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

By Michael Vincent on March 11, 2015

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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.

Wednesday 11

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir | at the Church of the Holy Trinity. 7:30 p.m. $20-45

If passion had a voice the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir would be it. They’ll be performing Arvo Pärt’s moving setting of St John’s Passion: Passio (1982) at the Holy Trinity this Wednesday. Very rarely performed in Canada, Pärt focuses on exploring a sense of time and awareness in the ancient mysteries of the text. It also features the Festival Chamber Ensemble, tenor Michael Colvin, bass Jeremy Bowes, and the tireless choral music advocate and conductor Noel Edison. | DETAILS

Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Masterworks Series at Roy Thomson Hall. 8:00 p.m. $33-145 (repeats Mar 12, 14)

It seems like just yesterday the Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda was in Toronto. He is back again this week to lead the TSO through a masterworks concert with a special focus on Beethoven’s Symphony No.7. Also on the bill is the dynamic Italia by Casella, Four Last Songs by R. Strauss, and the famous Prelude & Liebestod fromWagner’s Tristan und Isolde. Judging from what we can expect from Noseda, this will be an intense concert! | DETAILS

Thursday 12

Canadian Opera Company | Chamber Music Series: Clarinet Fantasy at Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Noon. Free!

If you’re downtown and looking for a reprieve, come check out Toronto-based clarinetist Yao Guang Zhai and pianist Jeanie Chung at the COC. Zhai is the Associate Principal Clarinet at the TSO, and Chung is a prize winner in several international competitions including, the Busoni International Piano Competition, the International Chamber Music Competition of Caltanissetta, and the Premio Gui International Chamber Music Competition. Both are based in Toronto. They’ll be playing works by Gershwin, Stravinsky, Brahms, and Bassi. Make sure to come early as seats fill up fast. | DETAILS

Women’s Musical Club of Toronto | Brassfire at Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building. 1:00 p.m. $45

Master trumpeter Jens Lindemann, brings an eclectic program of classic and contemporary works that highlight the range of the trumpet – and Lindemann’s incredible talent. Joining him will be Kristian Alexandrov (piano), Mike Downes (bass), and Ted Warren, (percussion). | DETAILS

University of Toronto Faculty of Music | Dominick Argento: Postcard from Morocco at MacMillan Theatre, Edward Johnson Building. 7:30 p.m. $10-40 (repeats Mar 13, 14, 15)

This is a must see event for the opera lover. Dominick Argento’s Postcard from Morocco is about six disparate characters who’s paths collide in a train station. The Washington Post advised to “Imagine the characters from an Agatha Christie novel entangled in an Ionesco play.” We’re sold! Features stage direction by Michael Cavanagh, with Leslie Dala conducting. | DETAILS

Friday the 13th

Essential Opera | Essential Zarzuela at Heliconian Hall. 8:00 p.m. $20-25.

This is turning out to be a great week for indie opera in Toronto. Essential Opera presents Zarzuela, an “entertaining night of passion and laughter.” Amadeo Vives’s Spanish flavored take on la vie Bohème will be the centerpiece of the concert, which includes cast members Fabian Arciniegas (tenor) and Maureen Batt (soprano) (to name a few) – as well as music director Kate Carver (piano). | DETAILS

Saturday 14

New Music Concerts-Organix | Duo Szathmáry/Tzschoppe at the Church of the Holy Trinity. 8:00 p.m. $10-35

The organ is often thought of as a liturgical instrument, but there is an incredible variety of contemporary music written for it as well. Tonight New Music Concerts and Organix have teamed up to present Duo Szathmáry/Tzschoppe, an organ and percussion team bent on making a place for these two powerful instruments to coexist. | DETAILS.

The Canadian Music Centre | 2015 JUNO Awards Classical Nominees’ Showcase at Church of St John the Evangelist (Hamilton). 1:30 p.m. $15 (free with Juno Awards Wristband)

CBC Radio 2 host Tom Allen will host a special JUNO showcase of nominees and special guests including Matt Haimovitz, Daniel Taylor & Ellen McAteer, Paul Stewart, Alexander Dobson, the Blythwood Winds, and Duo Piano 2X10. Well worth the trip to Hamilton. Seating is first come, first served. | DETAILS

Sunday 15

Trio Arkel | Strings Attached at the Church of the Holy Trinity. 4:30 p.m. $15-30

For those with an ear for chamber music, we highly recommend Trio Arkel, who will be performing with some very special guests Amanda Forsyth (cello), and Aaron Schwebel, (violin). They’ll be performing Beethoven’s Serenade in D Op.8 for string trio and Schubert’s Cello Quintet. Not-to-be-missed. | DETAILS.

 

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Michael Vincent
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