Browsing: Vocal

This is one of those treasurable major-label releases, made with the best of intentions, in which everything turns out wrong. Mahler wrote The Song of the Earth for high tenor and alto, singing alternate movements. It can also be sung by tenor and baritone if no alto sounds right. The chief requirement is a tenor who needs to sing high and very loud – a Siegfried kind of voice that can surmount the force of full orchestra. This is as much a competition for two soloists and orchestra as a composition. Jonas Kaufmann tells us he has loved the work…

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A Show One Productions Presentation – June 8 at Roy Thomson Hall SOPRANO STAR HIBLA GERZMAVA MAKES CANADIAN DEBUT WITH THE MOSCOW VIRTUOSI & VLADIMIR SPIVAKOV WITH ISRAELI CELLO PRODIGY DANIELLE AKTA “Outstanding portrayals…a crystal-clear coloratura voice…. Singing beautifully…with secure technique and ethereal high notes, she seemed not merely to play, but to become Violetta.” – Raymond Stults, Moscow Times, reviewing soprano Hibla Gerzmava in La Traviata  “Perfectly balanced, dynamically expressive, with a warm swell in the phrasing, and a finish that’s as smooth as silk.” – Colin Eatock, reviewing The Moscow Virtuosi in Toronto      Metropolitan Opera star…

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DOUBLE-TAKE: Review of Opera Philadelphia’s special event, Two Queens, One Night – February 24, 2017 at the Theatre of Living Arts, 334 South Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Be it stipulated:  mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe can do just about anything – and apparently will! That includes slapping on her Baba the Turk beard and ‘stache; strapping on – ahem – a magnificent Greek warrior cuirass and plumed helmet; and belting out just about the entire bel canto and romantic tenor songbook – plus a raft of pop and show tunes, to boot – all in raucous consort with Philadelphia’s premier drag performer, “Martha…

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OPERA REVIEW: Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players, presented by the little OPERA theatre of NY; and INTERVIEW: with the work’s creator, acclaimed American composer Carlisle Floyd. “You will be hearing more about Carlisle Floyd,” said Howard Taubman in 1956, writing in The New York Times of “a young composer who teaches at Florida State University,” whom Taubman deemed “meant for the lyric theatre.” And barely three years later, composer, critic, and educator Eric Salzman (also in the Times) already discerned in Floyd a voice that had “prepared the way for the burst of American works that followed.” The young man…

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Wednesday, March 8, 2017: When Opera Philadelphia’s new adaptation of Lars von Trier’s searing Oscar-nominated film,Breaking the Waves made its world premiere in September 2016, the New York Times declared the opera “ambitious, accomplished, [and] dramatically direct,” and Opera Newssaid it “stands among the best 21st-century American operas yet produced.” It has since earned an International Opera Award nomination for Best World Premiere and made its New York debut with Beth Morrison Projects’ Prototype Festival to continued acclaim.Now, starting on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at 1 p.m., home audiences the world over can listen to this spellbinding production in its…

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Binge, n. (bɪndʒ): A bout of overindulgence; an instance of engaging in a particular activity (esp. eating) to excess Usually the practice of binging refers to unhealthy things: imbibing, eating whole bags of chips, and—since the invention of internet streaming services—watching so much of a television show that your computer has to check that you are still living. It was in the latter binge situation that Patrick Hansen, the Artistic Director of Opera McGill, came up with the concept of an opera binge. “My boys and I were binging on [History channel show] Vikings and I went, ‘We need an opera…

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On Saturday, the reputable Boston Symphony Orchestra played at the Maison Symphonique. The last time the orchestra visited Montreal was in 1984, more than 30 years ago. Boston Symphony Orchestra: Interview with the conductor, the young 38-year-old Andris Nelsons. [La Presse]  Boston Symphony Orchestra: Concert review by [La Presse] Some tough criticism of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Maison Symphonique. [Le Devoir] CANADA : The OSM has unveiled a new video on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OSMconcerts/status/838396186407145472 Review of the all-Schubert concert by pianist András Schiff on Friday at the Maison Symphonique. [Le Devoir] The exposition Carnets naturalistes by Denise Blackburn runs until April…

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Saturday at the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours long-time collaborators Daniel Taylor and Suzie LeBlanc lit up the night with a dazzling display of virtuosity in a selection of Handel’s greatest arias and duos. Joined by twelve members of the Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil under the baton of Marc David, Taylor and LeBlanc gave a reminder of the enduring allure of these works. To open the evening, David led the OSDL in the Overture and Act III Sinfonia (“Arrival of the Queen of Sheba”) from Solomon. Playing on modern instruments with Dorothéa Ventura on harpsichord, the group had a lively sound and as…

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Opera Lafayette is getting many positive reviews for their production of Léonare, ou l’Amour Conjugal, which has an all Canadian cast. The New York Times confirms that Opera Lafayette is absolutely right on the mark: “the strengths of Bouilly’s libretto and its resonance in times of political oppression are immediately apparent.”[New York Times] If you haven’t already, check out our interview with founder and conductor Ryan Brown. [My Scena] CANADA Sunrise Records, an Ontario-based music retail chain, is moving into 30% (70 branches) of HMV locations. [La Presse] [OttawaCitizen] [Le Devoir] The travelling exhibition of the MAC La question de l’abstraction is offered until…

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Monday, February 27 7:00PM. Maison de la culture Frontenac (Montréal), 2550 Ontario Est, Montreal. $0-2. Henry Purcell, Charles Avison, Georg Philipp Telemann, William Boyce, etc. 514-872-7882. 7:30PM. Music Faculty of University of Montreal, Jean-Papineau-Couture Concert-Hall (B-421), Montréal Québec, 200, avenue Vincent-d’Indy, Montreal. Piano Recital – Jean Saulnier’s Class. 8:00PM. Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place d’Arts, 175, Ste-Catherine Ouest, Montréal. $35-$65. Quatuor Hagen, cordes / strings: La réputation de l’ensemble n’est plus à faire. 514-845-0532. 8:00PM. Music Faculty of University of Montreal – Serge-Garant Concert Hall (B-484), 200, avenue Vincent-d’Indy, Montréal. Horn Recital – Louis-Philippe Marsolais’ Class: Mozart, Strauss, Dukas, Popper, Bozza et…

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