Browsing: La Scena Online

La Scena Online is the digital magazine of La Scene Musicale.
Contents: News, Concert reviews, CD reviews, Interviews, Obituaries, etc
Editor: Wah Keung Chan
Assistant Editor: Andreanne Venne
ISSN: 1206-9973

Warwick, March 28, 2024 – For his new project “Generation Quartet”, Yannick Rieu will be surrounded by 3 musicians among the most talented of their generation. This group will be made up of pianist Jonathan Cayer, double bassist Guy Boisvert and drummer André White. As its name suggests, the “Generation Quartet” project makes possible a dialogue between two generations of musicians who, over the years and shared experiences, have developed a particular chemistry, a sound of their own. One foot in the jazz tradition, the other in innovation, this group is characterized by the great cohesion of its members, who…

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Here is the list of music and musicians performing at the March 23, 2024 funeral ceremony of the late Brian Mulroney (1939 – 2024), 18th Prime Minister of Canada at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal. Musique des funérailles de Brian Mulroney Voici la liste des musiques de la cérémonie funéraire du 23 mars 2024 de feu Brian Mulroney (1939 – 2024), 18e Premier ministre du Canada, à la Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal. Preludes Pierre Grandmaison, Titular organist “Ebben? Ne andrò lontana,” La Wally by Alfredo Catalani Marie-Josée Lord, Soprano Jean-Willy Kunz, Organist-in-Residence of l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Kyrie from W.…

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It might not be too well-known for those outside of North-America that February coincides with Black History Month, a tradition set in 1976, exactly a half century after its initial instalment on a smaller scale, originally designated as Negro History Week. While the bulk of activities take place in the United States, Canada also has its hand in the pie, so to speak.  FIRST ACT:  Charles Tolliver—Africa Brass (and more) / Febr. 28, McGill University In Montreal for instance, the month came to a close with a performance befitting of the occasion. The fact that it took place on the eve…

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On ne présente plus le saxophoniste André Leroux au public montréalais  : dans le dernier quart de siècle, il s’est imposé autant auprès des amateurs de jazz (par sa longue collaboration avec François Bourassa) que du côté du public de la musique contemporaine (au sein du quatuor de saxophones Quasar) Le 22 février dernier, à la Salle Bourgie, le ténor sexagénaire proposait une soirée baptisée André Leroux & ses amis ; les amis en question étant annoncés comme le batteur John Hollenbeck, le contrebassiste Rémi-Jean Leblanc, et évidemment le vieux comparse du saxophoniste, le pianiste François Bourassa, en plus d’une invitée…

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UofT Opera opened a sparkling new production of Massenet’s Cendrillon on March 15 at Toronto’s historic, neo-Baroque Elgin Theatre, the perfect setting for director Maria Lamont’s 1930s Busby Berkeley-inspired conception. Massenet’s 1899 version of the familiar Cinderella fairy tale, while not without its Belle Epoque froth, is also lined with a deeply moving vein of melancholy that was successfully brought to the fore by a promising band of student artists. The Elgin’s acoustic is notoriously dry, and so it was perhaps fortuitous that conductor Sandra Horst elected to reduce the size of Massenet’s original orchestration, especially given the lack of…

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The Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä, just 28 years old, is the hottest property on the circuit though still unrecognised beyond the orchestra fishbowl. Mäkelä is presently music director in Oslo, Paris and Amsterdam. He is also (I hear) about to be named chief conductor in Chicago. How he balances all those jobs is anyone’s guess. Off stage, he has just ended a six-month relationship with the pianist Yuja Wang. The pair have concert bookings together for the next three years. That could be tricky when it comes to eye contact. Forget what they burble on the radio: classical music and…

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Renowned Canadian opera director Michael Cavanagh has passed away suddenly at the age of 62. Cavanagh was one of Canada’s most prolific and sought-after opera directors who in 2020 was appointed Artistic Director of the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm. Cavanagh directed over 150 opera productions at 32 companies in Canada, U.S. and Europe. He had a particularly close relationship with San Francisco Opera where most recently, he directed new productions of their Mozart/Da Ponte trilogy: Le nozze di Figaro (2019), Così fan tutte (2021) and Don Giovanni (2022). Previous to his appointment in Stockholm, he directed high profile productions…

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