Elza van den Heever and the MET Orchestra: A stunning all-Strauss program
Short list: this month with the TSO
NewsNovember is a great month for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and I figured I'd share a couple of my picks for the coming weeks.
Gems: Millan & Faye's Top 10 Opera Deaths
HumourSinging through tuberculosis, poisonous leaves, or death by high note? Millan & Faye are soprano and opera comedienne Kyra Millan, and pianist and straight man extraordinaire Tina Faye. In this hilarious short, they opera's ten best death scenes in under 5 minutes. I'll admit to laughing out loud at Rigoletto.
Gems: The Operatic Alphabet
HumourOpera comedienne duo Millan & Faye are soprano Kyra Millan and Tina Faye, pianist extraordinaire. In this little short, they go right back to basics with their operatic stylings of...the alphabet. Talk about singing on your consonants.
Aptly named: The Living Spectacle
NewsTonight the Canadian Art Song Project presents The Living Spectacle, a recital of music, new and old, Canadian and otherwise. On paper, it may not look much different from other recitals; I had a chance to see the dress rehearsal of tonight's concert, and not only was it extraordinary in presentation, but it got me genuinely excited about Canadians who make music.
Tools: The Big Book of Variable Income
NewsHow's it going, freelancers? All going according to plan? Said plan made well in advance? In case the answer is "no", or even a hesitant "yes", Rags to Reasonable has a new tool to help: The Big Book of Variable Income.
Aria Guides: Quando m'en vo
How-ToFor our next instalment of Aria Guides, we're sticking with the tried and true pick of divas around the world, "Quando me'n vo" from Puccini's La bohème. It's got everything you really want in an aria: girl tries to make her ex-boyfriend jealous, and she does it by singing sexy lines and shimmering high notes.
In review: The Telephone & The Medium
ReviewThe University of Toronto Opera opened a double bill last night, pairing together two of Menotti's most well-loved works, The Telephone (1946) and The Medium (1945). I saw the first of two casts in what I thought was a beautifully detailed production by director Michael Albano.
Meet the new Atelier lyrique: Myriam Leblanc
InterviewSoprano Myriam Leblanc is from St. Lazare, outside of Montréal, and this is her first season with the Atelier lyrique. She has a background playing the violin, and she has studied choral directing, but her love of singing opera began with a glance at a score of Puccini's La bohème. Videographer Anne Kostalas followed Myriam on a hike at Mont Saint Bruno, where she likes to spend her time when she's not singing.
Opera directors: an unfair disadvantage?
Op-edIt's odd when you think about it too much: opera companies generally employ a person who is less musically literate than many 10-year old pianists, to make directorial choices in a theatre genre where music is the vital vehicle of the story. So, why isn't a strong musical background a prerequisite for directing opera?
She said/He said: Centre Stage 2015
ReviewLast night, I went with Greg Finney to Centre Stage, the Canadian Opera Company's Ensemble Studio Competition. The competition is the culmination of nationwide auditions, narrowing the 120 applicants down to eight young Canadian singers. Dressed in gorgeous gowns and suits (gifted to them from The Hudson's Bay Company's Queen Street store), finalists sing on the Four Seasons Centre stage, with the COC Orchestra led by Music Director Johannes Debus. It's a pretty big deal for these aspiring young singers.