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Transcript of TMS9-2 layout V2.qxd TMS9-2 pXX layout 11-04-17 6:07 ... - The Music … · Music has that effect....
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MAY - La Scena MusicaleGuide to Summer Jazz, World andFolk FestivalsDistribution: 25,000 copies in QuebecAd Deadline: 2011-04-25Guide Deadline: 2010-04-21
Summer - The Music SceneGuide to Summer Jazz, World andFolk Festivals, plus Guide to SummerClassical Music and Arts Festivals.
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4 SPRING 2011
5 EDITORIAL9 NOTES / NEWS ITEMS10 SHANNON MERCER
A TRADEMARK VOICE12 MULRONEY: THE OPERA13 WISH OPERA / ROSE MARIE14 OTTAWA CONCERT PREVIEWS16 SOUTHERN ONTARIO
VOCAL PREVIEWS17 SOUTHERN ONTARIO
INSTRUMENTAL PREVIEWS18 SUMMER CAMPS SPECIAL
» Lakefield Music Camp» Shannon Mercer on music camps
22 INTERNATIONAL OPERA FESTIVALS24 REVIEWS: CDS & DVDS26 PHILIPPE SLY /
MET OPERA AUDITION WINNER
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SPRING CLASSICAL FESTIVALS
SPRING 2011
» CONTENTS
FOUNDING EDITORSWah Keung Chan – Philip Anson
THE MUSIC SCENEVOL. 9.2 – SPRING 2011PUBLISHERLa Scène MusicaleBOARD OF DIRECTORS Wah Keung Chan (prés.), Gilles Cloutier(v.p.), Iwan Edwards, Holly Higgins-Jonas, Sandro Scola EDITOR-IN-CHIEFWah Keung ChanASSOCIATE EDITORJoseph K. SoASSISTANT EDITORCrystal ChanCD EDITORLaura BatesCOPY EDITORMiriam Clouthier
CONTRIBUTORS Stephen Habington, Norman Lebrecht,Shannon Mercer, Pemi Paull, Paul E. Robin-son, Joseph K. So, L.H. Tiffany TsiehART DIRECTORAdam NorrisPRODUCTION MANAGERCrystal ChanPRODUCTION ASSISTANT Rebecca ClarkCOVER PHOTO Andreas KlinbergOFFICE & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Julie BerardinoSUBSCRIPTIONS & FUNDRAISING COORDINATORFjóla EvansREGIONAL CALENDAREric LegaultWEBSITENormand Vandray, Michael VincentBOOKEEPERSKamal Ait Mouhoub, Mourad Ben Achour
VOLUNTEERSWah Wing Chan, Virginia Lam, Lilian I. Li-ganor, Stephen Lloyd
ADVERTISINGSmail Berraoui, Marc Chénard, Ioan Hipp, Claudio Pinto(514) 948-0509 www.ads.scena.org
ADDRESSES5409 Waverly Street, Montreal(Quebec) Canada H2T 2X8Tel. : (514) 948-2520Fax : (514) [email protected] www.scena.orgProduction/artwork: [email protected]
THE MUSIC SCENE is the English Canada sister publication of La Scena Musicale. It is dedicated to the promotion of classical music and jazz. TMS is published two times a yearby La Scène Musicale / The Music Scene, a registerednon-profit organization and charity. Inside, readerswill find articles, interviews, and reviews. La ScenaMusicale is Italian for The Music Scene.
SUBSCRIPTIONSOntario subscribers receive the bi-annual The Music Scene FREE with subscription to La ScenaMusicale. Surface mail subscriptions (Canada)cost $40/yr or $73/2 yrs (taxes included) to coverpostage and handling costs. Please mail, fax oremail your name, address, telephone no., fax no.,and email address.
Donations are always welcome. (no. 14199 6579 RR0001)Ver: 2011-04-18© La Scène Musicale/The Music Scene
All rights reserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced without the written permission ofLa Scena Musicale / The Music Scene.
ISSN 1916-159X (Print) / ISSN 1916-1603 (Online) / Canada Post Publication Mail SalesAgreement No. 40025257
NEXT ISSUE »The Music Scene Summer 2011Canadian music and arts festivalsAppearance: June 3, 2011Ad deadline: May 27, 2011
ADRIANNEPIECZONKA
The reigning Canadian prima donna speaks openly about her art and her life.
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Vissi d’arte
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EDITORIALast December 9, The Music Scene/La Scena Musicale concludedits 2010 Endowment Fund campaign with an entertainingrecital featuring soprano Aline Kutan, pianist Martin Dubé andtrombonist Matthew Russell at the Westmount home of Mar-garet Lefebvre. About 35 people braved the snow and traffic fora selection of traditional English carols featuring brass, an Armenian hymn and arias from Lakmé and Roméo et Juliette.The prevailing comment heard afterward was that theevening was magical. Music has that effect.
As for our Endowment Fund, thanks to supporters at ourtwo fundraisers (the first was in Toronto on November 5, 2010
and featured Phillip Addis and Car-olyn Maule) and 150 other donors,we raised $40,000, which theQuebec government’s PlacementsCulture program will generouslymatch with another $60,000, creating a total $100,000 fund.The grant stipulates that we deposit the money in the Founda-tion of Greater Montreal for a pe-
riod of 10 years and that we benefit from the annual interestearned. We hope that this will help TMS in the long term. Seepage 21 for the list of donors.
For those who missed our first Endowment Fund Campaign,your donation will still count as we will be launching a secondEndowment Fund campaign later this year. In the short term,we are planning more fundraising activities for 2011 to helpwith our operating budget, including more intimate concerts.
Last Valentine’s Day, La Scena Musicale helped spread romantic cheer through our first Singing Valentines fundraiser.Seven singers, including members of the Atelier Lyrique of theOpéra de Montréal (mezzos Aidan Fergerson and Emma Parkin-son and baritones Philip Kalmanovitch and Pierre Rancourt),
serenaded 25 valentines from across Canada over thephone. The other three singers were mezzo Rebecca
Harvey, baritone Jeremy Carver-James and yourstruly. Thanks again to our volunteer singers (see the
ad on page 31 to visit their websites).The most popular request was Saint-
Saëns’s “Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix,”followed by “My Funny Valentine.” Other
songs offered included “L’invitation auvoyage,” “Morgen” and “Che gelida
manina.” The singers from the Ate -lier Lyrique reported that helpingmake the day for the valentineswas the ultimate reward, showing
again what live music can do. Theidea was inspired by my many years of
phoning birthday greetings tofriends and family, and the sur-prised and thrilled reaction it got.Based on the positive feedback,
we will offer birthday greetings as well as greetings forMother’s Day. To order a song or to be volunteer singer, pleaseemail [email protected]
In the coming months, we will be launching an online auc-tion of music and arts related items. We need the help of musicians and artists. Please contact us at fundraising@ lascena.org to donate goods or services for the auction.
This Spring 2011 issue of The Music Scene is a special onOpera. Canada’s leading dramatic soprano, Adrianne Piec-zonka, is the cover artist. She performs at the COC as well asin recital at Koerner Hall this spring. Profiles of Shannon Mercer, coverage of Wish Opera, the new opera on Brian Mulroney, a profile of 2011 MET Audition winner Ottawa bass- baritone Philippe Sly, and previews of upcoming vocal concertsround out our opera coverage. And we’re proud to providereaders with four guides in this issue: summer camps, sub-scription series, international music festivals and Canadianspring classical music festivals. In addition, check out our concert picks in Toronto and Ottawa as well as our CD reviews.
Have a great musical spring.
LWAH KEUNG CHANFOUNDING EDITORThe Music SceneLa Scena Musicale / La SCENA
Vocal star SHANNON MERCER is featured this month on page 10
Canadian politicsmeets opera in
Mulroney: The Opera;page 12
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“Iam like the tortoise in ‘The Tortoiseand the Hare’—slow and steady!”quips soprano Adrianne Pieczonkawith a touch of self-effacing humour.Maybe so, but it is the textbook case
of “slow and steady wins the race.” Since her debutin 1987 as the female convict in the COC Lady Mac-beth of Mtsensk, Pieczonka’s career has been ap-proaching the quarter-century mark, which many ofher diva colleagues fail to reach. Her calendar isbooked well in advance, with plum assignments insome of the most prestigious venues in Europe andNorth America—Vienna, Munich, Berlin, Bayreuth,the Met, the COC, to name a few. Celebrated for herWagner and Strauss, Pieczonka has also won acclaimin the Italian repertoire in recent years, as Amelia inSimon Boccanegra, Elisabetta in Don Carlos, and in thetitle role of Tosca, which she sang in San FranciscoOpera and was simulcast to thousands at the AT&TPark. Last season, she had her first Met in HD expo-sure, as Amelia opposite the great Plácido Domingo.Her newest role, Senta in Wagner’s Die fliegende Hol-lander at the Paris and Vienna operas garnered ravereviews. A sign of her increasing stature, Pieczonkareceived the title of Kammersangerin at the ViennaState Opera, as well as the Order of Canada. Last fall,she received her first honorary doctorate bestowedupon her by McMaster University in Hamilton, astone’s throw from Burlington, where the sopranogrew up. Five years ago, after living in Europe foreighteen years, Pieczonka returned to Canada andbought a home in Toronto, which she shares with herpartner in life and in art, mezzo-soprano Laura Tuckerand their five-year old daughter Grace. Recently thesinger was able to spend some time at home be-tween gigs. During this brief hiatus, she attended theopening of The Art of Canadian Music, an exhibitionof thirty paintings of famous Canadian musicians atthe John B. Aird Gallery in Queen’s Park. PortraitistTadeusz Biernot has created a strikingly original workon the soprano, at 60 x 78 cm, easily the largest can-vas in the exhibition. Taking time out from preparingfor her upcoming Desdemona for Deutsche OperBerlin, Pieczonka graciously agreed to meet for a long,wide-ranging conversation about her life and her art:
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Congratulations on your success as Senta. Tell us about your experience of singing this role in Vienna…You know it’s funny—Senta was never a role I was dying to sing. Vocally it’sa real challenge—very dramatic and very high. It requires youthfulness inthe voice and a ringing top. This was the second time I did it, the first wasin Paris, and I’ll do it again next year in Bayreuth with Thielemann. I’m con-scious of not filling my calendar with too many Sentas. Just like Sieglinde,it has been a very rewarding part for me—I got fantastic reviews in the WillyDecker production in Paris. It’s surprising that the roles you don’t think aregoing to be so great turn out to be so rewarding.
You are known for your Wagner and Strauss, but you’ve been addingmore and more Italian roles. You’re singing Tosca all over, including theCOC next season. How do you manage to switch back and forth betweenthe Italian and the German repertoires? The answer may disappoint you—I approach them the same way! I workedon Desdemona a little bit this morning… Of course you have to think of thedifference in the language, a bit more legato and more portamenti in Italianand not so much in the German rep, although I use it in Senta—and in Elsatotally! I’ll be doing Amelia in Ballo and Aïda, both big roles. I try to sing lyri-cally, and to use piano whenever I can and to keep the lightness in my voice.
When you prepare a role, do you listen to recordings? Who do you listen to? When I was preparing Amelia in Simon Boccanegra, I listened to Tebaldi. ForTosca, I watched Callas and Gobbi video from Covent Garden… just to watchher intensity, her gestures and her eyes! When I was preparing Senta, I triedto find who could be the ideal Senta for me. You’ve got Varady and Studer;and then there’s Anja Silja who did it at twenty—crazy!
Let’s talk a little about your upcoming COC Ariadne, one of your signa-ture roles. Ariadne is a woman who can only be fulfilled by having a manin her life. Given the 21st century post-feminist critique, isn’t she a littleold- fashioned? Why do you love her so much? It’s not fair! (laughs) Look at Senta and Elsa—a lot of Wagner is misogynis-tic. You know I don’t have an issue with Ariadne, if you think of her as a Greekgoddess and you put yourself back in her time. Maybe she’s a bit mad; […]maybe she has lost touch with reality. You have this polarization—in thePrologue she’s the diva, and then in the Opera itself you have this forlorn,bereft woman. I am married to a woman, so why am I even doing this role?Because the music is glorious! The duet between Zerbinetta and the Com-poser is so beautiful. I just sang Ariadne in Munich with Alice (Coote) andJane (Archibald). It was wonderful. I hope the Toronto audience will love it.
It’s a subtle opera—the Composer’s ode to music is so beautiful, and Zerbi-netta’s aria is always a showstopper. My music is more cerebral—sometimesI must say you sing and sing, and…. (more laughs)
If you had to choose between “Ein schönes war” and “Es gibt ein Reich,”which would you pick?“Ein Schönes war”—it’s so beautiful! And it’s more difficult, more ex-posed…those B-flats have to be floated. “Es gibt” doesn’t move me as much.Do you know one of my first professional jobs was as Naiad in Ariadne? InVancouver, Jean Stilwell, Martha Collins and I were the nymphs! Judy Forstwas the Composer, Mary Jane Johnson was Ariadne and Barbara Kilduff wasZerbinetta.
You also have concerts coming up in Toronto—your recital at Koerner Halland Beethoven’s 9th at the Black Creek Festival. Have you sung in Koer-ner Hall before? What’s on the recital program?No I haven’t even heard a classical concert there yet—only Barbara Cook!It’s a very impressive facility… world class, really. I’m so pleased they askedme, even though it’s a bit challenging for me as it’s during the run of Ariadne.It’s an all-German program—Schubert, Strauss, and Wagner’s WesendonckLieder. My pianist is Brian Zeger. And I’m going to sing some show tunes atthe end as homage to Barbara Cook. She is 83 but she still has that youth-ful quality—she sounds like a young girl! As to Black Creek, I’ve only beenthere for tennis! When I look at the line-up, with Domingo and Maazel—wow, it’s right for Toronto. Bravo!
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IT’S SURPRISING THAT THE ROLESYOU DON’T THINK ARE GOING TO BE
SO GREAT TURN OUT TO BE SO REWARDING…
CANADIAN PAINTER TADEUSZ BIERNOT unveils his portrait of Adrianne Pieczonka
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8 SPRING 2011
ON THE ROADWhen I’m on the road I still wake up early,often before 8 a.m., even on the day of a per-formance—strange but true! I like to go for apower walk or do some yoga in the morningafter breakfast, then vocalize around 11 a.m.or noon if it’s a performance day. I eat ataround 2 or 3 p.m. and then I don't eat untilafter the performance. I try to eat things likefish or chicken with some rice or potatoesand I also try to avoid heavy meals after ashow. I take a catnap after lunch. I try toskype my family at breakfast (Toronto time),as this is a wonderful way to stay connectedto my family. What did we ever do beforeskype—it’s the most marvelous inventionand it’s free! It’s hard on the road when I’mseparated from my family for weeks at a timebut I just try to make the most of each dayand keep positive!
A Day inthe Life
of aPrima
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AT HOMEWhen I am home, I’m usually not perform-ing so I tend to focus on my family. Need Isay I’m a morning person—I get up early,around 7 a.m. and make breakfast for ourdaughter Grace and take her to school by8:15. Then I practice for about an hour and ahalf—I enjoy doing this in the morning, sothat the day is then free for other things. Ilike taking power walks or working out atthe gym. School pick up for grace is 3 p.m.,and often we will have a play date at ourhouse. Dinner is about 5:30 p.m. and bothLaura and I enjoy cooking. I enjoy readingstories to Grace at bedtime. Then I like torelax by watching a bit of television, readingor soaking in the tub! I’m often in bed by 10p.m.! I've never been a night owl but I doenjoy going out for dinner with friends or tothe theatre or a concert.
You’ve mentioned that you enjoy teaching. What draws you to teaching? What makes a good teacher? I think teaching for me is a combination ofpassing on my knowledge and experienceas well as continuing to delve into themystery of singing. It’s a never-endingprocess and I am amazed at how much Ilearn from working with each singer. I amstill very much evolving as a voice teacherand feel that there are still several yearsuntil I can dedicate myself wholly to teach-ing. I don't think there is a certain recipethat makes a good teacher—some famoussingers were not good teachers. So to be agood teacher it’s not necessary to havehad a big career as a professional singer. Ithink empathy and excellent listeningskills are imperative. A young singer isoften on an emotional journey and therecan be tears and frustration along the way.A good teacher will approach each pupilas an individual and be sensitive to thestudent’s needs.
