Classical Music - my/maSCENA

CD Découverte – Stéphan Sylvestre

By Michele Duguay on 22 April 2015 CD and Book Reviews, Piano, Romantic

CD Découverte – Stéphan Sylvestre Le CD découverte du pianiste canadien Stéphan Sylvestre propose des œuvres de Johannes Brahms dont huit pièces pour piano, deux rhapsodies, trois intermezzos et un Albumblatt en la mineur, opus posthume.Plusieurs critiques ont encensé Sylvestre, dont CBC Music qui affirme que son approche de Brahms est « beaucoup plus romantique [que celle de Perahia], mais aussi intéressante. Sa manière de jouer est introspective et réfléchie, et est accompagnée d’une sensibilité profonde ». Il a également été comparé à Artur Rubinstein pour son talent naturel (La Presse, Montréal). Sa carrière se déroule à l’internationale et il a donné des…

American Composer Philip Glass is Eleventh Glenn Gould Prize Laureate

By Newswire on 14 April 2015 Chamber Music, Contemporary, Newswire, Opera, Orchestral

Philip Glass Announced asEleventh Glenn Gould Prize LaureateA fearlessly innovative, collaborative and prolific composer“I am very pleased to be the winner of the Eleventh Glenn Gould Prize. It is for me a special honor as I am one of the many musicians who have been inspired by him. Glenn Gould’s name is associated with a lifetime of excellence in music interpretation and performance. Also I am aware that this award places me in the company of some of the most celebrated names in the broad spectrum of the music of our time. It is, therefore, with great pleasure that I accept this award.” – Philip…

Eifman Ballet performs Anna Karenina to music by Tchaikovsky in Montreal’s Place des Arts 15-18 April

Anna Karenina: Dancing on the Grave of Love

By Robert Kilborn on 14 April 2015 Concert Reviews, Dance, Romantic

Is Anna Karenina the greatest novel ever written? Dostoyevsky and Nabokov declared it “flawless.” Faulkner described it as “the best ever written.” Hemingway, Woolf, Proust, Joyce, Mann, and countless others learned large parts of their craft from it. In 2007, Time magazine published a poll of 125 big-name authors – from Norman Mailer to David Foster Wallace – which placed Tolstoy’s epic tale of outlaw passion and self-destruction at Number One in a list of “The Top Ten Books of All Time.” Numerous stage, film, television, radio, opera, dance, and other adaptions of Anna Karenina have swelled consciousness for more than…

Spring Festival Picks

By Rebecca Anne Clark on 1 April 2015 Canadian Music, Classical Music

Montreal & Quebec Guitare Montreal April 24-26, www.guitaremontreal.com This weekend festival combines performances, lectures, masterclasses, an exhibition, and a competition with over $4,000 in prizes. The festival begins Friday night with a performance by the Montreal Guitar Society under the direction of Dave Pilon, plus Czech guitar virtuoso Vladislav Bláha and Alan Liu, winner of last year’s Youth Competition. Guitar luthiers and vendors will be displaying their wares all day Saturday and Sunday. Saturday evening features a performance by last year’s competition winner, Miodrag Zerdoner, and renowned New York guitarist David Leisner. On Sunday afternoon, the Montreal Guitar Society Competition…

Worthy Sibelius Tribute in Austin, Texas

By Paul E. Robinson on 12 February 2015 Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Romantic

by Paul E. RobinsonPeter Bay and the Austin Symphony Orchestra (ASO) in the Long CenterDukas: Fanfare for La Péri (1912)Glazunov: Wedding March Op. 21 (1889)Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor Op. 47 (1903)Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E minor Op. 39 (1899)Karen Gomyo, violinAustin Symphony Orchestra (ASO)/Peter BayLong Center for the Performing ArtsAustin, TexasFebruary 7, 2015Composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1857)This is going to be a big year for Finnish composer Jean Sibelius; born in 1865, 2015 is the 150th anniversary of his birth. Orchestras everywhere will be playing his music and there will surely be a plethora of new recordings. Conductor…

Andris Nelsons Photo: Marco Borggreve

Video of the Day – Andris Nelsons in Boston and Lucerne

By Paul E. Robinson on 5 October 2014 Orchestral, Video of the day

Andris Nelsons has now taken charge of the Boston Symphony. The video comes from a concert given by Nelsons and the BSO this past July at Tanglewood. It includes excerpts from two Dvorak works: the Symphony No. 8 and the Violin Concerto, the latter with Anne-Sophie Mutter as soloist. By all accounts the new BSO music director has been warmly received by audiences, critics and members of the orchestra. Meanwhile, Nelsons has been very active in Europe too. When Claudio Abbado passed away earlier this year his Lucerne Festival Orchestra was left wondering what to do. The orchestra had been…

Video of the Day – The Legend of Django Reinhardt

By Paul E. Robinson on 19 August 2014 Strings, Video of the day

For anyone brought up to appreciate the artistry of men like Andres Segovia and Django Reinhardt (1910-1953), it is sad to see the abuse of the guitar in contemporary popular music. The instrument has been transformed into a monster emitting deafening electronic noise. And the more distortion the better.Django was in his prime in the 1930s and 40s. The war interrupted his career and together with some mishaps and bad judgment his postwar career was a series of hits and misses. But the recordings he made are jazz classics. Very little of his work was captured on film but it…

Video of the Day – Carlo Bergonzi (1924-2014): In Memoriam

By Paul E. Robinson on 8 August 2014 Opera, Video of the day

Italian tenor Carlo Bergonzi was 90 years old when he died this past week. He had a long and illustrious career. His made his debut at La Scala in 1953 and at the Met 3 years later. Thereafter, he was a regular at the Met for 30 years. He was not the most exciting tenor of his generation. But he was widely admired for his beautiful tone and good taste.Like too many artists Bergonzi didn’t know when to quit and left a major blemish on his career. In 2000 he attempted to sing the leading role in Verdi’s Otello in…

Video of the Day – Karajan: the 25th Anniversary of His Death

By Paul E. Robinson on 29 July 2014 Orchestral, Video of the day

It was 25 years ago this month (July 16) that Herbert von Karajan passed away. He was 81 and still conducting regularly even though he had been in almost constant pain from back problems for years. At the time of his death he was rehearsing a new production of Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera at the Salzburg Festival.In the above video the current conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic – Simon Rattle – talks about his illustrious predecessor. As usual, Rattle is articulate, balanced and perceptive in what he says about Karajan. After all these years, he can’t get over how Karajan…

Video of the Day – David Zinman Retires from the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich

By Paul E. Robinson on 21 July 2014 Orchestral, Video of the day

On July 11, 2014 David Zinman conducted his last concert as music director of the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich. He has headed the orchestra for 19 years and together they have made dozens of highly-acclaimed recordings including all the Schubert, Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms and Mahler symphonies. Not to mention nearly all the orchestral works of Richard Strauss.Zinman is now 78 years old and says that due to medical problems he intends to slow down. There will be some guest conducting but no more permanent positions.Zinman is one of the most successful and underappreciated American conductors of his generation. In his early…

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