Singable text: when composers make it tricky

Humour

One of the biggest signs of that a composer has written well for the voice is when he or she sets the text in an organic way. In a broad sense, this means finding a rhythm and melody that works with the text, allowing it to be expressed the way the composer wants. In the same way that Verdi seemed to naturally fuse his music with the librettos he set, there are just as many examples of text setting that seems unnatural.

Arianna Zukerman: "You've got to live your truth."

Interview

"Not having balance is destructive and at the end of the day, as much as I love singing and constantly working to hone my craft and improve and present excellence, I'm not getting a hug from a perfectly turned phrase at the end of the day. If I can't be present as a mom, wife, friend, then I'm not going to be the singer I want to be either. Also, I have learned truly not to sweat the small stuff."

Hilarious: Darth Vader's theme in a major key

Humour

When we were still in university, my classmates and I would nerd out on playing things like "Deh vieni, non tardar" in F minor, or "Mein Herr, Marquis" in G minor, and it was hilarious to us for reasons I can't quite articulate. This reminds me of those times.

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.

A call for new music: FAWN Chamber Creative

News

Composers interested in submitting must do so by March 18, 2016, and FAWN is accepting a 1-5 minute recording of their work, plus the corresponding score, a bio, résumé, and a short summary of their compositional interests. The instrumentation is specific, and works must be include some or all of: tenor (voice), cello, electronics, percussion, and acoustic guitar.

What's on at the Met: 2016/17

Editorial

There are a few exciting surprises, though. First and foremost, Kaija Saariaho's L'amour de loin will hit the stage in December 2016, marking the Met's first opera by a woman since 1903. Delightfully, maestra Susanna Mälkki makes her Met debut on the podium for this new production by Robert Lepage. The casting is interesting to me; Eric Owens is Jaufé Rudel, Susanna Phillips is Clémence, and Tamara Mumford is Pélérin (The Pilgrim).

The COC Ensemble's Marriage of Figaro

Interview

On Monday, February 22nd at Toronto's Four Seasons Centre, the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio takes the main stage for their performance of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. This is an annual highlight for the young artists, who take on the task of understudying the main cast, on top of countless hours of preparation for their very special night.

Newbies at the opera

Op-ed

We entered the theatre and got to our seats minutes before the curtain rose. The stage set was simple and yet magnificent with a full staircase as the main backdrop, and then the orchestra started and the singing began, WOW! The voices. I never thought operas could be so humorous and enjoyable, I always thought operas were serious and tragic with the cliché of a fat lady in a flowing floor length gown and horned helmet - was I wrong!

Yes, please: Jonas Kaufmann on the big screen

News

For two hours, Kaufmann and the Filarmonica take us through Puccini's whole body of work; the programme includes arias from his lesser-known work (like his first opera, Le ville), as well as the hits we're all dying to hear again and again. This includes gorgeous orchestral works, like the famous interlude form Madama Butterfly.