chickenfeet

There are two new productions running at the COC; a fun Così fan tutte with Sir Thomas Allen, Tracy Dahl and a fabulous quartet of lovers and an inriguing, Kennedy era, Un ballo in maschera with a superb performance by Adrienne Pieczonka. I also got out to York Uni to see The Beggar's Opera and to UoT to see works by student composers. There were recitals by Tracy Dahl and the COC Ensemble Studio and I wrote a bit of a rant about misconceptions about modern/contemporary music.

2014 kicked off with my annual physical because nothing says "Happy New Year" like a finger up one's arse. I seem to be in reasonably good shape bar this cough that won't go away and rather high blood pressure. Those two mean I have the bumper fun bag of inhalers and meds to work with for the time being. Also I'm being good about exercising again (so far).

Work now includes a rather intimidating strategy project on top of everything else but no definitive word about my future post March 30th.

Recent DVD reviews include Busoni's Doktor Faustus; a christmas present from the lemur, a rather unthrilling Elektra from Baden-Baden and Puccini's Il Trittico from the Royal Opera House. Live performances are a bit thin on the ground right now but I'll kick into high gear on January 18th when COC starts up again with Così fan tutte. I'm hoping to interview Sir Thomas Allen ahead of the premier.

Otherwise it's snow, freezing rain and arctic temperatures.

Live reviews:

Richard Margison at Koerner Hall
Against the Grain's choreographed Messiah

On video disk:

Thaïs with Renée Fleming and Tom Hampson
A rather good Rape of Lucretia from ENO
A less satisfactory Gloriana from Covent Garden
A weirdly spectacular Orfeo ed Euridice from Les Fura dels Baus

On CD:

An interesting and unusual Christmas album; Christmas at Casa Diva

and more thoughts of the COC's Rufus Wainwright commission

Topher Mokrzewski's take on the Rob Ford debacle

Joel Ivany's production of Korngold's Silent Serenade

First class Blu-ray of Die Zauberflöte from Simon Rattle and Robert Carsen

Also the lemur and I are off to New York on Monday for a few days of kulchur which will involve several galleries and Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Met. First though I have a Mozart Requiem to attend to commemorate a year since the death of the young sister of a friend. It's in a good cause.

Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur gets the all star treatment at Covent Garden. More...

The free concert season in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre is kicked off by the artists of the Ensemble Studio and a special guest. More...

A little dissertation on why I like stagings of Handel's oratorios.

A second look at the Channel Four film of Britten's Owen Wingrave.

Philippe Sly and Julius Drake at Walter Hall.

Toronto is very seasonal. After a crazy April/May when it seemed I was at a performance of some kind every other night things went very quiet. Most of the music scene moves to cottage country during the summer which is kind of a drag for an an urban animal like myself. Onre of the few exceptions is the Toronto Summer Music Festival thsat runs until August 3rd. last night was the opening; a concert by the French ensemble Trio Pennetier Pasquier Pidoux. Here's my review.

Recital of readings and vocal music on the theme of "winged creatures" featuring R.H. Thomson, Vicki St. Pierre, Erin Bardua and the Talisker Players. More...

Ruth is a new piece by Jeffrey Ryan and Michael Lewis MacLennan that was workshopped at Tapestry last night. It's not exactly an opera but it is an interesting genre piece. More...

This opera critic lark is turning into a second job. This last Sunday to Thursday involved attending five performances; two operas, two concerts and the premier of a new chamber work. Back out tonight for a workshop performance of a new work "in development" plus music related events on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. I didn't pay for the tickets for any of them. And I got mistaken for John Terauds yesterday.

After twenty years of bringing new music to Toronto, Canada and the world Queen of Puddings Music Theatre bow out with the premier of Chris Paul Harman's La selva de los relojes; a chamber setting of texts by Lorca. More...

Yesterday saw the premiere of Norbert Palej's Small Songs; a work commissioned by the Canadian Art Song Project. More...

An interesting chamber concert by the Amici Ensemble. More...

A brilliant DVD of Rossini's Il Turco in Italia. More...

Last night we were out in the industrial west end for an eclectic programme of Reich, Britten, Adams and Weill from the ever intriguing Against the Grain Theatre. More...

For the second time this week I got to see a performance of works by Kaija Saariaho. It was very impressive. Write up and photos.

Yesterday's concert at the RBA featured the Zodiac Trio playing music by Soviet composers. Review here.

via

bopeepsheep

Current Mood: amused

BBC Radio 3(*) recently broadcast a series of 15 minute essays about Henry Purcell. Andrew Pinnock, who quite unbeknown to me is an economic and social historian of the music business as well as a performer, produced this little gem which argues, inter alia, that Purcell and his collaborators created most of the essential ingredients of the modern commercial music industry. It's well worth fifteen minutes.

(*)However crass and vulgar the rest of the BBC becomes there will be hope as long as Radio 3 survives.

via

damiel, Twelve Tone's Greatest Hits

Current Mood: amused

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Entries tagged with music

Recent reviews

Into 2014

Recent music stuff

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Sex and violets

Staging oratorios

Music stuff

Toronto Summer Music festival

On the Wing

Ruth

My second job

Goodbye Queen of Puddings

Canadian Art Song Project

Music this weekend

Seven Deadly Sins

Another lunchtime with Kaija Saariaho

Zodiac Trio

The Hallelujah Chorus as you've never quite seen it before

The economics of the music business in the 17th century

Pure genius

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