OPERA QUICKPICKSOpera schools ahead of the April rush: Back in the early dayswe announced that April was going to be, henceforth, WholeNoteOpera Month. There was a lot of opera happening in April backthen, and still is. But April is already too late for one criticalconstituency in the operatic ecosystem – universities and other postsecondaryinstitutions with opera schools or departments. Their bigshows of the year (usually with double casts) have to be done anddusted before April, which is when past-due papers and/or partyingtend to start monopolizing campus life.So for those of you who think of “The Opera” as being the fiefdomof one or two A-list companies, this is a chance to broaden yourhorizons without lowering your standards, at a fraction of the cost.All the students involved, whether musically or in all the other artsthat have to align for the show to go on, are right on the edge ofcareers. Think about it. You’ll have bragging rights for years becauseyou spotted some of them first.Here, accordingly, are bare-bones details for four schools thathave operatic March madness honed to a fine art. Interestingly, theyare all presenting operas by Mozart this year (but that will have tobe a pedagogical topic for another day).First out of the gate, March 6, 7, 8 and 9, in London, is Opera atWestern (University of Western Ontario) with Die Zauberflöte (TheMagic Flute).Next is a dead-heat (they both open March 13 and have the samenumber of performances (four). Opera Laurier is presenting TheMarriage of Figaro in Waterloo, and University of Toronto OperaSchool presenting Così fan tutte at Harbourfront Centre Theatre.Both shows run for four performances.Glenn Gould Schoolspring opera in 2019- Die Zauberflote.Always a favourite!EARLY MUSICWhen musicians meetat the crossroadsDAVID PERLMANTafelmusik Baroque Ensemble is making good useof its emerging hybrid artistic leadership model:a three-player artistic co-directorship (BrandonChui, Dominic Teresi, and Cristina Zacharias), mentoredby Principal Guest Director Rachel Podger. Together theyare in the process of putting together a storied season.February and March alone will bring 11 performances offour different programs.First up are the final two performances (Feb 1 and 2) of “BrilliantBaroque” under Podger’s lead, fresh off a sold-out tour to South Korea.Guest director, Italian oboist Alfred Bernadeschi follows(Feb 21,22,23) with “Triple Espresso: Bach, Handel & Fasch” (with abit of Telemann thrown in for luck) described entertainingly on theirwebsite as “a high-energy concert that unleashes the exponentialpower of the oboe.”And finally (last but definitely not least) Mar 19 and 21, it’s backto Die Zauberflöte, presented by the RCM Glenn Gould School atKoerner Hall.And since April is a long way away for those of us who need ouroperatic (or operettic) fix, here are a few more offerings, roughlygrouped into categories. Details on all these are in the listings.Gilbert & SullivanFeb 01 2:00: St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society. The Yeomenof the Guard. St. Anne’s Anglican Church (Toronto), 276 GladstoneAve. www.stannesmads.com. ; (sr/st). Also Jan 31(7:30pm),2(2pm), 6(7:30pm), 7(7:30pm), 8(2pm), 9(2pm).Feb 28 8:00: Toronto Operetta Theatre. The Gondoliers. By Gilbertand Sullivan. Artists to be announced. St. Lawrence Centre for theArts - Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-366-7723 or 1–800-708-6754 or www.tolive.com. From . Also Mar 1(8pm), 3(3pm).Mar 8: Bach Elgar Choir. The Trial of Gilbert & Sullivan. Trialby Jury and scenes from other Gilbert & Sullivan works with theHamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.And variously operatic!Feb 13,14,15 Opera Revue. Risqué at the Rivoli: An Opera RevueBurlesque Show.Feb 22 Toronto City Opera. Second Annual Giuseppe MacinaOperatic Voices Competition.Mar 27 Metropolitan United Church. Vocal Recital; mixed operahits programme. Holly Chaplin, soprano; Amy Moodie.Apr 6 Orchestra Toronto. Theatrical Operatic Fusion. Works byVerdi, Puccini, Wagner, and others.DAVID ANDJONATHANA Story of David the Giant SlayerAPRIL 9–13, 2025On sale now!operaatelier.com“Dazzling”—Musical America WorldwideThe Versailles production ofMarc Antoine Charpentier’sbreathtaking opera/balletmakes its Canadian debut,fully staged in Koerner Hall.22 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com
The remaining two programs area study in contrasts.March 7,8,9 offers up “Baroque& Folk: Purcell to Poland” underthe leadership of Slovakian violinistMiloš Valent, famed for digging intothe intersections between baroqueand folk music traditions, andwith a couple of equally curiousguests in tow.After that, we return toreassuringly familiar ground(March 28,29,30) with choir andensemble reunited under IvarsTaurins’ direction, for “ChoralSplendours: Bach & Zelenka”,promising a range of music, from“intimate gems” to “an extravagantCatholic mass by Zelenka.Miloš ValentIt’s the third show, “Baroque and Folk” that really caught my fancythough. Valent talks about how music is “the unique and universallanguage of humankind, and music-making is enriched as it reachesbeyond tribe and clan.” And then says this: “When musicians meet atthe crossroads, unexpected new creativity is unleashed, rewardingnot only the performers, but those who listen and partake.”To that end, expect to find Tafelmusik journeying from Purcell toPoland, riding an exquisite musical edge between terror and delight(in the company of Valent, multi-instrumentalist Jan Rokyta, andNaghmeh Farahmand, percussion) as they collectively explore “howTelemann, Purcell, and Vivaldi “were influenced by folk music fromthe Ashkenazy, Polish, Roma, Scottish, and Turkish traditions, and as“Tafelmusik’s baroque strings, winds, and continuo intermingle withBHSthe sonorities of the hammered dulcimer, the Armenian duduk,folk recorders, and percussion.”I’m sold.PICKSWith Valent’s words about musical crossroads in mind, here arethree upcoming concerts that particularly caught my eye.Feb 9 3:00: Array Music. Jeff BirdPlays Music of Hildegard von Bingen.A concert of 12th century mysticHildegard von Bingen arranged forharmonica, electric guitar and shruti boxby Jeff Bird who got hooked on the musicof Medieval Europe in the 70s, which waswhen he discovered Hildegaard, culminatingin his 2016 celebrated recording,Felix Anima.Feb 7 and 9: Vice & Virtue. A co-production of Bud Roach’s CapellaIntima in Hamilton and St. Catharine’s-based Gallery Players ofNiagara, Vice & Virtue comes to Toronto Feb 7, with the co-operationof North Wind Concerts and Music at Met and then playsSt. Catharines Feb 9.Mar 16: it’s Gallery Players of Niagara again with Bach on Turtle’sBack - Year 3 - Rebirth, matching a Bach sonata, partita and ariaswith a newly commissioned work by Andrew Balfour, scored forperiod string quartet and baritone.I found these three, among dozens more, by visiting “Just Ask”under Listings on the WholeNote website, and doing an advancedsearch for the tag Early Music.David Perlman can be reached at publisher@thewholenote.comthewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 23
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