La Scena Musicale

Voice Teacher Edith Della Pergola - passed away July 2nd, 2009

2009-07-04T12:04:00.003-04:00

La Scena Musicale has just learned of the passing of voice teacher Edith Della Pergola. LSM interviewed Mrs. Della Pergola in 2002 when she was inducted into the Canadian Opera Hall of Fame for her work with her husband in the McGill Opera Studio. Read more about her in the Canadian Encyclopedia of Music. Thanks to Taras Kulish for his email:

Hi Everyone....sorry for the mass email but it's the simplest way to inform everyone, in case you don't already know, sadly, that Mrs. Edith Della Pergola has passed away.

DELLA PERGOLA, Edith, C.M. Professor Emeritus (McGill University) passed away with dignity at home, with Felicity and Howard by her side, on Thursday, July 2, 2009. Wife of the late Luciano Della Pergola. Devoted and treasured mother and mother-in-law of Felicity and Howard Blatt. Funeral service from Paperman & Sons, 3888 Jean Talon St. W., on Monday, July 6 at 2 p.m. Burial at the Temple Emanu-el Beth Sholom Congregation Section, Mount Royal Cemetery, 1297 Forest Rd. Contributions in her memory may be made to the "Della Pergola Scholarship Fund," c/o the Schulich School of Music, McGill University, (514)398-4054, Attn. Donna Williams.

If any of you knew her and wish to share your condolences with the family you may write something online at: http://www.legacy.com/gb2/default.aspx?bookID=5875644514841&sign=2

Sincerely,

Taras Kulish

Artistic Director - www.GreenMountainOperaFestival.com
www.TarasKulish.com

Festival Montréal baroque, du 25 au 28 juin

2009-06-30T22:51:00.000-04:00

Pour sa grande fête traditionnelle de cette année, le Festival Montréal baroque a concocté un menu bien particulier. Comme plat principal, la très belle musique de Purcell dont on célèbre cette année le 350^e anniversaire de naissance. Selon la légende, la mort prématurée du célèbre compositeur aurait été causée par le chocolat. Il n’en fallait pas plus pour que l’on utilise ce thème attrayant pour illustrer les différents plats au menu musical. Et le choix n’était pas facile à faire dans les différentes approches chocolatées.

Le Millefeuille au chocolat illustre bien The Fairy Queen, le spectacle choisi pour le lancement du festival. Changeant continuellement de place, de personnage et de costume, comédiens et chanteurs étaient fort occupés dans une délirante mise en scène de Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière. La merveilleuse musique de ce semi-opéra, interprétée par La Bande Montréal Baroque, a été composée sur un livret adapté du Songe d’une nuit d’été, de Shakespeare. Et la magnifique partition est remplie d’humour et d’imagination. Même si une partie du texte a échappé aux francophones, dont l’oreille n’est pas habituée à Shakespeare, le grand talent des chanteurs et des comédiens du Repercussion Theatre n’a pas manqué de faire crouler de rire la salle entière. L’impressionnante distribution comprenait entre autres : Suzie LeBlanc, Monika Mauch, Laura McLean, Charles Daniels et Nathaniel Watson. Sous la direction de Mathias Maute, suivait le traditionnel défilé à l’extérieur, accueilli avec soulagement par la foule heureuse de prendre l’air, après avoir souffert de la grande chaleur qui régnait à l’intérieur.

Le premier concert de samedi soir, sous le titre Oh Henry! était consacré en grande partie à deux odes : L’Ode sur la mort d’henry Purcell de Blow et l’Ode Arise my Muse de Purcell. Cette dernière, composée pour l’anniversaire de la reine Marie est demeurée inachevée. Charles Daniels l’a terminée et est venu en faire la présentation. Les altos Daniel Taylor et Matthew White chantaient dans les deux pièces. Monika Mauch, Pascal Bertin, Charles Daniels et Nathaniel Watson les ont joints pour la seconde, accompagnés par l’Ensemble Caprice. Le concert débutait par l’entrée dramatique d’une procession d’instruments à vent et timbales, interprétant l’impressionnante March & Canzona, une musique funèbre pour la reine Marie. Il se terminait de la même façon, par la sortie des musiciens.

On avait choisi le Chocolat blanc pour le concert du Studio de musique ancienne qui présentait des compositions religieuses de Purcell. Sous la direction de Christopher Jackson, le SMAM a interprété sept Church anthems, dont le premier, Blow up the trumpet, écrit pour deux ensembles de dix voix, a été qualifié de véritable tour de force.

Commencé dans l’allégresse, le Festival se terminait dans la tragédie. Sous le titre Death by chocolate, l’Ensemble Masques interprétait le véritable opéra de Purcell, Didon & Énée, dont la bouleversante plainte de Didon demeure un des plus beaux airs de l’histoire de la musique. Dans une salle remplie à craquer et malgré le peu de moyens à leur disposition, musiciens et chanteurs ont présenté une magnifique prestation dans une mise en scène fort honnête de Pierre Saint-Amand. L’ensemble instrumental possède une belle sonorité au style baroque impeccable. Par les longues dissonances avant le lamento final, les musiciens ont fait ressortir la beauté de cette musique. La viole de gambe produisait des gémissements, donnant le ton à l’aria de Didon qui suit et devrait nous tirer des larmes, ce que Vicki St-Pierre a presque réussi à produire. Dans le rôle d’Énée, le baryton Dion Mazerolle a parfois un peu trop d’éclat, mais la fin du deuxième acte a été superbe. Tous les chanteurs possèdent une belle sonorité, mais il faut mentionner la réussite du chœur des sorcières, très convaincant par son cynisme et son sarcasme.

Les boulimiques avaient encore beaucoup à se mettre sous la dent. Entre autres, un concert du Flanders Recorder Quartet le vendredi soir et, le samedi, une soirée dansante qu’accompagnaient le Quatuor Franz Joseph et cinq autres musiciens. Les lève-tôt pouvaient se rendre au fameux concert présenté à 7 heures le matin du dimanche. Plusieurs autres activités étaient présentées en après-midi. Et pour les festivaliers qui voulaient échanger leurs impressions et rencontrer les artistes, le rendez-vous se situait au Café À Propos. Chaque représentation était suivie d’une dégustation de chocolats à la sortie. Une dégustation qui complétait joliment la soirée. A sweet ending !

Renée Banville

This Week in Toronto (June 22 - 28)

2009-06-22T07:56:00.003-04:00

Well, the classical music scene in Toronto has definitely hit a lull! The opera companies (COC, OA, plus OIC, OH) are now in hiatus; the National Ballet of Canada has just concluded its spring season. Even the ubiquitous Toronto Symphony Orchestra is in its last week of performances. Summer festivals like Elora, Festival of the Sound, and Westben have not yet started for the most part, and unfortunately the Guelph Spring Festival is no more. The last COC event was the Ensemble Studio Cosi fan tutte that concluded yesterday. (Incidentally I attended the third performance and it was definitely worth seeing. The vocal standout was mezzo Lauren Segal as Dorabella - what a terrific voice she has!) The free concert series at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre had its last how on June 18th. I think I'm suffering from opera withdrawal....

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is offering a pops program of movie music the likes of Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, Rocky etc., conducted by the "king of pop" Erich Kunzel. The shows are on Tuesday June 23 at 8 pm, and Wednesday June 24 (2 pm and 8 pm). If you happen to be a jazz fan, the Toronto Jazz Festival starts June 26 and extends to July 5. Go to http://www.tojazz.com/Pages/Toronto_Downtown_Jazz_Festival_pgM243.asp for event listing and ticket details.

Further afield - a short drive down the QEW - is the Brott Music Festival. On July 27 is Beethoven and Brott in Burlington, featuring Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Symphony No. 7. The soloist is Shoshanna Telner. It takes place as the St. Christopher's Anglican Church, at 662 Guelph Line, Burlington. Call 905 525-7664 for details.

Also of note is a recital given by mezzo Krisztina Szabo on Sunday, June 28, at the Sharon Temple, a short drive up the 404 towards Newmarket. It is part of the Music at Sharon series. Szabo will sing Britten, Mahler, Kodaly, de Falla, Ravel, and Canadian composer Ridout. Sharon Temple is at 18974 Leslie Street, in Sharon, Ontario. Call 416 597-7840 for more information.

