Strings - my/maSCENA

collectif9: On the Edge

By Kiersten van Vliet on 1 February 2016 Chamber Music, Contemporary, Interviews, Quebec Music, Strings

Known for pushing the boundaries in their music, Montréal-based classical string band collectif9 is forging into uncharted territory with the release of their debut album (see review here), featuring the world premiere recording of Volksmobiles by Canadian composer Geof Holbrook. Formed in 2011 by Thibault Bertin-Maghit, collectif9 is a group of nine classically trained string players who aren’t shy about shaking things up. The members, who met at McGill University and the Université de Montréal, are violinists Yubin Kim, Frédéric Moisan, Grégor Monlun, and Roland Arnassalon; violists Scott Chancey and Xavier Lepage-Brault; cellists Andrea Stewart and Jérémie Cloutier; and bassist…

Cette semaine à Montréal (2 à 8 novembre) / This Week in Montreal (November 2 – 8)

By Kiersten van Vliet on 2 November 2015 Contemporary, Orchestral, This Week in Montreal, Violin

Musique / MusicPro Musica : Quatuor Zemlinsky QuartetFondé en 1994, le Quatuor Zemlinsky est reconnu comme un exemple de la grande tradition tchèque de la musique de chambre. Récipiendaire de prix prestigieux, l’ensemble possède un répertoire de plus de 200 œuvres. Au programme : Dvořák, Gemrot, Beethoven. Théâtre Maisonneuve, lundi 2, 20 h. http://promusica.qc.ca/The Zemlinsky Quartet, created in 1994, is an example of the great Czech tradition of chamber music. Winner of prestigious awards, the ensemble has a repertoire of over 200 pieces. The program includes Dvořák, Gemrot, and Beethoven. At Théâtre Maisonneuve, Nov. 2, 8 pm. http://promusica.qc.ca/en/Kaléidoscope : les années 1920…

This Week in Montreal: August 3 to 9

By Michele Duguay on 3 August 2015 Chamber Music, Orchestral, Strings, This Week in Montreal

Marianne Fiset (Photo: Maxime Tremblay)This Week in Montreal: August 3 to 9Carmen at OSM’s Classical Spree A must-see event at the end of the summer, the 4th Classical Spree will begin on August 5 with a free outdoors concert conducted by Kent Nagano. This year, a shortened version of Bizet’s Carmen will be presented at the Olympic Park, featuring Michèle Losier, Joseph Kaiser and Marianne Fiset. As in previous years, 30 low-price 45-minute concerts and a variety of free activities will take place on August 7 and 8, to present the beauties of classical music to the public. In a…

CD Découverte – Ewald Cheung et Philip Chiu

By Michele Duguay on 20 May 2015 CD and Book Reviews, Classical Music, Orchestral, Piano, Romantic, Strings, Violin

Ewald Cheung et Philip Chiu Cette semaine, La Scena Musicale en collaboration avec Espace 21 offre à ses abonnés un enregistrement d’oeuvres de Brahms par Ewald Cheung (violon) et Philip Chiu (piano). Les deux artistes s’impliquent beaucoup sur la scène musicale actuelle et dans leurs champs respectifs. Le violoniste Ewald Cheung est l’un des membres fondateurs du groupe de musique Geistrio et du Quatuor à cordes Roddick. De son côté, le pianiste Philip Chiu est le fondateur et le directeur du programme de piano d’accompagnement du Domaine Forget. Ils ont enregistré les trois sonates pour violon et piano de Johannes Brahms,…

Discovery CD – Ewald Cheung and Philip Chiu

By Michele Duguay on 20 May 2015 CD and Book Reviews, Classical Music, Orchestral, Piano, Romantic, Strings, Violin

Ewald Cheung and Philip ChiuThis week, La Scena Musicale, in collaboration with Espace 21, offers you a recording of Brahms’ work done by Canadians Ewald Cheung (violin) and Philip Chiu (piano) for our Discovery CD. Both artists are involved in the musical scene and in their respective fields. Ewald Cheung is one of the founders of the music groups Geistrio and the Roddick String Quartet. As for Philip Chiu, he’s the founder and director of the Domaine Forget Collaborative Piano Program.You can download the first track here : Track 1Back in 2012, one of our writers, L. H. Tiffany Hsieh,…

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…

Le Festival de Lanaudière du 8 juillet au 10 août

By Justin Bernard on 8 July 2014 Classical, La Scena Online, Orchestral, Piano, Romantic, Strings

par Justin BernardPour cette 37e édition, le pianiste Alain Lefèvre, ambassadeur artistique du festival, fera le concert d’ouverture. Au programme, une œuvre de Bach transcrite par Liszt, une sonate de Haydn et une autre de Rachmaninov, les 24 préludes de Chopin et La Valse de Ravel. 8 juillet.Pour souligner le 150e anniversaire de naissance de Richard Strauss, trois des œuvres du compositeur seront interprétées : le poème symphonique Don Quichotte avec solistes, accompagnés par l’Orchestre du Festival, que l’on pourra entendre dans un autre poème symphonique, Don Juan, et dans la suite orchestrale extraite du Chevalier à la rose. À la…

Don Quixote Rides Again at Stratford

By Paul E. Robinson on 8 July 2014 Classical, Concert Reviews, Contemporary, Strings

by Paul E. RobinsonMan of La ManchaWritten by Dale Wasserman with music by Mitch Leigh and Lyrics by Joe DarionDirector: Robert McQueenChoreographer: Marc KimelmanMusical Director: Franklin BraszMiguel de Cervantes/Don Quixote: Tom RooneySancho Panza: Steve RossAldonza: Robin HuttonStratford FestivalAvon TheatreJune 20, 2014Man of La Mancha opened on Broadway in 1965 and quickly entered the ranks of the classics of the American musical theatre. It is an inspired treatment of Cervantes’ Don Quixote story and continues to delight audiences all around the world. More than that, it is recognized as part of a genre that was created with commercial success in mind…

Alice Through the Looking-Glass

By Paul E. Robinson on 7 July 2014 CD and Book Reviews, Orchestral, Strings, Theatre

by Paul E. RobinsonStory by Lewis CarrollAdaptation for the stage by James ReaneyDirector: Jillian KelleyChoreographer: Dayna TekatchDesigner: Bretta GereckeComposer: Jonathan MunroSound Designer: John GzowskiAlice: Trish LindströmRed Queen: Cynthia DaleWhite Queen: Sarah OrensteinHumpty Dumpty: Brian TreeStratford Festival Avon TheatreJune 21, 2014It is one of the great mysteries of genius how a shy, stammering Oxford mathematics professor came to create the most enchanting children’s books in the history of the genre; not only that, but how these same stories about a young girl and her adventures with a vast panoply of absurd characters are so intellectually clever as to continue to challenge great…

Electifying Korngold and Bach with Gil Shaham/Austin Symphony

By Paul E. Robinson on 16 April 2014 Classical, Concert Reviews, Contemporary, Orchestral, Violin

by Paul E. RobinsonLiszt: Les PréludesKorngold: Violin ConcertoDvořák: Symphony No. 7 in d Minor Op. 70Gil Shaham, violinAustin Symphony/Peter BayLong Center for the Performing ArtsAustin, TexasWhen the still boyish Gil Shaham comes bounding on stage, violin in hand, with a huge smile on his face, you know you are in for a special kind of music-making. Shaham, now 43, still seems the charming prodigy he was when he first came to international attention. Before playing so much as a note, he has the audience in the palm of his hand. This is clearly a young man who loves music and…

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