Browsing: La Scena Spotlight

A few weeks ago, myscena.org published a short post on Handel’s Utrecht Te Deum & Jubilate. Two years ago I had the chance to perform that work with the European Union Baroque Orchestra on a tour which was to mark the centenary of the beginning of the First World War. As an artist within the sphere of Early Music, the political significance of a particular work is just as important in my mind as its performance conditions or practices. While creating a moving entertainment is my first priority, programmatically speaking I believe that stripping work of its context in order to…

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A shrewd November dusk de-illuminates an opaque door on rue de la Montagne near the corner of boulevard De Maisonneuve at the very heart of Montreal’s circulatory system. A Chinese gong sounds when you open the door and enter The Ten Thousand Things. In the near distance, you hear a piano and a tenor voice murmuring fragments of Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows.” Sugar maple burns in the fireplace, the caramel of freshly roasted coffee sweetens the air. Apricot-coloured lights guide you past the umbrella and coat stands, the white marble counters with their mottlings of black and grey, two gleaming silver and…

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Editor’s Note: La Scena Musicale is pleased to announce our new contributor Andrew Burn. Andrew is a Switzerland-based Historical Bassoonist and Early Music specialist, and he delves into these topics on his blog, The Heckeler. When I am given the opportunity to speak in front of a group of musicians, I usually conduct an exercise or two. One of my most though-provoking involves asking all the participants to write down two rational reasons (or as close to as possible) why they should have a performing career. The only things which they are no allowed to write down are “I can’t imagine doing…

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On November 22, 2014, baritone Hugo Laporte received the highest honours at the prestigious OSM Standard Life Competition. Since then, his engagements have multiplied to ever-increasing critical acclaim. In this article, we encounter a young musician of exceptional promise. Originally from Quebec, Hugo Laporte was introduced to music at an early age. At four years old, he and his parents attended the youth concert series at the Orchestre symphonique de Québec. “They quickly noticed that I had a strong interest in music. So we went to the open house of the music school around the corner. I was six years…

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Left to right: Mr Jan-Fryderyk Pleszczynski (CAM President), André Bourbeau, Ivanhoé Cambridge, Tampopo, Charles Milliard, Mr Michel Leblanc (CCMM President and Chief Executive) By Michèle Duguay The 2015 winners of the Prix Arts-Affaires were announced yesterday afternoon at the Maison du Conseil des arts de Montréal. This event aims to promote ties between cultural organizations and the business world. According to Jan-Fryderyk Pleszczynski, president of the Conseil des Arts de Montréal, “this year’s winners reflects the diversity and sense of innovation shown by people and enterprises in their commitment to arts organizations”. The winner of the Entreprise category, sponsored by…

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by Paul E. RobinsonMenuhin Competition Austin 2014 Winners (Junior Division)(Left to right) Ludwig Gudim (3rd Prize); Daniel Lozakovitj (2nd Prize); Rennosuke Fukuda (1st Prize);Jaewon Wee (5th Prize); Alex Zhou (4th Prize)Friday night at the Butler School of Music in Austin, TX, seven young violinists between the ages of 12 and 14, competed for prizes in the Junior Section of the Menuhin Competition Austin 2014. Among the countries represented were the United States, Korea, Japan, Sweden, and Norway. In this final round the contestants chose one 10-minute piece from a list of four works by Sarasate, Saint-Saëns, Waxman and Wieniawski. Each…

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by Paul E. RobinsonWagner: Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and LiebestodBeethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major Op. 19Stucky: August 4, 1964: ElegyStrauss: Der Rosenkavalier: SuiteAnton Nel, pianoDallas Symphony Orchestra/Jaap van ZwedenMeyerson Symphony CenterDallas, TexasFebruary 22, 2013For five years now, Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden has been working steadily to build the Dallas Symphony (DSO) into a world-class orchestra. Critical reaction in Dallas has been consistently glowing and when conductor and orchestra were featured at the League of American Orchestras Conference in Dallas last year, the reaction from the ‘movers and shakers’ in the industry was ecstatic.Now comes the…

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By Frank Cadenhead The prime-time live telecast Monday night, February 14, of the French show Victoires de la Musique Classique was already good news. This is the top awards show for classical music in France, comparable to America’s Grammy awards, and it focuses mainly on French artists. But in competition with other shows on the major channels, its traditionally weak ratings always cause talk of taping it and showing it on off hours. This year, from the convention center in the city of Nantes, it headlined the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire and their engaging young American conductor, John…

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If classical music had a more honoured place in our culture, Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s appointment to head the Philadelphia Orchestra would have been front page news in every newspaper in the country. Get a life, people, this is an historic event! Never mind that Canadian conductors have long since gotten used to doors being shut in their faces in their own country. It is by now a cliché to say that Canadians have to go elsewhere to find success. But YNS has not only found success abroad, he has climbed Mt. Everest. Two years ago he was conducting opera with Rolando…

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MontrealJune 10 – 20The St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary this summer. Founded by Kris Kieran and Nick Morra, the festival fell into Jeremy Hechtman’s hands in 1996 and has since become one of the Plateau-Mile-End’s largest cultural events. This year, the festival has expanded to 20 days and divided itself into three series. Starting June 1st, the Fringe After Dark Series will present a concert, special event or activity every evening, including a slow-dance night and a strip spelling-bee. By June 10th, the Fringe Park Series, at Parc-des-Amériques (corner of Rachel and St-Laurent), will host a plethora of…

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