You are now in the 24th year of your career, a very good length by any standard. To what do you attribute your longevity? How do you keep your voicehealthy and in good condition? I make sure there are breaks in my calendar,not just going from one job to the next, tak-ing summer vacations. I keep working withmy teachers—Mary Morrison here inToronto, and Hilde Zadek when I’m in Europe. I’ve been working hard to keep thelyricism in my voice as much as possible. It’seasy to get on a wrong track vocally andstart singing too heavily. I’ve discovered thatsometimes 'less is more' and the ability tofloat and sing pianissimo is imperative tomy technique and approach. I often feelthat singing pianissimo is a dying art now -
adays. I’m proud that my career is in its 3rd
decade while so many singers today oftendon't end up singing more than 10 yearsprofessionally. Like I mentioned, my “tor-toise mentality” has been good in that Ihave been patient and never been keen tobe an overnight star. The pressure has beentaken off and I am content to sing wonder-ful roles in wonderful houses, and not be amedia darling or megastar.
What (and who) are the most importantthings (and people) in your life now? Ifyou were to draw your career to a closetomorrow, how do you want to be remembered? Of course we all knowthat you have many years ahead of youcareer-wise, but it is nice once in awhileto reflect and take stock... My family is the most important thing inmy life. That being said, I feel I have recently developed a new level of devotionand commitment to my singing and to mycareer—it’s very interesting! But my fam-ily grounds me and brings me such joy andpleasure. Singing does this as well but,alas, it is fleeting! If I were to quit singingtomorrow, I'd like to be remembered as anartist who has brought joy to many peopleand who was a generous person who enjoyed nurturing young singers.
Speaking of young singers, what advicedo you have for these aspiring artistsready to step into the opera world?Enjoy your lives! Enjoy the journey you areon, and be thankful you are able to singglorious music. Be passionate about yourart… embrace it and go for it!
» April 30, May 3 - 29: Strauss's Ariadne aufNaxos, title role, Canadian Opera Company coc.ca» May 7: Recital, Koerner Hall rcmusic.ca
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NEWS
by CRYSTAL CHAN AND JOSEPH K. SO
ALAIN TRUDEL THE NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRA LONDON Orchestra London announced on April 6 that Orchestre symphonique de Laval’s Alain Trudelwill be its new music director. This follows severalguest appearances by Trudel with the OL. Trudelis also the artistic director and principal conduc-tor of the National Broadcast Orchestra, an en-semble created by CBC Radio Orchestra musiciansafter it was disbanded, the principal guest con-ductor of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, theconductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Or-chestra, and a regularly invited conductor of theNational Youth Orche stra of Canada. The OL per-forms over 50 concerts each season. CC
NINTH GLENN GOULD PRIZE LAUREATE IS LEONARD COHENOut of a shortlist of other distinguished interna-tional artists, singer-songwriter-poet LeonardCohen has been presented with the $50,000Glenn Gould Prize. The award is presented everytwo years to a living artist in recognition of life-time achievement. One of his most-covered sig-nature tunes is “Hallelujah.” Recent past laureatesinclude el Sistema founder Dr. José Antonio Abreu(2008), Pierre Boulez (2002), Oscar Peterson (1993)and Yo-Yo Ma (1999). CC
IN MEMORIAM: ROBERT TEAR(MARCH 8 1939 - MARCH 29 2011)Welsh tenor Robert Tear passed away at age 72.Born in Barry, Glamorgan, Wales, Tear made hisoperatic debut in 1966 as Peter Quint in Brit-ten’s The Turn of the Screw. He made his RoyalOpera debut as Lensky in Eugene Onegin in 1970.
Celebrated for his interpretation of works by Brit-ten and Tippet, his Aschenbach in Death inVenice received critical acclaim and is preservedon DVD. Tear last sang as Emperor Altoun in Tu-randot at the Royal Opera Covent Garden twoseasons ago. He has been suffering from cancerof the esophagus since last fall. JKS
RICCARDO MUTI WINS THE BIRGIT NILSSON PRIZEConductor Riccardo Muti has been awarded theprestigious Birgit Nilsson Prize. The prize comeswith a $1-million remuneration. Muti is the sec-ond winner of the prize, after Plácido Domingo,who received it in 2008, three years after Nilssonpassed away. Muti has been the music director ofthe Chicago Symphony since 2010, and over his illustrious career he has been at the helm of suchorchestras as London’s Philharmonia Orchestra,Filarmonica della Scala, Philadelphia Orchestraand has guest conduced the Berlin and ViennaPhilharmonics. CC
CANADIANS COME THIRD AT ROYAL OPERA HOUSE BIENNIALThe Canadian team of Joel Ivany, Camellia Kooand Jason Hand came third in the 6th Biennial Europäischen Opernregie-Preis that took place atthe Royal Opera House Covent Garden inMarch. The team competed against 212 otherparticipants from 24 countries, and was picked asone of four team finalists. Each team submitteda directorial and design concept for Bellini’s I Ca-puleti e i Montecchi. The winning team, from theUK, was chosen for the originality of its concept,as well as its suitability to the stages of the north-ern Italian opera houses (Bescia, Como, Pavia, andVerona) where the work will be performed in thecoming season. The competition is held every twoyears. Many of the winners are now working suc-cessfully as directors and set and costume designers. Ivany, who led the Canadian team, iscurrently assistant director of a production ofRigoletto at the Den Norske Opera in Oslo, Nor-way. He will also assist director Robert Carsen inthe upcoming Canadian Opera Company’s pro-duction of Orfeo ed Euridice (May 8 – 28). JKS
MUSIC CRITIC KEN WINTERS PASSES AWAYKen Winters, aged 81, passed away on March 22,after a heart attack. He was a critic for news -papers including, most recently, the Globe andMail, and co-editor of the original edition of TheEncyclopedia of Music in Canada. He had workedfor more than 40 years at the CBC, hosting showssuch as Mostly Music, Personalities in Music, andKen Winters on Music. CC
YAKOV KREIZBERG DIES AT 51Music director of the Monte Carlo Philharmonic,chief conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonicand Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, YakovKreizberg passed away on March 15, following along illness. After emigrating to the U.S. from Russiain 1976, Kreizberg became a rising star in the con-ducting world, landing fellowships at Tanglewood,studying with Leonard Bernstein and Michael TilsonThomas, and winning the 1986 Leopold StokowskiConducting Competition. His last public appearanceas a conductor was with the Netherlands Philhar-monic on Valentine’s Day 2011. CC
N TES
2011 JUNO AWARD WINNERS Vocal Jazz Album of the Year Kellylee Evans, NinaContemporary Jazz Album of the Year Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra, TreelinesTraditional Jazz Album of the Year John MacLeod’s Rex Hotel Orchestra, Our First SetInstrumental Album of the Year Fond of Tigers, Continent & WesternClassical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber Ensemble - Gryphon Trio, Beethoven: Piano TriosOp. 70 No. 1, Ghost & No. 2: Op 11Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble orSoloist(s) with Large Ensemble AccompanimentLara St. John, Mozart/Scott and Lara St.John/The KnightsClassical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance - Gerald Finley, Great Operatic AriasClassical Composition of the Year - R. MurraySchafer, “Duo For Violin And Piano”, WILD BIRD
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Songwriter and poet LEONARD COHEN received the Glenn Gould Prize this year.
RICCARDO MUTI PHOTO Todd Rosenberg
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by CRYSTAL CHANINTERVIEW BY WAH KEUNG CHAN
Warm, clear, and easy on the vibrato, Shannon Mercer’s trade-mark sound is unmistakable. The Canadian soprano ishailed as a leading Baroque vocalist, with the honours toprove it: most recently, a 2011 Juno nomination and a 2011Opus Awards win and three nominations. Known for her
versatility, Mercer is not one to be pigeon-holed, succeeding in early music,opera, contemporary and folk music, and holding her own in seemingly anygenre she turns to.
Witness her current role in Love Songs, a one-woman show written bySMCQ 2011-2012 homage composer Ana Sokolovic. In the demanding hour-long performance Mercer sings a cappella and performs monologues, using100 languages, all the while playing a chair and drum as percussion instru-ments. It’s a virtuosic maelstrom of styles, weaving Baroque influences withcontemporary music, experimental vocal techniques, and spoken word. Hervoice fits seamlessly into each mode. “It shows off my ability to sing differentstyles,” she says. Mercer and reporters alike have noted the strong effect theperformance, featuring love songs and poems from around the world, has onaudiences, who often give way to tears. Mercer is currently touring the showin western Canada, following performances in Toronto, Amsterdam, and Paris.
FROM OTTAWA TO CARNEGIE HALLAt 34, Mercer has already accomplished more than many do in a lifelong career.Named a “Leader of Tomorrow” by Maclean’s, she is the recipient of numerousawards including a Career Development Grant and the Virginia Parker Prizefrom the Canada Council for the Arts, the 2004 Bernard Diamant Prize, andthe Women's Musical Club of Toronto Career Development Award. EnsembleCaprice’s December 3, 2009, performance of Bach’s Mass in B minor, which fea-tured Mercer, won Early Music Concert of the Year at this year’s Opus Awards.
A juggler of many projects, she has an extensive discography—nine records inseven years. O Viva Rosa (2010), a finalist at this year’s Opus for Early Music Recordof the Year, brings to light unpublished music by Francesca Caccini, whom Mercerdescribes with reverence as “a very unique voice in music, but, as a female com-poser, sadly, not always taken seriously.” The album is her sixth under the Analektalabel, but she hasn’t renewed her contract with them. Next year, ATMA will be issuing two recordings featuring Mercer: Bach’s St. John Passion and a Purcell disc.
With one Juno win already under her belt for her part in Ensemble Caprice’sGloria! Vivaldi's Angels in 2009, this year sees a nomination for EnsembleCaprice’s Salsa Baroque disc, another acclaimed record with her name on thecredits. Also in 2009, Mercer surprised listeners with a turn to folk music withthe release of Wales, The Land of Song. “To those who know me as a classicalvocalist, this Welsh folksong album may seem odd,” she writes in the linernotes. “But this music, this Welsh culture and heritage is the reason I became
a singer… My father’s mother was left in a basketon the steps of an orphanage in June of 1913 in Gelligaer, Glamorgan, South Wales. My father immigrated to [Canada] in 1967 along with mymother and my three eldest siblings… He discov-ered the Ottawa Welsh Society and began to singwith the Gwalia Singers. I was able to carry on thisinherited tradition when, at the age of 15, I traveledto Wales to sing in the prestigious Llangollen Inter-national Musical Eisteddfod. I returned to Canadaas a proud ambassador, bringing home the winningsilver cup!”
By this time, Mercer had been taking voice lessons for eight years with Joan Burnside, as wellas playing guitar and violin. Her life revolved aroundmusic, highlighted by the annual Kiwanis MusicFestival. At Canterbury, an arts high school, shegained experience in many musical and artisticgenres. “That helped me become a well-roundedsinger,” she explains. “I was able to draw on all thatand not get stuck on one genre of music.”
It was at McGill that Mercer’s passion for earlymusic took off, when she discovered that early musicensembles provided more stage time. It turned outshe had a natural ease with the genre, and she com-
pleted a double major in vocal performance and early music. In Montreal, shebecame known as a baroque specialist, starting out in professional choirs suchas the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal (SMAM) and La Chapelle deQuébec of Les Violons du Roy. “There is a stigma saying you have to sing with thiscolour voice for this and another for something else,” says Mercer. “At McGill,nobody ever said to me ‘you have to sing that way.’” Voice teachers Thérèse Sevadjian and Lucille Evans encouraged Mercer to hold on to her own voice, reveling in its tone, strengths, and weaknesses rather than try to change it witheach role. “I’ve always used my own voice, for Baroque or other music. I realizethat with different repertoire you’re required to have more or less of a steadyrate of vibrato.”
Mercer’s voice has, naturally, subtly changed over the years, yet the essenceof her sound has remained unchanged. Even though she’s never been able topop what she jokingly calls “Z sharps” (impossibly high notes), she now findsher voice dropping lower and developing a richer timbre, which matches herincreased stamina, confidence, knowledge, and emotional depth.
After McGill, Mercer developed a separate opera persona by studying at theUniversity of Toronto’s Opera School, followed by San Francisco Opera's MerolaOpera Summer Program and the Canadian Opera Company (COC) EnsembleStudio. Now based in Toronto, she performs on stages across North Americaand Europe, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Hollywood Bowl, RoyalAlbert Hall, and Covent Garden. She has performed for opera companies including the COC, l'Opéra du Québec, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Opera Ontario, OperaAtelier, Toronto Operetta Theatre, and Opéra national de Montpellier, in addi-tion to dozens of ensembles and orchestras. Displaying a strong sense of humour and great theatrical flair, Mercer starred in the Gemini-nominatedfilmed comic opera Burnt Toast as well as Not the Messiah, a musical based onMonty Python’s Life of Brian, written by the creators of Spamalot.
This year’s season has seen or will see her perform with the TafelmusikBaroque Orchestra, Arion Baroque Orchestra, Portland Baroque Orchestra, LesVoix Baroques, Ensemble Caprice, Les Violons du Roy, the Welsh music groupSkye Consort, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Houston’s Mercury Baroque,and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
BREAKING THE RULESAs multifaceted as her talents and interests are, early music holds a particularlyspecial place. “It’s like I was born in that time. Purcell is one of, if not the,favourite composer of mine, and as for Handel, Bach, Mozart, I’ve always felt aconnection with them. The music really speaks to me and suits my voice,” shestates. She loves the challenge of tackling music that’s still relatively shroudedin mystery, enjoying the task of interpreting old scores with only several trea-tises, theories, and your own imagination to guide you. There are challengesspecific to composers, too; while some composers such as Handel write perfectlines tailored to singers’ capabilities (a lot of singers dub Handel “medicine forthe voice”), others such as Bach write vocal lines in an instrumental way,
10 SPRING 2011
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creating long lines without a space to breathe naturally. When she was younger, she pushedthrough “ridiculous phrases.” Now, she feels luckyshe has great breath control and has learned notto force herself too far. “When you're in perform-ance your breath changes significantly because ofyour nerves,” she explains. “Whether it's nervous-ness or excitement, it affects you the same way:your breath becomes more shallow. You shouldn’tput the pressure on yourself to make it throughcrazy phrases; you should breathe where it feelscomfortable.”
Mercer also has a talent for improvisation andornamentation, writing her own cadenzas. InBaroque tradition, the da capo (repeat) of the firstpart of a song is usually open to the performer forembellishment, allowing each to create their own“version” to best show themselves off. Latter-dayvocal stars such as sopranos Francesca Cuzzoniand Faustina Bordoni participated in musicalduels, each trying to perform more virtuosic cadenzas than the other. There are no hard-setrules, but Mercer likes traditional ornaments thatdon’t stray too far from the initial melody or hitthe stratospheres of a performer’s range: all ingood taste. Mercer’s cadenzas are so admired bycolleagues that many have asked for permissionto use them or even for her to write for them. Sheherself rarely borrows from other singers. She listens to recordings (some of her favourites are byEmma Kirkby) to hone in on techniques she likesbut she builds her own unique vocabulary—notby emulation, but through trial and error. “I neverlisten to a recording of a piece until I’ve alreadylearned the notes,” she says. “You develop your
own ornamental style, just like you develop theway you dress.”
It might seem Mercer is stepping in a very dif-ferent direction with a contemporary piece like LoveSongs, but for her, “there’s a cross-over betweenearly and contemporary music as there’s a certainability to be spontaneous, improvisational, and takethings that are not written in the score and makethe piece your own, whereas in classical or Roman-tic music it’s really written in the piece and youmustn’t stray.” She’s eager to work on other contemporary works, and is extremely excited
about another Sokolovic piece she’s premiering thisJune in Toronto: Svadba – The Wedding.
In the end, Mercer welcomes any project, regardless of genre, as long as she feels connectedto the piece and the other performers. In Decem-ber, she even narrated a Toronto Symphony Orchestra concert, singing not one note.
“I’ve never followed the rules,” she admits with alaugh. “I’m versatile; if I got stuck in one genre ofmusic, I wouldn’t be able to try crazy things. I thinkthere's this joke about me where whenever an organization goes: ‘hmm we need a soprano forkazoo, who could do that… oh, Shannon Mercer!’ I'malways inspired and excited about the next project.”
You can’t compare yourself to others, she believes.“There are people at the top of their game, but it canbe lonely and unfulfilling. I don’t want that to hap-pen. I don’t want to stop loving it. I will never be aWagnerian soprano, and I’m okay with that—I haveto try to be the best I can be at what I can do.”
Many of her fellow musicians have advised herthat, in the end, the sole priority becomes makingamazing music with amazing people. It’s now herpersonal goal. “One of the great things about heris that she is not only a very fine singer, but somuch fun to work with,” says Artistic Director of Ensemble Caprice, Matthias Maute. “Workinghard and cracking jokes at the same time don’texclude each other!”
