The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra brought Tinseltown glitz and glamour to the Orpheum stage this weekend with Hollywood Rocks, a carefully curated collection of iconic songs from your favourite movies and TV shows. The orchestra was led by Maestro Stuart Chafetz, with Broadway stars Julie Reiber and Bryce Ryness lending their incredible voices. From the moment Chafetz set foot on stage, the tone for the evening was set: lighthearted, energetic, and, above all else, fun. “Tonight’s show is guaranteed to bring back memories, put a smile on your face, and, hopefully, create some new memories” he prefaced, encouraging the audience to…
Browsing: Popular Music
The nearly 40-year-old musical Into the Woods, with music and lyrics by the legendary Stephen Sondheim and book by American playwright James Lapine, has become a staple on North American stages. Its appeal is clearly linked to an ingenious amalgamation of familiar characters from classic fairy tales like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk. Their stories are utilised to deliver a universal message that boils down to “be careful what you wish for”. Koerner Hall has assembled a cast which includes the crème de la crème of Canadian musical theatre in a smartly-staged production by Richard…
Mixing old and new repertoires has always been part of La Nef. Their 2024-25 season is another dazzling demonstration of this, with four concerts equally inspired by the exploration and meeting of cultures. Claire Gignac, co-founder of La Nef, offers a preview of the key elements of the season. To open, flutist Vincent Lauzer and percussionist Ziya Tabassian present an exceptional musical fusion project entitled Pulsations. On the evening of Oct. 9, medieval, baroque, jazz, Persian and Japanese music will freely inspire the two musicians. “Vincent is one of the members of our artistic committee, so I approached him first…
Roger Waters is still kicking around in the hometown of his musical legacy with Dark Side of the Moon Redux, a 50th anniversary re-recording of Pink Floyd’s iconic album.
Nothing seemed to add up on my first encounter with Magdalena Kozena’s trawl through four sets of folk songs orchestrated by Bela Bartok, Luciano Berio, Maurice Ravel and the Spaniard Xavier Montsalvatge.
The release of the “final” Beatles song, Now and Then, has been bittersweet for fans of the 1960s boy band.
Place des Arts This season’s Place des Arts program includes a concert by Italian singer Gigi D’Alessio on Oct. 6 at Théâtre Maisonneuve. On Oct. 8, Iranian pop singer/songwriter Shahram Shabpareh presents The Last Tango at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. On Nov. 12, the same venue welcomes Iranian artist Alireza Ghorbani, successor to Mohammad Reza Shajarian, the great master of classical Persian singing. Don’t miss the TEMPÉO Danse et Musique festival, on the Esplanade, from Sept. 14-16 and 21-23. Hosted by Philippe Fehmiu, it will consist of six festive evenings of dance, offering an introduction to different dance styles. The Bollywood music…
O Sun O Moon Bruce Cockburn, vocals and guitar True North Records, 2023 O Sun O Moon marks Bruce Cockburn’s 37th album, an incredible feat for any musician. While some of the songs on this new release serve as a reminder of why Cockburn is considered among Canadian folk-music greats, others suggest he is aiming for quantity over quality. The guitar in O Sun O Moon is naturally where his writing shines most. Cockburn turns even the simplest chord progressions and rhythms into wonderfully transfixing experiences, most noticeable in Haiku – Instrumental. He pairs his distinct lyricism with varied vocal…
Versatile musical prodigy Sharon Azrieli has enjoyed a distinguished and far-flung career as an operatic soprano, Broadway and pop song stylist, and even synagogue cantor (Montreal’s first woman in such a role). Now, Azrieli has made what she calls “a deep dive” into the copious oeuvre of the late, legendary film and jazz composer Michel Legrand with her album Secret Places – a Tribute to Michel Legrand. The collection features 14 lavishly orchestrated and lovingly delivered performances of songs by the prolific French composer—some well-known, some cannily culled from obscurity by Azrieli’s determined research efforts—comprising a panoptic view of the…
Over the last two decades, Shawna Caspi has grown from a local performer to an internationally touring folk musician with five albums and two award nominations. Now, the Ottawa-born singer-songwriter is coming home. She’s performing an acoustic version of her latest album, 2021’s Hurricane Coming, at Westboro Masonic Hall in Ottawa on Mar. 19. She’s accompanied by harmony singer and backup guitarist Sarah Hiltz, with an opening act from Renfrew County’s Khloe B. Caspi’s journey began in early 2000s Ottawa at renowned folk music venue Rasputin’s Folk Cafe. A dedicated singer and guitarist since her high school years, Caspi found…