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Category Archives: Reviews
My Little Brony: The Musical
It’s the morning after seeing My Little Brony: The Musical. The music was great, and we laughed a lot. It’s a delightfully enjoyable play. I went into it thinking about reviews and critics, wondering how I would approach a new … Continue reading
Gimeno and Moussa: Ligeti, Wagner and Strauss’s Don Quixote
Last night’s brilliant concert at Roy Thomson Hall from the Toronto Symphony was improved by the introductory remarks from Music Director Gustavo Gimeno, explaining his unorthodox choices. The concert may have been titled “R Strauss’s Don Quixote” but Gimeno explained … Continue reading
Violinissimo II calibrating Esprit at Koerner
Thursday March 28th Esprit Orchestra led by their artistic director and conductor Alex Pauk presented Violinissimo II at Koerner Hall. The program leant heavily on soloist Mark Fewer in a pair of big works, playing solos for over an hour … Continue reading
Robbie Robertson’s Killers of the Flower Moon
I watched the last hour of Killers of the Flower Moon today. I had heard terrible things about the violence in this film, although the same was true of Taxi Driver, another Martin Scorsese film with a brilliant orchestral score … Continue reading
Toronto Symphony explores nuances of newness in Stravinsky’s Pulcinella
Tonight Gustavo Gimeno and his Toronto Symphony presented their latest TSO live concert at Roy Thomson Hall, recorded for future release by Harmonia Mundi recording label. We were a well-behaved audience, not making any disruptive noises, like polite voyeurs watching … Continue reading
Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Reviews
Tagged Ballets Russes, commedia dell'arte, Glenn Gould, Gustavo Gimeno, Harmonia Mundi, Igor Stravinsky, Isabel Leonard, Kelly-Marie Murphy, Le Baiser de le fée, Linda Hutcheon, palimpsest, Petula Clark, Pulcinella, Sergei Diaghilev, Tchaikovsky, The Fairy's Kiss, Toronto Symphony Orchestra
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Scary Don Giovanni at the COC
Well it’s about time! I’ve been watching productions of Mozart’s Don Giovanni all my life that end with some sort of ludicrous & unbelievable encounter between the anti-hero and his fake stone guest, who comes to drag him to hell. … Continue reading
Posted in Opera, Reviews
Tagged Ben Bliss, Canadian Opera Company, Don Giovanni, English National Opera, Es Devlin, Four Seasons Centre, Gordon Bintner, Joel Allison, Johannes Debus, Kasper Holten, Lorenzo Da Ponte, Luke Halls, Mane Galovan, Paolo Bordogna, Perryn Leech, Simone McIntosh, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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Stunning Vixen from Canadian Opera Company
The Canadian Opera Company are currently presenting Leos Janacek’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen. This flamboyantly theatrical production is among the most colourful things I’ve ever seen on a stage. Vixen is suitable for children and makes a terrific first … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Opera, Reviews
Tagged Adam Luther, Alex Halliday, Brechtian, Canadian Children’s Opera Company, Canadian Opera Company, Carolyn Sproule, Christopher Purves, Cunning Little Vixen, Czech Music, Ema Nikolovska, English National Opera, Jamie Manton, Jane Archibald, Johannes Debus, Leos Janacek, Tom Scutt
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Mahler’s Fifth and Berg’s early songs
The Toronto Symphony’s program for this week is a surprisingly powerful combination. We open with 17 minutes of passionate singing by mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, seven songs composed by Alban Berg (1885-1935) between 1905 and 1908. After intermission we settle in … Continue reading
Powerhouse Tristan und Isolde
Last night Powerhouse Opera presented an abridged version of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde at Jeanne Lamon Hall. Powerhouse Opera is a new company begun by soprano Susan Tsagkaris in March 2022, aiming to showcase dramatic / large sized voices with … Continue reading
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