Finally, if you have missed some of the Met in HD shows from past seasons, Cineplex is having a summer "re-run" of six of the most popular operas, at a bargain price of $9.95. Children between 3 and 13 get in free - understandably they don't want any babies in the audience! All shows are on Saturdays at noon Toronto time. It begins this Saturday June 26 with I Puritani starring the incomparable Anna Netrebko, followed by Magic Flute (July 11), Eugene Onegin (July 25), Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Aug. 9), La fille du Regiment (Aug. 22), and La boheme (Sept. 5). Eight Ontario locations will carry these shows, with Scotiabank Theatres downtown, Cineplex Odeon Queensway and the Sheppard Grande in North York the three locations in the GTA. Other locations include Oakville, Newmarket and Peterborough. For advance ticket sales, go to http://www.cineplex.com/Events.aspx

The Very Modern Face of Beijing

2009-06-17T14:22:00.034-04:00

By Paul E. Robinson

Classical Travels

CHINA DIARY

After our all too brief encounter (12 hours!) with the fascinating city of Shanghai, we again boarded the Diamond Princess and settled in for several relaxing days at sea.

On the morning of the third day, our ship docked at Xingang, the closest port to Beijing. This was the final stop on our cruise, which had begun 16 days earlier in Bangkok. All 2,600 passengers disembarked here and headed for buses to travel the 100 km or so into Beijing.

The buses themselves were Chinese-made and looked like modern tour buses, but they were laid out for little people; there was barely enough room for me to sit with my legs sideways. After a 20 minute wait in the bus, off we went – about two blocks. We sat and sat in traffic, just inching along. At one point, our bus stalled. The driver had to get out and start it again with a crank. Then he got lost and had to turn the bus around. Next, much to our horror, when he missed an exit ramp on an expressway, he nonchalantly backed up in heavy traffic.

After about an hour of this unwelcome entertainment, we stopped at a restaurant for a toilet break. Three other buses had the same idea at the same time, making the line-ups for the toilets – two! – very long. These were traditional Chinese facilities; that is - holes in the floor! Duly relieved, off we went again, past endless rows of high-rise housing estates, and hundreds more under construction.

Three hours later, we arrived somewhere in Beijing. After a half hour of waiting and negotiation, we managed to arrange for local transportation and were on our way again across town to our hotel, the Intercontinental Beijing Beichen. As it happens, this Intercontinental was built for the Olympics in 2008 and sits right inside the new Olympic Park, overlooking the famous Bird’s Nest Stadium and the aqua blue swimming centre known as the Water Cube. A beautiful hotel and a stunning location on Beichen Road!

I had planned to attend a concert by the China National Symphony (conducted by Michel Plasson) on the evening of our arrival. I had seen it listed on the National Theatre website. I checked the website again after we had settled in, and also called in the very efficient concierge at our hotel for assistance, but the concert listing had disappeared!

From our vantage point near the Olympic Village, Beijing appears very modern, with impressive highway and rail infrastructure. The traditional, however, is much in evidence here too. The morning after we arrived, we visited the hutong area of central Beijing. This is the older part of the city, featuring walled houses with inner courtyards, separated by narrow alleyways. Many hutongs have been demolished to make way for new high-rise buildings, but there is a campaign underway to preserve at least some of them to honor the architecture and lifestyle of ancient times in Beijing.

I had hoped to see Red Cliff, the new Chinese Opera production directed by Zhang Yimou, one of China’s leading film directors (Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern) and director of the spectacular show at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing; unfortunately, tonight’s performance of Red Cliff at National Centre for the Performing Arts was sold out months in advance!

Next in China Diary: The Forbidden City and Tian'an Men Square

Paul E. Robinson is the author of Herbert von Karajan: the Maestro as Superstar, and Sir Georg Solti: His Life and Music, both available at Amazon.com.

Photos by Marita

Classical Music Blogs

American Arts in Crisis?

2009-06-17T12:49:00.001-04:00

There has been much talk in America about newspapers sacking their classical music critics and other arts journalists. A study released June 15 by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) identifies a far more serious, long term and systemic problem: a declining audience for the arts in nearly all disciplines. The worse audience loss: opera, classical concerts and ballet. Almost all of this data was collected before the current economic crisis hit full force and It tracks trends since the start of the survey in 1982. The study is at the following URL:

http://www.arts.gov/research/NEA-SPPA-brochure.pdf

In an internet group a few months ago, the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Martin Bernheimer made a simple observation. Looking at the web- available archives of Time Magazine’s covers, he found opera and classical music stars occasionally on the cover up until about 25 years ago. Since then there were none. In times past, names like Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Rubinstein, Rudolph Nureyev and Maria Callas were familiar among the general population. Now most classical music and opera is seen on American cable channels and music and arts-related stories no longer appear, as they occasionally did, in news magazines like Time, Newsweek or People. There is no major US magazine covering classical music. Other countries have proportionally many more related publications and dedicated websites than the U. S. It is not a world problem; the arts and serious music in European and Asian media have continued good coverage and the audiences are, by all reports, growing.

The critic Norman Lebrecht this week wrote a piece praising the vitality of the classical scene in France, trumpeting that the average age for a classical concert is 32. My observation for the past twenty years in Paris and around France is that, while there is always a range of ages at operas and concerts that I have attended, the 32 figure is simply not credible. Nevertheless, the average audience age is certainly far younger than in America and, according to the NEA report, the American audience is now significantly older than it was two decades earlier. Lebrecht also notes that “classical record sales in France [as I have reported elsewhere] amount to 9% of the total market. In the US they are barely one percent.” That is certainly a valid observation and further gloomy news.

To top this off, another new report, issued the day before, gives a failing grade to the nation’s education system for its declining arts education program. See: http://nationsreportcard.gov. America is clearly in crisis regarding the place of arts in their society and the dwindling audiences seem more and more conservative. Worse, there is no apparent recognition of this nor is there any evidence of concern among the country’s leadership.

Frank Cadenhead

Shanghai in Miniature!

2009-06-16T11:07:00.043-04:00

By Paul E. Robinson

Classical Travels
CHINA DIARY

The Diamond Princess docked this morning at a container port on the Huangpu River, about an hour’s drive from Shanghai. The weather was foggy, with a light drizzle, and at 55 degrees, not particularly inviting for walking tours through the French Concession and the Old City.

At about 8:30 am we boarded shuttle buses into the city. From the terminal near the People’s Park, we walked past the magnificent Shanghai Grand Theatre and down Nanjing Lu (Rd) toward Zhongshan Lu (the “Bund”) which runs along the Huangpu River. Much of Nanjing Lu - divided into East (Dong), and West (Xi) and stretching for several miles - is a wide pedestrian mall, with excellent shopping. Nanjing Lu was the main retail district in Old (1930s) Shanghai and remains so today, with many of the old shops, refurbished and renamed, flanked by upscale new ones.

The rain stopped for a while, but the weather continued to be chilly and windy. We finally reached the waterfront, but there was so much construction on the roadway that we couldn’t see the river, or really take in the sweep of the Bund. We walked past the historic (looking rather ragged – at least from the outside) Peace Hotel built in 1930 by Sir Victor Sassoon, then hailed a taxi and spent the rest of the day wandering through the Yu Gardens and Bazaar (photo: right).

Yu Gardens is a modern re-creation of an ancient Chinese city with flying-eaved buildings in a maze of alleyways and ponds. It contains hundreds of shops and is a favorite tourist destination. In spite of the poor weather, it was teeming with visitors when we visited. The one authentic building is the 1784 Huxinting Teahouse approached across a lagoon by a zigzag bridge.

We interrupted our shopping to have lunch at one of the many restaurants in Yu Gardens. Naxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant was founded in 1900 and specializes in steamed buns famous for their “thin covers, full filling and delicious juice.” The restaurant consists of four dining rooms, some more elegant than others. They were all filled today. Naxiang also has a take-out window and it had a long line-up. We ordered two varieties of steamed bun and a curry pastry. Everything was tasty and carefully prepared. Part of the fun in the restaurant is the open kitchen, where four chefs dressed in full white uniforms with tall hats can be seen preparing the noodles and stuffing the pastry.

The rain began again in mid-afternoon and that made catching a taxi back to the bus terminal somewhat difficult. We joined a line of about fifty people at a taxi stand. At the terminal we waited again with hundreds of passengers for the shuttle buses to take us back to the ship.

Lots of interesting musical events listed at the Shanghai Grand Theatre; unfortunately, we did not stay long enough in Shanghai to hear anything but a gift shop vendor at Yu Gardens playing “Happy Birthday” on a miniature Chinese erhu (violin).

The Diamond Princess departed Shanghai about 6:15 pm, and after making a 180degree turn, sailed back out the busy Huangpu River into the Yellow Sea, heading north.

Paul E. Robinson is the author of Herbert von Karajan: the Maestro as Superstar, and Sir Georg Solti: His Life and Music, both available at Amazon.com.

