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Kirill Gerstein Bends Gershwin’s Rhythms

By Norman Lebrecht on 6 April 2018 Contemporary, Lebrecht Weekly

Gershwin: Rahpsody in Blue, concerto in F (Myrios) On first hearing, this seemed nothing special – a Russian-Jewish pianist, Kirill Gerstein, tackling the two Gershwin concertos with the all-American St. Louis Orchestra. Worthy cultural diplomacy but nothing that immediately gripped the ear. It took a second spin to grasp the truly challenging aspects of this undertaking. Gerstein takes the jazz band version of Rhapsody in Blue and bends the rhythms in such a way that they sound almost Jewish. Remember that Gershwin’s parents were, like Gerstein, Russian Jews, and that the music the composer knew as a boy did not…

Photo : Suzane O’neill

Lorraine Vaillancourt: Winner of the Opus Hommage

By Dominic Trudel on 6 April 2018 Arts Industry, Canadian Music, Classical, Classical Music, Orchestral, Quebec Music

At the 21st Opus prize gala on Feb. 4, the Conseil québécois de la musique (CQM) awarded the Opus Hommage to Lorraine Vaillancourt for her significant contribution to contemporary music. Moved by this tribute in her honour, Vaillancourt admits that she rarely takes pause to reflect on her past. She lives from day to day, but with an eye to the future. It must be this anchorage in the present that has allowed her to dedicate her professional life to the music of her time. Unwavering Originally from Arvida, Saguenay, Vaillancourt chose the path of music at the age of…

Marc Hervieux

Marc Hervieux in Gala Mode: Closing of the 78th MCO Season

By Marie-Claire Fafard-Blais on 6 April 2018 Canadian Music, Classical Music, Orchestral, Quebec Music

To conclude its 78th season, the McGill Chamber Orchestra presents a gala in the company of tenor Marc Hervieux, its spokesperson for 2017-2018. This huge party on June 6 will have the Rialto resonating with the sound of the singer’s voice, which will be accompanied by his band as well as a string quintet comprising MCO players. The colourful setting of the famous Montreal theater will add a glamorous touch to this musical night. MCO artistic director Boris Brott has only praise for his collaborator: “To have Marc Hervieux as a spokesperson has been almost miraculous for us. We worked…

La Muse: Viva Verdi with Romanian accents

By Marie-Claire Fafard-Blais on 6 April 2018 Canadian Music, Choral, Classical Music, Quebec Music, Vocal

La Muse choir under the direction of Ioana German, will present its Viva Verdi concert in both Montreal and Ottawa. Supported by sopranos Chantal Dionne, Marina Negruta and Anca Maria Grigoriu; mezzo-soprano Antonela Barnat; tenor Jaime Sandoval; bass Dan Popescu and an orchestra, the choir will perform some of Verdi’s greatest choruses, including excerpts from the Requiem, Il Trovatore, La Traviata and Nabucco. This large-scale concert promises a burst of Verdian joy. Barnat has been a regular singer at the Bucharest State Opera since her debut as Rosina in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville in 2006. She made her debut…

Geoffrey Sirett as Akakiy in The Overcoat A Musical Tailoring Photo: Dahlia Katz

The Overcoat: Tailored For Opera

By Gregory Finney on 5 April 2018 Classical Music, Opera, Vocal

Tapestry Opera continues its tradition of bringing new work to the stage this spring with a full production of The Overcoat: A Musical Tailoring. Based on The Overcoat, a successful play of 1998 which in turn was based on the classic tale by Nikolai Gogol, this opera features a score by James Rolfe and a libretto by Morris Panych. The opera is a product of Tapestry’s LibLab, a program that pairs leading up-and-coming composers with the most exciting librettists working in Canada today. Panych and Rolfe were paired up in 2014; the playwright came up with the idea of reworking…

Looking at the Stars: Inspiring Canadian Inmates Through Classical Music

By Gregory Finney on 5 April 2018 Arts Industry, Classical Music, Piano, Uncategorized

I’m no different than anybody else, except that I am,” Dmitri Kanovich chuckles over coffee on King Street East in Toronto. In one way he is quite individual: In 2015 he founded Looking at the Stars, a charity that brings world-class classical music performances into correctional facilities across Ontario. A former refugee who moved to Canada in 1983, Lithuanian-born Kanovich arrived with two kids and $300 in his pocket. He also came with his work ethic. After a short stint of odd jobs, he was hired by the “compassionate” owner of a small IT company he met at his synagogue.…

Sing It! A Moving Eighth Edition of the Singing Valentines

By Viviane Reid on 4 April 2018 Art Song, Opera, Vocal

The singer’s voice was gorgeous. I’ve played the piano for a long time and can recognize talent when I hear it. “We were not home for the Singing Valentine and I’m glad because now I can listen to it whenever I want and share it with my kids and friends.” That’s only one of many reactions to the Singing Valentines fundraising campaign. Considering the sheer number of valentines who were happy and surprised to get these special messages, it is safe to say that the event was a great success. “I found it very cute and touching,” another recipient says.…

Angela Hewitt photo: K. Saunder

Angela Hewitt’s Life and Career: Bach Remains a Central Theme

By Kristine Berey on 4 April 2018 Classical, Classical Music, Piano

World-renowned pianist Angela Hewitt says she is “on the mend” after having fallen down a set of stairs on Jan. 24 at a church in Oxford, England, 90 minutes before she was to perform Book 1 of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier for the first time in 10 years. Though the pain was “terrible,” she went on stage just the same, with the help of two strong men, ice and a wheelchair. She couldn’t use the left pedal or put any weight on her left foot, which she later learned was broken. “I don’t like to disappoint people,” Hewitt explained. By then, the crowd…

photo: Sahiba Kaur Chawla

Kiran Ahluwalia: Looking for the Love

By Gregory Finney on 4 April 2018 Canadian Music, Vocal, World Music

“I wasn’t expecting a career,” Kiran Ahluwalia says from New York via telephone. “I just wanted to take one year out of my life and follow my passion.” “I was scared of the future that came with climbing the corporate ladder,” she says. A trip to her native India to study music proved to her that she wanted to pursue this passion even further. One year wasn’t enough. This Indian-Canadian singer-songwriter-composer moved to Canada with her family when she was 10. Having started her formal musical training at 5, she continued her studies. They have been a driving force in…

Sondra Radvanovsky photo: Andrew Eccles

Sondra Radvanovsky: Queen of Opera

By Adrian Rodriguez on 4 April 2018 Classical Music, Opera, Vocal

The first time I heard Sondra Radvanovsky was in 2010 in Montreal’s Salle Wilfrid Pelletier. She was a guest artist alongside the headliner of the concert, the late baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, one of my opera idols, whose performance fulfilled all my expectations. To say that she stole the show would be an understatement. Frankly, I didn’t know much about this American soprano, who has since acquired Canadian citizenship. At first, I was in awe, but at the same time confused. Her voice seemed inconceivable: a large instrument that easily filled the hall and at the same time possessed a penetrating…

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