ago at Santa Fe Opera with the same principals \u2014 soprano Leah Crocetto (Anna), tenor Bruce Sledge (Erisso), and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni (Maometto). The only cast change is mezzo Elizabeth DeShong replacing the original Calbo, Patricia Bardon. \u00a0As is typical of Rossini, the vocal writing is florid and demanding, but our cast is fully up to the task. Also on May 1. Details, here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Saturday 30<\/h3>\n

SHOW ONE PRODUCTIONS<\/span>\u00a0| Lucas Debargue and Lukas Geniu\u0161as (piano) at Koerner Hall. 8:00 p.m. $35-90.<\/p>\n

Two winners of the 5<\/span>th<\/span> International Tchaikovsky Competition are in town for a duo recital. They are the \u201cTwo Lucases\u201d \u2014 French pianist Lucas Debargue and Lithuanian pianist Lukas Geniu\u0161as. They\u2019ll play both solo pieces and selections for duo pianos at Koerner Hall on April 30. Full details, here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday 1<\/h3>\n

RCM<\/span>\u00a0| Mazzoleni Masters Songmasters Series: The Finnish-Hungarian Connection at Mazzoleni Concert Hall. 2:00 p.m. $25+<\/p>\n

On Sunday, May 1<\/span>st<\/span>, the Mazzoleni Songmasters series is presenting The Hungarian-Finnish Connection, a recital featuring works by Liszt, Bartok, Sibelius and others, with soprano Leslie Ann Bradley, bass-baritone Stephen Hegedus, and pianists Rachel Andrist and Robert Kortgaard. Violinist Erika Raum will join Leslie Ann Bradley for Kaija Saariaho\u2019s <\/span>Changing Light<\/span><\/i>. More info, here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Want more updates on Toronto-centric classical music news and review\u00a0before anyone else finds out? Get our exclusive newsletter\u00a0<\/em>here<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0<\/em>Facebook<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>for all the latest.<\/em><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Critic’s Picks for classical music and opera events in Toronto for the Week of April 25 to May 1, 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":36440,"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-april25-may1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-9tc","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36406"}],"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=36406"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36408,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36406\/revisions\/36408"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36406"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=36406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}