Vocal - my/maSCENA

Susan Platts: Mahler, Mentors and Music Education

By Gregory Finney on 6 November 2017 Art Song, Education, Opera

British-born Canadian mezzo Susan Platts has been delighting audiences around the world with her expertise in art song; her first solo album of songs by Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms earned her critical acclaim. Known for her Mahler interpretations, she’s been featured on recordings singing both the full and concert versions of Das Lied von der Erde and Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. She’s sung Mahler with symphonies from San Diego to Baltimore, Toronto to Santa Barbara, and Philharmonics from Boston to New Mexico, to Calgary and Krakow as well as Orchestre Métropolitain, Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, and Germany’s…

Lebrecht Weekly: Berlioz: Les Troyens (Erato)

By Norman Lebrecht on 3 November 2017 CD and Book Reviews, Lebrecht Weekly, Opera

Berlioz: Les Troyens (Erato) John Nelson, Joyce DiDonato, Michael Spyres, Marie-Nicole Lemieux Almost every new release I sampled this week should never have been made. One album after another lacked conviction, coherence and, sometimes, pulse. These are records where label and artist ask one another what to do next without either side asking aloud whether this project is absolutely necessary. None of which can be said about the present release. The need for a new-gen recording of Berlioz’s epic opera is pressing, given that the last two trustworthy attempts, by the late Sir Colin Davis, are wearing thin. Erato’s no-holds-barred…

Editorial – November 2017

By Wah Keung Chan on 1 November 2017 Art Song, Arts Industry, Opera, Violin

Download PDFWelcome to the new La Scena Musicale in full evolution! You hold in your hands your magazine in a new all-colour, all-glossy format. It’s a key step in elevating our magazine to the rank of a high-end publication, worthy of the prestige and reputation that La Scena has garnered over its 21-year history. Stéphane Pilon of the University of Montreal provoked the idea in the summer of 2016. He admitted that he found the newsprint of La Scena’s first 21 years to be rather dingy, making the magazine appear cheap rather than matching its prestige. We looked at the…

Esprit Orchestra Marks Ontario’s 150th Anniversary

By Newswire on 31 October 2017 Canadian Music, Classical Music, Opera, Vocal

Esprit Orchestra Marks Ontario’s 150th Anniversary with Expanded Music Education Program Esprit has expanded its annual education and outreach programming in major ways for the 2017/18 season. The cornerstone project this season will be Ontario Resonance, a free student mentorship program to mark the 150th Anniversary of Ontario. Running from September to November, the program focuses on the creation of new music by students with the theme of Ontario places, sounds, and cultural ties. Professional composers mentor students in six schools in the GTA region, providing them with hands-on performance and composition opportunities. The program incorporates multiple artistic disciplines, and…

Royal Opera House’s la Bohème screens in major us markets

By Newswire on 30 October 2017 Newswire, Opera, Vocal

ROYAL OPERA HOUSE’S LA BOHÈME SCREENS IN MAJOR US MARKETS ON NOVEMBER 1 The Royal Opera House’s 2017/2018 Cinema Series continues with director Richard Jones’ acclaimed new production of Puccini’s La bohème. The screening will run in major markets on Wednesday, November 1, including: New York City, Philadelphia, Dallas, Denver, Washington DC, San Francisco, St. Louis, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Albany, among other cities. Cinemagoers can also find screenings near them at the following link: https://www.roh.org.uk/cinemas The production is conducted by Antonio Pappano. The cast features Mariusz Kwiecień as Marcello, US-born tenor Michael Fabiano as Rodolfo, Luca Tittoto as Colline, Florian Sempey as Schaunard, Jeremy…

Simone McIntosh

By Adrian Rodriguez on 12 October 2017 Opera, Vocal

Simone McIntosh Wirth Vocal Prize By Adrian Rodriguez Last year was filled with prolific achievements for Vancouver Canadian mezzo-soprano, Simone McIntosh. She won the Wirth Vocal Prize, obtained a Masters in Music from McGill University, and received first prize at the Canadian Opera Company’s 2016 Ensemble Studio Competition. McIntosh attributes her early success to a love of performing. “All I want is to enjoy myself and have fun. There is nothing more exhilarating than those ten seconds right before going on stage. I harness this incredible energy and commit to the music and drama. Ultimately, I love performing so much,…

Jean-Philippe Fortier-Lazure

By Adrian Rodriguez on 11 October 2017 Vocal

Jean-Philippe Fortier-Lazure: Jeunes Ambassadeur Lyriques by Adrian Rodriguez “Just do it” is the secret mantra of Jean-Philippe Fortier Lazure. The Ontario-born tenor uses the watchword before going on stage. As he sees it, the key to his success has been to keep a positive mindset. “I’m always a bit nervous about making mistakes, but the truth is, we singers are often over-prepared! There’s nothing wrong with showing people your best. If you’re the best person in the room, you’ll win, and if you’re not the best, you won’t. You just have to do your best!” His positive philosophy of just…

L'Étoile de Chabrier (2013) Photo: Bonnallie-Brodeur

Quebec’s Opéra Bouffe

By Hassan Laghcha on 11 October 2017 Opera, Vocal

Prepares to blow its 40th candle! They are all of different ages and professional backgrounds, but they all share the same passion: Operetta. Everyone has a very special history that led them to the Opéra bouffe du Québec. La Scena Musicale went to meet all the beautiful people who sing there and was able to preview the final preparations for their annual show in November. It is Wednesday, 7 pm, in the basement of the church of Bon-Pasteur in Laval. The tension is palpable among the thirty volunteer choristers who are preparing to take one of their final rehearsals under…

Magda Olivero – La Verissima – Part II

By Denis Robert on 11 October 2017 Opera, Vocal

Having had the honour of presenting this great lady was one of the memorable pleasures of my years spent at the Metropolitan.” – M. Chapin Following my first article on Magda Olivero, I would now like to relate my adventure through the various stages that allowed me to better understand the Olivero phenomenon. After recording the performance of Adriana Lecouvreur in Hartford in 1969, I decided to pursue my idea to record and archive all her performances. So I joined her in Dallas where she sang Fedora in Giordano’s opera of the same name, and a second recording was added…

Lois Marshall – An Appreciation

By Howard Dyck on 11 October 2017 Opera, Vocal

Lois Marshall was internationally regarded as one of the great sopranos of our time. And while she was blessed with a superb natural voice, it was the deeply emotional, personal, heartfelt dimension of her singing that was so distinctive. Her strength of character was borne out of adversity. At the age of two, she was struck down with polio which crippled her legs. Although her disability prevented her from achieving international recognition on the opera stage (she did sing some opera, most notably with the CBC Opera Company in the 1940s and 50s), she enjoyed an illustrious career as a…

Browsing: Vocal