»April 16, Mulroney: The Opera in movie theatres»May 5-6, Enwave Theatre: Charpentier's La Descented'Orphee aux Enfers, James Rolfe's Orpheus and Eurydice» June, The Queen of Puddings Music Theatrewww.shannonmercer.com
SPRING 2011 11
PROFILEPH
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I’M VERSATILE; IF I GOT STUCK INONE GENRE OF MUSIC, I WOULDN’TBE ABLE TO TRY CRAZY THINGS.”
N TESPHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA DECLARES BANKRUPTCYAfter 111 years in operations, the board of the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra voted on April 16 to file for bankruptcy protection, making itthe first major American ensemble to do so. For now, the PO will continueto perform concerts. In an attempt to save the orchestra from liquida-tion, they are expected to announce a $214 million fundraising campaign,their largest to date. The musicians have also been asked to take a 16%pay cut as well as other concessions. CC
MIMC QUARTERFINAL CANDIDATES ANNOUNCEDThe 10th Montreal International Musical Competition (this year dedicatedto piano) has announced 24 candidates (average age 25) from twelvecountries for the quarterfinals (May 24-26), each vying for the $30,000top prize. Canada has the most pianists with four: Tina Chong, YounggunKim, Steven Massicotte, and Avan Yu. The semi-finals will take place May27 and 28, while the finals will be held on May 31 and June 1. As in pastyears, all rounds can be viewed live (audio-video) courtesy of Espace-musique. The international jury includes Arnaldo Cohen (Brazil), Jean-Philippe Collard (France), Mari Kodama (Japan), James Parker (Canada),Benjamin Pasternack (United States), Imre Rohmann (Austria) and LilyaZilberstein. www.concoursmontreal.ca CC
VANCOUVER OPERA MOVES INTO NEW HOMETo unite its production and administrative facilities, the Vancouver Operawill be moving to a new rehearsal, production, storage, box office, and administrative space: the Vancouver Opera Centre (1945 McLean Avenue,near Commercial Drive). Its main stage performances will continue to beperformed at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre downtown. CC
by REBECCA CLARK
This May 2, will arts policy influence your vote as it did in the 2008election? According to a July 2008 report from the ConferenceBoard of Canada, Canada’s artistic and cultural sector is respon-sible for 7.4% of Canada’s total real GDP and over 1.1 million jobs.Support from the Canadian government is essential to the sector.
The Conservative government increased Canada Council for the Arts fund-ing by 20% to more than $180M, and, along with 14 Canadian network andtelecommunications companies, helped create the Canadian Media Fund.But in 2008, Harper implied that the arts were irrelevant to Canadians, andhave repeatedly delayed the $25M Canada Prize announced in the 2009budget. This year, the Tories promise to support the Royal Conservatory andthe Canadian Periodical Fund. In its budget, the Tories introduced a tax creditfor families of $500 per child enrolled in “eligible arts or cultural activities,”five years after introducing a similar tax credit for sports; note, the credit effectively gives $75 per child.
The Liberal party promises to double Canada Council for the Arts funding to$360M. They also promise to reinstate funding for PromArt and Trade Routes with$25M. As for media concerns, the Libs want greater access to broadband internetwithout usage caps for Canadians and have worked for effective copyright laws.
The NDP believes in creating new arts touring funds to replace PromArtand Trade Routes and, like the Liberals, in net neutrality and copyright reformthat “[balances] consumers’ and creator’s rights.” They also support tax averaging for artists, which can ease income tax time for artists whose in-comes vary greatly from year to year.
Valuing Culture: Measuring and Understanding Canada’s Creative Economy by the Conference Board of Canada is available free of charge at www.conferenceboard.ca
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9THE POLITICAL
SIDE of the ARTS
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12 SPRING 2011
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by JOSEPH K. SO
Who says politics and art don’tmix? Or to be more pre-cise—who says politicalthemes make deathly dullsubjects in the arts? The fact
is that politics have always been fodder for theoperatic imagination, from Verdi’s Un ballo inmaschera to Adams’ Nixon in China. But typicallycomposers treat their subject with the utmost se-riousness, even reverence. Not so Canadian com-poser Alexina Louie and writer/librettist DanRedican. They have taken an outrageously funnylook at one of the most flamboyant and contro-versial figures in Canadian politics in their newestcreation Mulroney: The Opera. Filmed by RhombusMedia with actors and a separately recordedsoundtrack with opera singers, the film premieredin selected cinemas across Canada on April 16(there will be an encore presentation on April 27)as part of the Met in HD series, introduced byPeter Gelb no less. Four years in the making, it rep-resents the continuing collaborative efforts ofcomposer Louie and producer Larry Weinstein.They had previously collaborated on Toothpasteand Burnt Toast, two works that have won criticalacclaim. Mulroney: The Opera is a much more am-bitious project, with a budget of $3.5 million anda huge cast of actors and singers. It captures aparticularly interesting moment in Canadian his-tory, a time populated by larger-than-life person-alities like Brian Mulroney and Pierre ElliottTrudeau. As the film begins, it’s 2002 and the dig-nitaries are gathered on Parliament Hill for theunveiling of the Mulroney official portrait. Inflashback style, the film goes on to give the viewera snapshot of the former PM—his childhood inBaie Comeau, his romance with one Mila Pivnicki,his dramatic election win, and the subsequentcontroversies and scandals that plagued his twoterms in office.
I was fortunate to have had a sneak peek at thefilm and the accompanying documentary. Withoutgiving too much away, I can say that, typical of thisgenre, Mulroney: The Opera is not meant to be ahistory lesson. Rather, it retells Mulroney's story inan outrageously comedic fashion, one that is astrange mix of truth and fancy. To be sure, it cleverlycaptures Mulroney the man and the politician. The
cast of characters that made up the Mulroney eraare also finely drawn; in fact, the film pokes fun ateveryone, living or dead. Stylistically it’s like a seriesof political cartoons, as librettist Dan Redican sosuccinctly puts it. Not only has Redican contributeda brilliant libretto, he is also hilarious as the bum-bling Fictitious Historian, a sort of “speaker” or “narrator” such as one finds in certain Greektragedies. Musically the work does not pretend tobe original—it’s best described as eclectic, consist-ing of a pastiche of musical styles that somehowmanages to work. The Baie Comeau scene is like apage out of Gilbert & Sullivan, complete with aswaying chorus. Opera buffs are bound to get a kickout of the many literal quotations from famous operas—Don Giovanni, Flying Dutchman, La bohème, Carmen, even Dido and Aeneas! Who canresist the outlandish images of Trudeau and Mul-roney in a combative tango set to the music of theHabanera? Or in the film’s dénouement when Mul-roney desperately intones “Remember me… remember me…” from “Dido’s Lament”?
Actor Rick Miller is a tour-de-force Mulroney. Themake-up department deserves some sort of award.
Though he looks nothing like the politician in reallife, after three-hour make-up sessions and a pros-thetic chin, Miller’s transformation is nothing shortof astounding. Others are equally impressive—theprofile of Trudeau (played mischievously by WayneBest) reclining on a chaise lounge, cape and all, sniff-ing a red rose is priceless. Despite having separatesingers and actors, the lip-synching is nearly perfect.The casting of light tenors for several of Mulroney’santagonists—including John Turner—portraysthem as wimpy foes next to the manly baritone ofOkulitch (pace character tenors!). The ultimate ques-tion has to be: What would be the reaction of thereal life Mulroney to this film? The accompanyingdocumentary seems to offer him an olive branch. Itstresses that the whole thing is all in fun— “It’s nota grueling satire; there’s a certain affection [for him];if not in the words, it’s in the music,” says producerWeinstein. Okulitch adds that the film “is not tryingto be a realistic recreation of his life—it’s meant tobe a satire.” The reaction of the 18th prime ministerof Canada to Mulroney: The Opera is anyone’s guess.Will he even see it? Perhaps the final chapter of theMulroney saga remains to be written.
April 27 in select theatres. www.mulroneytheopera.ca
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MULRONEYTHE OPERA
A former Prime Minister gets the operatic treatment
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SPRING 2011 13
OPERA
The newest operatic kidon the block kicks off
with Rose Marie
by JOSEPH K. SO
What’s more quintessentiallyCanadian than the Rockies,Mounties, Indians and Ro-mance? It’s billed as a Canadianlove story between a French girl
and an English boy, set in the wild west of theCanadian Rockies. Throw in a scintillating scorewith catchy tunes, sung by up-and-coming singerswith beautiful voices and attractive stage presence,and you’ve got the right ingredients for success.That’s certainly the strategy of Wish Opera, in itsinaugural production of Rudolf Friml’s operetta,Rose Marie. Founded in the spring of 2010, WishOpera has as it mission the fusion of fashion anddesign with the beauty of the operatic art form inproductions that appeal to the contemporary au-dience. Given its mandate to support and nurtureCanadian artists, Rose Marie stars an all-Canadiancast, led by Quebec mezzo-soprano Maude Brunetas Rose Marie La Flamme. Her love interest, EnglishCanadian miner Jim Kenyon, is sung by baritoneTodd Delaney. Bass-baritone Olivier Laquerre isRose Marie’s brother Emile. This musical was ahuge hit on Broadway in 1924, and it was adaptedfor film no less than three times. The most famousversion was the 1936 Hollywood movie starringJeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, and thesong “Indian Love Call” became the signature tuneof this screen couple. Soprano Tonia Cianciulli is thedriving force behind this ambitious venture. Re-cently she spoke with TMS about her new project:
Tell us a little about your background as an artist and what is your vision for Wish Opera.Can you explain the concept of combiningmusic with fashion and design for our readers?I am a classically trained singer—I studied voiceat the University of Western Ontario. The idea forWish Opera came out of an event I did for clientsof my husband’s company six years ago. We tookover an empty loft space in the Liberty Village areain downtown Toronto, painted it white and wehad six or seven different artists displaying theirworks. We had a stage built for live jazz, opera, andfashion; it represented a fusion of the arts. We gotgreat feedback from the arts community. Thisevent provided a platform for artists to gain exposure and experience. Through that I devel-oped a passion for working with artists of allmediums, and I see this as a way of expanding theaudience of opera. By fusing the different artforms, we are opening it up to younger people,
people who may not even think of going to theopera. In our productions, in addition to singerswe also feature Canadian designers of fashion,furniture, interiors, and photographers.
Last year at the Wish Opera Launch Concert atYork University, you announced plans for a production of Don Giovanni in a different venueand with a different conductor. Why the change? We had planned to do Don Giovanni up at YorkUniversity, but after the launch, we quickly realized that to sustain the company we neededto be downtown. A lot of our audience are in thedowntown core—that’s just the reality of it. Wefound a new home in the John Bassett theatre atthe Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It’s a stun-ning 1,300 seat facility, and they are excited tohave us there. We also found a new music directorin Kerry Stratton. He’s got an incredible persona -lity and is very supportive of Canadian talent.
Combining the beauty of music with fashionand design, which are by nature also expres-sions of beauty. In other words “beauty” figuresprominently in the ethos of Wish Opera. Doesthat mean when it comes to opera singers, youwant them to be beautiful too?(Laughs) I guess that’s an understandable question!No, we are looking for singers who can perform therole—we are not looking to fill the roles with thesame tall, skinny people! Ideally we want to hiresingers who can do a quality job. Where the fashioncomes in at this point is that we are pulling piecesfrom different designers’ lines that we can use ascostumes. It gives the designers exposure and letspeople know that there are lots of local talent. ForRose Marie we have two designers from Montrealwho have agreed to feature their lines on stage forus. There’s actually a scene in Rose Marie that takesplace in a dress boutique in Quebec City where alittle fashion show takes place!
That’s not in the movie…No it’s not, because the movie is not true to theoriginal operetta. In the original this scene doesexist. The Montreal designers are Denis Gagnonand Marie Saint Pierre—they are very talented andcertainly designers to watch. When we get a largerbudget, we’ll be able to go to the designers and askif they can create specific costumes for us. For nowwe are just going with what they already have.
Considering that you use contemporary design -ers, is it safe to say your productions are goingto have a contemporary feel to them, as oppo-sed to traditional productions?Well, I am not looking for things to be abstract. Ifit’s more contemporary, it’ll be more accessible forthe audience. We might be doing period pieces aswell, but for now, I think we are just focusing onbringing things up to date and making themaccessible to the modern day audience.
Tell us about your plans for the orchestra.We are forming a Wish Opera Orchestra. Kerry(Stratton) can speak to that. Trumpeter AndreDubelsten is working with Kerry to pull togethera team. For Rose Marie it will be an orchestra of 19or 20 musicians. This work has a lot of Canadiancontent—it’s set in the Rockies and we have an all-Canadian cast. We’ve even have the RCMP onboard. They are often reluctant to come to theseevents as people often don’t take them seriously. Ihad to convince them that it would be a good op-portunity for them to educate the public. Beforecurtain, Constable Terry Russel will appear, dressedin his Royal Red Surge regalia, and speak to the au-dience about the significance of the Mounties uni-form. Canadian painter Charles Pachter has alsoagreed to be on board. He is well known for his ren-derings of the Canadian flag and the Queen on themoose and his classic painting of a Mountie—youcan’t get more Canuck than that (laughs)!
Friml & Stothart: Rose Marie, April 15 & 16, John Bassett Theatre, 255 Front Street West, Toronto www.wishopera.ca
TMS
WHEN YOUWISH UPONAN OPERA…
We are just focusingon bringing things upto date and makingthem accessible tothe modern day audience.
“TONIA CIANCIULLI:
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MALCOLM LOWE to performBrahms with Darren Lowe FANS OF YUJA WANG can catch her
at the National Arts Centre
PREV
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ANGELA HEWITT in recital on may 7
OTTAWAby JULIE BERARDINO
VERDI REQUIEMThe Polish-born Canadian soprano Maria Knapik has performedthroughout Europe and North America, including Carnegie Hall. Highlyinvolved in the promotion of the arts, she recently was awarded a goldmedal from the American Institute of Polish Culture. She will be fea-tured soloist in Verdi’s Requiem, alongside mezzo Renée Lapointe, tenorEnrique Pina and baritone Jeffrey Carl, under the direction of MichelBrousseau, her partner and companion. This unique event is a collabo-ration between the Ottawa Classical Choir and New World PhilharmonicOrchestra. May 21, NAC. www.ottawaclassicalchoir.com
EXCITING PROGRAM AT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTREIn addition to a beautiful afternoon of chamber music of Brahms, onMay 8 at 2 p.m. with Malcolm and Darren Lowe, the NAC offers the opportunity to hear rising stars on May 16 at the Finals of the 2011 NACOrchestra Bursary Competition.» On the symphonic side, the amazing pianist Yuja Wang performs thevirtuosic Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninov on May 25and 26. Sibelius’s First Symphony and Freak in Burbank by contem porarySwedish composer Albert Schnelzer are also on the program. ThomasDausgaard, conducts.» On June 1, be carried away by the grandiose and fantastic poetry ofMahler’s Fourth Symphony. The finale will feature soprano Erin Wall,whose agile coloratura technique has earned her critical acclaim. PianistJon Kimura Parker performing Mozart’s 27th and last piano concerto;Pinchas Zukermann conducts. www.nac-cna.ca
ANGELA HEWITT
Always popular, a recital by pianist Angela Hewitt is a must, especiallysince all ticket sales of the May 7 concert go to support the BruyèreFoundation, champions of the well-being of aging Canadians. It’s a demanding program of Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, full of nuance andsubtlety. Christ Church Cathedral. www.chamberplayers.ca
THIRTEEN STRINGSA refreshing program awaits you on May 10, when conductor Kevin Mal-lon leads the Thirteen Strings and the Junior Thirteen Strings. The won-derful soprano Donna Brown will perform works by Arne, Purcell andBritten’s Les Illuminations. St. Andrew’s Church. www.thirteenstrings.ca
The Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, Colombia, public institution attached to the
«Secretaría Distrital de Cultura, Recreación y Deporte» of the Mayor's Office of Bogotá
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
of selection for individuals interested in taking part in the Invitation to Compete No.001 of 2011 for the provision of the
following posts:
One (1) vacancy for Bassoon Group Leader – Grade 05
One (1) vacancy for Orchestra Musician Violoncello – Grade 03
One (1) vacancy for Orchestra Musician Violoncello - Grade 02
One (1) vacancy for Orchestra Musician Violin – Grade 01
Nature of the post: Public ServantEngagement: Working Contract.
