Orchestral - my/maSCENA

CD Review | Archora / Aiōn (Solo Luminus, 2023)

By Zenith Wolfe on 6 October 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Orchestral

Archora / Aiōn Anna Thorvaldsdottir, composer; Iceland Symphony Orchestra with Eva Ollikainen, conductor Solo Luminus, 2023 Contemporary Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir doesn’t aim to simply create beautiful symphonic music, she aims to strike fear into the hearts of her listeners. The first track on her latest album, Archora / Aiōn, is a 20-minute masterwork of atmospheric tension. The violins’ long-held single notes consistently fade into deep brass notes, creating a cacophony of sounds in which instruments lose their individuality, becoming a menacing mass. The noise peters off and reasserts itself at just the right moments so as to avoid overwhelming…

CD Review | Concerto Antico: à travers un miroir fumé (Leaf Music, 2023)

By Zenith Wolfe on 6 October 2023 Baroque and Early, CD and Book Reviews, Classical, Orchestral, Romantic

Concerto Antico: à travers un miroir fumé Jaap Nico Hamburger, composer; Orchestre classique de Montréal; Ensemble Caprice Leaf Music, April 2023 Jaap Nico Hamburger brilliantly explores centuries of musical history in a powerful 11 minutes on Concerto Antico. Hamburger suggests in the album’s booklet that just as Nostradamus “stared into a smoke covered mirror to look at the future,” Hamburger himself is “star(ing) into the mirror of our times to look at the past.” Split into five concise tracks, Concerto Antico addresses modern, romantic, baroque, and classical eras through a variety of styles. An airy flute conjures the image of…

CD Review | Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos 1-4 & Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Deutsche Grammophon, 2023)

By Paul E. Robinson on 6 October 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Orchestral

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos 1-4 & Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Yuja Wang, piano; Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo Dudamel, conductor Deutsche Grammophon, September 2023 This album—recorded just a few months ago, in Los Angeles—brings together some of the hottest names in classical music: Yuja Wang and Gustavo Dudamel. The latter currently heads the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Paris Opera, but will soon move to New York to assume the role of music director at the New York Philharmonic. The former, meanwhile, made waves earlier this year, when she played all four Rachmaninoff concertos and the Paganini Rhapsody in…

CD Review | Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces (Reference Recordings, 2023)

By Paul E. Robinson on 6 October 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Orchestral

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Manfred Honeck, conductor Reference Recordings There are a great many pundits in the music world who are convinced that Manfred Honeck will succeed Riccardo Muti as conductor of the Chicago Symphony. Music historians will recall that Fritz Reiner, one of Honeck’s predecessors in Pittsburgh, went on to head the Chicago Symphony and make many recordings that remain classics to this day. But why would Honeck want to leave Pittsburgh? As demonstrated by the strength of this new recording, and numerous others that have preceded it, Honeck is already leading…

Starting Strong: Esprit Orchestra Launches 2023-24 Season

By Eva Stone-Barney on 6 October 2023 Classical, Classical Music, Contemporary, Orchestral, Toronto

Author : (Eva Stone-Barney)

Esprit Orchestra has a big season ahead of it—in every sense of the word. Conducted by Maestro Alex Pauk, the orchestra will perform five concerts featuring challenging repertoire, composed for large orchestral configurations. It will honour the legacies of some of the 20th and 21st centuries’ most influential compositional voices, including the late R. Murray Schafer, György Ligeti, and Kaija Saariaho, and will also spotlight the work of new and emerging composers. This ambitious season starts on Oct. 15 with a concert titled X Marks the Spot, featuring works by Anna Meredith, Iannis Xenakis, Ligeti, and Schafer. Following this first…

Concert Previews

By Eva Stone-Barney on 6 October 2023 Chamber Music, Classical, Classical Music, Contemporary, Orchestral, Toronto

Author : (Eva Stone-Barney)

