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Browsing: 150/375

Fall Season: Orchestras and Chamber Music

By Léa Papineau Robichaud on 1 September 2017 150/375, Canadian Music, Chamber Music, Contemporary, La Scena Spotlight, Orchestral, Quebec Music

Orchestre symphonique de Montréal The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) will start its season with Mahler’s Symphony no. 8, “Symphony of the Thousand,” a large-scale work gathering more than 350 instrumentalists and singers on stage (September 19 & 21). In addition, Russian music will hold a special place during the fall. Russian-born conductor Vasily Petrenko will present an all-Russian music concert in October (October 11, 14, and 15), and pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin will complete the evenings with a concerto by Prokofiev. On November 11, the St. Petersburg Mariinksy Orchestra will present a concert in Montreal under the baton of renowned…

History Reborn: André Mathieu’s Piano Concerto No. 3 at 75

By Kiersten van Vliet on 1 September 2017 150/375, Canadian Music, Interviews, Piano, Quebec Music

By now you’ve probably heard the story of André Mathieu (1929–68). A child prodigy hailed as Canada’s Mozart, Mathieu lived a tragic life and died in obscurity. It was not until the twenty-first century that many were able to experience his music, due in no small part to the tireless work of Québécois pianist-composer Alain Lefèvre. Now, in time for the 75th anniversary of the work, Lefèvre is releasing a new recording of the Piano Concerto No. 3, known commonly as the “Concerto de Québec.” The Concerto de Québec — which Lefèvre recorded himself in 2003 with Yoav Talmi and…

Opera Creations in Canada

By Patricia Weber on 1 September 2017 150/375, Contemporary, La Scena Spotlight, Opera

This year, the Montreal landscape will be particularly animated by the creations of operas, thanks to the dedication of the ECM + and Chants Libres. The Opéra de Montréal’s programming will take part in this celebration with two Montreal creations, which will give the young artists of its Atelier Lyrique the chance to take part. In the rest of Canada, Edmonton will receive Lilies, historical events in Toronto will inspire the creation of a new work and Vancouver will give a new life to a classic. Bandits in the Valley Tapestry Opera, one of Canada’s leading contemporary opera companies, will…

Photo: Ken Woroner

An Anne for 2017

By Rebecca Anne Clark on 1 September 2017 150/375, Film, La Scena Spotlight

Amongst the line-up the CBC has released for the country’s sesquicentennial celebrations, Anne, its first Anne of Green Gables adaptation in over 30 years, is the biggest standout so far this year. Produced in collaboration with Netflix (where it is broadcast online internationally as Anne With an E), Anne is a TV series made for the modern viewer, a fact that becomes apparent as Anne begins to tell Matthew about herself. By the end of the 90-minute premier, the show has made its first major departure from the book: Marilla punishes Anne by coldly sending her back to the orphanage…

Life Reflected

By Paul E. Robinson on 1 September 2017 150/375, Canadian Music, CD and Book Reviews, Contemporary

Zosha di Castri, Jocelyn Murlock, Nicole Lizée, John Estacio, Erin Wall, soprano; Martha Henry, narrator; Monique Mojica, actor; NAC orchestra; Alexander Shelley Analekta AN 2 8870, 73 min 25 s. This recording is the “soundtrack” for the multi-media work Life Reflected, which had its premiere at the National Arts Centre May 19, 2016. It was a highly ambitious and worthwhile project that brought together four newly-commissioned pieces by Canadian composers – three of them women – under the overall direction of the NAC’s conductor Alexander Shelley and creative producer and director Donna Feore. Each of the pieces was based on…

Airat Ichmouratov, Photographer: Sergei Bergen MUA & Art Style: Elena Chatokhina

Airat Ichmouratov: 21st Century Romanticist

By Kiersten van Vliet on 1 September 2017 150/375, Contemporary, Interviews, Quebec Music

Airat Ichmouratov is a triple talent of an uncommon sort. A composer, conductor, and klezmer clarinettist, he has earned critical acclaim in each domain. Resident conductor of Les Violons du Roy, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, and Orchestre Métropolitain, Ichmouratov made his debut with the Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre in 2011. He is a founding member of the klezmer group Kleztory, which has won numerous awards, both domestic and international. In 2008, Ichmouratov received the “Best Concert of the Year” Prix Opus for conducting Les Violons du Roy in a concert entitled “Russian Impressions” – a concert that…

A Few Great Canadian Tenors

By Pierre Chénier on 1 September 2017 150/375, La Scena Spotlight

On the 150th anniversary of Confederation, it is fitting to pay tribute to the great artists Canada has promoted throughout history. This text will focus on some of Canada’s greatest tenors. We should remember that their talents and distinguished careers, and those of other Canadian artists, have been overshadowed by major entities such as CBC/Radio-Canada. Programming dedicated to promoting Canadian talent has been constantly downsized, and this problem must be solved. Raoul Jobin, Léopold Simoneau, Jon Vickers, and Ben Heppner have been selected for this article. I chose these four tenors because each has left their mark on classical music…

TSO opening concert for 2017/18 showcases Canadian talent, with violinist James Ehnes and music by award-winning composer Mychael Danna

By Newswire on 31 August 2017 150/375, Classical, Newswire, Orchestral

Highlights for September/October include tributes to Glenn Gould and Maureen Forrester; Adizokan—celebrating the evocative culture of Canadian Indigenous peoples; and a not-to-be-missed performance by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. August 30, 2017: The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO), led by Music Director Peter Oundjian, opens its 96th season on Tuesday, September 19 at Roy Thomson Hall. The performance, part of Canada Mosaic (a Canada 150 Signature Project) is anchored by the World Première of Life of Pi—a new orchestral suite by Canadian composer Mychael Danna. Commissioned by the TSO, the new suite is based on the soundtrack of the award-winning movie (please note that this performance does not include any…

Montréal Symphonique unveils its latest additions!

By Newswire on 18 August 2017 150/375, Newswire

Montréal, Aug. 18, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ – After many months of hard work, the Montréal Symphonique concert will finally be presented to the public! Designed with the public in mind and in the spirit of offering an evening of unforgettable memories, the 375th Anniversary of Montréal Celebrations official programming and GSI Musique even will be happening in a few hours at the foot of the Mount Royal. Official list of participants In addition to the event’s headliners – the three orchestras (the Orchestre Métropolitain, the McGill Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal), here are the artists who will appear onstage…

Andrew Balfour

Important Notice about Highlands Opera Studio Canada 150 Project

By Kiersten van Vliet on 3 August 2017 150/375, Canadian Music, Contemporary, La Scena Online, Opera

In the June 2017 issue of La Scena Musicale, we reported on a collaboration between Odawa composer Barbara Croall and the Highlands Opera Studio (read here). The project, entitled Wiikondiwin (meaning feasting or feast) was commissioned by general director Valerie Kuinka in partnership with the Atelier Lyrique de L’Opera de Montreal. It was set to be premiered on August 19 at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavillion in Haliburton, Ontario. Unfortunately, Barbara Croall withdrew Wiikondiwin on July 10, citing “ongoing and increasingly critical family health issues,” which have restricted her ability to complete the opera on time. “After receiving this…