APPLICATIONS:From 02nd May to 10th June 2011
FURTHER INFORMATION:[email protected]
www.filarmonicabogota.gov.co
SOPRANO DONNA BROWN willappear with Thirteen Strings
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14 SPRING 2011
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LithoEthel MyersBarbara OliverMarie-Jeanne OliverÉlise Paré-TousignantShaya PetroffAlain PineauThomas J. PiperYves-G. PréfontaineAnnie ProthinRuth RedelmeierAnne RobertJoseph RouleauIan and Annie SaleReed ScowenIsabel ShusterJane W. SmithMargaret StephensonJohn A. StewartAlex and Arijia StiverEdward SzawlowskiRoslyn TakeishiAndré TourangeauDonald WalcotBrent WalkerKatherine WatersKrisztina Weinacht
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TMS9-2_p15_donationad_sm16-5_pXX 11-04-18 7:03 PM Page 15
16 SPRING 2011
PREV
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SOUTHERN ONTARIO
VOCAL PREVIEW
by JOSEPH K. SO
It may not look or feel like it, but springis officially here in Southern Ontario,and with it come plenty of operaticblooms. Top on the list is the three- production Spring Season of the Cana-dian Opera Company, led by the returnof Rossini’s La Cene rentola (Apr. 23 –May 25). It was last staged by the COCin April 1996 with the marvelous AnnaCaterina Antonacci as Angelina. Thistime around it will be mezzo ElizabethDeShong in the title role, with sensa-tional high tenor Lawrence Brownleeas her Prince Charming, called DonRamiro in the Rossini opera. BaritoneBrett Polegato is Dandini and Ita lianbuffo Donato DiStefano returns to theCOC as Don Magnifico. ConductorLeonardo Vordoni makes his COCdebut. Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos (Apr.30 – May 29) returns after a 16-year absence, this time with sopranoAdrianne Pieczonka in one of her sig-nature roles. Alice Coote is the Kompo -nist and Canadian soprano JaneArchibald is Zerbinetta. These ladies recently sang together in Ariadne inMunich and it was fabulous. Bacchusis tenor Richard Margison, and Sir An-drew Davis makes his COC conductingdebut. The third production is Gluck’sOrfeo ed Euridice (May 8 – 28) with thefabulous countertenor Lawrence Zazzoas Orfeo and Canadian soprano IsabelBayrakdarian as Euridice. Early musicspecialist Harry Bicket returns to theCOC to conduct. www.coc.ca
Another high profile show is Opera Ate-lier’s La clemenza di Tito (Apr. 22- May 1).It marks the return of Canadian so-prano/pop culture diva Measha Brueg-gergosman to OA after her sensationalElettra in Idomeneo three seasons ago.She is singing the dramatic role of Vitel-lia. The exceptional male sopranoMichael Maniaci returns to OA as Sesto,and the title role is taken by dramatic
tenor Krešimir Špicer. David Fallis conducts. www.operaatelier.com
On the recital front, soprano AdriannePieczonka will take time out from herrun of Ariadne to sing an all-Germanliederabend at Koerner Hall, with BrianZeger at the piano. On the program aresongs by Schubert, Strauss, and Wagner’s Wesendonck- Lieder. In my interview with her recently, she saidshe’s programming as encores someshow tunes, as homage to the greatBarbara Cook who recently appeared atKoerner Hall. www.rcmusic.ca
The International Resource Centre forPerforming Artists will present a weekof opera coaching (May 5-9) in Torontoby renowned Metropolitan Opera vocalcoach Joan Dornemann and La Scala’sVincenzo Scaleria. The sessions areopen to the public for $20. The weekculminates with a concert on May 11 tocelebrate Toscannini. www.international-resourcecentreforperformingartists.com,416-362-1422
Finnish diva Karita Mattila is makingone of her rare visits to Toronto on May5 and 7, as soloist with the TorontoSymphony Orchestra, in an evening of(nearly) all Finnish music. On the pro-gram are works by Saariaho, Sibelius,Ravel and Bloch. Mattila will be singingin Sibelius’ Luonnotor as well as in Mi-rage, a piece composed for her by Saari-aho. Hannu Lintu conducts. www.tso.ca
The Aldeburgh Connection is presentingits annual Schubertiad in memory ofGreta Kraus on May 1 at Walter Hall, University of Toronto. The soloists are soprano Gillian Keith, tenor LawrenceWiliford and baritone Tyler Duncan.Stephen Ralls and Bruce Ubukata are atthe piano. www.aldeburghconnection.org
On May 8 at the Glenn Gould Studio, theOff Centre Music Salon is presenting itsCzech/Russian and Ita lian Salons, withthe colourful title Lost in Love… andsometimes Lust! Soloists are tenor ColinAinsworth, baritone Peter McGillivray,and sopranos Rachel Cleland-Ainsworthand Lucia Cesaroni. Boris and InnaZarankin are, as usual, at the keyboard. www.offcentremusic.com
FROM TOP LEFT:
1. LAWRENCE BROWNLEE 2. MEASHA BRUEGGERGOSMAN3. MAUDE BRUNET 4. KARITA MATTILA
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PREVIEWS
SPRING 2011 17
SOUTHERN ONTARIO
INSTRUMENTALPREVIEW
by L.H. TIFFANY HSIEH
The heavyweights are coming to Toronto indroves over the next couple of months and youwon’t have to look too hard for them if you canjust get to Roy Thomson Hall, Koerner Hall orGlenn Gould Studio.
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has a stun-ning line-up of great performers in May and June,starting with the modest American-Jewish pianistEmanuel Ax on May 11 and 12. Ax returns to Torontowith conductor Sir Andrew Davis in one of Mozart’smost appealing and charming works, his PianoConcerto No. 17 in G Major, K. 453. The programopens with Mozart’s Overture to La clemenza diTito, K. 621 and concludes with Strauss’ EineAlpensinfonie, Op. 64 (An Alpine Symphony).
Also returning as a perennial favourite at theTSO is Ax’s long-time friend and collaborator, violinist Itzhak Perlman on May 21. Perlman isback as both soloist and conductor for a one-night-only performance. For this special concert,the Israeli-American violin virtuoso has pro-grammed three of Mozart’s much-loved works,his Adagio in E Major for Violin and Orchestra, K.261, Rondo in C Major for Violin and Orchestra, K.373 and Symphony No. 25 in G Minor, K. 173dB. Theconcert will wrap up with Dvoák’s Symphony No.9 in E Minor, Op. 95, “From the New World”.
Ever the dramatist, Chinese composer and con-ductor Tan Dun will bring two of his concertos to
town on May 26 and 28: Water Concerto, com-posed in 1998, and Paper Concerto, composed in2003. Both concertos run about 30 minutes eachand feature unusual solo instruments, ones thatinteract with water and ones that are made frompaper, respectively. Percussionists enlisted forthese two highly visual and entertaining per-formances are Wang Beibei, Cui Kun and WangJuan. Aside from his own compositions, Dun willconduct the TSO in Spanish composer Manuel deFalla’s “Ritual Fire Dance” from his ballet El amorbrujo, composed in 1915, and Charles Ives’ TheUnanswered Question, composed in 1906.
After she turns 41 years old on May 10, theVenezuelan-American pianist Gabriela Monterowill make her TSO debut on June 1 and 2. Known forher unique improvisational gifts, Montero will takeon Rachmaninoff’s showy Rhapsody on a Theme ofPaganini, Op. 43 with music director Peter Oundjianon the podium. The program will also feature TSO’svery own principal clarinettist, Joaquin Valdepeñas,in Debussy’s Première rhapsodie for Clarinet and Orchestra. That’s not it for this exciting and jam-packed concert as you will also be treated to threesymphonic poems of Messiaen’s Les offrandes oubliées, Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Rach-maninoff’s The Isle of the Dead. www.tso.ca
If you prefer live concerts in a more intimatesetting, it’s a keyboard wonderland over at Koerner Hall and who better to tackle JohannesBrahms than the city’s own Anton Kuerti.
On April 30, the 72-year-old Kuerti will playBrahms’ beloved Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor,Op.15 with the Ontario Philharmonic, founded inOshawa in 1957 and led by conductor MarcoParisotto. The other half of the program featuresBrahms’ Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.68.
Following pianists Stewart Goodyear, SimoneDinnerstein, Hélène Grimaud and Leon Fleisher,
Koerner Hall’s Sunday afternoon piano series willcome to an end with French pianist Pierre- LaurentAimard on May 1.
Aimard, who is named Instrumentalist of theYear by both the Royal Philharmonic Awards in Lon-don and Musical America, will present a mostly Lisztrecital program of the composer’s La lugubre gon-dola, S.200, No. 1, Nuages gris, S.199, Unstern! Sinistre,disastro, S.208 and the daunting Piano Sonata in BMinor, S.178. In between, the pianist will also perform Wagner’s Eine Sonate für das Album vonFrau M.W., WWV 85, Berg’s Piano Sonata in B Minor,Op. 1 and Scriabin’s Piano Sonata No. 9 in F Major,Op. 68 “Black Mass”. www.performance.rcmusic.ca
If you saw this Russian powerhouse at RoyThomson Hall with Valery Gergiev and theMariin sky Theatre Orchestra last season, youwon’t want to miss pianist Denis Matsuev in hisToronto debut piano recital on May 12.
Presented by Show One Productions, Matsuev,35, has been the artistic director of the SergeiRachmaninoff Foundation since 2008 and hasrecorded Rachmaninoff’s unknown works on thecomposer’s piano at the Rachmaninoff house inLucerne. In this special one-day-only recital, Mat-suev has programmed Schubert’s Sonata A minor,Op.143, Beethoven’s Sonata No. 23 “Appasionata”,Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz and Rachmaninoff’s SonataNo. 2 (second edition). www.showoneproductions.ca
The Sinfonia Toronto has come a long way in recent years. Under the baton of conductorNurhan Arman, the 13-piece virtuoso string orchestra joins Canadian pianist André Laplantein Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 at CBC’s GlennGould Studio on May 13. The concert will openwith Albinoni’s Adagio, include the premiere ofPolish composer Norbert Palej’s Rorate Coeli andconclude with the orchestral version of Schubert’sQuartet in G minor. www.sinfoniatoronto.com
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
1. TAN DUN2. ITZHAK PERLMAN
3. EMANUEL AX4. GABRIELA MONTERO
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18 SPRING 2011
CAM
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by FJÓLA EVANS
Lake Field Music camp, nestled in thetrees above Lake Katchewanooka inthe picturesque Kawartha Lakes regionof Ontario, is a camp like no other. Dur-ing the month of August, the campus
of Lake Field College School becomes overrun withmusic lovers, but this is not the typical scene oftwelve-year-olds hacking away at their Suzukimethod—Lake Field Music caters specifically toadult musicians. Running alongside CAMMAC(Canadian Amateur Musicians/Musiciens ama-teurs du Canada) and known as the CAMMAC On-tario Music Center for the past 33 years, the camprecently became independent and is presentingits first summer program as an independent body.
Like most music camps, Lake Field offers a widevariety of activities, including non-musical ones.Activities centred on the natural beauty of the region are very popular, as it is possible to enjoy aswim or canoe ride in Lake Katchewanooka, a hike,or a game of tennis on the campus grounds. Butit is in its attention to musical programmingwhere Lake Field Music really stands apart. Thecamp offers a wide array of classes for many levelsof students. The programming focuses on twosessions in August, one jazz and one classicalmusic session. The jazz session offers fifteen dif-ferent courses including Intro to Jazz Improvisa-tion, Jazz Choir (new in 2011), Instrumental JazzCombo and Brass Technique, all designed to honestudents’ jazz and improv chops. Lake Field alsoprovides a multitude of courses designed to expand the students’ exposure to different musi-cal genres. The jazz week presents a Klezmer classtaught by Martin van de Ven where the studentslearn about the centuries-old musical tradition,and study and play in the nuanced style. There is
also plenty to choose from, with thirty courses offered by the Classical session. The range includes everything from full orchestra to playinghandbells to Mastering Ornamentation inBaroque and Classical Music. The world musiccontingent is also represented here, with tablaplayer Ravi Naimpally teaching a course on Indianclassical music where students learn how to playthe tabla, the rhythmic cycle of beats that is inte-gral to Indian Classical music. New classes thisyear were added to include a focus on courseswhere vocalists and instrumentalists perform together, such as Jazz Standards in the jazz weekand Early Music Repertoire in the classical week.
In an effort to make the camp more appealingand accessible to beginner musicians, two newcourses were added this year specifically gearedtowards the novice: Learn to Sing and Learn Guitar. The objective the camp envisions is to keepthe camp accessible to students of different levelsbut also to make the camp available to entirefamilies. According to camp president AndrewWolf, “The goal is to facilitate amateur music-
making in a non-competitive and encouragingenvironment.” If a more experienced musician attending the camp wants to bring their non- musician spouse, there are courses offered at alevel for everyone! In addition, for the past sixyears, the camp has been offering classes to thechildren of participants. They hope to inspire inthe children a life-long love of music, and encour-age them to return to the camp as adults. LakeField Music is a diverse musical summer learningexperience open to all. In the words of AndrewWolf, “The camp has always succeeded at accom-modating beginner and advanced musicianswithout compromising each other’s experience.Participants can come year after year and have adifferent experience depending on their chang-ing abilities and interests. No auditions required,just play, sing, enjoy and be inspired!”
Lake Field Music is running two sessions this summer: Jazz(July 31-August 7) and the Classical Music week (August 7-14). The deadline to apply for a bursary is May 31. www.lakefieldmusic.ca
RememberingSUMMER MUSIC CAMP
by SHANNON MERCER
I did many different kinds of summer campsgrowing up. Sometimes my focus was on instru-ments other than the voice such as violin, clarinetand percussion. Back then, I was interested andcurious about all things musical. I think that curiosity helped me later on to get excited aboutorchestration and how the instruments weaveand support the vocal line. My limited time play-ing the violin still influences how I think aboutbreathing, phrasing and articulation.
When I got much older I took part in young artisttraining summer programs: Tanglewood in 2001,the Merola Opera Training Program affiliated withSan Francisco Opera in 2002, and finally the MusicAcademy of the West in Santa Barbara in 2003.
I had wonderful experiences at all of these programs and worked with incredible coaches,teachers, conductors and colleagues. I was able tocontinue my growth as an artist while connectingwith like-minded people and creating lastingfriendships.
The main thing was learning that there wereother kids at that young age who also had a pas-sion for music. I remember the one headed up byRod Ellias, a well-known guitarist in the Ottawaarea and across Canada, where I played several instruments, having much fun making music! Read an interview with Shannon Mercer on page 10.TMS
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NEW PROGRAMS atLAKEFIELD MUSIC
INTO the WOODS
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SPRING 2011 19
NEWFOUNDLANDVinland Music CampBox 40, Ladle Covewww.soundbone.ca | from August 21 to 27,2011
NOVA SCOTIAAtlantic Jazz Festival Halifax,Creative Music WorkshopBox 33043, Halifaxwww.jazzeast.com | from July 11 to 17,2011
NEW BRUNSWICKUniversity of New BrunswickMusic CampUniversity of New Brunswick-Box 4400, Fre-derictonwww.unb.ca/cel/programs/creative/music/music-camp | from August 13 to 20, 2011
MONTRÉALArti-Culture, camps multi-arts etspécialisés2292, De Marbella, Lavalwww.articulture.ca | from July 4 to August26, 2011
Camp Amy Molson5165 Sherbrooke St. W., suite 210, Montréalwww.campamymolson.com | from June 5to August 18, 2011
Camp de Blues400, de Maisonneuve West Blvd, Montrealwww.campdeblues.com | from April 30 toMay 1, 2011
Camp de jour de l’École Nos VoixNos Visages2516, rue Sainte-Hélène, Longueuilwww.nosvoixnosvisages.org | from June 27to August 19, 2011
Camp LivingstoneCP818, Magogwww.camplivingstone.ca | from July 3 toAugust 13, 2011
Camp musical d’été de Montréal(CMEM)Université de Montréal, Faculté de Mu-sique.École des jeunes CP6128 succ. centre-ville, Montréalecoledesjeunes.musique.umontreal.ca |from June 27 to July 22, 2011
Creative Video Day Camp6405 de Terrebonne, Montréal (NDG)collectivevision.ca | from July 5 to August27, 2011
École d’été, Arts et métiers d’artde Mont-LaurierCP 334, Mont-Laurierwww.lecoledete.com | from July 4 to 29,2011
École de théâtre du vieux St-Eus-tache, camp de théâtre et d’im-pro36, rue St-Eustache, St-Eustachewww.ecoledetheatrevse.com | from July 4to 22, 2011
Institut Suzuki MontréalUniversité Concordia, Montréalwww.suzukimontreal.org | from July 24 to29, 2011
Lambda School of Music and FineArts4989 boul des Sources, Pierrefonds
www.lambdaarts.ca | from June 1 to Au-gust 31, 2011
McGill Conservatory Day CampStrathcona Music Building, 555 SherbrookeSt. West, Montréalwww.mcgill.ca/conservatory-camp | fromJune 27 to August 19, 2011
Musée d’art contemporain deMontréal Day Camps185 Ste-Catherine Ouest, Montréalwww.macm.org | from June 27 to August12, 2011
Sunny Acres Day Camps21275 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bel-levuesunnyacresdaycamp.com | from June 27 toAugust 19, 2011
SuperCamp @ Vanier College821 Ste-Croix Sports Complex, St-Laurentwww.vaniercollege.qc.ca/supercamp | fromJune 22 to August 14, 2011
Visual Arts Centre350, avenue Victoria, Montréalvisualartscentre.ca | from June 27 to Au-gust 26, 2011
QUEBEC CITYCamp d’été de l’École de dansede QuébecCentre de production artistique et cultu-relle Alyne-LeBel, Québecwww.ledq.qc.ca
QC ELSEWHERECAMMAC Lake MacDonald MusicCentre85 chemin Cammac, Harrington (près deLachute)www.cammac.ca | from June 26 to August14, 2011
Camp chanson de Petite-Vallée51, rue Principale, Petite-Valléewww.festivalenchanson.com | from July 4to August 21, 2011
Camp Musical d’AsbestosC.P. 6, Asbestoswww.campmusicalinc.com | from June 5 toAugust 19, 2011
Camp musical de l’Abitibi-Témis-camingue8, rue Allard, Val-d’Orwww.campmusicalat.ca | from July 1 to Au-gust 13, 2011
Camp musical de l’Estrie1370 Maurice-Duplessis, Sherbrooke
www.camuest.com | from August 1 to 13,2011
Camp musical des Laurentides60 place Mozart, St-Adolphe d’Howardwww.cmlaurentides.qc.ca | from June 26 toAugust 21, 2011
Camp musical du lac Matapédia(musique, danse, théâtre)Case postale 62, Rimouskiwww.camplacmatapedia.com | from June26 to August 28, 2011
Camp musical du Saguenay Lac-St-Jean1589, Route 169, Metabetchouan-Lac-à-la-Croixwww.campmusical-slsj.qc.ca | from June 16to August 21, 2011
Camp musical Père LindsayC.P. 44, Joliettewww.campmusicallanaudiere.com | fromJune 26 to August 20, 2011
Camp musical Saint-Alexandre267 rang St-Gérard, St-Alexandre-de-Ka-mouraskawww.campmusical.com | from June 26 toAugust 21, 2011418-495-2898 • [email protected]: 26 juin au 21 aoûtLimite: 15 juin 2011Coût: 400$ - 1500$Bourses: sur demandeLangues: françaisDisciplines: chant, piano, flûte à bec, trom-pette, trombone, cor français, cuivres, vio-lon, alto, violoncelles, contrebasses, cordes,guitare, saxophone, clarinette, basson,hautbois, bois, percussions, orchestre, cho-rale, musique de chambre, théorie, comé-die musicale, danse, régie sonore.
