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Jessye Norman And Susan Platts- New York, 2005 Photo : Rolex / Tomas Bertelsen

Jessye Norman: Grace Befitting Royalty

By La Scena Musicale Team on 5 November 2019 Opera

by Susan Platts Jessye Norman: where can one possibly begin? Be it the soprano, mezzo or alto repertoire, the music of Strauss, Wagner, Berg, Berlioz or Cage, the list goes on and on. Not to mention the spirituals. She always had a commitment to the music and texts that was incomparable, embodying a palette of emotions that reached deep into the soul of the listener. My heart and soul are filled with an abundance of memories. It is deeply moving to have a platform to share them, as a tribute to this most amazing human being, who was a singer, performer and interpreter like no other.…

Photo : Kirsten Nijhof

Wallis Giunta: Singing Outside the Box

By Adrian Rodriguez on 5 November 2019 Opera

Wallis Giunta is the real deal. The Irish-Canadian mezzo-soprano combines a flexible and precise coloratura with a captivating stage presence. Hers is a transcendental talent. An offbeat artist, she has been able to stay true to her idiosyncrasies by using them to grow and explore new frontiers. She is also something of an archetype for a new and difficult-to-categorize opera singer who has eclectic tastes and constantly seeks new ways to communicate with her audience. In October, the energetic redhead was making her debut with the Seattle Opera in the title role of Rossini’s La Cenerentola. She returns to Canada…

Jessye Norman in the title role of Strauss' "Ariadne auf Naxos," in New York photo Erika Davidson Metropolitan Opera

Jessye Norman: Memories of a unique recording artist

By La Scena Musicale Team on 4 November 2019 Opera

by Martha de Francisco My first encounter with Jessye Norman was at the Musikverein Hall in Vienna in 1983, as we prepared to record Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection” with Lorin Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic with the Vienna State Opera Chorus for CBS Masterworks. From the onset of “O Röschen rot” in “Urlicht” the musical impact of that magical voice and the depth of her performance made a lasting impression on me as a young musician and recording professional. It marked the beginning of my lifelong appreciation of Jessye Norman’s amazing artistry and it established the basis for a…

Photo: courtoisie

Rihab Chaieb: A Down-to-Earth Mezzo

By Adrian Rodriguez on 4 November 2019 Opera

Performances by the Tunisian-Canadian Rihab Chaieb are characterized by their dramatic and visceral intensity. She is a graduate of McGill University, the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio and the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. She is also winner of the 2016 Gerda Lissner Foundation vocal competition and winner of the third prize at the 2018 Operalia Competition. In October, the fiery mezzo-soprano was in rehearsals for her debut on Nov. 10 in the title role of Carmen at the Cologne Opera in Germany. It is surprising that she hasn’t performed this role before, as she has all the…

Ensemble Studio Competition First Prize and Audience Choice Award winner Mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, Centre Stage 2015. Photo: Michael Cooper

Emily D’Angelo: Getting Serious About Comic Opera

By Charles Geyer on 3 November 2019 Opera

Download PDF (English Edition) and PDF (French Edition)“At the core, we have a young girl who is trapped in the home of some guy,” says Canadian mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo of the plight of Rosina, the closely guarded young “ward” of the rapacious Dr. Bartolo who intends to marry her for her dowry in Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. “That’s just totally not a funny thing right now. So that’s the trick for me – how can I justify being comedic when there’s something so serious going on?” D’Angelo fairly brims with such trenchant observations and ideas about the role.…

Photo: Marc Bourgeois

Frédéric Antoun: Expanding vocal horizons

By Adrian Rodriguez on 1 November 2019 Opera

Download PDF (English Edition) and PDF (French Edition)Frédéric Antoun is one of the most internationally recognized Canadian tenors today. He is known for his versatility and fluidity in the high range and being able to perform anything from baroque to modern opera at a high standard. He is a regular at the prestigious Opéra de Paris and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, performing roles such as Fenton (Falstaff) and Ferrando (Così fan tutte). He made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 2017, interpreting the role of Raúl Yebenes in the opera The Exterminating Angel by Thomas Adès. A notable…

Photo : John Hryniuk

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir celebrates its 125th Anniversary with Singing Through Centuries

By Denise Lai on 22 October 2019 Choral, Concert Reviews

Oct 21, 2019, Toronto — Canada’s oldest choir celebrated its 125th birthday with a gala concert at Koerner Hall yesterday afternoon. Interim artistic director David Fallis put together a diverse program that featured works from each of the three centuries in which the choir has performed. Among the many alumni and friends in attendance was Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. What you missed The concert opened with two acappella works of the choir’s namesake composer, which aptly showcased the choir’s agility in producing balanced, pure sounds and lush harmonies. It was one of the most memorable moments of the…

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir performing at St. Andrew's Church in February 2019. Photo by Brian Summers. — at St. Andrew's Church, Toronto.

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir: Canada’s Oldest Choir Celebrates 125 Years

By Denise Lai on 18 October 2019 Arts Industry, Choral

Founded in 1894, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir (TMC) is Canada’s oldest choir. It performed its first concert at the inaugural season of Massey Hall in January 1895. John McCrae, who famously penned the war memorial poem “In Flanders Fields,” was in attendance. Throughout its long history, the TMC has been served by eight artistic directors. Since 2018, David Fallis has been its interim conductor, and the choir undertakes an international search for an artistic director to take the helm in 2020-21. The choir consists of a professional core of about 20 and has its own concert series featuring a broad…

Roberto Alagna: Caruso 1873 A Personal Tribute To The Great Tenor Available November 8 From Sony Classical

By Newswire on 15 October 2019 Opera

Toronto, Canada (October 15, 2019) – Sony Classical announces ROBERTO ALAGNA’s latest album, CARUSO 1873, to be released on Friday, November 8. Caruso 1873 is Alagna’s tribute to the Neapolitan singer he considers the greatest tenor of all time. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt an almost visceral love and admiration for Enrico Caruso,” writes Alagna. He honours his legendary predecessor with a selection of repertoire drawn from Caruso’s own recording career, which stretched from 1902 to 1920. Alagna’s aim was to celebrate Caruso, while retaining his own vocal identity: “I respected the Caruso ‘style’ when making…

SALOME: Ensemble der Bayerischen Staatsoper

Review: In Munich, a Tale of Two Operas

By Arthur Kaptainis on 14 October 2019 Opera

The Bavarian State Opera is the largest house in Germany and among the most difficult to characterize in a few words. Vocal standards are high, orchestral standards superlative. No one has suggested that Kirill Petrenko, Kent Nagano’s successor as music director, has done anything to let the latter sag. Then there are the productions, often reflective of directorial excess at its most exasperating. But often does not mean always, as two performances over three days recently made clear. Relatively new to the lineup is Salome as staged by Krzysztof Warlikowski, the Polish director who also furnished the BSO with its “Brokeback Mountain”…

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