Art Song - my/maSCENA

CD Review | Durme, Durme: Four Ladino Folk Songs (Leaf music, 2023)

By Zenith Wolfe on 29 March 2023 Art Song, Canadian Music, CD and Book Reviews, Piano

Durme, Durme: Four Ladino Folk Songs Maureen Batt, soprano; Tara Scott, piano Leaf Music, 2023 With only four short compositions inspired by prayers, poems, and lullabies, composer Elisha Denburg doesn’t have much room to establish the themes of the Judeo-Spanish folk songs. Luckily, he uses time to its fullest, enlisting soprano Maureen Batt and pianist Tara Scott to convey a wide range of raw emotions by reducing vocals and piano to their bare essentials. Batt demonstrates extreme flexibility through her limited performances, switching from solemn to jolly to confident without a second thought. She accommodates this wide range of feelings…

CD Review | Valentin Silvestrov: Silent Songs (Deutsche Grammophon, 2023)

By Pietro Freiburger on 27 March 2023 Art Song, CD and Book Reviews, Contemporary, Piano

Valentin Silvestrov: Silent Songs Hélène Grimaud, piano; Konstantin Krimmel, baritone Deutsche Grammophon, 2023 This new CD from Deutsche Grammophon features the Five Songs and some of the Eleven Songs by Valentin Silvestrov, one of Ukraine’s leading composers. Initially an exponent of the so-called Kiev Avant-Garde, which developed around the 1960s, Silvestrov has known greater success in the style he himself refers to as “meta-music”—metaphorical music. In Silvestrov’s writing, a touching lyricism of Mahlerian inspiration and contemporary colours coexist: the language of this style is universal and precisely meant as an instrument from which the listener can give his own meaning…

2023 Singing Valentines: Spreading the Love!

By La Scena Musicale Team on 6 February 2023 Art Song, Classical Music, Opera, Popular Music, Vocal

“Over the last year and a half, I lost both my 86-year-old father-in-law and my 99-year-old father, and I want to do something special for seniors.” – Wah Keung Chan La Scena Musicale’s Singing Valentines Fundraiser is back for its 13th edition, and we are here to spread the love. We have 20-plus amazing professional singers involved in this year’s project. Previously, we have used this incredible service as a fundraiser for La Scena Musicale. This year we have a new objective: to show love to our community by offering 100 FREE serenades for seniors 65+. “Over the last year…

The Songs of Jules Massenet: An Under-Appreciated Repertoire

By Justin Bernard on 4 February 2023 Art Song, Romantic

From a historical perspective, Jules Massenet’s art songs have been given short shrift compared with his larger-scale operatic undertakings like Manon, Werther and Cendrillon. Baritone Pierre Bernac (1899-1979), in a work dealing with the interpretation of French art songs, is unequivocal in his assessment of Massenet; he viewed him as being a gifted melodist who wrote tunes wrapped in sugar-coated sentimentalism. If only a few pieces survive now as tokens of that repertoire, it may be due in part to the composer’s reluctance to deal with the subject. Jacques Hétu, in his liner notes to the recently issued box set…

Photo: Caroline Barbier de Reulle

Review | New Perspectives Through Familiar Sounds: Echo Chamber Ensemble Presents A World Transformed

By Eva Stone-Barney on 7 November 2022 Art Song, Dance, Opera

On October 28 and 29, Toronto audiences had the privilege of seeing performances of Echo Chamber Ensemble’s latest work, “A World Transformed.” The piece is a seamless combination of dance, piano repertoire, spoken narration, and classical vocal music, assembled to tell the story of the murder of Matthew Shepard, who was killed for his sexuality when he was a university student in Laramie, Wyoming in 1998. Programmed by tenor Marcel d’Entremont, and choreographed by William Yong and Laurence Lemieux, A World Transformed featured dancers Evan Webb, Zachary Cardwell, Brayden Cairns, and Johanna Bergfelt; violinist Aaron Schwebel; pianists Dakota Scott-Digout and…

Ann Summers: Dossena and IRCPA: A Fond Farewell

By Joseph So on 4 November 2022 Art Song, Opera, Vocal

On Oct. 19, Eleanor Friedland, president of the venerable International Resource Centre for Performing Artists (IRCPA), announced in a press release that it will bid farewell to the music world in a month’s time: “After 40 years as a charitable service organization for Canada’s musicians, the IRCPA will cease operation on Nov. 30.” For many Canadian artists—a number totalling close to 600—the IRCPA has played an invaluable role in helping them establish their careers, especially during the transition from being an aspiring young artist to that of a full-fledged professional. The driving force behind this organization from the very beginning…

Joyce DiDonato. Photo: Sergi Jasanada

Joyce DiDonato: The Musical Messenger

By Joseph So on 3 November 2022 Art Song, Opera

There are recitalists, and then there is Joyce DiDonato. While there are many singers with equally beautiful voices, exemplary musicality, communicative power, and charismatic stage presence, very few have her desire—and ability—to give to her audience something extra-musical, a vital and timely message that we all need to hear. Such is her current recital project, Eden, which the American mezzo is bringing to her audiences on a global tour of 45 cities on five continents. It started in the fall of 2021 and continues until 2024. Through music, song text and evocative staging, her show celebrates the power and beauty…

Matthew Cairns, Tenor, 2022 Met Opera Auditions

By Gianmarco Segato on 2 October 2022 Art Song, Classical Music, Music Competition, Opera, Vocal

Tenor Matthew Cairns’s star has been rising for a few years now, but his promise was given the ultimate seal of approval when he became one of the winners of the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition this past spring. When asked to share the secret of his success, Cairns said: “I think you need to sing what you feel most comfortable singing, and what is also a popular piece. The audience loves an aria that is full of emotion and drama. Ultimately you need to show the audience who you are, and the right aria will do…

Simone McIntosh

Interviews with CMIM 2022 Laureates Simone McIntosh, Meredith Wohlgemuth and Other Competitors

By Shirley Wu on 15 June 2022 Art Song, Classical Music, Interviews, Music Competition, Vocal

La Scena Musicale presents a series of interviews with the laureates, competitors, and the Jury President of the 2022 Concours musical international de Montreal (CMIM). Interviews conducted by Shirley Wu, filmed by Norman Woo of MCCRTV. Simone McIntosh, Aria First Prize Winner About Simone McIntosh (from her CMIM profile): Canadian mezzo-soprano Simone McIntosh takes full advantage of her place in the opera world. She is at home in pants roles like Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro and Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, in addition to roles such as Dorabella in Così fan tutte and the title role of La…

La Scena Tête-à-tête @ CMIM June 8: Meredith Wohlgemuth, Hugo Laporte & Nils Wanderer

By La Scena Musicale Team on 8 June 2022 Art Song, Arts Industry, Education, Opera, Vocal

On YouTube: Interview with Nils Wanderer (5 PM): Interview with Hugo Laporte (3 PM): Interview with Meredith Wohlgemuth Join us on Wednesday, June 8 at 1 PM EST on YouTube Live as La Scena Tête-à-tête returns for a special on CMIM 2022 as host Don Adriano interviews three of CMIM’s finalists: 1 PM: American soprano Meredith Wohlgemuth 3 PM: Canadian baritone Hugo Laporte 5 PM: German countertenor Nils Wanderer Joignez-vous à nous mercredi le 8 juin à 13 h HNE sur YouTube, alors que La Scena Tête-à-tête revient pour une émission spéciale sur le CMIM 2022. L’animateur Don Adriano interviewera…

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