Contemporary - my/maSCENA

Michael Bridge (accordion) with Esprit Orchestra. Photo: Karen Reeves

Review | Accordion Virtuoso Michael Bridge Opens Esprit Orchestra Season

By John Gilks on 29 November 2024 Concert Reviews, Contemporary, Toronto

Esprit Orchestra, conducted by Alex Pauk, presented three works at Toronto’s Koerner Hall on Nov. 24th. The first was Gabriella Smith’s f(x)=sin^2x-i/x. This follows the shape of the function dynamically for x=0 to x=2; so there’s a smallish crescendo, a quieter passage and then a big finish. The first part, using extended strings, winds and percussion, sounds rather like a train accelerating (to its doom?). The piece then goes much quieter and more melodic before the final build up with an almost Brahmsian quality in the brass leading to a very loud, cacophonic finish. Then silence! Bent Sørensen’s It is…

Katia Makdissi-Warren. Photo: Damian Siqueiros

Chants libres & Oktoecho : Première of Sainte Marine

By Justin Bernard on 10 October 2024 Contemporary, Interviews, Opera

Ancient stories, attributed to lesser-known figures, are sometimes strikingly modern. This is the case of St. Marina, known as Marina the Monk, a woman who devoted her life to God despite her life’s tribulations and the prejudice she endured. After her mother’s death, Marina’s father decided to disguise her as a boy and take her to the Qannoubine Monastery in Lebanon, reserved for men. There, she became known as “Brother Marin,” and her sex was only discovered by the community after her death. Her life was deeply marked by a false accusation of rape involving the daughter of an innkeeper.…

Photo : Annie Éthier

New & contemporary music

By Arnaud G. Veydarier on 30 August 2024 Contemporary

Winners of two OPUS awards at their 2024 gala, the Stick&Bow duo will open Le Vivier’s new season on Sept. 6, along with All the Madmen. Presented at Montreal’s Sainte-Hilda church, this concert will see the music of Beethoven, David Bowie and Nina Simone mingled with a reflection on the madness sometimes associated with great artists. The evening will conclude with the world première of Roman Candle (2024) by composer Jason Noble. On Sept. 28, the Sanctuaire du Saint-Sacrement will host an immersive concert dedicated to Austrian composer Klaus Lang. Soprano Natacha Demers and organist and composer Olivier St-Pierre will…

Courtesy of Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences

La Scena on the Road | Musical Minimalism, Belgrade Style

By Viktor Lazarov on 2 August 2024 City, Classical Music, Contemporary, La Scena Online, Montreal

In May of this year, I found myself among leading musicologists and composers attending the Ninth International Conference on Music and Minimalism in my hometown of Belgrade, Serbia.

CD Review | David Potvin Catharsis (Leaf Music, 2024)

By Kristen Whittle on 31 May 2024 Canadian Music, CD and Book Reviews, Contemporary, Piano

David Potvin’s Catharsis honours the term’s meaning through an emotional and vulnerable performance of sombre yet powerful works, all by Canadian composers.

CAMMAC: The Summer Music Camp Experience

By Zenith Wolfe on 29 March 2024 Chamber Music, Contemporary, Education, Strings, Vocal

What Guylaine Lemaire found as artistic director of CAMMAC was a musical environment that fostered new passions and forged lifetime friendships like no other.

CD Review | Duo Caron: Suites modernes pour quatre mains (Espace 21, 2023)

By Viktor Lazarov on 29 March 2024 CD and Book Reviews, Classical, Contemporary, Piano

Through their obvious complicity, Suites modernes pour quatre mains demonstrates the exceptional playing of both pianists, whose individual qualities align in impeccable ensemble playing.

CD Review | The Obsession With Her Voice (Constellation Records, 2024)

By Hassan Laghcha on 29 March 2024 CD and Book Reviews, Contemporary, Vocal

After a long career, notably as the leader of Thus Owls, a group known for their interdisciplinary and interactive performances, Swedish-born Montreal singer-songwriter Erika Angell takes the plunge with her first solo album.

Highlights | Canadian Albums and Festivals Blossom with the Spring

By Zenith Wolfe on 22 March 2024 Classical, Contemporary, Highlights, Montreal, Toronto

We’re setting our eyes (and ears) on albums and festivals that will blossom this spring.

Joyce El-Khoury (Christine) et Pascale Spinney (Ebba). Photo: Vivien Gaumand

Review | Strong Cast Makes OdM’s Reine-garçon Worth Hearing

By Wah Keung Chan on 4 March 2024 Concert Reviews, Contemporary, Montreal, Opera

Opéra de Montréal’s production of La Reine-garçon showed how important a strong cast can be to carry a contemporary opera, especially when its story of female empowerment and self-determination resonates with contemporary subject matter. Story Based on true events, the opera is set in 17th-century Sweden where after years of war, reigning monarch Queen Christine has brought peace and art and philosophy to her land. Now, she is expected to marry and produce an heir, but she deflects a multitude of suitors. Her secret is that she is in love with Countess Ebba Sparre, her lady-in-waiting. The story is about…

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