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Nagano/OSM: Brilliant Beethoven Beats Out Bland Bruckner

By Paul E. Robinson on 29 October 2011 Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Romantic

by Paul E. RobinsonBoulez: MémorialeBeethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major Op. 19Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E flat majorTimothy Hutchins, fluteTill Fellner, pianoOrchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM): Kent Nagano, conductorLa Maison symphoniquePlace des ArtsMontréalSaturday, October 15, 2011Montréal’s new hall, La Maison symphonique, has been presenting concerts for over a month now, and after an ‘unfinished’ opening, we’re finally into the fine-tuning phase of the project. An impromptu example occurred mid-concert when maestro Nagano stepped down from the podium after the first movement of the Bruckner to announce that he was unable to continue until his wonky podium…

Gallic Charm Triumphs in Montréal!

By Paul E. Robinson on 4 October 2011 Concert Reviews, Orchestral

by Paul E. RobinsonGounod: Symphony No. 1 in D majorSaint-Saens: Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor Op. 33Ravel: Valses Nobles et SentimentalesRoussel: Bacchus et Ariane Op. 43 Suite No. 2Gautier Capuçon: celloOrchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM): Michel Plasson, conductorLa Maison symphoniquePlace des ArtsMontréal, QuebecSeptember 29, 2011Hasn’t the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) always been a great French orchestra? In the halcyon days of Charles Dutoit, conductor and orchestra became Decca’s house orchestra for French music the way Ernest Ansermet and L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande had been for the same label a generation earlier. Dutoit is no longer in…

Nagano & OSM Show off New Hall with Towering Turangalîla

By Paul E. Robinson on 20 September 2011 Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Piano, Violin

by Paul E. RobinsonTchaikovsky (orch.Glazunov): Méditation in D minor Op.42 No.1Glazunov: Violin Concerto in A minor Op. 82Messiaen: Turangalîla-SymphonieJoshua Bell: violinAngela Hewitt: pianoJean Laurendeau: ondes martenotOrchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM): Kent Nagano, conductorLa Maison symphoniquePlace des ArtsMontréal, QuebecSeptember 13, 2011Ever since its premiere in 1949, audiences have been moved and thrilled by Olivier Messiaen’s massive Turangalîla Symphony. More than 60 years later, it remains an extraordinarily original and peculiar piece. Montreal has heard it before – Charles Dutoit championed the piece in 2000 at Place des Arts. Kent Nagano has a special relationship with the composer and his music, and…

Nagano-OSM Week at Orford an Impressive Affair

By Paul E. Robinson on 11 August 2011 Concert Reviews, Contemporary, Orchestral

by Paul E. RobinsonWhen the Knowlton Festival folded two years ago, the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal (OSM) and its chief conductor, Kent Nagano, needed to find an alternative venue for some of their summer music-making. An inspired choice was the Orford Festival. While last season’s appearances were uneven, this summer everything came together and the results were impressive.Last summer at Orford, the OSM gave two full concerts under Nagano, who also worked with the Orford Academy Orchestra (OAO) on a third concert. The venue for all three performances was the Saint-Patrice Church in Magog. This year, the OSM gave only…

Les débuts modestes du Festival Opéra de Québec

By La Scena Musicale Team on 21 July 2011 Classical, Concert Reviews, Contemporary, Opera

Par Julie Berardino Le très attendu Festival Opéra de Québec se déroulera cet été (du 25 juillet au 6 août) à Québec avec une version modeste du Rossignol et autres fables de Stravinsky et de la Flûte enchantée de Mozart. Tel que prévu, Robert Lepage, originaire de Québec, sera à l’honneur dans la production qu’offre sa compagnie Ex Machina de l’opéra de Stravinsky, qui fut créée par le Canadian Opera Company et a récemment complété une tournée à New York. La production amène chanteurs et marionnettiste à évoluer dans un grand bassin d’eau sur scène (salle Louis-Fréchette du Grand Théâtre de Québec)…

