Vocal - my/maSCENA

Cette semaine à Montréal (19 à 25 octobre) / This Week in Montreal (October 19 – 25)

By Kiersten van Vliet on 20 October 2015 Opera, Orchestral, This Week in Montreal

Musique/MusicAlban Gerhardt au LMMC – un retour attenduLe Ladies’ Morning Musical Club recevra l’un des grands violoncellistes de notre époque, Alban Gerhardt, qui a joué à l’âge de 21 ans avec l’Orchestre philharmonique de Berlin sous la direction de Semyon Bychkov. Au programme : Barber, Britten, Beethoven, Brahms (dimanche 4).Nommé en hommage au compositeur tchèque emprisonné à Theresienstadt en 1941, le quatuor Pavel Haas est devenu l’un des plus importants ensembles de chambre. Il fait ses débuts au LMMC le 25 octobre. Les concerts ont lieu à la salle Pollack à 15 h 30. www.lmmc.caAlban Gerhardt et chatCrédit photo: Kaupo…

Cette semaine à Montréal (12 à 18 octobre) / This Week in Montreal (October 12 – 18)

By Kiersten van Vliet on 12 October 2015 Baroque and Early, Opera, Piano, This Week in Montreal

Musique / Music Le NEM autour de Salvatore SciarrinoCompositeur italien né en 1947, Salvatore Sciarrino est un génie du son. D’après lui, le silence n’est qu’un « grouillement infini de sonorités microscopiques ». En compagnie du NEM et du baryton Vincent Ranallo, vous êtes invités à plonger dans l’univers mystérieux et rythmé des battements de cœur murmurés du compositeur. Salle Bourgie, mercredi 14, 19 h 30. www.lenem.ca Marc-André HamelinPhoto: Fran Kaufman Marc-André Hamelin à Pro MusicaPianiste mondialement réputé que la scène montréalaise accueille régulièrement, Marc-André Hamelin est l’invité de Pro Musica pour un programme Mozart, Debussy, Schubert et Hamelin. Maison symphonique, vendredi 16,…

Hugo Laporte, Photo: Marc Robitaille

Hugo Laporte, winner of the OSM Manulife Competition

By Michèle-Andrée Lanoue on 1 October 2015 Art Song, La Scena Spotlight, Opera

On November 22, 2014, baritone Hugo Laporte received the highest honours at the prestigious OSM Standard Life Competition. Since then, his engagements have multiplied to ever-increasing critical acclaim. In this article, we encounter a young musician of exceptional promise. Originally from Quebec, Hugo Laporte was introduced to music at an early age. At four years old, he and his parents attended the youth concert series at the Orchestre symphonique de Québec. “They quickly noticed that I had a strong interest in music. So we went to the open house of the music school around the corner. I was six years…

Margaret Atwood. Photo Jean Malek

Double Meaning: Margaret Atwood on Pauline

By Rebecca Anne Clark on 1 September 2015 Contemporary, Literature, Opera

Author : (Rebecca Anne Clark)

Poet. Trailblazer. Canadian luminary. These descriptors apply as much to Margaret Atwood as they do to the subject of her first libretto, E. Pauline Johnson. While many will instantly recognize Atwood as the contemporary First Lady of CanLit, it is only in the last few decades that Johnson’s life and work have experienced a renaissance on the Canadian cultural scene. Pauline Johnson has become more relevant than ever in an era in which the subjects of her writing – First Nations issues, biculturalism and multiculturalism, women and sexuality, and Canadian identity – are hotly discussed. Born in 1861 to a…

MIMC Day 2: Korean Tenor Kim Wins 2015 MIMC

By Newswire on 9 June 2015 Newswire, Vocal

By Wah Keung ChanPhoto: Antoine SaitoThe second night of the Finals of the 2015 Montreal International Musical Competition began with the anticipated Canadian soprano France Bellemare, whose semifinal performance of Dvorak’s Song to the Moon reminded me of 2007 MIMC winner, Canadian soprano Marianne Fiset’s simple regal stature.Unfortunately, Bellemare was plagued by strained high notes as she has a tendency of lifting her head and tilting it to the right to sing anything above a high F as she did in “Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante” from Bizet’s Carmen and “Porgi amor” from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. It…

Park Takes Day 1 of Montreal Voice Competition

By Newswire on 4 June 2015 Art Song, Newswire, Vocal

By Wah Keung ChanPhoto: Antoine SaitoLet’s get the suspense out of the way. South Korean soprano Hyesang Park took the Day 1 Finals of the 2015 Montreal International Musical Competition (MIMC). From the first notes of her opening aria “Je veux vire dans ce reve” from Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette, we knew her voice would soar above the orchestra, and it unfolded as expected, with a spontaneous final standing ovation after her last aria.Park’s programme was perfectly planned, concluding with the mad scene from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. The repertoire in between, a Mozart concert aria, Dupac’s Chanson triste and…

Tapestry Opera Receives Opera America Grant

By Newswire on 6 May 2015 Newswire, Opera

TAPESTRY OPERA RECEIVES GRANT FROM OPERA AMERICA TO FUND 12 INDEPENDENT COMPANIESIndie Opera T.O to use funds for innovative digital awareness campaign Toronto, ON — Tapestry Opera is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant of $35,000 USD in the third year of OPERA America’s Building Opera Audiences grant program. This program, made possible by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, supports the efforts of North American opera companies to build informed, enthusiastic audiences for opera through innovative marketing projects. Tapestry Opera was granted funds to support 12 independent opera companies in Toronto through the budding Indie Opera T.O movement.Tapestry Opera is one of nine organizations in…

American Composer Philip Glass is Eleventh Glenn Gould Prize Laureate

By Newswire on 14 April 2015 Chamber Music, Contemporary, Newswire, Opera, Orchestral

Philip Glass Announced asEleventh Glenn Gould Prize LaureateA fearlessly innovative, collaborative and prolific composer“I am very pleased to be the winner of the Eleventh Glenn Gould Prize. It is for me a special honor as I am one of the many musicians who have been inspired by him. Glenn Gould’s name is associated with a lifetime of excellence in music interpretation and performance. Also I am aware that this award places me in the company of some of the most celebrated names in the broad spectrum of the music of our time. It is, therefore, with great pleasure that I accept this award.” – Philip…

Video of the Day – Carlo Bergonzi (1924-2014): In Memoriam

By Paul E. Robinson on 8 August 2014 Opera, Video of the day

Italian tenor Carlo Bergonzi was 90 years old when he died this past week. He had a long and illustrious career. His made his debut at La Scala in 1953 and at the Met 3 years later. Thereafter, he was a regular at the Met for 30 years. He was not the most exciting tenor of his generation. But he was widely admired for his beautiful tone and good taste.Like too many artists Bergonzi didn’t know when to quit and left a major blemish on his career. In 2000 he attempted to sing the leading role in Verdi’s Otello in…

Video of the Day – Bernard Labadie In Munich

By Paul E. Robinson on 17 June 2014 Baroque and Early, Orchestral, Video of the day, Vocal

It was recently announced that Quebec conductor Bernard Labadie would step down from his post as music director of Les Violons du Roy. He will become founding director, presumably a title which suggests far less conducting than in the past. Now comes an announcement this past week that Labadie has cancelled all conducting engagements through the rest of 2014 “for health reasons.”In the past few seasons Labadie has become incredibly busy as a guest conductor with orchestras around the world. He is an authority of historical performance practice and a very welcome guest conductor wherever he goes. We understand that…

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