Photos by Marita

Classical Music Blogs

This Week in Toronto (June 15 - 21)

2009-06-15T08:38:00.005-04:00

The centerpiece of this week's vocal scene is the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio's production of Cosi fan tutte. This must be one of the most popular operas for opera schools and young artist programs, and for good reason. First of all, Mozart is good for young voices still in development - it is said that the ability to sing Mozart well is a sign of vocal health and good technique. Cosi is particularly popular because it allows six soloists to show off their voices in many delightful arias and ensembles. The Royal Conservatory of Music's Cosi last April was a smashing success, so it will be interesting to compare it to the COC Ensemble's production. Current and former COC Ensemble Studio members who will be singing in the production are: Sopranos Betty Allison, Ileana Montalbetti and Laura Albino (Fiordiligi), Erin Fisher and Lauren Segal (Dorabella), Alexander Hajek and Justin Welsh (Guglielmo), tenors Michael Barrett and Adam Luther (Ferrando), sopranos Lisa DiMaria and Teiya Kasahara (Despina), and Michael Uloth and Jean-Paul Decosse (Don Alfonso). Conductors are Martin Isepp and Steven Philcox. There will be four performances starting this evening (June 15) at the Imperial Oil Theatre at the COC headquarters on 227 Front Street East. Three more performances take place on June 17, 19, and 21. All performances at 7:30 pm except June 21 at 2 pm. Tickets were all gone a long time ago, which led the COC to add extra seats. Do call the company to ask about availability.

For those who missed the Met in HD documentary The Audition, this evening is your last chance, at selected Cineplex theatres at 7:00 pm. There are quite a few theatres in the GTA carrying these Met shows - the ones I am familiar with are Sheppard Grande at Yonge and Sheppard, Scotiabank Theatres at Queen and John, and Silver City at Yonge and Eglinton. I enjoyed this show enormously the first time around and will see again tonight. In this feature-length documentary you will see American soprano Angela Meade, who won the Montreal competition back in late May. If you like the tenor voice, this documentary of the 2007 auditions is a real treat, with four tenors in the finals. Unfortunately this was one year without a Canadian finalist - soprano Miriam Khalil, seen in the beginning of the documentary, did not make the cut. 2006 had Canadian tenor Joseph Kaiser, and in 2008 we had Vancouver soprano Simon Osborne. Of the eleven finalists, six were declared "winners", although anyone who reached the finals against such fierce competition should be considered winners. There are also offstage, real life drama in the documentary as well, but I don't want to give it away by mentioning the details here.

While on the subject of Met in HD, it has just been announced that there will be a series of six Met Summer presentations - I Puritani (June 27), Magic Flute (July 11), Eugene Onegin (July 25), Barber of Seville (Aug. 8), La fille du Regiment (Aug. 22). All on Saturdays at 12 noon. These shows are repeats of previous seasons. Tickets are at a bargain price of $9.95, and children age 3 -13 can get in free! These will be at the usual Cineplex locations. Do check your favourite locations for availability.

The mini Bartok-Strauss Festival of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra continues with pianist Emanuel Ax playing Strauss's Burleske, as well as Bartok's Concerto for Two Pianos and Percussion. Although I do find the combination of Strauss and Bartok to be a little eclectic, any chance to hear Ax is not to be missed. Also on the program is Strauss's delicious Suite from Der Rosenkavalier. Performances are June 17 and 18 at 8 pm at Roy Thomson Hall.

This Week in Toronto (June 6 - 14)

2009-06-06T08:41:00.006-04:00

Soprano Measha Brueggergosman (photo: Joy von Tiedemann)

Starting with the next post, the posting date will change to Mondays, since my editor tells me that the readership is higher on weekdays. For fans of Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman, she will be making one of her comparatively rare appearances in Toronto where she makes her home. She is soloist in the magnificent Four Last Songs. I am an avid collector of VLL and it's one song cycle I never get tired of! Also on the program are two Bartok pieces - Divertimento for Strings and Concerto for Orchestra. TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian is at the helm. The dates are Wednesday June 10 at 8 pm, Thursday June 11 at 2 pm, and June 13 at 7:30 pm, all at Roy Thomson Hall. The June 10 performance will be broadcast on CBC Radio 2. Remember June 13 is a "casual concert", with an earlier start and a jazz ensemble entertainment in the lobby after the show. Don't forget this evening is the return of American violinist Joshua Bell at 8 pm Roy Thomson Hall. On the program is Lalo's Symphonie espagnole, Brahms Symphony No. 1, and Berlioz's Overture to Benvenuto Cellini. Leonard Slatkin conducts.

Another important event this week is the third annual Luminato Festival of Arts and Creativity in Toronto. While there are almost no "traditional" classical music events, there is a new opera by Canadian composer Murray Schafer, The Children's Crusade, that will receive its world premiere at the festival, celebrating the 75th birthday of the composer. Go to the following link for interview with the composer - http://www.luminato.com/2009/events/42 The main focus of Luminato 2009 is popular music, dance, literature, and "spectacles". A worthwhile event is the presence of Cirque du Soleil. Go to www.luminato.com for details.

Toronto area opera fans can catch the riveting documentary The Audition, as the last offering of this season's Met in HD series, at 1 pm today at selected Cineplex theatres. The documentary covers the 2007 Met Auditions, a particularly interesting year, with three outstanding tenors in the finals. One of them was African American Ryan Smith, who had a beautiful lyric voice. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with lymphoma last year and passed away in November. Also in the finals was soprano Angela Meade, who just won first prize at the MIMC in Montreal. At 2 hour 15 minutes, this documentary is unusually long but there won't be a doubt moment! It will be repeated on June 15, at 7 pm - an unusual time for the Met in HD series.

This Week in Toronto (May 30 - June 5)

2009-05-30T16:41:00.004-04:00

Now that the opera season in Toronto has more or less come to an end - the COC Ensemble's Cosi fan tutte excepted, there is still the symphony and ballet, thankfully! The Toronto Symphony has Mahler Symphony No. 6, with the return of former TS conductor Gunther Herbig. Opening night was last Thursday, and tonight at 8 pm is the second and last performance. Also on the program is Haydn's Cello Concerto, a rather unusual combination, I must say! The cellist is Johannes Moser.

Tomorrow, Sunday 2pm in Massey Hall is the second performance of Haydn's oratorio The Creation by Tafelmusik, conducted by Bruno Weil. Soloists include Canadian soprano Nancy Argenta making one of her comparatively rare appearances in Toronto. Also featured are tenor Jan Kobow and baritone Locky Chung. This concert is part of Tafelmusik's Baroque Summer Festival.

Next week marks the return of violinist extraordinaire, Gil Shaham, playing the Canadian premiere of William Bolcom's Violin Concerto. Also on the program is Brahms Symphony No. 1. The conductor is Leonard Slatkin, Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. On Saturday June 6 (8 pm), American violinist Joshua Bell returns for a single performance of Lalo's Symphonie espagnole with the Toronto Symphony, also under the baton of Slatkin.

If you are into ballet, the National Ballet of Canada's spring season is in full swing. The big news is the farewell performance of Chinese-Canadian ballerina Chan Hong Goh, as Giselle on Sunday 2 pm. She will be partnered by Zdenek Konvalina. This show is completely sold out. However, there are two performances today, a matinee at 2 pm (danced by Xiao Nan Yu) and an evening performance at 7:30 pm, with Sonia Rodriguez as Giselle.

Jaap van Zweden's 1st Season in Dallas a Phenomenal Success!

2009-05-27T12:12:00.025-04:00

Review by Paul E. Robinson

Classical Travels
THIS WEEK IN DALLAS

There is no doubt about it. A new era of musical excellence is underway in Dallas. Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden has just finished his first season as music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and even the musicians are shaking their heads in disbelief. Is he really this good? Are we this good? “Yes,” and “yes” to both questions.

All this excitement notwithstanding, on May 21st at the Meyerson, the 'curtain went up' on a program that appeared neither well planned nor very convincing – at least on paper.

Van Zweden is passionate about opera. For this evening, he and the DSO had scheduled a concert performance of Madama Butterfly, but like orchestras everywhere, the Dallas Symphony has had to rework its budget in the face of a punishing recession; thus, instead of Madama Butterfly, we had, on the face of it, a mishmash of Tchaikovsky and Brahms culminating in yet another unnecessary performance of the 1812 Overture.

No matter. I would pay to hear Jaap van Zweden conduct Happy Birthday because I know he would give it one of the finest performances I have ever heard.

A Rousing but Anti-climactic 1812 Overture

The 1812 Overture, on this occasion, was the version by Igor Buketoff in which a chorus is substituted for lower strings in the opening bars and then makes several later appearances in the piece. We didn’t have cannons or fireworks in this performance, but the sparks were flying nonetheless in the overheated tempi chosen by van Zweden. The Dallas Symphony Chorus didn’t sound very Russian – not enough Russian basses have emigrated to Dallas, I guess – but they did their work with accuracy and gusto.