A Tale of Two Festivals: Castleton and BlackCreek

By Paul E. Robinson on 14 July 2011 Concert Reviews, Opera, Orchestral

by Paul E. RobinsonEvery summer Marita and I drive from Austin, Texas back to our native Canada, varying our route each year according to events of particular interest on the road and the availability of friends we enjoy visiting.This year we decided to make a stop in Charlottesville, Virginia, a favourite place we hadn’t visited in too many years. This charming, lively, petite (pop: 40,000) mountain town is home to the University of Virginia where we fondly recalled once having inspected the tiny room inhabited by Edgar Allen Poe during his short tenure as a student here. The literary stature…

The Canadian Music Competition: 2011 Grand Prize winners

By La Scena Musicale Team on 12 July 2011 Piano, Violin, Vocal

By Rona NadlerThe Canadian Music Competition has announced its 2011 Grand Prize winners. Over two hundred young musicians from all over the country competed in the finals, held in Montreal from June 20-July 4. Grand Prizes for each age category were awarded to Kirsten MacKinnon, soprano (Burnaby, BC), Jason Kangsan Lee, piano (Missisauga, ON), Nicole Li, violin (Toronto, ON), Stephen Nguyen, piano (Calgary, AB), and Tiffany Yeung, violin (Richmond Hill, ON). The winners will give three performances with the Orchestre Métropolitain under the baton of Alain Trudel: a gala concert on July 14 at Centre Pierre-Charbonneau, at Parc La Fontaine…

Sierra’s “Missa Latina” Wins New Friends in Texas

By Paul E. Robinson on 3 July 2011 Choral, Concert Reviews, Orchestral

by Paul E. RobinsonRoberto Sierra (photo: above) was born in Puerto Rico and studied with György Ligeti in Germany. Since 1992 he has been a member of the faculty of music at Cornell University, and is widely recognized as one of the leading composers of his generation.Sierra’s Missa Latina “Pro Pace” (For Peace) was commissioned by Washington’s National Symphony and the Choral Arts Society, and Leonard Slatkin conducted the premiere with those combined ensembles in 2006. Since that time the work has been performed in major cities around the United States, each time with great success.Craig Hella Johnson (photo: right)…

Mark Adamo : Little Women

By La Scena Musicale Team on 17 June 2011 Multimedia, Opera

Stephanie Novacek (Jo), Joyce DiDonato (Meg), Chad Shelton (Laurie), Stacey Tappan (Beth), Margaret Lloyd (Amy), Daniel Belcher (John Brooke) Houston Grand Opera Orchestra/Patrick Summers Mise en scène : Peter Webster Décors : Christopher McCollum; Costumes : Melissa Graff Naxos 2.110613 (114 min 53 s) **** Little Women a été créé en 1998 au Houston Grand Opera et est devenu depuis l’un des opéras les plus souvent montés sur les scènes internationales. L’histoire est une adaptation du roman de Louisa May Alcott qui raconte la vie des quatre filles March (Jo, Meg, Amy et Beth), vivant dans la demeure familiale lors…

Kimmo Pohjonen/Samuli Kosminen: Uniko

By La Scena Musicale Team on 16 June 2011 CD and Book Reviews, Chamber Music, Strings

Kimmo Pohjonen, accordion & voice; Samuli Kosminen, string & accordion samples, programming; Kronos Quartet (David Harrington, John Sherba, violins; Hank Dutt, viola; Jeffrey Ziegler, cello) Ondine ODE 1185-2 (51 min 49 s) *** Here’s a neat lesson in brand name recognition and the advantage of a dedicated fan base. The cover of this album is dark blackish brown with red streaks. The title and artists are given in tiny letters and it is necessary to look into the booklet to establish Pohjonen’s and Kosminen’s claim to composition and arrangement of the music (a commission for Kronos). Aside from credits and…

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