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.

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.

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.

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...

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...

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

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

via bopeepsheep

via damiel, Twelve Tone's Greatest Hits