As good as it was, the 1812 Overture was an anticlimax after the most stunning performance of Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien I have ever heard.

Superb Performance Recorded for DSO's Own Label!

Capriccio Italien begins with brass fanfares, based apparently on bugle calls Tchaikovsky heard played by an Italian cavalry regiment. It goes on to a series of Italian folk songs and street music and finishes with a wild tarantella.

One particular section in this performance of the work sounded more intense and ominous than I ever imagined it could. It was the soft, triplet accompaniment in the brass that did it. This figure was played with such rhythmic accuracy and so darkly that it became progressively more menacing.

‘Menacing’ or ‘ominous’ are not adjectives one normally associates with pop concert fare like Capriccio Italien. Hearing this performance, I began to suspect that the Italian influence here was Verdi.

This is what a conductor like van Zweden can do for ‘familiar’ repertoire. He approaches such pieces as if they deserved the commitment he would give to a Mahler symphony. Each phrase is given new life. Note values are accurately observed and balances are worked out in careful detail.

When Capriccio Italien moved into dance territory, van Zweden nearly danced himself off the podium and this involvement was infectious. The string sound soared and surged; it was fulsome and joyous. And the best was yet to come.

In this piece, Tchaikovsky’s brass section is headed by pairs of cornets and trumpets, the former employed for their sound and their super chromatic capabilities compared to the trumpet in Tchaikovsky’s time. Principal trumpet Ryan Anthony chose to play a cornet for this piece and the results were wonderful. It was just the right Italian folk music sound for the lyrical sections – with a generous helping of vibrato - and the agility of the instrument (and the player!) in the quick passages worked perfectly too.

For all its extraordinary nuances, what I’ll remember most about this performance is how van Zweden steadily increased the tempo in the proverbial ‘race to the finish.’ Van Zweden was fearless in his acceleration and the DSO players were with him every step of the way. This was virtuoso playing of the highest order.

Fortunately, this concert was being recorded for broadcast. Even better, the Capriccio Italien is scheduled for release later this year on the DSO’s own label. It will be coupled with a Tchaikovsky Fifth recorded earlier this season. If the recording of Capriccio Italien is anything close to what I heard Thursday night, it will be sensational.

Violinist Simone Lamsma Wows Audience!

The first half of the concert was pretty remarkable too. The young Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma made her debut with the DSO in the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.

Ms. Lamsma was scheduled to be a featured soloist with the orchestra in its forthcoming European tour; unfortunately, the tour has been scrubbed for the time being. It is hard to justify foreign tours when the basic operating budget is taking such a beating.

In any case, it was a pleasure to make the acquaintance of the gifted Ms. Lamsma, winner of at least four major violin competitions in the past three years. She has a formidable technique and a warm, distinctive sound. With van Zweden on the podium - a colleague who has played this concerto himself -this was a fine collaboration. The orchestra played with great sensitivity and panache!

Ms. Lamsma returns next season to play the Britten Violin Concerto.

The concert opened with Brahms’ Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) , a setting for chorus and orchestra of a poem by Hölderlin. This is a beautiful if slight work by Brahms but it hardly fits in an all-Tchaikovsky program. And while the chorus sang beautifully, I thought that van Zweden miscalculated both dynamics and tempo. He started the piece so slowly and so softly that the line could not be sustained. Nor could the strings produce sufficient weight of sound. Still, this piece does not turn up often in concert and it was a pleasure to hear it, especially in an ideal acoustical setting like the Meyerson.

Jaap van Zweden has given Dallas a season of insight and excitement, with much more to come. Among the highlights next season will be the Mahler First and Second Symphonies, the Bruckner Ninth, the Rachmaninov Second Symphony and the Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 (Leningrad.)

Paul E. Robinson is the author of Herbert von Karajan: the Maestro as Superstar, and Sir Georg Solti: His Life and Music, both available at Amazon.com.

Photos by Marita

Classical Music Blogs

Chant 2009 Finals (Day 2 May 26)

2009-05-26T23:04:00.004-04:00

left to right: Angela Meade, soprano; Yannick-Muriel Noah, soprano; Andrew Garland, baritone

Photo: Joseph So

Tonight was the second of two evenings of the MIMC Finals. Four competitors -

Jennifer Borghi, mezzo-soprano (Italy)

Borghi has a modest-sized high mezzo of pleasant timbre. She began with "Or la tromba" from Handel's Rinaldo, showing good coloratura, although she did not sound entirely comfortable in this repertoire. This was followed by "Erbarme dich" from St. Matthew Passion, a really moving piece that requires solid legato and smoothness of vocal production. Borghi's tone, while quite lovely, lacked sufficient legato and her phrasing was choppy. I think oratorio and baroque does not show off her voice very well. Her third piece, Air des lettres from Werther was easily her best moment - she has just the right instincts for Charlotte. The voice was freer here, and her attention to the text and her expression were exemplary. She ended with the Composer's Aria from Ariadne, an extremely popular choice for high mezzos in competitions. She sang it very well, but overall, I found her a bit subdued and low voltage. She didn't really connect with the audience. She received polite applause, although she did get a very good hand for the Ariadne at the end.

Seil Kim, tenor (Korea)

I remember Kim from the last Montreal vocal competition. I thought he sang beautifully but missed the finals. I recalled a quality tenore di grazia, used with taste. So it was good to have him back. He opened with "Comfort Ye...Every valley" from Messiah. I have heard this probably a hundred times if not more in performance from Jon Vickers on down, so I confess it is hard to get too excited. Kim sang it well, with plangent tone and excellent English. But his voice sounded smaller than I remembered, and it didn't make the impact it should, even in the modest sized Theatre Maisonneuve. His coloratura, while quite good, is aspirated. Dies Bildnis from Die Zauberfloete went very well - his best singing of the evening. He sang it with attractive tone, his most successful piece. Then he went off stage for an unusually long time and came back with a bottle of water, the only contestant in the two evenings that used water. His aria from Iphigenie en Tauride had its moments, but it was also marred by a very tight top. And his final piece, Kuda, Kuda from Eugene Onegin was a bit of a disappointment. I expected him to be really good in this. His singing lacked that plaintive quality one has come to expect in Lenski's aria, and again his top was very tight, distorting the line.

Andrew Garland, baritone (USA)

If the first half was a little underwhelming, things picked up decidedly with the appearance of Andrew Garland. His is a lyric baritone of very good quality, well schooled, and he communicates very well. His Rinaldo aria was authoritatively sung, making a big, robust sound. He received the first bravos of the evening. I was impressed with his long breath-line. Yeletsky's aria from Pique Dame, another very popular choice in singing competitions, was gorgeously sung. For me, the monologue from Billy Budd was his best moment - I liked his acting and his total commitment to the character. He will make a very good Billy. Interesting that he made Ich bin der Welt from Ruckert Lieder his final choice, instead of something flashy. If the countertenor Costanzo was unable to sing a high pianissimo, Garland had pianissimos galore, and overall, his execution of this piece was far superior. The orchestra, especially the horns, always played better, and Trudel was able to get the right balance from the orchestra. Overall, an excellent performance. This guy is the total package.

Angela Meade, soprano (USA)

What can I say about Meade? When you have a young singer picked by the Met to step in to replace an indisposed Sondra Radvanovsky, you know she has got to be special. Meade has a great voice, excellent technical control, from impressive fortes down to the smallest high pianissimos, she has it all. She began with D'Oreste d'Ajace from Idomeneo. Very impressive singing, although those staccato runs at the end were not as wonderful as I expected them to be. Her Beim Schlafengehen from Four Last Songs - a real test piece - was impressive, but I missed that ethereal entrance of the voice after the violin solo. Her third piece was "Casta Diva" from Norma. It takes guts - ok, chutzpah - to sing this in a competition! Meade has the legato and the rock solid intonation to do it justice, only the forte top notes were a little steely. This piece allows her to show off her piano singing, and the final note was extremely impressive. It elicited the first big salvo of bravos from the audience. She saved her best for last - Pace, pace - a truly fabulous piece of singing, absolutely perfect technical control. A big woman, she has found the art of stillness and the economy of gestures. Again, the last note she held on seemingly forever. And for that she received a standing ovation, the only one of the evening.

The jury panel retired to deliberate for about 30 minutes, and returned with the following three winners -

First Prize - Angela Meade
Second Prize - Yannick-Muriel Noah
Third Prize- Andrew Garland

Like most others in the audience, I played the game of picking my own winners. I had the same top three singers on my list, although in a slightly different order. Tomorrow is the press conference where we will get to meet the jury members. I hope to have more to report afterwards.

