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CRITIC’S PICKS | Ten Musical Outings You Absolutely Must Do This Week

By Michael Vincent on February 25, 2015

CP-FEB25

Musical Toronto’s weekly Critic’s Picks are a fully curated list of some of the best concerts happening now through the end of the week. Of course this is not to say we are the provocateurs of taste, but simply seek to provide a good weekly summary. For a look at the full breadth of what’s available in and around Toronto, check out the comprehensive concert listings from our friends at Wholenote Magazine.

Thursday 26

Gryphon Trio | at the Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. 8:00 p.m. $10-55

The Gryphon Trio are up on the stage tonight with some works from the Young Composer Project at the Claude Watson Arts program at Earl Haig Secondary School. They will also throw in some works by Haydn for good measure. | DETAILS.

Royal Conservatory | with Christian Gerhaher, Baritone and Gerold Huber, Piano at Koerner Hall. 8:00 p.m. $25-75

Instead of wallowing in self-pity for our geographical life choices, we suggest embracing this seemingly endless winter with Schubert’s Winterreise (Winter Journey), a song cycle setting of 24 poems by Wilhelm Müller. German baritone Christian Gerhaher has been called “musical god” (The Telegraph), and is marvel to hear. Gerold Huber will be there too. | DETAILS.

Soundstreams | The Whisper Opera at The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen Street W. 8:00 p.m. $67.50 (repeats through the week; start times vary)

One of the coolest tickets in town this week is the Canadian premiere of David Lang’s Whisper Opera, featuring soprano Tony Arnold, and the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). With only 52 seats available for each show, this is going to be a very exclusive show – but one well worth turning up for. | DETAILS.

Friday 27

Art of Time Ensemble | Magic and Loss: A Tribute to Lou Reed at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre. 8:00 p.m. $10.

Always finding interesting ways to present and explore music, the Art of Time Ensemble will present a program celebrating Lou Reed’s innovative and rebellious origins of rock and roll with artistic influences from multiple genres. You’ll see Canadian genre-busting singer and composer, Sarah Slean, as well as John Southworth, Margo Timmins, and Kevin Hearn. We’re betting this’ll be a good show. | DETAILS.

Saturday 28

Tallis ChoirLas Mañanitas: A Baroque High Mass in New Spain at St. Patrick’s Church. 7:30 p.m. $10-30

Toronto’s Tallis Choir perform at St. Patrick’s Church on McCaul St. in a recreation of the Matins and Mass of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Puebla Cathedral, Mexico, on Dec 12, 1650. | DETAILS.

Kindred Spirits Orchestra | with Ruben Kosemyan, violin; Kristian Alexander, conductor at Flato Markham Theatre. 8:00 p.m. $15-35

For those interested in some classics by Mendelssohn, Prokofiev, Brahms, you’ll want to amble over to the Flato Markham Theatre in Markham. On the stage will be the great violinist, Ruben Kosemyan – an Armenian born soloists now based in Canada. Alexa Petrenko (Classical 96.3 FM radio) hosts. | DETAILS.

Sinfonia Toronto | Masters Meet Rising Stars at the George Weston Recital Hall. 8:00 p.m. $19-49

Catch Sinfonia Toronto this week and the Canadian debut of New York based pianist Kariné Poghosyan. The concert includes Canadian premiere on Alan Hovhaness’ (1911-2000): Piano Concerto Lousadzak. Come check it out. | DETAILS.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra | New Creations Festival at Roy Thomson Hall. 8:00 p.m. $33-145.

The eyes of North America’s new music community will be focused on Toronto this week for the annual TSO New Creations Festival. Kicking off the event is a masterworks concert featuring Dai Fujikura’s Tocar y Luchar George Benjamin’s A Mind of Winter, Vivian Fung’s Violin Concerto No.2, and Dutilleux’s Métaboles. The main draw, however, is the astounding soprano Barbara Hannigan, who is quickly becoming one of the most important contemporary music specialist in the world. We can’t recommend this enough. | DETAILS.

Sunday 1

Royal ConservatoryMarc-André Hamelin, piano at Koerner Hall. 3:00 p.m. $30-$75

Sundays make for the best matinées (don’t they?) – and who better to share it with than pianist Marc-André Hamelin. “Hamelin’s legend will grow – right now there is no one like him.” (The New Yorker). The master of the ivories will play a few of his own works as well as John Field’s Andante inéditin E-flat Major, H. 64, Debussy’s Images, Book II L.111 (Cloches à travers les feuilles; Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut; Poissons d’or), and Schubert’s Piano Sonata No.21 in B-flat D960. | DETAILS.

New Music ConcertsAn Evening with Paul Griffiths at Gallery 345. 7:00 p.m. $100-150 (for two).

New Music Concerts presents an evening lecture with critic, novelist and librettist Paul Griffiths this Sunday. Griffiths will discuss his collaboration with Elliott Carter on opera What Next?. There will be door prizes and nourishment. The event also doubles as a benefit for New Music Concerts, and charitable receipts will be available. DETAILS.

Michael Vincent
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