Elza van den Heever and the MET Orchestra: A stunning all-Strauss program
Reviews
In Review: Written On Skin
ReviewI didn’t now much about Written on Skin, except that it had its premiere in 2012 at Aix-en-Provence, and the next year it ran at the Royal Opera House. As I sat in Roy Thomson Hall, I was surprised at how immediately I thought, “Oh, I have to see this staged.” It’s a rare thing for an in-concert opera to jump out at me with its visual potential, but something about Written on Skin really stuck in my head.
Toronto Masque Theatre, or Clowning Around
ReviewLast night I went for the first time to see Toronto Masque Theatre, who are in the middle of their 11th season. I don't know much bout the masque tradition, but I've learned that it was most popular in the 16th and early 17th centuries, and combined music, acting, dancing, and even architecture into a piece of theatre meant to flatter the man paying for all of it. So You Want To Write A Masque? was a fun look at how this art form comes together.
In review: La belle Hélène
ReviewLast night I went to see opening night of the Glenn Gould School's production of Offenbach's La belle Hélène.
In review: Tap:Ex Tables Turned, or Go See This Show
ReviewLast night was the first of two performances of Tapestry's 2nd annual Tap:Ex (Tapestry Explorations/Experimentations), this time the program is Tables Turned, featuring the music of Montréal-based composer and turn table artist Nicole Lizée, with percussionist Ben Reimer and the spectacular soprano Carla Huhtanen.
Lieder for Lunch: the COC Ensemble Studio in Recital
ReviewReview of COC Ensemble Studio members Gordon Bintner, Andrew Haji, and Jennifer Szeto, with Head of the Ensemble Studio, Liz Upchuch, in recital at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, April 9, 2015.
In review: Orpheus & Eurydice at Opera Atelier
ReviewA collaborative review with contributor Greg Finney of Opera Atelier production of Orpheus & Eurydice at Opera Atelier.
In review: Street Scene
ReviewOn Sunday afternoon I went to see VOICEBOX: Opera In Concert's production of Street Scene at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. Kurt Weill's "American Opera", with text by Elmer Rice and Langston Hughes, is a fantastic piece, and I agreed with Artistic Director Guillermo Silva-Marin when he said that the show doesn't get done enough.
In review: Tcherniakov's Don Giovanni
ReviewAfter much anticipation (and averting my eyes from the opening night reviews), I had the chance to see the COC's current production of Don Giovanni, directed and designed by Dmitri Tcherniakov, and conducted by Michael Hofstetter. The production was new to me, and my curiosity was piqued by some press photos and a few rumoured details.
He said/she said: Songbook V
ReviewMarking the end of my weekend hat-trick of stuff to see, was Tapestry’s Songbook V. It’s the fifth year of Tapestry’s New Opera 101 Program, which gives singers and pianists a chance to work on contemporary opera with some of the best in the business; the rep is chosen from within Tapestry’s impressive library of commissions.
In review: Modern (Family) Opera
ReviewLast night Opera 5 opened their double bill, Modern (Family) Opera, which was made up of Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari’s Il segreto di Susanna and the world première of Darren Russo’s new opera, Storybook. Stage directors Grace Smith (Wolf-Ferrari) and Opera 5 Artistic Director Aria Umezawa shared the double bill, bringing their unique styles to two pieces that couldn’t have been more different.