Chant 2009 Finals Day 1 (Monday May 25)

2009-05-25T22:17:00.005-04:00

Tonight was the first of two evenings of MIMC Chant 2009 Finals. There are eight candidates in total, and tonight we heard four. Having attended everyone of the MIMC vocal competitions since 2002, I think this one is arguably the highest in terms of overall quality of the voices. Just to make it into the final 8 is already a recognition of true excellence. The candidates this evening were ( in order of appearance)

Anthony Roth Costanzo, countertenor (USA) His program was long - aria from Giulio Cesare, a Ruckert Lieder, and back to back arias from Rodelinda. One of the most impressive things about Costanzo's countertenor is the smoothness of his delivery and his seamless registers - the voice is even from top to bottom. When required by the music to dip into what is normally considered chest voice in a man, there is no harshness to his tone or any abrupt change of gear. His sound is as "natural" as any I have heard from a countertenor. His voice is surprisingly large for such a slight person, and there is lots of power in reserve. But his best singing is in the quiet moments. There is a plaintive quality to his sound that is at its best in soft, quiet music, and he chose just the right repertoire to show it off, particularly Mahler's "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen". The tempo chosen by conductor Alain Trudel was a little too slow, even for this famously slow piece. If I were to nitpick, Costanzo was a little reluctant to sing high pianissimi, which is absolutely necessary in the Mahler. Overall, it was a very fine performance of an exceptionally beautiful countertenor voice.

Falko Hoenisch, baritone (Germany) Mr. Hoenisch has a high lyric baritone that is flexible, good in coloratura, and best in lieder. It is a fairly slender instrument as baritone voices go, but he uses it stylishly and with discerning taste. His Hugo Wolf songs were wonderfully sung, and the most successful part of his program. Unfortunately, he ran into some problems with his next piece, an aria from I Puritani. I have to say Bellini doesn't really suit him stylistically. He lacks the fullness of tone necessary in the bel canto repertoire. He also ran into some technical difficulties, turning raspy in a couple of places. Perhaps it unnerved him, as by his third aria from Gounod's Romeo et Juliette, he was holding back and sounded small. The same could be said about "Why do the nations" from Messiah. The top simply did not bloom. Perhaps he did not pace himself properly, or maybe he simply had an off night, but overall, I felt he sang better in the semi-finals.

Sidney Outlaw, baritone (USA) Mr. Outlaw is also a high baritone. The voice is compact-sized, pleasant and warm in timbre - perhaps not so fantastic in terms of beauty of tone, but the way he uses it is very impressive - this guy is an artist. He communicates the text and the moods of a piece of music exceptionally well - this guy likes drama! Sometimes it can come across as a little stentorian, but his strength of conviction is such that he convinces you, and as we all know, judges look for a singer with something to say to the audience. Technically he is very secure, especially in the high register - top notes hold no terror for him. While he is best in the very dramatic pieces, he also shows that he can sing quietly, as in Fritz's aria from Die tote Stadt. This aria is a surefire audience favourite and Outlaw sang it beautifully. Overall, his performance was wonderful tonight, and he was rewarded with vociferous applause.

Yannick-Muriel Noah (Canada) Unlike previous years, there is only a single Canadian in the finals this time. Since she has been connected with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto the last three or so years, I am very familiar with her voice. And what an exceptional instrument it is! Spinto sopranos don't grow on trees, and Noah is a genuine lirico-spinto, one that is large, rich, gleaming, with plenty of power in reserve yet capable of delicacy. She opened her program with "Hear Ye, Israel" from Elijah. She sang this long and demanding aria with gleaming tone. But she has a tendency to suppress her consonants in English - I have to say I had difficulty understanding what she was singing. Her second piece is Jenufa's aria. While it is a rather unusual choice in a competition, her timbre is ideal. The abrupt ending took the audience by surprise - I personally don't think this is a particularly good choice. Her third piece was "Vissi d'arte" from Tosca. Now, it must be said that Noah covered Tosca at the Canadian Opera last season, and when the Tosca, Hungarian Ezster Sumegi, became indisposed, Noah stepped in and sang two performances that absolutely wowed everyone. The quiet, descending musical line in the opening phrase was very beautifully rendered, and in the two and a half minute aria, she sang it with passion, power and delicacy. She reserved her best for the end - "Ritorna vincitor" from Aida. Her voice, with it rich, luscious timbre, is ideal. She has all the chiaroscuro one would want. Perhaps a little longer breathline here and there would have been nicer, but overall, it was a magnificent piece of singing.

There you have it - a marvelous evening. For me, the outstanding singers tonight were Sidney Outlaw and Yannick Muriel Noah. I would place both of them in the winners circle, possibly with the countertenor Costanzo a dark horse.

Concours de Montréal (CMIM) 5e journée - demi-finale II

2009-05-24T10:22:00.002-04:00

CMIM – Samedi 24 mai,

Dernière journée de l’épreuve demi-finale. Une journée chargée (10 candidats) et riche en émotions. Chez les femmes, les sopranos Angela Meade et Yannick-Muriel Noah ont particulièrement dominé. Deux sopranos à la voix puissante et à la technique infaillible, produisant un pianissimo étonnamment bien contrôlé dans l’aigu. Impressionnant, tout ce qu’Angela Meade peut faire avec sa voix, ce qu’elle a particulièrement démontré dans l’extrait de Il Trovatore de Verdi. Quant à Yannick-Muriel Noah, elle module admirablement sa voix au timbre chaud, spécialement dans l’extrait de La Forza del destino.

Chez les hommes, le baryton Falko Hönish a démontré sa versatilité, sa compréhension du texte et du style en présentant un programme très varié. D’abord Mozart, Wagner et Bach. Suivent le très court La Grenouillère de Poulenc et Black Max de William Bolcom, dans lesquels il se révèle un vrai comédien et conteur. Il termine sa prestation par Erlkönig de Schubert, en interprétant de façon explicite les voix du père et du fils. Voilà ce qu’on peut appeler toute une palette de couleurs! Vient ensuite le baryton Sidney Outlaw qui a obtenu en 2006 une 1re place aux auditions du Metropolitan Opera. On ne sera pas surpris de découvrir un chanteur solide qui possède une voix riche et puissante, habilement modulée. Son programme consistant comprenait entre autres deux Mozart, l’un en italien et l’autre en allemand. On retient surtout du troisième baryton, Andrew Garland, une belle voix au registre large qui chante avec facilité jusque dans l’aigu. Son talent de comédien a bien fait rire l’auditoire. Dernier candidat à se produire, le ténor Seil Kim a souffert d’un problème de santé en après-midi et sa prestation a dû être reportée à la fin. On sentait chez lui une certaine prudence, mais il se rendit au bout de son programme sans difficulté apparente. Ceux qui l’ont entendu en quart de finale savent qu’il peut faire encore mieux.

Les délibérations du jury on duré moins d’une heure. Le président, M. André Bourbeau, est venu le présenter à la salle et a donné les noms des 8 finalistes par ordre alphabétique : Jennifer Borghi, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Andrew Garland, Falko Hönish, Seil Kim, Angela Meade, Yannick-Muriel Noah et Sidney Outlaw.

L'ordre de passage:

Lundi le 25 mai à 19 h 30 :

1. Anthony Roth Costanzo
2. Falko Hönish
3. Sidney Outlaw
4. Yannick-Muriel Noah

Mardi le 26 mai à 19 h 30 :

1. Jennifer Borghi
2. Seil Kim
3. Andrew Garland
4. Angela Mead

Pour savoir plus : www.concoursmontreal.ca

L’épreuve finale avec l’Orchestre Métropolitain, sous la direction d’Alain Trudel, aura lieu lundi 25 mai et mardi 26 mai à 19 h au Théâtre Maisonneuve et sera diffusé en direct. Pour information : www.radio-canada/musique

Dimanche 24 mai : Deux classes de maître ont lieu à la Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur, en après-midi et en soirée. Pour information : (514) 872-5338

- Renée Banville

Concours de Montréal (CMIM) 4e journée - demi-finale I

2009-05-23T08:11:00.003-04:00

CMIM – Vendredi 22 mai,

L’épreuve demi-finale du CMIM a débuté en présence d’une salle presque remplie. Six candidats se partageaient la soirée. Deux hommes : le contre-ténor américain Anthony Roth Costanzo, le baryton canadien Stephen Hegedus et quatre femmes : les trois sopranos canadiennes Pascale Beaudin, Charlotte Corwin, Mariane Lemieux et Catrin Aur Davies du Royaume-Uni.

Anthony Roth Costanzo avait étonné et séduit en quart de finale avec sa voix magnifiquement contrôlée au timbre émouvant. Il a récidivé en interprétant un Handel expressif, dont il manie les vocalises avec une facilité déconcertante, et un touchant Gluck qui convient mieux à une voix de contre-ténor que Mahler et Debussy. La sobriété et la classe marquent la prestation du baryton Stephen Hegedus. Possédant une très belle voix aux intonations toujours justes malgré les difficultés du Handel, il termine avec un Bizet très expressif.

