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.
Tuesday 12
Talisker Players | Heroes, Gods and Mortals: encounters with Olympian gods and goddesses, in various guises at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre. 8:00 p.m. $15-35 (repeats May 13)
There is something deeply universal about classical Greek and Roman mythology – especially when told though music, the most universal of all art forms. Tonight the Talisker Players encounter the Olympic gods and goddesses with readings from Greek myths, poetry (Keats and Tennyson), as well as excerpts from contemporary mythology from Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. This marks the close of the Talisker Players’ 2014-15 season. | DETAILS
Wednesday 13
Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Masterwork Series: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal at Roy Thomson Hall. 8:00 p.m. $33-145
The OSM are back in the Big Smoke with pianist Piotr Anderszewski to perform a trio of Mozart, Sibelius and Samy Moussa. This comes off the heels of OSM Music Director Kent Nagano’s concert with Tafelmusik last January, and more recently the TSO’s mini tour which hit Montreal last week. For those who recall, Moussa was also in Toronto two years ago with a project with Esprit orchestra, and caught up with John Terauds here. Highly recommended. | DETAILS
Thursday 14
Off Centre Music Salon | Dérangé: The Party at the Music Gallery. 7:00 p.m. $15-25
A concert program called the “The Party” says it all. Off Centre Music Salon moves into the Music Gallery this Thursday to party it up with composers Chris Mayo, Shawn Jaeger, Anna Webber and Michael Davidson, with performers Nico Dann (drums), Daniel Fortin (bass), David French (sax), Daniel Lalonde (bass), Ilana Zarankin (soprano), Boris Zarankin (piano) and Alex Samaras (host & singer). The concert is part of the Off Centre Music Salon two-part dérangé series, which is about the intersection between Canadian contemporary classical music, jazz and folk music. | DETAILS
Toronto Masque Theatre | Les Indes Mécaniques and The Anahtar Project at the Fleck Dance Theatre, Harbourfront Centre. 8:00 p.m. $20-50 (Repeats May 15)
Toronto Masque Theatre will be closing their 11th season with a double bill of dance and music exploring Eastern reveries. It includes Les Indes Mécaniques, a baroque opera-ballet based on Jean-Phillipe Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes. The Anahtar Project features Juno-award winning composer and performer Andrew Downing performing music inspired by the centuries-old Ottoman / Turkish Makam tradition. According to the website, “The evening will feature two fascinating but wildly different artistic depictions of Istanbul, the breathtakingly beautiful city that is also the gateway between East and West.” | DETAILS
Friday 15
Opera by Request | Verdi: Luisa Miller at College Street United Church. 7:30 p.m. $20
Opera by Request presents Verdi’s Luisa Miller, in concert with piano accompaniment. This work sets the play Kabale und Liebe (Intrigue and Love) by the German dramatist Friedrich von Schiller, and marks the start of Verdi’s middle period. This homemade production features soprano Naomi Eberhard as Luisa, baritone John Conlon as Miller, tenor Paul Williamson as Rodolfo, and baritone Andrew Tees as Walter plus others. Well worth the $20 ticket. | DETAILS
Toronto Symphony Orchestra | What Makes It Great? at Roy Thomson Hall. 7:30 p.m. $29-79
Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony” is undoubtedly a masterpiece of the symphonic repertoire, yet Schubert abandoned it six years before he died. We’ll probably never know why, but tonight the TSO and conductor-host Rob Kapilow will look into how the romantic work became the great haunting masterwork of today. | DETAILS
Royal Conservatory | James Ehnes at Koerner Hall. 8:00 p.m. $35-85
One of the finest violinists in the world, James Ehnes, joins pianist Andrew Armstrong for a program of works by Debussy, Bach and Elgar at Koerner Hall. A special treat will be the premiere of Beyond Time by Toronto’s Alexina Louie. Don’t miss it. | DETAILS
Saturday 16
Kindred Spirits Orchestra | Elgar’s Cello Concerto at Flato Markham Theatre. 8:00 p.m. $15-35
Kristian Alexander leads the Kindred Spirits Orchestra through a program featuring Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture, Elgar’s Concerto for cello and orchestra, (with soloist Jun Kyu Park) and Schumann’s Symphony No. 4.Classical 96.3 FM’s Alexa Petrenko will host. Well worth checking out. | DETAILS
Sunday 17
Trio Arkel | Fate and Desire at Church of the Holy Trinity. 4:30 p.m. $15-30
Trio Arkel take the stage to present some love-inspired chamber music. The passion starts with Mozart’s Oboe Quartet and Britten’s Phantasy Quartet. Things heat up with string trios of Lennox Berkeley and Ernst von Dohnányi. Includes guest oboist Sarah Jeffrey. | DETAILS
Monday 18
Music Mondays | Lark Quartet at Church of the Holy Trinity. 12:15 p.m. PWYC
Got the Monday blues? Why not come check out one of the best lunchtime concert series in Toronto at the Church of the Holy Trinity. Music Mondays presents the Lark Quartet and special guest flutist Les Allt. Works include the Flute Quartet in D major, K285, by Mozart and Three Quartets: Oblivion, Escualo, and Libertango by Astor Piazzolla. See you there. | DETAILS
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