Browsing: Classical Music

Sarah Willis is a British-born horn player who became the first female brass player in the Berlin Philharmonic. She is not one of the orchestra’s principal players but she is a fabulous musician and very articulate and personable when it comes to talking about music.In this video she is giving an abbreviated master class to horn players auditioning for the YouTube orchestra. She demonstrates and gives helpful tips about playing some of the repertoire. In this excerpt she concentrates on the Beethoven 9th symphony and Richard Strauss’ Till Eulenspiegel. I suspect that any young horn player would find this video…

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Music Monday 2013Launched by the Coalition for Music Educators in 2005, Music Monday unites over 600,000 music students and teachers across Canada in a simultaneous expression of music making on the first Monday in May (May 6, 2013) at 1 p.m. Eastern time. This year’s official song “Is Someone Singing”, composed by Barenaked Ladies’ Ed Robertson with lyrics by Robertson and astronaut Chris Hadfield, is downloadable from www.musicmonday.ca/arrangements/. – Wah Keung ChanMusicians of the World Symphony OrchestraMontreal’s Musicians of the World Symphony Orchestra celebrates 7 years of music making with a Gala concert at the Rialto Theatre on Thursday, May…

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Lundi en musique 2013L’événement Lundi en musique a été créé en 2005 par la Coalition pour l’éducation en musique. Le premier lundi du mois de mai (6 mai 2013) à 13h, heure avancée de l’Est, et au même moment d’un bout à l’autre du Canada, plus de 600 000 professeurs et étudiants de musique interpréteront simultanément des œuvres musicales. L’astronaute Chris Hadfield et Ed Robertson des Barenaked Ladies ont composé la chanson-thème officielle de l’événement qui peut être téléchargée depuis l’adresse Web suivante : www.lundienmusique.ca/arrangements/. – Wah Keung ChanL’Orchestre symphonique des musiciens du mondeL’Orchestre symphonique des musiciens du monde de Montréal célèbre…

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Francis Poulenc (1899 – 1963)Francis Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites, the third of three productions of the Canadian Opera Company’s spring season, opens on Wednesday, May 8th at the Four Seasons Centre. Originally conceived for the Nederlandse Opera followed by stagings at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and La Scala, this Robert Carsen production has been widely praised and for good reason. Typical of Carsen’s vision, this Dialogues cuts straight to the emotional core of the work – nobody who has seen it can remain indifferent. Now Canadians will finally get to experience it. It is an ensemble opera and…

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This past weekend the world lost one of its greatest cellists. Hungarian-born Janos Starker died at the age of 88 after a long and distinguished career as an orchestral player, soloist and teacher. He was a child prodigy who gave his first performance of the Dvorak Cello Concerto at age 14. His older brothers were murdered by the Nazis and Starker himself spent time in an internment camp.Starker came to the United States in 1948 to take up the position of principal cellist of the Dallas Symphony. In 1952 he took up the same position with the Chicago Symphony under…

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Literary and Musical Premiere at ECM+Under the artistic direction of Véronique Lacroix, ECM+ offers a visionary program: Alban Berg’s Chamber Concertoand a premiere by Nicolas Gilbert, Vertiges. Among the soloists are Jimmy Brière, piano, and Jean-Sébastien Roy, violin, as well as four acrobats and narrator Jean Marchand. Salle Pierre-Mercure, May 1 at 7:30 pm. www.ecm.qc.ca- Renée BanvilleQuatrix and the Forests of Resonance (“Forêts de résonances”)Composed of two pianists (Jean-Fabien Schneider and Irina Krasnyanskaya) and two percussionists (Corinne René and Julien Compagne), Quatrix presents the “classics” of the repertoire, comissioned works, and musical arrangements for this little-used formation. Conservatoire de Musique,…

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Dramatic Madrigals of Claudio Monteverdi by Viva VoceIn collaboration with Pallade Musica, ensemble Viva Voce presents a program of Claudio Monteverdi’s dramatic madrigals on Saturday, April 27. Shannon Mercer will be the guest soloist. The concert takes place at McGill University’s Redpath Hall, starting at 7:30 pm. www.vivavoce-montreal.com- Daniel TurpLes Boréades and les Idées Heureuses – Concert of Four CountriesUnder the artistic direction of Nathalie Michaud, two baroque ensembles unite to present a panoramic repertoire composed 400 years ago. Speaker Georges Leroux will highlight the musical diversity of four countries: Italy, France, England and Germany. Bourgie Hall, April 28, 3…

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One of Herbert von Karajan’s lesser-known achievements was the creation of a training orchestra associated with the Berlin Philharmonic. Over time it has become enormously successful, with alumni going on to take positions in major orchestras all over the world.In this video the current music director of the Berlin Philharmonic, Simon Rattle, talks about how this orchestra was created and how it functions. Clearly, it has become an important part of the life of the Berlin Philharmonic itself.Paul E. Robinson

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Colin Davis began his musical career as an angry and arrogant young man but lived long enough to become a beloved and venerated figure. He died this past weekend at the age of 85 after a long and distinguished career.His “big break” came in 1959 when he filled in for an ailing Otto Klemperer in a concert performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni with the Philharmonia Orchestra. It was a huge success. Davis went on to become one of the finest Mozart conductors of his generation, combining grace and elegance with crisp rhythms and expressive intensity. But he had a wide…

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Opera de Montreal’s Atelier Lyric Performs a Menotti Double BillFor its annual production, the Atelier Lyric at the Opera de Montreal presents two one-act operas by Gian Carlo Menotti: The Old Maid and the Thief and Amahl and the Night Visitors. Musical direction is provided by Robin Wheeler and staging by Martine Beaulne. This production is in collaboration with the Canadian National Theatre School. Four performances are planned and will take place at the Monument National, April 13, 16, 18 and 20 at 7:30 pm. www.operademontreal.com – Daniel TurpChants Libres: Oper’Actuel 2013 – Works in Progress, 4th editionDirected by Pauline Vaillancourt,…

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