Du côté des femmes, Pascale Beaudin a dominé la soirée en montrant beaucoup de souplesse et de dextérité dans le Haydn et le Strauss. Son excellente technique lui permet de tout chanter sans difficulté apparente et sa prononciation de l’italien et de l’allemand est excellente. La Regata vénéziana de Rossini était très expressive mais un peu longue. Quant à Charlotte Corwin, l’opéra lui va comme un gant et on aura sûrement du plaisir à l’entendre éventuellement en Violetta.

Peu à dire sur les deux autres sopranos : Mariane Lemieux et Catrin Aur Davies. On sent les difficultés chez la première qui ne semble pas prête à affronter un concours aussi important et la seconde a été très décevante. Que le jury les ait préférées à une Christina Tannous qui avait ébloui le public en quart de finale par la qualité de sa performance, c’est à n’y rien comprendre. Mais chaque concours comporte son lot de mystères…

Soirée intéressante en définitive, malgré la redondance dans les choix musicaux (Handel et Strauss). Le public pourra juger par lui-même à partir du 25 mai. Les séances de la demi-finale seront diffusées sur Espace classique de Radio-Canada : Radio-Canada.ca/musique et disponibles pendant un an. Le dimanche 24 mai à 12 h, les meilleurs moments de l’épreuve demi-finale seront présentés dans une émission spéciale. Animation : Sylvia l’Écuyer – Commentateur : Fabrizio Melano – Réalisation : Michèle Patry. En ligne sur Espace classique dès le 25 mai.

> 3e journée
> 2e journée
> 1e journée

- Renée Banville

Editor's Note: I tried to connect to the live webcast at Espace classique, but the experience proved frustrating. The picture and sound would interrupt every 3 seconds and pause for an additional 3 seconds. Consequently, I gave up for the evening. The webcast requires Microsoft's Silverlight plugin, but that doesn't seem to be the problem as the Naxos Music Library uses the same plugin and streams fine from my wifi connection. Espace classique should provide a lower bandwidth version of its webcast. - Wah Keung Chan

This Week in Toronto (May 23 - 29)

2009-05-23T07:45:00.008-04:00

The bursts of musical activities this spring seem to be subsiding. The Canadian Opera Company's mainstage season comes to an end this weekend, with the final performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream today. Tomorrow afternoon is the last performance of La boheme.

For those who missed the showing of Met in HD La Cenerentola with the scintillating Latvian mezzo Elina Garanca, the encore performance takes place today, at 12:30 pm, at selected Cineplex theatres in the GTA.

For something a little different, I can recommend the world premiere run of The Shadow, put on by Tapestry, with performances at the Berkely Street Theatre Downstairs from May 21 to 30. I attended the opening on Thursday and was thoroughly entertained. The Shadow is a morality tale with a twist. Set in Barcelona, a poor postman, Raoul (acted and sung magnificently by baritone Peter McGillivray) assumes the identity of a rich suitor to win the hand of a beautiful woman (Carla Huhtanen) by borrowing money from a loan shark, played by Theodore Baerg. When he is unable to repay the loan, a shadow (sung and acted with striking effectiveness by countertenor Scott Beluz) haunts the poor guy. Set and costume designer Camellia Koo has come up with an ingenious unit set that captures the flavour of Barcelona, and the use of a turntable allows seamless scene changes. The libretto mixes an essentially serious story with a surfeit of humour - some of which perhaps were unintended. The music is a little too percussion-heavy for my taste, but there were some lyrical moments. The vocal writing is very challenging - for example, the main character of Raoul/Hernando goes from basso profundo low notes all the way up to falsetto highs. The singers, especially McGillivray, gave their all on opening night, and their voices were almost too big for the intimate space of the Berkeley Street Theatre Downstairs. It was a really enjoyable evening and I can highly recommend it.

And finally, you can catch the proceedings of the 2009 Montreal International Musical Competition (Chant 2009) right at your computer. Espace Musique is carrying it live. The semifinals started last evening, and continues today (Saturday) at 1:30 pm and 7:30 pm. Sixteen candidates, including six Canadians, are set to impress the judges. Eight will go on to the two-day finals on Monday and Tuesday. You can follow the drama at http://www.radio-canada.ca/espace_musique/webRadioClassique.asp

CMIM - 3e journée

2009-05-22T00:40:00.004-04:00

CMIM – Jeudi 21 mai,

Dernière journée de l’épreuve quart de finale. Un après-midi riche en surprises et en découvertes. Dès le départ, le ténor coréen Seil Kim donne le ton. Ténor lyrique d’une grande musicalité, il interprète le Lied et l’oratorio avec beaucoup de couleurs et de raffinement et nous offre ensuite un extrait de Don Giovanni très expressif.

La deuxième surprise nous vient de la soprano canadienne Christina Tannous qui éblouit l’auditoire avec une voix magnifique d’un contrôle absolu, variant les couleurs avec un égal bonheur. Les airs tziganes de Dvorak qu’elle chante en tchèque sont captivants et elle réussit si bien à soutenir l’intensité que le public retient ses applaudissements entre chacun des airs. Comédienne accomplie, elle nous offre de mémoire un Kulesha très fantaisiste, s’inventant intérieurement une histoire que l’auditoire vit avec elle, comme une pièce de théâtre aux acteurs invisibles. Une interprétation qui lui a valu une ovation.

La découverte est venue avec la dernière candidate, la soprano américaine Angela Meade. D’une stature imposante, elle possède une voix puissante, une technique impeccable et l’aisance d’une chanteuse d’expérience. Magnifique dans l’opéra, elle chante le Lied de Strauss comme si elle chantait La Marschallin dans le Rosenkavalier. Détentrice en 2007 d’un 1er Prix Opéra au Concours International de chant, Hans Gabor Belvedere et en 2008 d’un 1er Prix au Concours international de musique José Iturbi, elle a fait ses débuts au Metropolitan Opera en mars 2008 et au San Francisco Opera. Avec une telle feuille de route et une carrière si bien amorcée, on peut se demander pourquoi une chanteuse continue à entrer dans des compétitions avec des jeunes qui attendent une rampe de lancement pour leur carrière.

Les autres candidats en après-midi : La soprano Jegyung Yang (Corée du Sud) et la basse Taehyun Jun (Corée du Sud), ainsi que la soprano canadienne Maghan Stewart-McPhee complétaient le programme de l’après-midi.

En soirée, avant les délibérations des juges, on entendit le ténor coréen Kijong Wi, la soprano américaine Yannick-Muriel Noah et le baryton américain Andrew Garland.

Voici, par ordre alphabétique, la liste des 16 candidats retenus pour la demi-finale :

Pascale Beaudin (Canada), Jennifer Borghi (Italie), Charlotte Corwin (Canada), Anthony Roth Costanzo (États-Unis), Catrin Aur Davies (Royaume-Uni), Andrew Garland (États-Unis), Stephen Hegedus (Canada), Falko Hönish (Allemagne), Seil Kim (Corée du Sud), Mariane Lemieux (Canada), Angela Meade (États-Unis), Yannick-Muriel Noah (Canada), Sidney Outlaw (États-Unis), Irina Shishkova (Russie), Maghan Stewart-McPhee (Canada), Jegyung Yang (Corée du Sud).

Pour connaître l’ordre de passage des candidats : www.concoursmontreal.ca

Vendredi, 22 mai

1ère séance :

19 h 30 : Anthony Roth COSTANZO, contreténor, États-Unis
20 h: Catrin Aur DAVIES, soprano, Royaume-Uni
20 h 30 : Pascale BEAUDIN, soprano, Canada
21 h : Pause

21 h 30 : Stephen HEGEDUS, baryton-basse, Canada
22 h : Mariane LEMIEUX, soprano, Canada
22 h 30 : Charlotte CORWIN, soprano, Canada
23 h : Fin

Samedi, 23 mai

2e séance

13 h 30 : Irina SHISHKOVA, mezzo-soprano, Russie
14 h 00 : Falko HÖNISCH, baryton, Allemagne
14 h 30 : Jennifer BORGHI, mezzo-soprano, Italie
15 h : Pause

15 h 30 : Sidney OUTLAW, baryton, États-Unis
16 h : Seil KIM, ténor, Corée du Sud
16 h 30 : Jegyung YANG, soprano, Corée du Sud
17 h : Pause

3e séance :

19 h 30 : Maghan STEWART-McPHEE, soprano, Canada
20 h : Angela MEADE, soprano, États-Unis
20 h 30 : Yannick-Muriel NOAH, soprano, Canada
21 h : Andrew GARLAND, baryton, États-Unis

21 h 30 : Délibérations

> 2e journée
> 1e journée

- Renée Banville

----

LSM Week-end d'opéra à Toronto 2009

2009-05-21T20:04:00.006-04:00

[English version]

Joignez-vous à La Scena Musicale pour un week-end d'opéra à Toronto les 17 et 18 octobre 2009 et assistez à deux opéras présentés par la Canadian Opera Company: Le rossignol de Stravinsky (mise en scène de Robert Lepage) et Madame Butterfly de Puccini, ne ratez pas ce week-end mémorable!