S
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20 SPRING 2011
Camp musical TuttiBishop’s University, Lennoxvillewww.camptutti.com | from June 26 to July3, 2011
Camp Nominingue1889, ch des Mésanges, Nomininguewww.nominingue.com | from July 2 to August 28, 2011
Domine Forget InternationalMusic and Dance Academy5 rang St-Antoine, Saint-Irénéewww.domaineforget.com | from May 16 toSeptember 5, 2011418-452-8111 • [email protected]: 15 mai 2011Coût: 680$ - 2440$ selon le stage et laduréeBourses: OuiLangues: anglais, françaisDisciplines: Chant, flûte, piano, trompette,trombone, cor français, cuivres, violon, alto,violoncelle, contrebasse, cordes, guitare,clarinette, basson, hautbois, bois, musiquede chambre, musique nouvelle, jazz, jazzvocal, danse.Cours particuliers, classes de maître, mu-sique de chambre,ateliers spécialisés,concerts étudiants, entrées aux concertsdu Festival International… Une expérienceunique dans un cadre majestueux!
Orford Arts Centre3165 chemin du Parc, Orfordwww.arts-orford.org | from June 10 to Au-gust 13, 2011
Université de Sherbrooke, Écoled’été de chant choral2500 boul Université, Sherbrookewww.usherbrooke.ca/musique | from June25 to July 2, 2011
OTTAWA-GATINEAUCamp musical Adagio851-E, St-René O., Gatineau (Hull)www.campmusicaladagio.com | from July4 to 29, 2011
JazzWorks Summer Jazz Work-shopCAMMAC, MacDonald Lakewww.jazzworkscanada.com | from August18 to 21, 2011
TORONTOBravo Academy for the Perfor-ming Arts150 Laird Drive, Torontowww.bravoacademy.ca | from July 1 to Au-gust 31, 2011
Camp Wahanowin, Creative ArtsPrograms227 Eglinton Ave W, Torontowww.wahanowin.com
Canadian Opera Company Summer Opera Camp
227 Front Street East, Torontowww.coc.ca | from July 11 to 22, 2011
Canadian Opera Company, Sum-mer Youth Intensive227 Front Street East, Torontowww.coc.ca | from July 4 to 8, 2011
Fern Hill Summer Camp3300 Ninth Line Road, Oakvillewww.fernhillschool.com
Kingsway Conservatory SummerCamps2848 Bloor St. W, Torontokingswayconservatory.ca
National Music Camp227 Eglinton Ave. W, Torontowww.nationalmusiccamp.com | from Au-gust 21 to September 4, 2011
No Strings Theatre, SummerMusic Theatre for Teens50 Ashburnham Rd, Torontowww.nostringstheatre.com | from July 4 to31, 2011
Ontario Youth ChoirA-1422 Bayview Avenue, Torontowww.choirsontario.org | from August 19 to27, 2011
Royal Conservatory of Music273 Bloor Street West, Torontowww.rcmusic.ca
Southern Ontario Chamber MusicInstitute268 Lakeshore Rd. East, Suite 512, Oakvillewww.socmi.org | from July 31 to August 7,2011
Summer Opera Lyric Theatre,Opera Workshop947 Queen St. E., 2nd Floor, Torontowww.solt.ca | from June 12 to August 8,2011
Tafelmusik Baroque SummerInstitute427 Bloor Street West, Torontowww.tafelmusik.org | from June 2 to 15,2011
Theatre Ontario SummerCoursesPeterboroughtheatreontario.org | from August 8 to 14,2011
Toronto School for Strings, Sum-mer Camps & Programs85 Collier Street, Torontotorontoschoolforstrings.com
Toronto School of Music Canada5803 Yonge Street, North Yorktorontoschoolofmusic.com
Toronto Summer Music Academy& Festival720 Bathurst Street, Suite 501, Torontowww.torontosummermusic.com | fromJuly 17 to February 14, 2011
University of Toronto Faculty ofMusic Summer Programs80 Queen’s Park Circle, Torontowww.utoronto.ca/music | from July 4 toFebruary 10, 2011
Yamaha Music Camp5075 Yonge St., 10th Floor, Torontoyamahamusicschool.ca | from July 4 to 29,2011
ONTARIO ELSEWHEREAlgoma Music CampSault Ste-Mariealgomafallfestival.com | from July 17 to 30,2011
Arts Integra Centre for Musicand the Arts132 Main Street, Unionvillewww.artsintegra.com | from July 5 to 9,2011
Canadian Operatic Arts AcademyDon Wright Faculty of Music, Londonwww.music.uwo.ca/coaa.html | from May 2to 22, 2011
Elora Festival Kids’ CampPO Box 370, Elorawww.elorafestival.com
Goderich Celtic College & Kids’Day CampBox 171, Goderichwww.celticfestival.ca/kids-day-camp.html |from August 1 to February 5, 2011
Guelph Youth Music Centre75 Cardigan Street, Guelphgymc.ca | from July 1 to August 31, 2011
Guitar Workshop PlusPO Box 21207, Mississaugawww.guitarworkshopplus.com | from July17 to 29, 2011
Huckleberry Music CampMuskokahuckleberrymusiccamp.com | from July 2to 9, 2011
Humber College Summer JazzWorkshop3199 Lakeshore Blvd. W., Etobicokecalendardb.humber.ca | from July 18 to 22,2011
Interprovincial Music CampCamp Manitou, Parry Soundwww.interprovincialmusiccamp.ca | fromAugust 20 to September 6, 2011
JVL Summer School for Perfor-ming Arts “Music in Summer”Festival 201179 Chagall Drive, Thornhillwww.musicinsummer.com | from July 7 to17, 2011
Kincardine Summer Music Festi-valBox 251, Kincardinewww.ksmf.ca | from July 31 to August 13,2011
Lake Field Music (formerly CAM-MAC Ontario Music Centre)Lakefield College School, Lakefieldlakefieldmusic.ca | from July 31 to August14, 2011
Music at Port Milford89 Colliers Road, Pleasantvillewww.mpmcamp.org | from July 16 to Au-gust 13, 2011
Oakville Performing Arts SuzukiDay Camp268 Lakeshore Road East-Suite 512, Oak-villewww.oakvillesuzuki.org | from July 4 to 15,2011
Ontario Mennonite Music CampConrad Grabel College, Waterloo
www.grebel.uwaterloo.ca/ommc | from Au-gust 14 to 26, 2011
Southhampton Summer Music228 Edward Street, Southamptonwww.summermusic.com | from July 25 to29, 2011
Southwestern Ontario SuzukiInstituteWilfrid Laurier University, Waterloowww.artset.net/sosi.html | from August 13to 21, 2011
Summer Camp at Singing BrookFarmR R 2, Ingersollsingingbrookfarm.ca | from July 11 to Au-gust 19, 2011
SASKATCHEWANSOA Saito Conducting Workshopwith Wayne Toews1610 Morgan Ave, Saskatoonwww.conductorschool.com | from July 24to 31, 2011
ALBERTABanff Centre for the Arts - Sum-mer Music and Sound Programs107 Tunnel Mountain Dr., box 1020, Banff,Banffwww.banffcentre.ab.ca/Music
BRITISH COLUMBIAComox Valley Youth MusicCentre (CYMC) InternationalSummer Youth Music School andFestival580 Duncan Avenue, Courtenaywww.cymc.ca | from July 3 to 29, 2011
Langley Community MusicSchool Suzuki Summer Work-shop4899 207th Street, Langleywww.langleymusic.com | from July 6 to Au-gust 10, 2011
Penticton Academy of MusicSummer Programs220 Manor Park Ave, Pentictonwww.pentictonacademyofmusic.ca | fromJuly 6 to 22, 2011
Pulse Creative and InnovativeChamber Music Program andFestival4899 207th Street, Langleywww.langleymusic.com | from July 23 to31, 2011
Victoria Conservatory of MusicSummer Academies900 Johnson Street, Victoriawww.vcm.bc.ca | from July 4 to August 6,2011
EUROPEBrasov International Opera Pro-gramBrasovispbrasovl20.wifeo.com | from July 1 to 15,2011
www.scena.org
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SPRING 2011 21
SONGSofSUMMERINTERNATIONALOPERA FESTIVAL
PREVIEW
by JOSEPH K. SO
The weather is still cold outside, but there is noth-ing like planning a trip to the summer festivals towarm the hearts of Canadian opera fans. Sinceopera in Canada during the summer is virtuallynon-existent, we travel elsewhere. If time andmoney are not a concern, one can festival-hop tovenues such as the Salzburger Osterfestspiele(April), Prague Spring Festival and Maggio Musi-cale Fiorentino (May), White Nights Festival in St.Petersburg, Holland Festival and Aix-en-Provence(June), Munich, Glyndebourne, Bregenz, Salzburg,Santa Fe, Glimmerglass, Bayreuth, Savonlinna,Verona, Torre del Lago, Orange, Aix-en-Provence,Macerata, Pesaro (July and August). Things quietdown in the Fall, but there’s still the last weeks ofthe London Proms (Sept.) and Wexford in Ireland(Oct.). Below is a mini-preview of some of thegreat offerings this summer. With the high Canadian dollar, there is no better time for a visit.
Top on my personal list is the Munich Opera Festival (June 28 – July 31). There are many Cana-dians singing there this summer, including fourin Don Giovanni (Gerald Finley, Erin Wall, JosephKaiser and Philip Ens). Fans of Adrianne Pieczonkacan catch her in Ariadne auf Naxos and Lohen-grin; and our own Ben Heppner will be there atthe end of the festival for two performances ofTristan und Isolde opposite the fabulous Isolde ofNina Stemme. The great Soile Isokoski will give aliederabend of Grieg, Sibelius, Ives and Strauss inthe intimate and truly exquisite Cuvilliés-Theater.
Other singers giving recitals include baritonesMichael Volle and Christian Gerhaher, as well astenor Pavol Breslik, all at the larger Prinzregen-tentheater. But tenor Jonas Kaufmann, whosefame has reached rock-star status in Europe, willgive one in the biggest theatre, the National -theater. And likely it will sell out, as his concertlast summer was sold out in a matter of hours!Very special is the rare Saint François D’Assise byOlivier Messaien, and this is a great chance tohear Jonas Kaufmann as Florestan in Fidelio. COCMusic Director Johannes Debus will be there fora single performance of Die Entfuhrung aus demSerail. Speaking of conductors, Canadian YvesAbel will conduct Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montec-chi. Bel canto queen Edita Gruberova reprises herLucrezia Borgia, and there will be two perform-ances of the magnificent Jürgen Rose/OttoSchenk production of Der Rosenkavalier starringthe incomparable Anja Harteros as theMarschallin. www.bayerische.staatsoper.de/866--~Staatsoper~bso_aktuell~aktuelles.html
From Munich it’s just a short hop to the SalzburgFestival (July 27 – Aug. 30), with its glitz andglamour, not to mention fabulous music. Asusual, it will feature seven operas, with Die Frauohne Schatten conducted by Christian Thiele-mann as the must-see. If you miss Gerald Finley’sDon Giovanni in Munich, you can catch it inSalzburg, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.Other Canadians include Michèle Losier as Dora-bella in Cosi fan tutte, and John Relyea in the dou-ble-bill of Le Rossignol and Iolanta. Salzburgtickets and accommodations are expensive. www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/oper
It is the dream of every Wagner fan to “make apilgrimage” to the Bayreuther Festspiele (July 25
– Aug. 28). This is a Ring-less summer – justTannhauser, Die Meistersinger von Nurnburg, Lohengrin, Parsifal, and Tristan und Isolde.Bayreuth productions are extremely avant-gardeso be prepared! If you are one of the lucky oneswith tickets in hand, enjoy the unforgettable experience; if you don’t have tickets and hope toshow up hoping for returns, my advice is – don’tbother, as your chance of success is very slim. www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/english/programme_157.html
If Europe is too far for you, I can recommend Glim-merglass Opera (July 2 – Aug. 23) and Santa FeOpera (July 2 – Aug. 27). Located it Cooperstown,New York, it is ideal for opera fans who are alsointo baseball—there are quite a few of us outthere, believe it or not! If you are not a baseballfan, I would suggest that you avoid the BaseballHall of Fame Weekend (July 22 – 24) as things getcrazy in this small town. This season, the operasare Carmen, Medea, Annie Get Your Gun (!), and adouble-bill of A Blizzard in Marblehead Neck/Laterthe Same Evening. Deborah Voigt, the Met’sBrunnhilde, is adding Annie Oakley to go with herMinnie in La fanciulla del West. She has the dash-ing Rodney Gilfry as Frank Butler. Francesca Zambello directs. The double-bill of contempo-rary works is intriguing: Blizzard is based on anepisode in the life of playwright Eugene O’Neill,and Evening is inspired by on five paintings by Edward Hopper. Given the small town environ-ment, booking accommodations in advance is amust. www.glimmerglass.org/season/season.html
Finally, a favorite summer destination is the SantaFe Opera Festival. I have attended this venue almost annually for the last dozen years. The mag-nificent outdoor theatre with its superb acousticsset against the spectacular desert landscape ofnorthern New Mexico is unforgettable. The fiveoperas this summer are Faust, La Boheme, Griselda,The Last Savage and Wozzeck. Usually there are lotsof Canadians singing there each summer, but thisyear it’s just baritone Daniel Okulitch in the rarelyseen The Last Savage by Giancarlo Menotti. The su-perb singer and actor, soprano Nicola Beller Carbone, Opera de Montreal’s Salome, will singMarie in Wozzeck. Highly recommended!
