Tag Archives: Maurice Ravel

The Cyrano you’re unlikely to see

Cyrano de Bergerac is the name of Edmond Rostand’s play directed by Chris Abraham, set to open at the Shaw Festival in a couple of weeks. But that same 19th century play is the basis for a new film named … Continue reading

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The Princess Bride at the TSO

The Princess Bride is showing at Roy Thomson Hall, accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra who play the accompaniment live. It’s the perfect film for 2022. How? It features a tyrannical villain who lies shamelessly, just like certain people we … Continue reading

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Le tombeau de Couperin: Ravel’s Six Remembrance Monuments

In the first days of November we remember. November 1st is All Saints’ Day, the celebration that gave rise to Halloween, even if modern culture pays more attention to the edgy rebellion implicit in October 31st than the day that … Continue reading

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Wordless chorus

This subject seems apt right now. The voices in this music have no words, which is a perfect expression for a time when we don’t know what’s to come. Of course we never do, but it’s especially noticeable when we’re … Continue reading

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Les sons et les parfums…

Janina Fialkowska has made a delightful new recording of French piano music titled “Les sons et les parfums…” You might know that phrase from Baudelaire’s Fleurs du mal, in a wonderfully evocative poem “Harmonie du soir”, where music is as fundamental … Continue reading

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Han-Na Chang and Javier Perianes: Mahler & Ravel

The Toronto Symphony played a mid-week concert tonight to a rapturous reception. The TSO are in a transition, awaiting their new music director while playing either with their interim Artistic director Andrew Davis, or with a series of guests.  There … Continue reading

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Escape from wartime reflections

Tonight’s installment of the Toronto Summer Music Festival might seem to have ignored their theme of “Reflections of Wartime”. The only real battle in Walter Hall was for our hearts, a friendly popularity contest between Angela Cheng and Alvin Chow. … Continue reading

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Maghan McPhee: Portrait

I missed seeing Carmen on Tap last summer, a version of Bizet’s masterpiece seen around the province (including Toronto) last summer. If I’d known that Maghan McPhee was in the show I would have made more of an effort to … Continue reading

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Kayla Wong – Allure

I’ve been listening to Kayla Wong’s CD Allure incessantly in my car for the past couple of weeks. Wong emailed me to tell me about herself and the recording. I listened to a couple of samples, deciding that yes this … Continue reading

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Topher and “The French Connection”

I couldn’t help understanding Topher Mokrzewski’s concert today at the Richard Bradshaw Auditorium (the intimate concert space in the upper lobby of the Four Seasons Centre) as a goodbye.  As is usual, the introduction told us a bit of the … Continue reading

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