Tous les profits de ce week-end exceptionnel serviront à financer les activités sans but lucratif de La Scena Musicale.

Commandez sans tarder: (514) 948-2520 ou operaweekend@scena.org

À noter: les billets d'opéra sont vendus par La Scena Musicale.

PROGRAMME

Le samedi 17 octobre

16 h 30 : Le rossignol de Stravinsky

20 h : souper-bénéfice

Le dimanche 18 octobre

14 h à 17 h : Madame Butterfly de Puccini

Billets:

Le rossignol : 62$ (sec 5A), 97$ (sec 4A), 162$ (sec 1B)
Madame Butterfly : 68$ (sec 5A), 106$ (sec 4A), 178$ (sec 1B)
*5% de rabais pour les abonnées de La Scena Musicale
Souper : à communiquer

Réservations

* 515 948.2520

operaweekend@scena.org

http://operaweekend.scena.org

Date limite: 1 octobre 2009

LSM Opera Weekend in Toronto 2009

2009-05-21T19:55:00.006-04:00

[Version française]

Join La Scena Musicale in an opera weekend in Toronto on October 17 and 18, 2009 to see two operas over two days presented by the Canadian Opera Company: Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Stravinsky's The Nightingale and Other Short Fables (directed by Robert Lepage). Don't miss this unforgettable weekend!

All funds raised from this exceptional weekend will go towards the non-profit charitable activities of La Scena Musicale.

Order Now: (514) 948-2520 or operaweekend@scena.org

Note: La Scena Musicale will sell the opera tickets. Check back here for a recommended hotel.

ITINERARY

Saturday, October 17

4:30 pm: Stravinsky's The Nightingale and Other Short Fables (directed by Robert Lepage)

8:30 pm: Dinner

Sunday, October 18

2 pm to 5 pm: Puccini's Madama Butterfly

Tickets:

The Nightingale: $62 (sec 5A), $97 (sec 4A), $162 (sec 1B)
Madama Butterfly: $68 (sec 5A), $106 (sec 4A), $178 (sec 1B)
Dinner: to be announced

Special Discounts for LSM Subscribers: 5% off.

Reservations:

514 948.2520
operaweekend@scena.org
http://operaweekend.scena.org

Deadline: October 1, 2009

Alexander Pereira to Lead the Salzburg Festival

2009-05-21T19:36:00.001-04:00

Alexander Pereira, currently director of the Zurich Opera, has been named as the new artistic director of the Salzburg Festival from October 1, 2011. The 61-year-old Vienna native will succeed the current intendant, Jürgen Flimm, in October 2011 for a five year term. Flimm, who did not renew his contract, will take the post of intendant of Berlin's Staatsoper Unter den Linden. Pereira, widely respected for his work in Zurich, originally began his career in marketing and tourism, and worked for Olivetti for a number of years. Moving toward music management, he directed Frankfurt's Bachkonzerte (1979-1983) and later became General Secretary of the Society of Concert Halls in Vienna. He was artistic director of the Salzburg Festival in 1989 but left to lead the Zurich Opera in 1991. Certain details are being discussed but Pereira has confirmed his acceptance, according to Wihelmine Goldmann, the festival board chairman at a Tuesday press conference. Other candidates for this post included Pierre Audi, chief of Amsterdam's Netherlands Opera and Stephane Lissner, formerly director of the festival of Aix-en-Provence and now heading La Scala Opera in Milan. Last year, the Zurich Opera designated Andreas Homoki, from the Komishe Oper in Berlin, as the new GM staring in the summer of 2012, while extending the contract of Mr. Pereira for another year until that date. This "extra year" is apparently now being discussed and is not likely to pose a problem for Salzburg.

- Frank Cadenhead

CMIM - 2e journée

2009-05-21T07:09:00.003-04:00

CMIM - Mercredi 20 mai,

À l’épreuve quart de finale cet après-midi, quatre des cinq candidats étaient canadiens. On aurait presque pu dire que c’était « l’après-midi du Canada ». C’est pourtant le tirage au sort qui en a décidé ainsi.

On entendit d’abord le baryton-basse Giles Tomkins, dont le timbre agréable est plus sombre que celui des candidats présentés hier. Vint ensuite la soprano collorature Marianne Lemieux. Malgré quelques difficultés techniques qu’elle n’a apparemment pas toutes surmontées dans le Handel, elle a chanté un très expressif et coloré Je veux vivre de Gounod qui a séduit l’auditoire. Les deux autres sopranos, Charlotte Corwin et Sharleen Joynt ont rivalisé d’aisance dans les notes aigues et ont fait preuve d’une bonne maîtrise technique.

Sur les 15 femmes de la compétition, on compte 2 mezzo-sopranos et 13 sopranos, ce qui ne surprendra personne. Par contre, les voix basses dominent chez les 13 hommes. Les voix hautes sont partagées entre 3 ténors (tous les trois de Corée) et 2 contre-ténors, ce qui constitue certes une particularité. On a présenté cet après-midi le premier ténor, Byoung Nam Hwang. Malheureusement, son très court programme permettait difficilement de se rendre compte de ses possibilités.

Les deux mezzo-sopranos, Irina Shishkova (Russie) et Jennifer Borghi (Italie) se retrouvaient dans la séance de la soirée. On y entendit aussi le baryton Sidney Outlaw (États-Unis) et le contre-ténor Lee Hee Sang (Corée du Sud). La surprise agréable de la soirée fut la prestation du baryton allemand Falko Hönish qui a interprété le Kulesha (œuvre canadienne imposée) le plus coloré et le plus original entendu depuis le début de la compétition. Un chanteur raffiné et d’une grande musicalité, présentant un programme qui justifie amplement les Prix du Lied et Prix de l’oeuvre contemporaine qu’il a remportés en 2008 au Concours international de chant IVC de ‘s-Hertogenbosch, un concours de haute réputation en Hollande.

Depuis le début de la compétition, les candidats sont magnifiquement accompagnés par les pianistes Louise-Andrée Baril, Esther Gonthier, Martin Dubé et Marie-Ève Scarfone.

On peut lire un « Récit du jour » présenté par Sylvia l’Écuyer sur le site d’Espace classique : (Radio-Canada.ca/musique)

> 1ère journée

- Renée Banville

Concours Musical International de Montréal 2009 - 1ère journée

2009-05-20T08:08:00.004-04:00

Mardi 19 mai,

C’est aujourd’hui que débutait au Centre Pierre-Péladeau le Concours Musical International de Montréal (CMIM) dédié cette année au chant. 28 candidats ont été retenus pour l’épreuve quart de finale qui a lieu du 19 au 21 mai. L’ordre de passage a été déterminé hier par tirage au sort.

Pour les deux premières des six séances, nous avons entendu quatre candidats du Canada : les sopranos Leslie-Ann Bradley et Pascale Beaudin, les barytons-basses Alexandre Sylvestre et Stephen Hegedus. Les autres candidats : le baryton Leslie John Flanagan (Australie), le contre-ténor Anthony Roth Costanzo (États-Unis), la soprano Catrin Aur Davies (Royaume-Uni), la soprano Maria De Castro de Lago (Espagne) et la soprano Elena Guseva (Russie).

Le programme comprend une œuvre canadienne imposée qui a été commandée par le Concours à Gary Kulesha, à qui on a demandé une pièce qui n’avantagerait aucune langue en particulier. M. Kulesha a décidé d’y placer les mots « Darkness comes » en plusieurs langues, donnant la liberté à chaque candidat de chanter les mots dans sa propre langue.

La journée a compté de belles surprises, et trois concurrents ont particulièrement retenu mon attention. D’abord le contre-ténor Anthony Roth Costanzo, un des plus jeunes concurrents, qui possède une voix magnifique et une technique impeccable. Le public lui a accordé une ovation tout de suite après le Handel qu’il a chanté en débutant, avec une voix bien contrôlée et une grande sobriété de gestes. Dernière concurrente de l’après-midi, la soprano canadienne Pascale Beaudin a fait une prestation éblouissante et a conquis la salle tout au long de sa performance. Interprète du rôle de Zerlina dans Don Giovanni à l’Opéra de Montréal en 2007, cette jeune chanteuse possède déjà une grande maîtrise de sa voix et un talent de comédienne indéniable. Des quatre candidats de la soirée, je retiens surtout le baryton-basse Stephen Hegedus qui possède une belle présence en scène chante avec beaucoup d’expression.