THE NATIONAL THEATRE Munich, one of several venues playing host to the MunichOpera Festival, June 28 - July 31
FANS OF ADRIANNE PIECZONKA can catchher in Ariadne auf Naxos and Lohengrin
BARITONE MICHAEL VOLLE is set to give arecital at the Munich Opera Festival
BEL CANTO QUEEN EDITA GRUBEROVA will reprise her Lucrezia Borgia
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FESTIVALS
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22 SPRING 2011
AUSTRALIA
BRISBANE FESTIVALBrisbane, September 3 to 24,
brisbanefestival.com.au
AUSTRIA
1ST WORLD CHOIR CHAMPION-SHIPS FOR YOUTH AND YOUNG
ADULTSGraz, July 10 to 17, graz2011.interkultur.com
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MUSI-CAL STUDIES
Graz, July 4 to August 14, aimsgraz.com
BREGENZER FESTIVALBregenz, July 20 to August 21,
bregenzerfestspiele.com
GRAFENEGG MUSIC FESTIVALGrafenegg, August 19 to September 7,
grafenegg.at
INNSBRUCK FESTIVAL OF EARLYMUSIC
Innsbruck, August 10 to 28, altemusik.at
INT. ANTON BRUCKNER CHOIRCOMPETITION AND FESTIVAL
Linz, June 1 to 5, interkultur.com
SALZBURG FESTIVALSalzburg, July 27 to Aug. 30,
salzburgfestival.com
WIENER FESTWOCHENVienna, May 13 to June 19, festwochen.at
BELGIUM
QUEEN ELISABETH COMPETI-TION- INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
Brussels, May 5 to 21, cmireb.be
CROATIA
DUBROVNIK SUMMER FESTIVALDubrovnik, July 10 to Aug. 25,
dubrovnik-festival.hr
CZECH REPUBLIC
PRAGUE SPRING INTERNATIONALMUSIC FESTIVAL
Prague, May 12 to June 4, festival.cz
DENMARK
CARL NIELSEN INTERNATIONALMUSIC COMPETITION AND FESTI-
VALOdense, May 31 to June 9, nielsen.odensesymfoni.dk
FINLAND
HELSINKI FESTIVALHelsinki, Aug. 19 to Sept. 4, helsinkifestival.fi
ORIVESI SUMMER FESTIVALSOrivesi, June 4 to August 13, orivedensuvi.fi
SAVONLINNA OPERA FESTIVALSavonlinna, July 1 to 27, operafestival.fi
SYSMA SUMMER SOUNDSSysma, July 2 to 9, sysmansuvisoitto.com
FRANCE
31ÈME FESTIVAL INTERNATIO-NAL DE PIANO DE LA ROQUE
D’ANTHÉRONLa Roque d’Anthéron, July 22 to August 20,
festival-piano.com
ACADÉMIE-FESTIVAL DES ARCSLes Arcs, July 17 to August 5,
festivaldesarcs.com
BESANCON INTERNATIONALMUSIC FESTIVAL
Besançon, Sept. 16 to Oct. 1, festival-besancon.com
CHORÉGIES D’ORANGEOrange Cedux, July 9 to Aug 2, choregies.com
FESTIVAL D’AIX-EN-PROVENCEAix-en-Provence, July 5 to 25,
festival-aix.com
FESTIVAL D’AUVERS-SUR-OISEAuvers-sur-Oise, June 4 to July 7,
festival-auvers.com
FESTIVAL DE MUSIQUE DESTRASBOURG
Strasbourg, June 7 to 24, festival-strasbourg.com
FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DECOLMAR
Colmar, July 1 to 14, festival-colmar.com
FESTIVAL MILLE ET UNE NOTESLimousin, July 17 to August 11,
festival1001notes.com
FESTIVAL MUSIQUE SUR CIELCordes sur Ciel, July 17 to 29,
festivalmusiquesurciel.fr
LES NUITS PIANISTIQUESLignane Puyricard, August 2 to September 3,
lesnuitspianistiques.com
PLACIDO DOMINGO’S OPERALIAParis, July 18 to 24, operalia.org
GERMANY
BAYREUTH PIANO FESTIVAL(LISZT CELEBRATIONS)
Bayreuth, July 3 to 30, steingraeber.de
BAYREUTHER FESTSPIELEBayreuth, July 25 to August 28,
bayreuther-festspiele.de
BEETHOVENFEST BONNBonn, Sept. 9 to Oct. 9, beethovenfest.de
EUROPEAN MEDIA ART FESTIVALOsnabrück, April 27 to May 1, emaf.de
GERMAN PROTESTANT KIRCHENTAG
Dresden, June 1 to 5, musikfestspiele.com
GÖTTINGEN INTERNATIONALHANDEL FESTIVAL
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, June 3 to 14, haendel-festspiele.de
INT. JOHANNES BRAHMS CHOIRFESTIVAL AND COMPETITION
Weingerode, July 6 to 10, interkultur.com
MORITZBURG FESTIVALDresden, August 7 to 27,
moritzburgfestival.de
MUNICH OPERA FESTIVALMunich, June 25 to July 31, staatsoper.de
MUSIKFEST BERLINBerlin, Sept. 2 to 20, berlinerfestspiele.de
SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN MUSIKFESTIVAL
Schleswig-Holstein, July 9 to Aug 28, shmf.de
GREECE
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OFTHE AEGEAN
Hermoupolis, Syros, July 12 to 25, festivaloftheaegean.com
IRELAND
WEST CORK CHAMBER MUSICFESTIVAL
Bantry, June 24 to July 2, westcorkmusic.ie
ITALY
9TH VENEZIA IN MUSICA, CHOIRCOMPETITION AND FESTIVAL
Venezia, April 27 to May 1, interkultur.com
FESTIVAL DEI 2 MONDISpoleto, June 24 to July 10,
festivaldispoleto.com
FESTIVAL PUCCINITorre del Lago, July 22 to August 27,
puccinifestival.it
HIGHSCORE FESTIVALPavia, July 6 to 18, highscorefestival.com
IN... CANTO SUL GARDA INT.CHOIR COMPETITION & FESTIVAL
Riva del Garda, October 13 to 17,interkultur.com
MAGGIO MUSICALE FESTIVALFlorence, April 28 to June 23,
maggiofiorentino.com
MUSICASACRA A ROMARome, June 2 to 6, interkultur.com
RAVENNA FESTIVALRavenna, June 7 to July 9, ravennafestival.org
ROSSINI OPERA FESTIVALPesaro, Aug. 10 to 23, rossinioperafestival.it
JAPAN
PACIFIC MUSIC FESTIVAL SAPPORO
Sapporo, July 9 to August 4, pmf.or.jp
NETHERLANDS
HOLLAND FESTIVALAmsterdam, June 1 to 26, hollandfestival.nl
NORWAY
BERGEN INTERNATIONAL FESTI-VAL
Bergen, May 25 to June 8, fib.no
RUSSIA
STARS OF THE WHITE NIGHTSFESTIVAL
St Petersburg, May 23 to July 24,mariinsky.ru/en
SPAIN
INT. CHOIR COMPETITION & FESTIVAL MALTA
Malta, November 3 to 7, interkultur.com
SWITZERLAND
LUCERNE FESTIVAL IN SUMMERLucerne, Aug. 10 to Sept. 18,
lucernefestival.ch
VERBIER FESTIVALVerbier, July 15 to 31, verbierfestival.com
ZURICH FESTIVALZurich, June 17 to July 10,
zuercher-festspiele.ch
TURKEY
38TH INTERNATIONAL ISTANBULMUSIC FESTIVAL
Istanbul, June 4 to 29, iksv.org
UK
ALDEBURGH FESTIVALSuffolk, June 10 to 26, aldeburgh.co.uk
BATH INTERN. MUSIC FESTBath, May 25 to 5, bathmusicfest.org.uk
BBC PROMSLondon, July 15 to September 10,
bbc.co.uk/proms
BRIGHTON FESTIVALBrighton, May 7 to 29, brightonfestival.org
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONALFESTIVAL
Edinburgh, Aug. 12 to Sept. 4, eif.co.uk
GLYNDEBOURNE FESTIVALOPERA
East Sussex, May 21 to August 28, glyndebourne.com
HENLEY FESTIVALHenley-on-Thames, July 6 to 10,
henley-festival.co.uk
LAKE DISTRICT SUMMER MUSICINTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
Kendal, July 29 to August 14, ldsm.org.uk
LLANGOLLEN INTERNATIONALMUSICAL EISTEDDFOD
Llangollen, July 4 to 10, international-eisteddfod.co.uk
LUFTHANSA FESTIVAL OF BA-ROQUE MUSIC
London, May 13 to 21, lufthansafestival.org.uk
OPERA HOLLAND PARKLondon, June 7 to August 13,
operahollandpark.com
ST. MAGNUS INTERNATIONALFESTIVAL
Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, June 17 to 23, stmagnusfestival.com
THREE CHOIRS FESTIVALGloucester, August 6 to 13, 3choirs.org
WELSH PROMSCardiff, July 8 to 16, welshproms.co.uk
YORK EARLY MUSIC FESTIVALYork, July 8 to 16, ncem.co.uk/yemf.shtml
2011SUMMER INTERNATIONAL
FESTIVALS GUIDEfestivals.scena.org
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SPRING 2011 23
FESTIVALSUSA
ANCHORAGE FESTIVAL OF MUSICAnchorage, AK, August 22 to 22,
anchoragefestivalmusic.com
JUNEAU JAZZ & CLASSICSJuneau, AK, May 6 to 21, jazzandclassics.org
SITKA SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVALSitka, AK, June 3 to 24, sitkamusicfestival.org
SEDONA BLUEGRASS FESTIVALSedona, AZ, May 8, chambermusicsedona.org
MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WESTSUMMER FESTIVAL
Santa Barbara, CA, June 20 to August 13, musicacademy.org
MUSIC IN THE VINEYARDS : NAPAVALLEY CHAMBER MUSIC FESTI-
VALNapa, CA, August 3 to 21, musicinthevineyards.org
NAPA VALLEY FESTIVAL DELSOLE
Napa Valley, CA, July 15 to 24, festivaldelsole.org
SUMMER MUSIC WESTSan Francisco, CA, June 20 to August 5,
sfcm.edu/summer
SUMMERFEST 2011San Diego, CA, August 3 to 26, ljms.org
TEMECULA VALLEY INTERNATIO-NAL FILM AND MUSIC FESTIVALTemecula, CA, September 14 to 18, tviff.com
ASPEN MUSIC FESTIVALAspen, CO, June 29 to August 21,
aspenmusicfestival.com
BRAVO! VAIL VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL
Vail, CO, June 26 to Aug. 3, vailmusicfestival.org
CENTRAL CITY OPERADenver, CO, June 25 to August 7,
centralcityopera.org
COLORADO MUSIC FESTIVALBoulder, CO, June 25 to August 5,
coloradomusicfest.org
CRESTED BUTTE MUSIC FESTIVALCrested Butte, CO, July 3 to 12, crestedbuttemusicfestival.com
ROCKY RIDGE MUSIC CENTEREstes Park, CO, June 8 to August 21,
rockyridge.org
STRINGS IN THE MOUNTAINSSteamboat Springs, CO, June 28 to August 27,
stringsmusicfestival.com
THE QUARTET PROGRAM AT U CO-LORADO BOULDERBoulder, CO, July 3 to 31,
quartetprogram.com
NORFOLK CHAMBER MUSIC FES-TIVAL
Norfolk, CT, July 8 to August 13,yale.edu/norfolk
AMELIA ISLAND CHAMBER MUSICFESTIVAL
Fernandina Beach, FL, May 20 to June 19,aicmf.com
SARASOTA MUSIC FESTIVALSarasota, FL, May 29 to June 19,
sarasotaorchestra.org
ASTON MAGNA FESTIVALGreat Barrington, MA, June 16 to July 9,
astonmagna.org
BANG ON A CAN SUMMER MUSICFESTIVAL
North Adams, MA, July 11 to 31, bangonacan.org
BERKSHIRE CHORAL FESTIVALSheffield, MA, July 15 to September 18,
chorus.org
BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVALBoston, MA, June 12 to 19, bemf.org
The largest Early Music festival in North America,BEMF features a fully staged operatic centerpiece—Steffani’s “Niobe, Regina di Tebe” with sopranoAmanda Forsythe and countertenor Philippe Ja-roussky—alongside a week of concerts of Mediae-val, Renaissance, and Baroque music, theworld-famous Exhibition of instrument makers, pu-blishers, and other professionals, and more.
ROCKPORT CHAMBER MUSICFESTIVAL
Rockport, MA, June 9 to July 17, rcmf.org
TANGLEWOOD MUSIC FESTIVALLenox, MA, June 25 to September 4, bso.org
CHESAPEAKE CHAMBER MUSICFESTIVAL
Eastern, MD, May 30 to June 13, chesapeakechambermusic.com/festival
BOWDOIN INTERNATIONAL MUSICFESTIVAL
Brunswick, ME, June 25 to August 6, summermusic.org
INTERNATIONAL MUSICAL ARTSINSTITUTE/FESTIVAL
Fryeburg, ME, July 7 to 16, imaifestival.org
KNEISEL HALL CHAMBER MUSICFESTIVAL
Blue Hill, ME, June 24 to August 28,kneisel.org
PORTLAND CHAMBER MUSICFESTIVAL
Portland, ME, August 11 to 20, pcmf.org
PORTLAND STRING QUARTETWORKSHOP AT ST. JOSEPH’S
COLLEGEStandish, ME, July 17 to 31,
portlandstringquartet.org/workshop.htm
SALT BAY CHAMBERFESTDamariscotta, ME, August 16 to 26,
saltbaychamberfest.org
INTERLOCHEN SUMMER ARTSFESTIVAL
Interlochen, MI, April 14 to May 23, interlochen.org
KANSAS CITY STRING QUARTETPROGRAM
Kansas City, MO, July 22 to 30, kcstringquartet.org
SUMMERFEST CHAMBER MUSICFESTIVAL
Kansas City, MO, July 9 to 31,summerfestkc.org
BREVARD MUSIC CENTER SUM-MER INSTITUTE & FESTIVAL
Brevard, NC, June 24 to August 7, brevardmusic.org
HIGHLANDS-CASHIERS CHAMBERMUSIC FESTIVAL
Highlands, NC, August 8 to 14, h-cmusicfestival.org
DAKOTA CHAMBER MUSICMinot, ND, June 6 to 12, luminustrio.com
WATERVILLE VALLEY MUSICCENTER SUMMER CAMP
CONCERTSWaterville Valley, NH, July 24 to August 7,
wvmusiccenter.org
CAPE MAY MUSIC FESTIVALCape May, NJ, May 26 to June 15,
capemaymac.org
RARITAN RIVER MUSIC FESTIVALOldwick, NJ, May 7 to 28,
raritanrivermusic.org
CHAMBER MUSIC ALBUQUERQUEAlbuquerque, NM, June 12 to 19, cma-abq.org
MUSIC ANGEL FIREAngel Fire, NM, August 19 to September 4,
musicfromangelfire.org
SANTA FE CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL
Santa Fe, NM, July 17 to August 22, santafechambermusic.com
SANTA FE OPERASanta Fe, NM, July 1 to August 27,
santafeopera.org
TAOS SCHOOL OF MUSIC SUMMERCHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL
Taos, NM, June 19 to August 7, taosschoolofmusic.com
THE AMERICAN INTERNATIONALCHORAL FESTIVAL – RENO-
TAHOE 2011Reno-Tahoe, NV, May 4 to 8,
renochoralfestival.com
BARD MUSIC FESTIVALAnnandale-on-Hudson, NY, August 12 to 21,
fishercenter.bard.edu/bmf
BRIDGEHAMPTON CHAMBERMUSIC FESTIVAL
Bridgehampton, NY, July 28 to August 21,bcmf.org
CARAMOOR INTERNATIONALMUSIC FESTIVAL
Caramoor, NY, July 28 to August 21, caramoor.org
CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTIONChautauqua, NY, June 25 to August 28,
ciweb.org
GLIMMERGLASS OPERACooperstown, NY, July 2 to August 23,
glimmerglass.org
GREAT SOUTH BAY MUSIC FESTIVAL
Port Jefferson, NY, July 15 to 17,greatsouthbaymusicfestival.com
JUNE IN BUFFALOBuffalo, NY, June 6 to 12,
music.buffalo.edu/juneinbuffalo
LUZERNE CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL
Lake Luzerne, NY, July 3 to August 22,luzernemusic.org
MUSIC SALEMCambridge, NY, June 5 to August 14,
musicfromsalem.org
SARATOGA CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL
Saratoga Springs, NY, July 26 to August 14,spac.org
THE QUARTET PROGRAM AT SUNYFREDONIA
Fredonia, NY, June 12 to July 31, quartetprogram.com
THE SKANEATELES FESTIVALSkaneateles, NY, August 8 to September 3,
skanfest.org
WINDHAM CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL
Windham, NY, May 28 to September 3, windhammusic.com
OREGON BACH FESTIVALEugene, OR, June 23 to July 10,
oregonbachfestival.com
Helmuth Rilling, artistic director; guests Yo-Yo Ma,Marin Alsop, Jeffrey Kahane, Matthew Halls, MonicaHuggett, pianist Shai Wosner, soprano Tamara Wil-son. Works include Brahms: Requiem, Bach: Magni-ficat, Beethoven: No. 9, Golijov: Azul, Bach andBritten: Cello Suites, Purcell: Dido and Aeneas, andHandel, Purcell, Britten odes to St. Cecilia.
