Lebrecht Weekly | Did Bartok Play Klezmer?
Did Bartok play klezmer? The Hungarian composer enthused over many authentic forms of folk music and spent his summers tracking them down across the Balkans, the Iberian peninsula and north Africa.
Browsing: review
Review | Les Misérables in Montréal
Les Misérables is one of the world’s most popular musicals (and among my favorites). It follows the life of ex-convict Jean Valjean (Nick Cartell), who, after spending 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread, breaks parole and reinvents himself.
Review | Ohio Light Opera (OLO) Celebrates its 45th Season
Ohio Light Opera (OLO) is the resident professional company of the College, and for 45 years has been presenting operetta and musical comedy. This summer they are offering performances of Guys and Dolls, The Sound of Music, Me and My Girl, The Gondoliers, The Count of Luxembourg, and The Arcadians.
Lebrecht Weekly | A Tale of Two Piano Concertos
In the early days of long-playing records, a man in a suit at EMI realised that the Grieg and Schumann concertos were half an hour long, in the same key of A minor and would fit on either side of a plate of shellac without requiring fillers.
Lebrecht Weekly | Yundi Gives Mozart a Makeover
Unlike elements in Beijing who had him arrested on phony morals charges, I have never wavered in my belief that Yundi Li is the most interesting and original pianist to emerge from China.
Jaeden Izik Dzurko Wins 2024 CMIM with Playful, Formidable Playing
Congratulations are in order for Canadian pianist Jaeden Izik Dzurko, and all those who performed as part of the 2024 CMIM Piano Edition Finals last week. Pianist Shirley Wu shares her thoughts here.
Concert Review | COC’s Medea: A Chilling Spectacle for its Season’s Finale
How does the Canadian Opera Company end its 2023-24 season of high calibre singing and vibrant productions? With a bang, not a whimper.
Lebrecht Weekly | Valentin Silvestrov Grapples with a Disintegrating World on Widmung, Postludium
Days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Valentin Silvestrov was smuggled out of the country under conditions of secrecy and considerable danger.
Concert Review | A Romantic Evening with Maria João Pires and the OSM
It was such a privilege to watch Pires step back into the Montréal limelight for this special concert – accompanied by the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.
Concert Review | Daniel Hope Celebrates Irish Roots in Stellar Performance
This week, Daniel Hope and his 6-member group AIR brought this energy to Koerner Hall in Toronto, to celebrate his Irish Roots.