On ne peut malheureusement pas entendre les candidats de l’épreuve quart de finale sur internet comme l’an dernier. Cependant, on pourra voir et entendre l’épreuve demi-finale (22 et 23 mai) en direct sur internet. Et l’épreuve finale (25 et 26 mai) sera diffusée en direct sur Espace musique, 100,7 FM à Montréal. Pour plus d’information : www.concoursmontreal.ca

- Renée Banville

2009 Montreal International Music Competition Begins May 19, 2009

2009-05-18T18:09:00.003-04:00

The Quarter Final Round of the 2009 Montreal International Music Competition will begin tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. when Canadian soprano Leslie Ann Bradley takes the stage of the Centre Pierre-Péladeau. The order of the candidates was determined today at a draw at the Maison de Jeunesses Musicales du Canada.

In all, 29 candidates from 9 countries will compete. Unlike previous years, Espace Musique will only webcast the semi-finals and finals. Check back on this blog for a daily report.

Montreal park renamed in honour of Oscar Peterson

2009-05-18T17:51:00.002-04:00

After a highly publicized but failed October 2008 attempt to rename Lionel-Groulx metro station after Oscar Peterson passed away in Mississauga in December 2007, the city of Montreal has approved the renaming of Campbell Centre park to pay tribute to the legendary jazz pianist. Plans are in motion for the park to host music festivals and other public events beginning this summer.

Peterson, an officer of the Order of Canada and Governor General’s Award winner, grew up just blocks away from the park in the Little Burgundy neighbourhood. A lobby group of local residents, The Coalition of Little Burgundy, started pushing for the name change shortly after Peterson’s passing. The same coalition, led by Université de Montreal law student Michael Citrome, had also lobbied for the renaming of the metro station.

Campbell Centre park was originally named after Charles Campbell, a lawyer who left funding for the creation of parks and music concerts for the public (the Campbell Concerts) after he passed away in 1923. Now that the approval of the Campbell family and the municipal government has been received, Campbell’s two original aims will be joined as one with a public park honouring a music great and featuring musical performances.

- Cyrstal Chan

Mahler Brings Austin Symphony Season to Triumphant Finale!

2009-05-17T16:53:00.017-04:00

Review by Paul E. Robinson

Classical Travels
THIS WEEK IN AUSTIN

The stage at the Long Center in Austin was jammed to capacity this week for performances of Mahler’s Resurrection (Symphony No, 2 in C minor). Peter Bay led the Austin Symphony and the Conspirare Symphonic Choir in a well-prepared and exciting performance. In fact, it was easily the best concert I have seen Maestro Bay conduct in Austin.

The Austin Symphony has not been ignoring Mahler. Under Peter Bay, they played the Mahler First in 1999, the Fourth in 2001 and the Fifth in 2004. The Second, however, is the most challenging of the group.

Mahler’s Second Symphony was composed over 100 years ago (1895), and remains extraordinarily difficult for conductors and orchestras to perform. The notes themselves can be demanding enough, but Mahler has made the challenge even greater by writing in hundreds of subtle tempo markings.

In matters of dynamics, Mahler routinely puts in different markings for each instrument in the same passage. This can be a nightmare for a conductor and requires hours of careful rehearsal to approximate Mahler’s conception. Peter Bay did a remarkable job in balancing the greatly enlarged Austin Symphony. From where I sat - row L on the ground floor - every instrument came through with remarkable clarity.

More to the point, Bay had gone beyond the letter of the score to conduct with passion and poetry. One small quibble; as a matter of personal preference, I wish he had treated Mahler’s glissando markings less apologetically.

The musicians too, had clearly done their homework. The basses and cellos get a workout right from the opening bars – a kind of continuation of the recitative passage from the beginning of the last movement of the Beethoven Ninth. The players rose to the task with both enthusiasm and careful attention to detail. The brass playing, both onstage and off, was just as fine and even in the loudest passages, always musical.

Scott Cantrell, in a Dallas Morning News review of this concert, mentions that the organ was “inaudible at the end.” This was not my experience. The organ makes its entrance very near the end of the last movement and its role is simply to reinforce the orchestra and chorus. It sounded fine where I sat. Mr. Cantrell’s seat was in the balcony; therein may lie the reason for our differing opinions.

In matters of acoustics, it is difficult to pinpoint what is right or wrong with a concert hall. In most halls, circumstances affecting how one hears the music differ from one concert to another; one may be sitting in a different location; the repertoire is different; the size of the orchestra may be different.

My experience at the Friday night performance of the Mahler was definitely favorable. The fact remains, however, that the Dell Hall in the Long Center is simply not in the same class with the Myerson or several other great halls one could mention. In spite of the best efforts of the ASO musicians and their conductor, as Mr. Cantrell put it “the hall lends little warmth, or richness or blend.”

This general observation notwithstanding, on this occasion, we should be celebrating the quality of this particular performance.

The Conspirare Symphonic Choir – about 100 members strong – was at a distinct disadvantage in being positioned at the very back of the shell, but sang with strength and joy. Mahler struggled with faith in God all his life, but in this symphony he wholeheartedly affirmed his belief in life after death and expressed that belief in some of the most inspiring music ever written. The members of the chorus captured this spirit.

I was less captivated by the soloists. Mezzo-soprano Susan Platts' beautiful voice seemed a little lightweight for what she had to tell us in the Urlicht movement and soprano Linda Mabbs lacked the ethereal purity her part requires.

Overall, this was Peter Bay’s night and his triumph. After ten seasons in Austin, Bay has consistently demonstrated an ability to efficiently prepare a ‘per service’ orchestra in interesting and difficult programs. He knows how to rehearse and how to get the best out of his musicians in limited rehearsal time. Even for a work as complicated as the Mahler Second Symphony, he had only the usual five rehearsals.

On the basis of this week’s Mahler performance, it is clear that in music that challenges him, Maestro Bay can also be forceful and involved.

More good news; Bay has programmed Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 for next season.

Paul E. Robinson is the author of Herbert von Karajan: the Maestro as Superstar, and Sir Georg Solti: His Life and Music, both available at Amazon.com.

Classical Music Blogs

This Week in Toronto (May 16 - 22)

2009-05-16T08:44:00.006-04:00

Scott Belluz and Peter McGillivray in The Shadow (Photo: Meghan Hall)

After the burst of operatic and concert activities throughout April and early May, we seem to have entered into a lull this week. Still there are a number of interesting events on offer, including the world premiere of The Shadow, a new opera with music by Omar Daniel and libretto by Alex Poch-Grodin. It is presented by Tapestry New Opera Works, running from May 21 to 30 at the Berkeley Street Theatre Downstairs (box office:: 416-368-3110). Below is a description of this new opera in the promotional material from Tapestry:

A world of duplicity in which a humble postman assumes the identity of a wealthy suitor to win a woman's love. Determined to maintain the ruse at all costs, he is haunted by the Shadow as he spirals deeper into debt. Set in Old Barcelona, Alex Poch-Goldin and Omar Daniel have created a world premiere opera full of intrigue, desire and deception. Director Tom Diamond and Music Director Wayne Strongman lead a stellar cast including baritone Peter McGillivray as Raoul, soprano Carla Huhtanen as Allegra and a comic turn by tenor Keith Klassen as the waiter. Renowned Canadian baritone Theodore Baerg makes his Tapestry debut as the Don and Allegra's father and countertenor Scott Belluz is The Shadow. Veteran Stratford Lighting Designer Robert Thomson and Set & Costume Designer Camellia Koo create a stunning visual world reflective of Gaudi's Barcelona. The Shadow was presented as a workshop production in Tapestry's Ernest Balmer Studio in March 2007.

For those yet to catch the COC's spring season, this will be the last week of La boheme and A Midsummer Night's Dream until May 24. An interesting event starting Friday May 22 is the Toronto Symphony Orchestra National Piano Competition. The first round of solo performances takes place at Mazzoleni Hall at the Royal Conservatory of Music, 273 Floor St. West., Toronto. Admission is by donation (suggested $10 minimum).

While on the subject of competitions, I will be attending Montreal International Musical Competition is Voice Edition, Chant 2009, from May 19 to 28. Twenty-nine singers from nine countries (including eleven Canadians) have been invited to Montreal to participate in the competition. Among the jurors are Dame Gwyneth Jones, Tom Krause, and Sherrill Milnes. If you are interested in discovering new voices, this is the place to be. If you cannot make your way to Montreal, you can follow the twists and turns of the drama right on your computer! Espace Musique of Radio Canada will offer live video and audio coverage. For details, go to www.concoursmontreal.ca