MUSIC AT GRETNAMt. Gretna, PA, August 4 to September 4,
gretnamusic.org
KINGSTON CHAMBER MUSIC FES-TIVAL
Kingston, RI, July 20 to 31, kingstonchambermusic.org
SPOLETO FESTIVAL USACharleston, SC, May 27 to June 12,
spoletousa.org
AMERICAN FESTIVAL FOR THEARTS
Houston, TX, June 20 to July 22, afatexas.net
AUSTIN CHAMBER MUSIC FESTI-VAL & WORKSHOPAustin, TX, July 6 to 23,
austinchambermusic.org
MIMIR CHAMBER MUSIC FESTI-VAL
Fort Worth, TX, July 4 to 15, mimirfestival.org
ROUND TOP FESTIVAL INSTITUTERound Top, TX, June 5 to July 17,
festivalhill.org
VICTORIA BACH FESTIVALVictoria, TX, June 7 to 11, victoriabachfestival.org
MOAB MUSIC FESTIVALMoab, UT, September 1 to 12,
moabmusicfest.org
UTAH FESTIVAL OPERALogan, UT, July 6 to August 6, ufoc.org
ASH LAWN OPERA FESTIVALCharlottesville, VA, July 15 to August 7,
ashlawnopera.org
GREEN MOUNTAIN OPERA FESTIVAL
Waitsfield & Barre, VT, May 28 to June 19,greenmountainoperafestival.com
KILLINGTON MUSIC FESTIVALRutland, VT, June 19 to July 29,
killingtonmusicfestival.org
MANCHESTER MUSIC FESTIVALCONCERT SERIES
Manchester, VT, July 7 to August 18,mmfvt.org
MARLBORO MUSIC FESTIVALMarlboro, VT, July 16 to August 14,
marlboromusic.org
ROCHESTER CHAMBER MUSICSOCIETY
Rochester, VT, April 16 to 16, rochesterchambermusic.org
VERMONT FESTIVAL OF THE ARTSMad River Valley, VT, August 1 to September
5, vermontartfest.com
VERMONT MOZART FESTIVALBurlington, VT, July 17 to August 7,
vtmozart.com
YELLOW BARN MUSIC SCHOOLAND FESTIVAL
Putney, VT, July 3 to August 7, yellowbarn.org
SUMMER FESTIVAL AT OVERLAKESCHOOL
Redmond, WA, July 5 to August 12, seattlechambermusic.org/index.html
BACH DANCING & DYNAMITE SO-CIETY CHAMBER FESTIVAL
Madison, WI, June 10 to 26, bachdancinganddynamite.org
GREEN LAKE FESTIVAL OF MUSICGreen Lake, WI, June 8 to July 24,
greenlakefestival.org
MIDWEST YOUNG ARTISTS SUM-MER MUSIC FESTIVAL
Kenosha, WI, June 20 to July 23,mya.org/summer
MUSIC BY THE LAKEWilliams Bay, WI, July 2 to August 13,
musicbythelake.com
TOKEN CREEK CHAMBER MUSICFESTIVAL
Madison, WI, August 24 to September 4, tokencreekfestival.org
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VOCAL MUSICDiva/Divo: Opera AriasJoyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano; Orchestre et Choeur del’Opéra de Lyon/Kazushi OnoVirgin Classics 50999 641986 0 6 (80 min 41 s)������
In the interesting essay byJoyce DiDonato that opensthe accompanying booklet,she expresses her gratitudefor being blessed withslightly longer vocal cordsthat made her a mezzo. Herlegions of fans are sure toagree. Her bright, creamy tone, marvelous col-oratura – with a stunning trill – and exceptionalmusicality make her ideal in works that range fromthe Baroque to the twentieth century. As the titlesuggests, DiDonato explores her extensive skirtand trouser roles in this very generous disc of over80 minutes. Whether it is Susanna or Cherubino,Cinderella or Prince Charming, DiDonato singseverything with resplendent tone and dramaticacuity. Her range is impressive, from soprano highs– Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito – to the low mezzoterritory of Marguerite in La Damnation de Faustand Romeo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi. Whetherhigh or low, the tone is always even and lustrous.Even in the liberal use of chest voice in the Belliniopera, it is always used with taste and no sign ofstrain. Japanese maestro Kazushi Ono proves asensitive musician. Several selections enlist theservices of other singers – no great voices here butall competent and up to the task. It’s good to havethe Composer’s Aria from Ariadne auf Naxos here,a role she has sung very few times. It shows themezzo to be a formidable Straussian. It makes onelong for her Octavian, a role she recently sang inMadrid and will sing again in La Scala in October.The booklet has trilingual text, essays by the singerand music critic Roger Pines but no artist bios.Highly recommended. JKS
Handel: “Cleopatra” - Giulio Cesare Opera Arias Natalie Dessay, soprano; Le Concert d’Astrée/Emmanuelle HaïmVirgin Classics 5099990787225������
A bit breathless to start,Dessay does not quite outvamp Elizabeth Taylor withthe asp, but there areenough hot moments torumple your baroque collarand Emmanuelle Haïm’scrisp harpsichord directionnever lets the action flag. NL
Richard Strauss: “Poesie” Orchestral SongsDiana Damrau, soprano; Münchner Philharmoniker/ChristianThielemannVirgin Classics 50999 628664 0 8 (71 min 9 s)������
German soprano DianaDamrau is considered bymany to be the outstandingcoloratura of the 21st century,following in the footsteps ofthe great Edita Gruberova(80s) and Natalie Dessay(90s). Like the other ladies,Damrau combines a silvery, flexible high soprano withstunning technique and innate musicality, not to men-tion abundant stage allure. Here she is in an all-Straussprogram, accompanied by none other than ChristianThielemann and the Munich Philharmonic – talkabout luxury casting! In a generous program of 22Strauss songs lasting over 70 minutes, Damrau singswith lovely tone, crystal clear diction (except perhapsin the stratosphere), great expression, and most of allwith the exquisite lightness that is her trademark. Thedisc is full of magical moments, but the best are whenshe sings very softly, gently caressing the phrases as in“Waldseligkeit” and “Morgen.” When ecstatic exuber-ance is called for, as in “Cäcilie” and “Zueignung,” thevoice goes into overdrive and the vibrato becomesmore pronounced but never unpleasant. She is wellsupported by the great Christian Thielemann. Underhis direction, the orchestral sound is like the smoothestdark chocolate – delectably sumptuous, with just themost gorgeous string solos! Thielemann’s tempi tendto be on the slow side, allowing the music to breathebut the musical lines are always taut and alive. If I wereto quibble, the songs are arranged in a seemingly ran-dom fashion with no rhyme or reason. The booklet hasa nice essay on Strauss’s orchestral songs, text andtranslations, a photo each of the soprano and the con-ductor, and a tiny essay by Damrau dedicating the discto her parents. This is a beautiful disc that stacks upwell against the many wonderful Strauss discs alreadyin the catalogue. JKS
Rossini: Opera AriasJulia Lezhneva, soprano; Warsaw Chamber Opera Choir; Sin-fonia Varsovia/Marc MinkowskiNaïve V 5221 (58 min)������
I think I have found a cure for my generalised Rossini
aversion, my tendency todismiss him as a master trill-maker with little to offer theintellect or the emotions.The cure is called Julia Lezh-neva and the seven arias shedispenses on this modestdisc have hardly been off myplaying deck all week.
Lezhnova, new to me, comes from a Russian fam-ily of geophysicists and has been finishing her stud-ies in Cardiff with tenor Dennis O’Neill. She won thefirst Paris International Opera Competition sixmonths ago, does not yet have a working websiteand, on her debut disc at 21, seems to be heading forthe stratosphere.
The first thing that strikes me about her fireworksis the complete lack of fuss. “Tanti affetti” from LaDonna del lago is delivered with a rare integrity thatmakes the glitter part of the general texture ratherthan an applause magnet. The voice sounds matureand fully formed. Often as not in the Cenerentolaarias one is reminded more of Mozart style than Ital-ian excess. Marc Minkowski directs the SinfoniaVarsovia with a very light touch and the choir of War-saw Chamber Opera do the necessary. But it’s Lezh-neva that keeps the ear glued to the speakers,demanding more. She’ll go far. NL
INSTRUMENTALMUSIC
Bach: A Strange BeautySimone Dinnerstein/Kammerorchester Staatskapelle BerlinSony 88697 81742 2 (57 min 42 s)������
Called “a throwback to suchhigh priestesses of music asWanda Landowska andMyra Hess” by Slate maga-zine, the New York-based pi-anist Simone Dinnersteinhas developed an interna-tional following on the strength of her debut record-ing of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, which caused asensation in 2007 (it ranked #1 on the Billboard Clas-sical Chart in its first week of sales). For her first out-ing as a Sony artist, she presents another Bach disc.Calling her approach a throwback to an earlier era ofBach playing only tells part of the story, for Ms. Din-nerstein is clearly an artist of her time. The perform-ances on this disc are more of a restoration of a certainexpressive vocabulary which was once mainstreambut has been displaced by the period-performanceaesthetic. Dinnerstein chooses to record an all-Bachalbum, including three 19th and 20th century tran-scriptions on a modern concert grand. Nonetheless,these are staggering performances, full of intelli-gence, tenderness, and commitment. The awarenessof performance practice and conscious rejection ofmany of its sacred values are meaningless when youlisten to an album this transcendentally beautiful,
» C D S » D V D SREVIEWSREVIEW POLICY: While we try to review as many products as
possible, we are unable to cover every new release. More reviews can be viewed on our website at scena.org
������ A MUST!������ EXCELLENT������ VERY GOOD������ GOOD������ SO-SO������ MEDIOCRE
REVIEWERSPP: Pemi Paull, NL: Norman Lebrecht
JKS: Joseph K. So, PER: Paul E. Robinson, WSH: Stephen Habington
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and compellingly interesting. Simone Dinnersteinplays Bach as naturally as breathing. This is a greatalbum. PP
Bach: Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, BWV1007-1012Josephine van Lier, celloVanlier2010-01 (3 h 43 min 52 s)������
This disc comes with atwist: The first and fourthsuite are performed on acello with a modern setup,the third, on a carbon-fibreinstrument, while the sec-ond suite is played on abaroque cello, and the sixthon a five-string piccolo cello. The fifth suite is recordedthree times, using the baroque, the contemporary,and the carbon-fibre instruments. This four-disc setcomes with liner notes about the differences be-tween the instruments, an interview with van Lier,even a graph showing an analysis of the harmonicspectrums of the instruments. All of this seems gim-micky, yet it is understandable when one considersthe daunting task of trying to make a splash with yetanother recording of the Suites. The verdict? The play-ing throughout is spacious and free, the preludes areimaginative, and the dances are idiomatic. What isinteresting is that despite the intent to highlight thedifferences between the instruments, what comesacross most is the stylistic consistency of the record-ing as a whole. This is not the recording you want asyour reference for this music, but if you love the cellosuites, this one is recommended. PP
Beethoven: Gods, Heroes, and Men - The Creaturesof Prometheus/Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”Orchestre symphonique de Montréal/Kent NaganoAnalekta AN2 9838 (73 min 51 s)������
The album includes someexplanatory notes by con-ductor Kent Nagano.Nagano’s writing styletends to the formal andprolix but he makes someinteresting points nonethe-less. He sees thePrometheus myth as symbolic of the entire EuropeanEnlightenment period. Prometheus is the new self-creating man beholden neither to gods nor kings.Napoleon was the Prometheus incarnate of the timeand Beethoven – at least until Napoleon declaredhimself emperor – greatly admired this man whowould remake the world. The Promethean Spirit was,for Beethoven, a hope. But for us today, according toNagano, it is “a warning, or perhaps even a curse.”
The CD begins with five excerpts fromBeethoven’s The Creatures of Prometheus balletscore. Apart from the overture, they are fragmentsand only occasionally compelling, but Nagano andthe OSM play them with tremendous energy andattention to detail. Nagano is known to be very in-terested in historically informed performance prac-tice and there is certainly plenty of evidence of it inthis Eroica. Tempi are quick in accordance withBeethoven’s metronome markings, vibrato is usedsparingly, and the timpanist uses hard sticks. In ad-dition, Nagano’s phrasing often involves swelling up
and then falling away, as compared to the more sus-tained phrasing customary in music of the roman-tic era. There are plenty of examples in the firstmovement, and then again in the horn trio in theScherzo. To my ears, this historically informed ap-proach to phrasing and dynamics verges on affec-tation when it is used so often. On the other hand,there is no denying that Nagano has gone over thescore with infinite care and made decisions aboutthe shape of every phrase and the length of everynote. But in being meticulous he has not ignoredthe big picture. This performance is consistently en-grossing and often exciting.
The recording team deserves a lot of credit toofor achieving such an optimum balance betweenclarity and reverberation. It is a triumph for Nagano,the OSM and Analekta. PER
Franck: Symphonie en ré mineur / Schmitt: La Tra-gédie de SaloméOrchestre Métropolitain/Yannick Nézet-SéguinATMA ACD2 2647 (70 min 58 s)������
The first piece on the pro-gramme here is La Tragédiede Salomé by FlorentSchmitt (1870-1958). Thisrarely recorded composi-tion originated as a balletscore for 20 musicians.Schmitt reduced its dura-tion and arranged it for full orchestra in 1911. Thisperformance reveals it to be a full blooded Roman-tic fireworks display. Under Nézet-Séguin’s inspireddirection, the orchestra is in spectacular form. ThisSalomé is worth getting to know.
In the booklet note, Robert Rival states that Franck’sSymphony inDminor is the most frequently performedFrench symphony with the exception of Berlioz’s Fan-tastique. Most of the great conductors of the 20th cen-tury could not resist recording it. This account is verytimely because the absolute gold standard of the digi-tal era, withCharles Dutoit conducting the OSM (Decca- 1991), is currently absent from the catalogue. The new-comer is a most acceptable replacement. Nézet-Séguinis more forceful than Dutoit but no less lyrical in theslow-burn passages. Again, the orchestra (deservedlylisted by name in the booklet) responds magnificently.The results are thrilling. WSH
Holst: The Planets/Beni Mora/Japanese SuiteBBC Philharmonic/Sir Andrew DavisChandos CHSA 5086 (78 min 24 s)������
New recordings of The Plan-ets are not news but thisone is exceptional. First ofall, the sound is spectacu-larly good. This is rather im-portant for a work withsuch a wide dynamic rangeand so many subtle andoriginal instrumental colourings. And Andrew Davisleads a performance which is precise and attentive tothe smallest detail. Holst calls for a huge orchestraincluding organ in this piece, but Davis makes surethat we hear everything. Tempos seem just right forevery movement. Amazing how everything falls intoplace when conductors find the right tempo!
Just as interesting on this CD are the filler items:two lesser-known Holst orchestral works. BeniMora was inspired by a trip to Algeria and it is com-prised of three vaguely North African dances. TheJapanese Suite has little discernible Japanese contentbut was composed for a Japanese dancer. Like BeniMora it has highly evocative colours and rhythms.
The BBC Philharmonic, based in Manchester, isgenerally considered a notch or two below the Lon-don-based BBC Symphony. But on this recording itsplaying is absolutely first-rate. PER
John Adams PortraitAngèle Dubeau, violon; Louise Bessette, piano; La PietàAnalekta AN 2 8732 (60 min 36 s)������
John Adams goes all huffynowadays when anyonerefers to him as a mini-malist, distancing himselffrom his roots in a move-ment that made melodypermissible, often to thepoint of nausea.
The three pieces on this disc, played with greatzest by Angèle Dubeau’s Quebec ensemble La Pietà,demonstrate the strength of those roots. ShakerLoops for string septet was made in 1978 out offragments of a previous string quartet, itselffounded on Steve Reich’s use of melodic loops ofdiffering length. The language here may belong toReich but the syntax is uniquely Adams, a relent-less pulsing that offers no promise of eventual res-olution. You take the ride at your own risk.
Both other pieces here date from the early 1990s,
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as told to CRYSTAL CHAN
In March, at 22, Philippe Sly became one of five winners of the 2011 Metro-politan Opera’s National Council Auditions, which heard a total of of 1,500singers. Sly has received many offers but plans to continue his studies withthe Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio. A native of Ottawa, hisfather is an anglophone while his mother is from La Tuque, a little town inNorthern Quebec which he calls “my other hometown”; his self-proclaimedcultural heritage is “all French-Canadian.” He shares his story.
