The best news is that after February 19’sKoerner Hall fireworks, there will still betwo, more typical Aldeburgh events thisseason, in the somewhat cosier confinesof Walter Hall, their usual venue. March18’s programme is titled “Schubert and theEsterhazys”; April 29 brings “A CountryHouse Weekend.”The first of these carries forward whathas been an Aldeburgh Connection traditionsince January 1997 (the 200th anniversaryof Schubert’s birth) — namely some kindof Schubertiad. That first AldeburghSchubertiad honoured harpsichordist/pianist Greta Krause, a great champion ofSchubert’s work and peerless art song collaboratorand teacher. This year’s event, asalways, will be rededicated to her memory.As for the April 29 “Country House”Wallis Giuntaconcert, it points two ways. For one thing,it harkens back to the bucolic Suffolk surroundsof Ralls’ and Ubukata’s own first“Aldeburgh connection.” For another, italso, perhaps, gives a little nod to the future,namely Ralls’ and Ubukatas’s now annualJune Bayfield festival near their countryhome on the shores of Lake Huron. But that,as the saying goes, is a story for another day.For now, readers interested in hearing (andviewing) more of my recent visit with Rallsand Ubukata will find the full 20 minuteconversation at www.thewholenote.com.(And, for the record, that particularconcert in October 1995, almost 17 yearsago, featured a couple of relative young ’uns,Michael Schade and Norine Burgess, in arecital of songs and duets by Mendelssohn,Brahms, Schubert, Debussy and Chabrier.)Since i have just spoken about our videoseries, Conversations@TheWholenote,I will mention that there’s also an interviewin the series that I did last December 29with rising, Ottawa-born mezzo, WallisGiunta, whohas yet to gracethe Aldeburghstage, butwhom some ofyou will haveheard recentlyin Attila GlatzProductions’“Bravissimo”opera gala atRoy ThomsonHall this pastNew Year’sEve. It was herfirst appearanceon that stage(well, first officialappearance,anyway, asshe confides inthe interview).An alumnaof the COCEnsembleStudio, Giunta is now ensconced in theMetropolitan Opera’s counterpart of theCOC Ensemble, namely the LindemannYoung Artist Development Program, whichmeans fewer chances to hear her in Toronto.All the more reason, therefore, not to missher upcoming March 1 recital for MusicToronto, with pianist Stephen Philcox, partof that presenter’s Discoveries series, andproof that Ralls and Ubukata aren’t theonly good eyes for talent on the town’svocal front!Originally billed as a programme ofEnglish language song, the March 1 recitaltakes on an additional edge with the recentRufus Wainwright’sToronto premiere of Songs for Lulu.announcement that Giunta will,as half of the recital, presentSongs for Lulu, a song cycleby pop icon Rufus Wainwrightwhich he himself presentedhere at the Winter GardenTheatre two summers ago inthe lead-up to the Luminatopremiere of his opera PrimaDonna, the same summer.How and why Wainwright haspassed the torch to Giunta forthis cycle is a long story (it’sin the video interview), and itadds an extra cachet to whatwas already promising to be anevent to look forward to.Last, an opportunity to callWallis Giunta. attention to yet another vocalseries now well and trulysprouted in fertile Toronto ground. (And atthe same time to call attention to an error inour listings.) The series is called CanadianVoices, and it takes place at the Glenn GouldStudio, now a member of the Massey Hall/Roy Thomson Hall stable of venues. The300-seat acoustically perfect Gould is anopportunity for MH/RTH to test the Torontowaters for performers who are edge-ofcareeror simply not well-enough knownyet in this town. French Canadian mezzosopranoJulie Boulianne, who appears in theseries February 26, is clearly one to watch(and hear). The concert is, however, at 2pm,not 8pm as stated in our listings.MIV PHOTOGRAPHY (GIUNTA), 2010 LUMINATO FESTIVAL12 thewholenote.comFebruary 1 – March 7, 2012
Show One Productions presentsSinfoniaTorontoNURHAN ARMANMUSIC DIRECTORToronto’s Chamber OrchestraMasterpiece SeriesGLENN GOULD STUDIO250 Front St. West ad sr st416-872-4255sinfoniatoronto.comOLGA KERNPIANOVLADIMIR SPIVAKOVVIOLINMarch 9 8 pm Glenn Gould StudioVIVALDI FOUR SEASONS!JEONGHWAN YOON ViolinistCALUM MACLEOD Double BassANGELOVA Pagan DancesBOTTESINI Double Bass Concerto No. 2VIVALDI The Four SeasonsDVORAK Slavonic Dance No. 15ThuRSDAy, FEbRuARy 23, 2012 • 8 pmKOerNer HALLTHe rOyAL CONserVATOry Of MusIC273 Bloor St. WestFor Tickets call 416.408.0208or visit www.rcmusic.caApril 13 8 pm Glenn Gould StudioEINE KLEINE NACHTMUSIKEUGENE SKOVORODNIKOV PianistVICTOR KULESHOV ViolinistCHAUSSON Concerto for Violin and PianoSHAHRIMANYAN SerenadeMOZART Eine kleine Nachtmusikwww.showoneproductions.cawww.torontooperetta.comWORLD PREMIEREcoMMeMoRAtinG the BicentenniAL oF the wAR oF 1812History comes alive in anexciting new musical!TAPTOO!music by John Beckwith, libretto by JAMeS ReAneyThe BedolfeFoundationMZ MediaWitness the founding of the village of York, the threatof the 1812 war, a face off between Major Simcoe andGeneral Wayne that proudly led to the birth of a nation!Larry Beckwith, ConductorGuillermo Silva-Marin, Stage DirectorAllison Angelo, todd Delaney, Robert Longo,Michael Barrett, Mark Petracchi, Sarah hicks,Daniel Bedrossian and teddy PerdikouliasFeb. 24, 25 & 26 (mat.)416-366-7723 1-800-708-6754 www.stlc.comFort Henry Garrison Parade, Kingston ONMay 11 8 pm Glenn Gould StudioBEETHOVENLUCILLE CHUNG PianistTEEHAN Commissioned workBEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4DVORAK Quintet op. 77First Prize winnerat TchaikovskyCompetitionNarekHakhnazaryanCellistOpens Sinfonia Toronto’s 2012-13 seasonOctober 27, 2012 George Weston Recital HallVisit sinfoniatoronto.com for details of our 2012-13 seasonFebruary 1 – March 7, 2012thewholenote.com 13
