Category Archives: Music and musicology

All’s Well in Messiahville

Toronto is known for a few things. We’re a very knowledgeable hockey town, even if that’s often been a special kind of torture. We’re possibly the most genuinely multi-cultural city in the world, embracing all colours of the rainbow, including … Continue reading

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | 3 Comments

Two different takes on Bach: Busoni vs Brahms

Anthologies tend to be a mixed bag. I’m quite partial to a Schirmer collection of 26 Bach piano transcriptions by an assortment of great composers. It has its strengths and weaknesses. I am not particularly inspired by what Saint-Saëns did … Continue reading

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception | Leave a comment

Leon Fleisher: My Nine Lives

I escaped into another world, a place populated by famous musicians. You may remember Leon Fleisher as an American pianist. I recall him for performances that were usually my favourite versions of piano concerti, usually paired with Conductor George Szell … Continue reading

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Shore’s Fellowship

The Toronto Symphony, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, The Canadian Children’s Opera Company in partnership with tiff presented a concert performance of Howard Shore’s score for The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of Peter Jackson’s Tolkien films. If you think … Continue reading

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10 Questions for Tyler Duncan: Handel’s Messiah

Canadian baritone Tyler Duncan has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, the Spoleto Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, Pacific Opera Victoria; and Princeton Festival. Duncan’s concerts include Mahler’s 8th Symphony with the American Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony, Berlioz L’enfance … Continue reading

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Sir Andrew Davis’s big beautiful Messiah: on Chandos

Last year the Toronto Symphony revived a new concert edition of Handel’s Messiah, first heard in 2010, created by their conductor laureate Sir Andrew Davis. At the time of the December 2015 concerts I declared that I wanted to hear … Continue reading

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Balancing on the Edge: of…(?)

At Harbourfront Centre I had the pleasure of attending a christening, for Balancing on the Edge is the tender infant resulting from a romance. Thin Edge Musical Collective met A Girl in the Sky Productions. New Circus and New Music … Continue reading

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology | 3 Comments

Looking back across the Bridge to the Future

It was a concert to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution as well as the 135th Anniversary of the Birth of Béla Bartók, presented by CHAMP: the Canadian Hungarian Association for Music Performance. While the title of the … Continue reading

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Naomi’s Road leads to Toronto

Tonight I saw Naomi’s Road, an opera with libretto by Ann Hodges & music composed by Ramona Luengen, based on a novel by Joy Kogawa, to open Tapestry Opera’s 2016-17 season. Tapestry Artistic Director explained before the show’s presentation at … Continue reading

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | 1 Comment

Berlin Philharmonic, Rattle, Boulez & Mahler

Tonight was the first of two concerts by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra presented at Roy Thomson Hall. I think this is the closest I’ve seen to “full” in the space, as every seat appeared to be occupied, and no wonder. … Continue reading

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