In review: The Devil Inside

Review

Oh yeah, and like all good wish-based fairy tales, there's a caveat. If you die in possession of this bottle, your soul is damned to hell for all time; if you sell it, you must sell it for less than you paid for it. Two hours and a bunch of bad decisions later, we find the characters in a very interesting predicament. I won't spoil the show for you, but trust me, it's gooooooooood!

In review: Strauss & Brahms at the Barbican

Review

It's a piece that contains within it all that's needed to pack a punch; Brahms can get a reputation for being un-fun, and less imaginative than some of his contemporaries (like Strauss and Wagner), yet there was always something respectful about his music-first approach to telling a story. The City of London Choir and the Philharmonic Orchestra delivered thrilling waves of sound in those fantastic moments of "Denn alles Fleisch...", and the soloists rang through the Hall like encouraging cries from a mass of bodies.

Album review: Cloud Light

Review

The Canadian Art Song Project has released its second full-length recording (the first being 2014's Ash Roses), which features the music of Polish-born composer Norbert Palej (currently teaching at the University of Toronto), performed by five important Canadian artists of today. Cloud Light, released this year by Centrediscs, is an album of music "that actively grapples with the modern understanding of art song and demonstrates that it is still a genre capable of the most profound musical expression and innovation."

In review: Paul Appleby at Wigmore Hall

Review

It's noteworthy when a singer, in the midst of a busy schedule on the opera stage, is equally dedicated to his work in recital. Tenor Paul Appleby is a thoughtful artist, and he seems to relish the chance not only to tell many small stories in one sitting, but to collect them into a larger story arc of his own creation.

In review: Il trittico at ROH

Review

We were thrilled to get a three-for-one deal with our inaugural trip to the ROH, in the form of Richard Jones' production of Puccini's Il trittico. The through line holding together the stories of Il tabarro, Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi was the original theme: the fact that Puccini wrote them. The shows looked as different as the stories they told, and it was a true feast for opera lovers with slight ADD.

In review: The Talisker Players & Spirit Dreaming

Review

The night's program, Spirit Dreaming, was a presentation of various creation myths from around the world. The eclectic program included readings from "Beginnings: Creation Myths of the World", edited by Penelope Farmer, and "In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World", compiled by Virginia Hamilton, read wonderfully by actor Andrew Moodie.

Quasi review: The Ensemble Studio's Figaro

Review

These annual performances are often a cornerstone for the members of the Ensemble Studio. It's a unique experience, both as a performance and as a learning process; rarely in their lives will these young artists have so much rehearsal time, coachings with multiple members of music staff, or compounded staging rehearsals (both as understudies and as principal roles).

In review: Dmitri Hvorostovsky at Koerner Hall

Review

He sang with that delicious, velvety focus in his sound, and it struck me how rare it is to hear a baritone sing as consistently lyrically as he does. At 53, Hvorostovsky still has that enormous breath control, and the unfailing legato we all love; there was youth and fitness in his sound, and it was thrilling to watch.

Second opinion: The Marriage of Figaro at the COC

Review

While I loved the added element of the character "Cherubim" representing the chaos that can be wreaked by the basest desires of each of the characters, I feel like we lost a lot of the original Beaumarchais and Da Ponte brilliance. A lot of the sexuality seemed gratuitous, I think in this examination of class and propriety, there has to be a level of decorum and innuendo, or it just looks like you're trying to "sex up some Mozart".

In review: Squeezebox

Review

In an eclectic program that only an accomplished company like Soundstreams can pull off, we were treated to Squeezebox, a program of instruments from the accordion family, which is a thing, and includes one played with your mouth (think harmonica meets tiny bagpipes and has a threesome with an accordion.)