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Anri Sala. Photo: MMFA, Sébastien Roy

To Ravel and Unravel Maurice Ravel at MMFA

By Viktor Lazarov on 23 December 2024 La Scena Online, La Scena Spotlight, Montreal, Piano, Visual Arts

What links French Impressionist composer Maurice Ravel with the Venice Biennale and American minimalist composer Steve Reich? Their association might seem tenuous, but they are intriguingly brought together in French-Albanian artist Anri Sala’s work Ravel Ravel Interval, currently exhibited at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA). La Scena Musicale interviewed Assistant Curator of International Modern and Contemporary Art, Alexandrine Théorêt, to help us untangle the knots in this singular work. Acquired by patron Pierre Bourgie and pledged to the MMFA, Ravel Ravel Interval commemorates the 150th anniversary of the birth of Maurice Ravel (1875–1937). The 2024–2025 season also marks the…

Chor Leoni. Photo: Emily Cooper

Review | Christmas with Chor Leoni Brings Holiday Magic to the Heart of Vancouver

By Kaitlyn Chan on 20 December 2024 Choral, Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Piano, Strings, Vancouver, Violin, Vocal

Amidst the bustle of the holiday season, Chor Leoni ushered audience members into the serene atmosphere of St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church for their annual Christmas concert on Dec 19. The space was lit with reds, blues, and purples while golden lanterns hung from the ceiling. The beauty of the church was highlighted under this unique lighting, creating an almost fantasy effect within the large arches. Lighting designer Keagan Elrick had set the stage for the magical evening welcoming Chor Leoni’s largest-ever opening night audience. The first song of the evening was “The Long Night” arranged by founding member, Artistic Director,…

51 Quarterfinalists Announced for the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition

By Newswire on 17 December 2024 Music Competition, Newswire, Piano

Calgary, AB, December 17, 2024 — Fifty-one pianists representing 19 countries (country of origin and residence) have been chosen to compete in the Quarterfinals of Canada’s 11th Honens International Piano Competition, one of the world’s most prestigious events of its kind. The Applicant Screening Jury evaluated 149 candidate submissions—a 15 per cent increase from the most recent Competition in 2022—based on proposed Competition programming, experience relative to age, and confidential reference letters. There were 29 countries represented among the 149 applicants. The 51 talented pianists who have been selected as Quarterfinalists—one more than the usual 50, owing to a tie—will participate in…

Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason in Koerner Hall, May 2022. Photo: Lisa Sakulensky Photography

Air Canada denies Sheku Kanneh-Mason & cello boarding forcing new RCM date

By Newswire on 12 December 2024 Classical Music, Newswire, Piano, Strings, Toronto

In an unfortunate incident on December 11, celebrated British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason was denied boarding on an Air Canada flight with his cello. This resulted in him and his sister, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, missing a sold-out concert at The Royal Conservatory of Music’s Koerner Hall, which was to take place that evening. The Kanneh-Masons issued the following statement on December 11: Dear everyone, We are deeply sad to not be able to perform for you this evening. We had severe misfortune with the flights today, including a cancelled flight and denial of boarding with cello on another. We really value all of your…

View of Anri Sala’s installation Ravel Ravel Interval (2017) in its presentation at the MMFA in 2024. © Anri Sala. Photo: MMFA, Sébastien Roy

Anri Sala: Ravel Ravel Interval

By Newswire on 7 December 2024 Classical Music, Montreal, Newswire, Piano

Montreal, November 26, 2024 – Starting November 29, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) will present the Canadian premiere of the immersive video installation Ravel Ravel Interval by world-renowned French-Albanian artist Anri Sala. In this work, Sala trains his lens on the left hands of two pianists performing Maurice Ravel’s (1875-1937) Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major: Louis Lortie and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. The exhibition will run through April 2025, the year of the 150th anniversary of Ravel’s birth. To foster an immersive auditory experience, a chamber will be installed with several speakers that transmit two quasi-simultaneous interpretations of Ravel’s…