Your Brain on Music: Montreal Neurological Institute The Neuro, as it is commonly called, is hosting Your Brain on Music as part of their Amazing Brain Week (Oct. 13-19). Leading neuroscientists Robert Zatorre and Simone Dalla Bella will join musicians from the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for an event that combines performance and conversation, exploring music’s impact on the brain. Michel Rochon, scientific journalist and author, will host a conversation on topics ranging from our emotional responses to music, the impact of musical activities on brain plasticity, and the human perception of rhythm (Oct. 16). www.amazingbrainweek.ca Les jours heureux After…

Sinfonia Toronto: Ushering in the Next 25

By Eva Stone-Barney on 6 October 2023 Chamber Music, Classical, Classical Music, Contemporary, Orchestral, Toronto

Author : (Eva Stone-Barney)

Nurhan Arman came to Toronto at just the right time. The Chamber Players of Toronto had just ceased operations, and the city was in want of a chamber orchestra. Fortunately, Arman, who was conductor of Symphony New Brunswick at the time, felt up to the task of starting a new organization, and so Sinfonia Toronto was born. Now entering their 25th season, the organization touts an impressive history that includes local performances, concert tours, and six recording projects. The orchestra’s international appearances stand out as highlights for Arman. “Repeating the same repertoire night after night on tour, you have the…

Newswire | Warner Bros. Discovery presents Bugs Bunny at the Symphony

By Newswire on 2 October 2023 Montreal, Newswire, Orchestral, Toronto

Montreal, October 2, 2023 – Looney Tunes’ legendary animated shorts are taking Canada by storm for Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, with upcoming dates in Montreal, Quebec City, and Toronto. This tour marks the 35th anniversary of the acclaimed production, created in partnership by George Daugherty, David Ka Lik Wong and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment and lauded by critics and audiences around the globe. To ring in the momentous occasion, creator and conductor George Daugherty leads Canada’s premier film music orchestra, the FILMharmonic. Enthusiasts from all walks of life will be able to share in the joy of…

Lebrecht Weekly | Beethoven: 1st piano concerto, &c (DG)

By Norman Lebrecht on 29 September 2023 Lebrecht Weekly, Orchestral, Piano

This weirdly unbalanced album opens with a live performance of Beethoven’s first piano concerto and continues with solo pieces from the bottom drawer, some of which are little higher than kindergarten level in difficulty. No explanation is offered in the glossy booklet. To work out what’s really going on, you’ll have to delve into the background of Alice Sara Ott, the German-Japanese soloist who, four years ago, made it known that she had been stricken with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative condition. In sympathy and solidarity, her record label has been quietly gathering her unreleased material while Alice continues to enhance…

Janna Sailor

Newswire | Allegra Chamber Orchestra’s Janna Sailor wins Orchestras Canada’s 2023 award

By Newswire on 27 September 2023 Arts Industry, Newswire, Orchestral

Vancouver, September 27 – Conductor Janna Sailor is the winner of the Orchestras Canada Betty Webster Award for 2023. Janna Sailor was nominated by the Allegra Chamber Orchestra, one of the few all-female orchestras in the world. The award celebrates Janna’s innovative approaches to developing programs and audiences, her quest for equity and representation at every level of the orchestra, her commitment to championing Indigenous artists and creators, and her efforts to build community through music and social justice. The Betty Webster Award was established in 2002 to honour Mrs. Elizabath Webster, C.M. (1925-2018), Orchestras Canada’s founding Executive Director. Past…

Browsing: Orchestral

CD Review | Archora / Aiōn (Solo Luminus, 2023)

CD Review | Concerto Antico: à travers un miroir fumé (Leaf Music, 2023)

CD Review | Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos 1-4 & Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Deutsche Grammophon, 2023)

CD Review | Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces (Reference Recordings, 2023)

Starting Strong: Esprit Orchestra Launches 2023-24 Season

Concert Previews

Sinfonia Toronto: Ushering in the Next 25

Newswire | Warner Bros. Discovery presents Bugs Bunny at the Symphony

Lebrecht Weekly | Beethoven: 1st piano concerto, &c (DG)

Newswire | Allegra Chamber Orchestra’s Janna Sailor wins Orchestras Canada’s 2023 award

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