EARLY Music Rossi's Orfeo a rarity The Toronto Chamber Choir proudly presents the Canadian premiere of the Baroque masterpiece, the Grand Office des Mons by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, in a new edition by musicologist John Powell (March 25, Good Friday). Lavishly written for double choir, orchestra, and soloists, this Requiem mass is a deeply felt prayer for the souls of the departed. This is a sensuous and rich music that has gone unheard for quite some time. - Website: www.geocities.com/ torontochamberchoir Speaking of "double choir," Studio Sixteen, Toronto's newest early music specialty choir makes their debut in the Toronto Early Music Centre's "Musically Speaking" series in a program of sonorous 8-part (and more) Renaissance choral music (March 13)! You won't want to miss the debut of this exciting new group. Featured composers are Peter Philips, Giaches de Wert, Thomas Weelkes, Samuel Scheidt, Thomas Tomkins, and the featured work is Orlando Lassus' Missa octo vocum ad imi1a1io11em Bell' Amfitril' a Lt era Another choral early music offering, comes from the Victoria Scholars Men's Choral Ensemble under the direction of maestro Jerzy Cichocki (March 6), in a program entitled, "Palestrina: Soul of Rome" Highlights of this concert include an equal voice male chorus arrangement by Cichocki of Gregorio Allegri's famous Miserere, Palestrina's beautiful MissaAetema Christi Munera, works by Tomas Luis da Victoria, as well as elections by Nanino, Lassus, and Perosi. I bring this to your attention because much of this music, originally written for a male choir, is mostly heard coday, transposed, by mixed choirs. Bach's perennial favourites are always pleasing to hear. You just can't go wrong with Bach! The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra's playing is fleetingly crisp, energetic, and playful. Their 1994 recording of this music earned them a Juno A ward and international praise. This concert of Brandenburg Concertos 1, 2. 4, 5 and 6, features the considerable talents of Tafelmusik's very own members as soloists (March 15- 20) - visit www.tafelmusik.org Ossia, the Classical-Romantic period instrument chamber ensemble (I'll bet you didn't realize that there 211-- by Frank Nakashima _, UJ First performed at the French Royal Court in 1647, Luigi Rossi's Orfeo was composed for the young King Louis XIV. Rossi's interpretation of the Orpheus legend combines drama with o comedy in a wonder- ful combination of re citatives, arias, trios g_ and choruses - per Studio Sixteen's Kevin Komisaruk feet entertainment for was such a thing?), presents "A Bizarre and Pairrful Way", a program of chamber masterworks by the young Ludwig van Beethoven (March 26), performed on authentic historical instruments: Quintet Op. 16 for fortepiano and winds; Sonata Op. 5 No. 2 for fortepiano and cello; Septet Op. 20. I think you'll be surprised by the brilliance and vibrancy that this music conveys when performed on historically-appropriate instruments. The players are: Ellen Meyer, fortepiano; Stephen Fox, clarinet; Laura Jones, cello; Gillian Howard, oboe; 'Trevor Wagler, horn; David Klausner, bassoon; Valerie Sylvester, violin; Sheila Smyth, viola; Joelle Morton, bass - visit www.ossia.org. Want to feel like a Medici grand duke or duchess for an evening? The Musicians in Ordinary offer a glimpse into the world of 16th century Italian aristocracy, in their program, The Bottegari Lute Book - An Evening of Italian Renaissance Song, (April 2) Soprano Hallie Fishel and lutenist John Edwards delve into the contents of the lute book of Cosimo Bottegari who was employed by the Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany in the late 1500s. Its contents include what would have already been "old" hits by Cipriano di Rore, as well as "up-to-date" music by Orlando di Lasso and Giaches de Wert, and even some Giulio Caccini! - Visit www .musiciansinordinary .ea. There's a whole lot of pluckin' going on in the OnStage program, "Germany: Concerti for One and Two Harpsichords" with two of Quebec's outstanding harpsichordists - Olivier Fortin and Luc Beausejour - per.forming works for one and two keyboards (April 5). This all-German program includes music by various members of the Bach family as well as music by Johann Ludwig Krebs and Georg Philipp Telemann. the court of Yersailles! Orfeo is based on . . . . Ann Monoyws will appear as Eurcd1ce. Ovid's famous legend of the poet-musician who journeys William Christie. With future apto the underworld to rescue his be- pearances in Toronto, with Tafellovea wife, Euridice. This legend inspired many composers of the era, including Claudio Monteverdi, whose Orjeo, presented by the Con- sort in 2003, predates Rossi's and is May, and performances in Frankconsidered to be the model for mod- furt in the Fall, and possibly a Scarern opera. March 11 and 12, Artistic Direc- tor David Fallis leads a 17th-century orchestra on period instruments WWW. THEWHOLENOTE.COM including strin¥s, lutes, guitars, Meredith Hall has appeared freharpsichord and organ, together with a great cast of singers including the American mezzo-soprano Christine Abraham making her Toronto Con- Persee with Opera Atelier, Monson debut in the title role. Other soloists are Ann Monoyios, Me- redith Hall, and Laura Pudwell. Toronto-based soprano Ann Monoyios performs the role of Eu- ridice. Throughout her impressive career, she has collaborated with all opera with appropriate historical inthe major baroque specialists, includ- ing Christopher Hagwood, Reinhard Goebel, John Eliot Gardiner and musik, in Handel's Deborah, also teaching at their Baroque Summer Institute, singing in the Bethlehem ·(Pennsylvania!) Bach Festival in latti opera in Augsburg, Ms. Monoyios is not without things to keep herself busy. Now living in Leipzig, soprano quently with the Toronto Consort. Mezzo-soprano Laura Pudwell's re cent engagements include Lully's teverdi'sL 'fncoronazione di Poppea with Houston Grand Opera, and Mooee in the Boston Early Music Festival production of Lully's Thesee. This is an especially rare opportunity to hear a unique early struments, performed by some of the world's finest exponents of this mu sic. A CLINIC THAT OFFERS A UNIQUE, INNOVATIVE APROACH TO DIAGNOSING AND TREATING SINGING AND SPEAKING VOICES • ALL UNDER ONE ROOF. THIS APPROACH IS MULTI-DISCIPLINARY: CUTIING·EDGE DIAGNOSTICS FOR ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT WITH A MEDICALLY TRAINED VOICE SPECIALIST, AN EXPERIENCED SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST AND A VOICE COACH · PSYCHOTHERAPY AND CHIROPRACTIC ALSO AVAILABLE. YOUR VOICE IS THE MIRROR OF YOUR SOUL: YOUR VOICE IS YOUR LIFE. BRIAN HANDS, MD FRCS (C) AARON LOW, MS CCC-SLP 200 ST. CLAtR AVENUE WEST SUITE 404 TORONTO M4V 1 R1 416.922.0070 www.voxcura.com MARCH 1 - APRIL 7 2005
CHORAL Sce.ne by Larry Beckwith While it continues cold, the choral singing is as hor and tasry as Indian With a day in between to recuperfood rhis month. Toromo boasts all MENDELSSOHN & 1HE MISSAS ace, ic's off to che Toronto Meno/ irs top choirs in action, and there delssohn Choir on March 8 for a is much going on in other Southern Ontario cemres, as well. ALL JN ONE WEEKEND! On March 4, John Tuttle's awardwinning Exultate Chamber Singers welcome guest host Paul Kennedy (of CBC Radio's Ideas program) to examine che "idea of north" in stories and music from Northern climes: Scandinavia, Iceland, Canada. The following night, Soundstreams is matchmaking again: the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir teams up with the renowned Hillard Ensemble to perform Arvo Part's Miserere and Omar Daniel and Anne Michaels' The Passion of Lavinia Andronicus. The same night, Robert Cooper leads Chorus Niagara in a performance of Bach's St. John Passion, with evangelist Michie! Schrey and Toronto's 1 Furiosi forming the core of the orchestra. Also on March 5, the Bach Children's Chorus hosts two other youth choirs in a program entitled ''Like a Rainbow". Jurgen Petrenko's Classical Singers perform Schubert's great A flat Mass the afternoon of March 6, and the Victoria Scholars follow with an evening of Palestrina and his pure