“When I grew up there was an elderly neighbour livingright beside us named Muriel Racine. As soon as Istarted walking, she would have me come for tea al-most everyday. She would sing to me and I wouldsing back. It was quite formal. I was wired, hyper as a
child; she funneled that energy into singing. My parents brought me to see anoperetta that the Opera Lyra Boys Choir put on, and it was the first time I stoodstill; I was awestruck for the entire concert. I told my parents: 'That's what Iwant to do.' At seven, I auditioned and joined that choir, started tak-ing voice lessons. I haven't looked back since.
My voice changed later than most boys. I thought I'd be acounter tenor, as I maintained a very high falsetto for a longtime. It was only later when I started auditioning for uni-versity in Grade 12 that I realized baritone would be theonly way for me. My voice coach, Laurence Ewashko(a teacher at the University of Ottawa), was the onewho really gave me a lot of direction throughthat change. I've been singing as a bass-bari-tone for only five years.
I came to McGill specifically to study with [Sanford Sylvan]. I had a great audition at McGilland I realized there was someone on the panel thatI didn't know, and he was going to be a new teacherthe next year. So Michael McMahon—the best coachin this country, really—told me I should schedule a les-son. Afterward, I immediately knew that this was theteacher I wanted.
At McGill, solidifying the voice took a long time.At the beginning, it was a hard and arduous process.There are different kinds of baritones, and because Iam so young they didn't know how to classify myvoice: I have a big voice and I can sing lower repertoire—bass-baritone—but I can access the higher repertoire too.The idea in classical music that you can only sing certainroles is really not useful. So they just wanted me to singwhat sounded most beautiful. People seem to want me tosing Handel and Wagner—which are completely contrast-ing. As a young man your voice changes over a longperiod of time; it settles much later than forwomen. [Sylvan] helped me sing with easebeauti fully and allowed me to find myvoice instead of
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trying to contrive it. A good teacher allows you to just discover whatyour natural voice is instead of trying to impose a sound quality,intensity, or aesthetic that people want.
I was warned very early on that there's no use in emulating any-body, because you're never going to be able to imitate their soundquality exactly. But Bryn Terfel was a great influence on me. He'sso musical and he has a voice set close to mine. Canadian-wise, Ifind Gerald Finley a supreme artist. Gerald and I were in the samechurch choir in Ottawa, St. Matthew's, and we both have an affil-iation with the Brian Law Opera Competition.
I've been fortunate to sing some really exciting roles at McGill:Nick Shadow in The Rake's Progress —I realized that I'm not goingto find much that matches up [to that]—and Marcello from La Bohème, one of the best baritone roles that Puccini wrote. [The
I WANT TO BE ABLE TOCREATE, NO MATTER WHATMEDIUM IT IS.
“ “PR
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REVIEWS
when Adams was struggling with his eclectic vio-lin concerto. Road Movies for violin and piano man-ages to be repetitive without ever becominghypnotic so effectively does the composer shift thelandscape with new features. John’s Book of Al-leged Dances is plain old mischief – six itchy riffsfor string quartet in which the tune is forever chal-lenged by pizzicato clicks of what might be a de-fective metronome. The album is original andDubeau’s sense of fun is infectious and the soundimmediate. NL
Mahler: Symphony No. 2Stephania Woytowicz, soprano; Anny Delorie, contralto; Cologne Radio Chorus; Cologne Radio Symphony Orches-tra/William SteinbergRecorded in Cologne 10 September 1965ICA Classics ICAC 5001 (79 min 38 s)������
The history of Mahler per-formance should take noteof the pioneering conduc-tors who embraced themusic before it was firmlyrooted in the orchestralrepertory. After the com-poser’s associates: Walter,Klemperer and Fried came conductors such as CarlSchuricht, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt and HermannScherchen in Germany, John Barbirolli and CharlesGroves in the UK, and European conductors estab-lished in America, notably Eugene Ormandy, FritzReiner and Erich Leinsdorf. To these must be addedWilliam (formerly Hans Wilhelm) Steinberg on thestrength of this superb interpretation of Sym-phony No. 2. The launch of ICA Classics happily co-incides with the second Mahler anniversary yearand this is an important Mahler recording.
Steinberg (1899-1978), a student of HermannAbendroth, was engaged as an assistant to OttoKlemperer at the Cologne Opera. He fled Germanyin 1933. During 24 seasons with the Pittsburgh SO,he also worked as music director of the BostonSymphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic.His recorded legacy is not widely available andmany collectors will be making Steinberg’s ac-quaintance for the first time with this release. It isa tremendous performance delivered with distin-guished authority. The Cologne RSO’s knowledge ofMahler must have been scant in 1965 but Steinberginspires them to play as well as any orchestra could.The same could be said for the vocal soloists andchorus. No Mahlerian should be without this disc. WSH
Mahler: Symphony No. 8Julia Varady, soprano (Magna Peccatrix); Jane Eaglen, so-prano (Una Peontntium); Susan Bullock, soprano (MaterGloriosa); Trudeliese Schmidt, alto (Mulier Samaritana);Jadwiga Rappé, (Maria Aegyptiaca); Kenneth Rigel, tenor(Doctor Marianus); Eike Wilm Schulte, baritone (Pater Ecs-taticus); Hans Sotin, bass (Pater Profundis); Eton CollegeBoys’ Choir; London Symphony Chorus; London Philharmo-nic Orchestra and Choir/Klaus TennstedtRecorded in concert by the BBC, Royal Festival Hall, Lon-don, 27 January 1991LPO-0052 (87 min 22 s)������
It is worth rememberingthat Klaus Tennstedt’s 1986studio recording ofMahler’s Eighth was aleague leader for morethan a decade. Like otherLPO Mahler concert relaysunder this uniquely giftedconductor, here is a recording which might just be-come a benchmark for discriminating collectors. Theperformance had already been issued to wide criti-cal acclaim on an EMI DVD in 2006. Tennstedt had aspecial understanding of this sprawling score, andhis ability to communicate through sheer nervousenergy to the massed performers was unparalleled.
A comparative version was released simultane-ously by Oehms Classics. Bertrand de Billy leads theAustrian Radio SO Vienna in a strong performance.It might seem better without competition from theLPO archive. De Billy is more operatic in his approach,in the Solti manner. But listen to the build-up of con-gestion at critical points. The newcomer just cannotmatch Tennstedt’s mastery of balancing voices andorchestra and instruments and sections within theorchestra. In a live concert situation, Klaus Tennst-edt appears to be invincible. WSH
Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Works (Symphony No. 4 -Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture)Russian National Orchestra/Mikhail PletnevPentaTone Classics PTC 5186 384 (Hybrid SACD - 60 min 19 s)������
Mikhail Pletnev and theRussian National Orches-tra previously recorded acycle of the Tchaikovskysymphonies for DG in1996. This release is thefirst in a new traversal ofthe symphonies. Pletnevhas not significantly changed his approach to theFourth. He maintains the character of classical re-finement. This goes against the grain of dramaticemphasis and contrast found in the interpreta-tions of Evgeny Mravinsky and subsequent vig-orous followers. Never mind; Pletnev’s method isprobably closer to what the composer had inmind and would certainly please the Fourth’sdedicatee, Nadezhda von Meck (and Tchaikovsky’spatroness in 1878, when the score was com-pleted). An exquisitely played account, thisrecording trumps the DG issue (now boxed up ina collector’s bargain box) with state of the artsuper audio sound.
This conductor has never been reticent in per-forming Tchaikovsky’s overtures and symphonicpoems,and this recording of Romeo and Juliet is noexception. Again, the quality of PentaTone’s soundmakes this the one to have in either super audioor conventional playback. WSH
Ferenc Fricsay conducts Béla BartókViolin Concerto (No. 2); Two Portraits; Cantata Profana;Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; Dance Suite; Di-vertimento; Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra; PianoConcertos Nos. 2 and 3Helmut Krebs, tenor; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; TiborVarga, violin; Géza Anda, Louis Kentner, Andor Foldes, piano;RIAS-Kammerchor; Chor der St. Hedwigskathedrale; RIAS Sym-phony Orchestra/Ferenc Fricsay Audite 21.407 (213 min 42 s)
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two roles each have] a different fach; I am a bass-baritone with a dark core to my sound but an extension that's quite intense, so my voice isgoing in a direction where it might be able to singPuccini, Verdi, and Wagner in the future. Mydream role is Don Giovanni, a character that Ican't wait to sink my teeth into. Don Giovanni isa constant struggle for every baritone to try andfigure out.
I'm also a big admirer of new opera and I wantto take part in the creative process. I also love discovering roles in operas that haven't been performed in the last century; there is so muchout there. I know my career will rest very much inMozart, baroque and new opera, with baroquemusic being the closest thing to my heart.
Playing jazz trombone in high school was veryinfluential to me because learning how to impro-vise is quintessential to my musicality. Onstagethings never go as planned. Your reaction to what'sgoing on has to be successful. If you plan out every-thing then you won't give yourself the chance tobe moved, inspired, react and communicate in away that's direct. Jazz gave me that concept. That'ssomething that there's not enough of in operatoday: the idea of improvisation and reaction.
A singer can't practice as much as an instru-mentalist can. My instrument is part of my bodyand can only sustain so much at a time. Half anhour of straight singing is very taxing. In a three-hour opera, you're not singing through that wholethree hours non-stop. As a singer you can prac-tice—full singing—maybe an hour a day. The restis memorization, poetry and verse analysis. Tolearn the music you can say the words in rhythmand learn the notes on the piano.
No matter what I'm doing I want to be dealingwith the stage. I would be more than willing tobe part of traditional theatre and musical theatre.I know that during and after having my career asan opera singer, directing is something I'm sureI’ll be a part of. I want to be able to create, no matter what medium it is.
THE MET
It was my first time in New York. I became veryclose friends with one of the other winners, RyanSpeedo Green. My highlights included attendingthe performances and working with the orchestraand the conductor. I felt like I was just rehearsinghere at McGill.
I wasn't nervous during the performances, butI was nervous as soon as it ended. I remember mylast aria at the finals: right after I finished the lastnote there was a silence. Then somebody led theapplause, shouting ‘bravo.’ Then I began to shake.I bowed and walking back to my dressing room, Iwas weeping—I hadn't realized it. I had so muchpent-up nervousness that it was just being re-leased after that moment was over.
Remember Muriel? She had passed away, buther son happened to be in New York and came tosee the finals and visited me afterward. It meanta lot to me. Muriel was at my beginning, and it’slike she was also there when my career waslaunched. It was almost prophetic.”
» With the Ottawa Choral Society, May 1; Soloist in DoverBeach by Samuel Barber, Dominion-Chalmers UnitedChurch, Ottawa www.ottawachoralsociety.com
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RIAS were the call lettersfor Radio in the AmericanSector. The station wassecond only to the Berlinairlift in sustaining moralewithin the siege lines ofthe occupation zones heldby the western allies dur-ing the early years of the Cold War. Audite struckpure gold with the RIAS master tapes of concertbroadcasts. In 2009, this connection yielded a 12-disc box of Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting hiskey repertory with the BPO. At the end of 2010, abox of five CDs featured Hans Knappertsbuschwith the same orchestra recorded during the pe-riod 1950-52. These collections were greeted withenthusiasm by collectors of vintage recordings andthe present set is, if anything, even more desirable.
Ferenc Fricsay (1914-1963) was decisive in estab-lishing the RIAS SO as its music director between1948 and 1954 (and from1959). Audite are compilinga Fricsay edition which has reached a dozen discs.Those albums attest to the fact that he could con-duct anything well. And in the music of his nativeHungary, Fricsay’s interpretations offered unique in-sight and sparkling wit. Here he is abetted by like-minded Magyar collaborators Vargas, Kentner andFoldes, musicians who grew up with the emergenceof Bartók as a major 20th century composer. And likethe conductor, these artists had been disinheritedin their homeland by 1950-53, when the concert andstudio recordings were made, but, by God, they stillowned Béla Bartók. Audite deserves credit for pre-serving these outstanding performances for pos-terity. Audio quality is superb given the 60-year-oldmono master tapes+. The set is enriched by a splen-did booklet note by Wolfgang Rathert. WSH
DVD & BLU-RAYBeethoven: Missa solemnisKrassimira Stoyanova, soprano; Elǐna Garanc̆a, mezzo-so-prano; Michael Schade, tenor; Franz-Josef Selig, baritone;Staatsopernchor Dresden; Staatskapelle Dresden/ChristianThielemannC Major 705504 (Blu-ray – 90 min)������
The picture quality here is remarkable. In contrast tothe conventional DVD versions (also from C Major) ofhis contemporaneous Vienna Beethoven symphony
cycle, Blu-ray takes ten yearsand twenty pounds offMaestro Thielemann. Per-haps the dark suit helps. Forthis is very much a buttoned-up occasion: the memorialconcert to commemoratethe destruction of Dresdenon the night of 13 February1945 by RAF Bomber Com-mand and in recognition of the 1985 re-opening of theopera house,which was destroyed in the raids. MikhailGorbachev is among the dignitaries in attendance.Thielemann’s podium manner is also suitably re-strained – far less corybantic than his physically en-thusiastic direction of the VPO. The performance itselfis marvellous. The Staatskapelle is in rapturous form,the soloists, including our own Michael Schade, are su-perb and the chorus spellbinding. This account trumpsthe EuroArts DVD of Missa Solemnis conducted byFabio Luisi in November 2005 in honour of the restora-tion of Dresden’s magnificent Frauenkirche,which hadalso been destroyed by the bombing. The city has goodreason to remember the catastrophic action of the lastweeks of the war. Thielemann’s performance offers asoothing measure of consolation and faith. Preservedfor posterity, it may never be surpassed in the audio-vi-sual medium. He is planning to perform Verdi’s Re-quiem and the War Requiem by Benjamin Britten forfuture Dresden memorial concerts. WSH
Mahler: Symphony No. 9Staatskapelle Berlin/Daniel BarenboimC Major DVD 703708 (101 min)������
Barenboim has been GeneralMusic Director of the GermanState Opera Berlin since 1992.When the opera orchestragives concerts, it is called theStaatskapelle Berlin. Baren-boim was chosen to be ChiefConductor for Life of this or-chestra in 2000. It may not bethe equal of the Berlin Philhar-monic but it is a world class ensemble.
Pierre Boulez and Barenboim have been friendsand collaborators for many years,and for the Mahlercelebrations in 2010-2011 they decided to collaborateon presenting all nine completed Mahler sym-phonies in Berlin, Vienna and New York with theStaatskapelle. This DVD includes a “bonus” in which
the two musicians discuss Mahler together. The per-formance of the Ninth Symphony conducted byBarenboim was recorded live in Berlin in April, 2009.
Barenboim’s approach to Mahler is very much basedon the printed score. He does not personalize the musicin the Bernstein manner. And yet there is intensitywhen it is required. I was especially struck by the thirdmovement, “Rondo. Burleske.” Barenboim’s basic tempois very fast, leaving him nowhere to go when Mahlerasks for an even faster tempo at the end of the move-ment. Or at least so I thought. But Barenboim and hisplayers pull it off with some thrilling playing. Specialkudos are in order for the principal horn, viola and celloplayers in this fine performance. PER
Richard Strauss: ElektraIréne Theorin (Elektra), Waltraud Meier (Klytämnestra), Eva-Maria Westbroek (Chrysothemis), Robert Gambill (Aegisth),René Pape (Orest), Wiener Staasopernchor, Wiener Philhar-moniker/Daniele GattiStage Director: Nikolaus LenhoffArthaus Musik 101560 (Blu-ray – 109 min)������
Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s li-bretto, after Sophocles, forElektra inspired RichardStrauss to extend the bound-aries of opera even beyondwhat was achieved with Sa-lome. In its wake, Strauss neverreturned to the epoch-makingleading edge of music drama.His remaining stage workswere immersed in conventional idioms. This opera isStrauss at his innovative, creative peak and, more thanone hundred years after its first performance, Elektracontinues to represent something daring to audiences.This very successful production is one of the best for thesmall screen. Despite a well-known plot, NikolausLenhoff manages to generate stomach-churning ten-sion in the tale of betrayal, obsession, madness and ma-tricide without an axe in sight. In terms of musicalquality it is comparable to a performance given atBaden-Baden in February 2010,conducted by ChristianThielemann with Linda Watson in the title role (OpusArte). The latter was let down by the tired conceptualsetting of the late Herbert Wernicke. The Salzburg stag-ing blazes with dramatic genius. Iréne Theorin gives thebest depiction of the title character since HildegardBehrens at the Met in 1994 (Met/Decca). There is notone weak link in the cast. Those seeking a new and dy-namic version of this opera should not hesitate. WSH
June 24–July 2, 2011
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