Barbara Hannigan and Bertrand Chamayou. Photo: Luciano Romano

Review | Barbara Hannigan Pulls Out All the Stops at Toronto’s Koerner Hall

By Gianmarco Segato on 29 November 2024 Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Piano, Toronto, Vocal

Canadian soprano and 20/21st-century specialist extraordinaire, Barbara Hannigan, appeared at Toronto’s Koerner Hall on Nov. 28 with French pianist Bertrand Chamayou in a program they are currently touring across North America. This uncompromising, tightly-constructed 70 minute recital demonstrated why Hannigan is the current queen of ‘non-traditional’ vocal repertoire. The evening opened with French composer Olivier Messiaen’s song cycle, Chants de terre et de ciel (1938). The text is the composer’s own and is his customary mix of fervent Catholicism combined with love for family. The opening song, “Bail avec Mi (pour ma femme),” celebrates the contract between husband and wife.…

The 13th International German Piano Award Ceremony. Photo: Stefan Höning & International Piano Forum Frankfurt

Magdalene Ho: The First Female Winner of the International German Piano Award

By Newswire on 29 November 2024 Classical Music, Music Competition, Newswire, Piano

Magdalene Ho, a 21-year-old pianist from Malaysia, is the first woman to win the prestigious International German Piano Award. Ho captivated the audience and jury with her performance of Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 and her solo recital rounds during the 13th International German Piano Award (22-23.11.2024). This achievement earned Ho the top prize, accompanied by a €20,000 award, solidifying her position as one of the most exciting emerging talents in the classical music world. Magdalene Ho came to international attention after winning the Clara Haskil Piano Competition in 2023. Her triumph is complemented by an impressive season of performances…

Dorothéa Ventura. Photo: Tam Photography

Dorothéa Ventura : At the Crossroads

By Justin Bernard on 8 November 2024 Baroque and Early, Chamber Music, Interviews, Piano, Vocal

Dorothéa Ventura knows how to do almost everything: dance, act, sing, conduct. The versatility of this artist is such that today she is employed as a harpsichordist, soprano, dancer and actress—and sometimes does double or triple duty! Her preferred repertoire, however, remains Baroque music. Meet the woman who has taken over the reins of Les Idées heureuses, succeeding the ensemble’s founder, Geneviève Soly, as artistic director. Snowy wedding, happy marriage Dorothéa Ventura remembers the first concert of Year 1—38 years ago, in the middle of a snowstorm. “At the time, I was Geneviève Soly’s harpsichord student. She introduced me to…

Geneviève Soly. Photo: Robert Etcheverry.

Geneviève Soly: Looking back at an outstanding musical career

By Viktor Lazarov on 8 November 2024 Baroque and Early, Interviews, Piano

Surrounded by her books, her harpsichord, and furniture dating back to New France, the founder of Les Idées heureuses and specialist of the works of Christoph Graupner, Geneviève Soly, reviews her musical career. People of the soil, music in their hearts “I come from a farming family,” she says. “My ancestors were profoundly musical people and like many country families in Quebec, everyone sang.” Growing up with her twin sister Isolde and brother Éric, her family wasn’t typical of the 1950s and ’60s. Their father, Bernard Lagacé, taught the organ at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal (CMM) and their…

Canadian Élisabeth Pion Wins Silver at the Blanca Uribe Colombia International Piano Competition

By Kaitlyn Chan on 30 October 2024 Arts Industry, Classical Music, Music Competition, Piano

Canadian pianist Élisabeth Pion has won second place in the first edition of the Blanca Uribe Colombia International Piano Competition, after performing a full recital, a Mozart concerto, and Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Pion placed closely behind the winner, Artem Kuznetsov, a pianist from Russia, who has won first prizes in more than fifteen international competitions. His technique and precision make him a fierce competitor and were conducive to his win at the Blanca Uribe Competition. This international competition is one of the most significant in Latin America and celebrates the legacy of the Colombian pianist, Blanca Uribe. Pion’s…

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