Highlights | François Dompierre Honoured in Concert, Apple Music Classical in Asia

Advertisement / Publicité

This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en: Francais (French)

Welcome to La Scena Musicale’s weekly Highlights, a roundup of classical music news from Canada and beyond. With the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal’s 80th anniversary concert on the horizon, the institution has decided to celebrate the legacy of former student and composer François Dompierre. This year, TomoeArts is also hosting its final concert before closing permanently, and Apple Music Classical is launching its services in Asian markets.

Recent and Upcoming Shows

TomoeArts is shutting down permanently (Stir) following 15 years of performances, but not without a final show. Catch “Fifteen Years of Dream,” dedicated to the late artistic director Colleen Lanki, on Jan. 20 at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre.

Nicolas Ellis will be the guest conductor at a Vancouver Symphony Orchestra concert (Stir) featuring works by Tchaikovsky and Liszt on Jan. 26 and 28.

Royal Opera House has announced that Montreal-born baritone Étienne Dupuis (Opera Wire) will join the cast for their Japan 2024 production of “Rigoletto.” The concert will be held on June 22 and 25 at Yokohama’s Kanagawa Kenmin Hall, and on June 28 and 30 at Tokyo’s NHK Hall.

Calgary Opera will present Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love (Opera Wire) from Feb. 3 to 9. Vancouver Opera is also set to perform a Donizetti classic, Don Pasquale, on Feb. 10, 15, and 18. Jacques Lacombe will be the conductor, with stage direction by Barbe & Doucet.

François Dompierre

Vancouver Bach Choir’s Valentine’s Day fundraiser concert, Behind the Key, will feature an “elegant and intimate” program including Clara Schumann’s 3 Romances and Ian Cusson’s Love Songs on Poems of Michael Ondaatje, according to Stir.

On Feb. 16, Maison symphonique will honour Quebec composer and former Conservatoire de musique de Montréal student François Dompierre with a performance of his symphony Musimage, alongside works by Debussy.

The UK-based Donne Foundation is attempting to break the record for longest livestreamed acoustic music concert with a 24-hour performance (The Violin Channel) spanning multiple genres and featuring over 25 singers, instrumentalists, and composers.

Debuts

Apple Music Classical will launch in “Asian markets, including China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao,” on Jan. 24, says The Violin Channel. The app is designed around the specific needs of classical music listeners, meaning it includes background information on composers, easier-to-read track names, and more specific breakdowns of a work’s performers.

Recordings

“Luminous Voices presents Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem alongside contemporary pieces by Zachary Wadsworth in the album ‘Fire-Flowers,’” released on Jan. 12, according to label Leaf Music.

On March 1, Deutsche Grammophon is releasing “Saint-Saëns,” a collaboration between Chinese pianist Lang Lang, his wife Gina Alice, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Gewandhausorchester), and Andris Nelsons. It features works by the titular French composer as well as Ravel, Debussy, Fauré, and Farrenc.

Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel will also appear on Deutsche Grammophon in his latest project, “Sea Songs.” It’s a celebration of 30 years with the label, featuring a “diverse repertory of traditional music with sea shanties, spirited sailor songs and maritime folk tunes in brand-new arrangements.”

Awards, Appointments, and Competitions

The Avery Fisher Artist Program is awarding the 2024 Avery Fisher Prize (The Strad), as well as a $100,000 compensation, to American Grammy-winning violinist Hilary Hahn.

Hilary Hahn

Toulon Opera has appointed Victorien Vanoosten (Slipped Disc) to the role of music director effective immediately.

Eugene Drucker, one of Emerson String Quartet’s founding violinists, will be the new artistic director for The Berkshire Bach Society (The Violin Channel).

Local News

Among the CBC’s “5 pieces of classical music to help you appreciate the snow” are Kevin Lau’s Winter is a World of White and Jean Sibelius’s The Diamond on the March Snow.

Though he’s not a musician himself, Montreal-based luthier and the founder of Mile End Guitar Co-op, Nic Delisle (CTV Montreal), loves designing custom guitars.

Beatnick Records, a “fixture in Montreal’s music scene and a top destination for vinyl seekers and those looking for a rare pressing or B-side,” is up for sale, writes CTV Montreal reporter Daniel Rowe.

Vancouver’s PuSh Festival has cancelled Israel-based play The Runner (Globe and Mail) after visual artist Basel Zaraa said they would withdraw their installation work, Dear Laila, if it was presented alongside the play.

Simone Young will be the first woman to conduct Wagner’s Ring Cycle at the Bayreuth festival in its 147-year history, according to The Violin Channel.

Obituary

Philippe Arrii-Blachette, a “contemporary music specialist” and the “director of the Sillages Ensemble” died of cancer at the age of 87 on Dec. 30, 2023, according to The Strad.

U.S. conductor and Hartt School Director of Bands, Glen Adsit, has died of cancer at 59, according to Slipped Disc.

Victor Vener (Slipped Disc), the founder of the California Philharmonic, died at 78 on Dec. 31.