For the week of April 4 to 10
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 our concert listings in the Musical Toronto Datebook.
April is a prime concert month in Toronto, with plenty of mouth-watering choices. There are more concerts than I can possibly feature here, so please consult the complete listings:
Monday 4
U of T | Cecilia String Quartet at Walter Hall. 7:30 p.m. $10-40
On Monday, April 4 7:30 pm, the Cecilia String Quartet, on the music faculty of University of Toronto, is giving a recital at Walter Hall in a program of Mendelssohn and Brahms, plus a newly commissioned work, Tantric Variations, by Kati Agócs. James Campbell is the solo clarinet in the Brahms Clarinet Quintet Op. 115. Full details found here.
Tuesday 5
MUSIC TORONTO | DuoTergeon at Jane Mallett Theatre. 8:00 p.m. $10-55
Canadian pianists Anne Louise-Turgeon and Edward Turgeon, on the faculty of Algoma University in Sault Ste Marie, is in town on April 5 8 pm for a duo piano recital under the auspices of Music Toronto. Their eclectic program, to be played on matching Steinway pianos, includes works by Lutoslawski, Gavrilin, Charke, Valera, Ravel and Brahms. As usual, the venue is Jane Mallett Theatre. See here for more info.
TAFELMUSIK | Goldberg Variations at Koerner Hall. 8:00 p.m. $56-79
Tuesday, April 5 at 8 pm is the last of five concerts given by Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra featuring the brilliant French harpsichordist Benjamin Alard in Bach’s Goldberg Variations. This one takes place at the George Weston Recital Hall in North York. Info here.
Wednesday 6
TSO | Beethoven Piano Concerto 4 with Thomas Søndergård (conductor) at Roy Thomson Hall. 8:00 p.m. $33.75 -148 (Repeats April 8, 7:30 p.m.)
Wednesday, April 6 marks the debuts of Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård and Swiss pianist Francesco Piemontesi with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. It opens with Perpetual Summer, a contemporary piece by Kati Agócs, who incidentally has a world premiere this week by the Cecilia String Quartet. Piemontesi is the soloist in the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4. Rounding out the program is the Symphony No. 1 by Jean Sibelius, a piece full of youthful impetuosity that gives one the shivers. A second performance on Friday, April 8th 7:30 p.m. You’ll find all the details, here.
Thursday 7
OPERA ATELIER |Lucio Silla at the Elgin Theatre. 8:00 p.m. $38 -191 (Repeats April 9, 10, 12, 15 and 16)
Of major interest to voice fans on Thursday, April 7th is the opening night of Opera Atelier’s Lucio Silla at the Elgin Theatre. This is the OA production that wowed audiences in Salzburg – with the redoubtable Rolando Villazon no less! – and later at La Scala, with tenor Kresimir Spicer. Spicer reprises the title role here at OA, joined by Inga Kalna, Meghan Lindsay, Peggy Kriha Dye and Mireille Asselin. Also on April 9, 10, 12, 15 and 16. Details found here.
THE WOMEN’S MUSICAL CLUB OF TORONTO | Dannthology at Walter Hall. 1:30 p.m. $45
The Women’s Musical Club of Toronto is presenting Dannthology on Thursday, April 7th 1:30 p.m. at Walter Hall. If the title seems a bit cryptic, it’s a reference to this concert featuring not only violist Steven Dann but also members of his family (Nico Dann, percussion; Robin Dann, voice, Lucas Dann, piano), plus soprano Ilana Zarankin, double-bass Joel Quarrington and pianist James Parker. This sterling group of musicians will perform pieces by Schumann, Brahms, as well as Peter Lieberson, Zosha Di Castri, and Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber. Info here.
ADAM SHERKIN | Write Off the Keyboard Noon Hour Series at St. Lawrence Centre. 12:00 p.m. Free!
Composer/pianist Adam Sherkin is giving one of his Write Off the Keyboard Noon Hour Series recitals on April 7th. He’s playing Chopin Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39 and the Fantasy in F minor, Op. 49, and one of his own compositions. This event takes place at the lobby of the St. Lawrence Centre, and it is free! For more details, click here.
CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY | Steinway Piano Fundraising Concert at Church of the Holy Trinity. 7:30 p.m. $25
Two elder statesmen of the Canadian music world, flautist Robert Aitken and pianist William Aide, join forces in a fund-raising concert on Thursday, April 7th 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Holy Trinity, next to the Toronto Eaton Centre. The proceeds of this event will help defray the cost of the newly acquired Steinway at the Church. $25 at the door. On the program are works by Schubert, Chopin, Debussy and others. Info here.
RCM | Mazzoleni Masters: Musicians from Marlboro at Mazzoleni Hall. 7:30 p.m. $25
Musicians from Marlboro’s touring program is an extension of Vermont’s Marlboro Music Festival. They’ll be at Mazzoleni Hall at the RCM for a program of Haydn, Berg, and Dvorak, on Thursday, April 7 7:30 p.m. Info found right here.
Friday 8
SOUNDSTREAMS SALON 21 | Clapping Music at the Gardiner Museum. 7:00 p.m. PWYC
Contemporary composer Steve Reich is coming to TO next week to celebrate his 80th birthday in a concert at Massey Hall, but before that, you can get into the mood by learning how to perform his Clapping Music, taught by Dan Morphy and Jamie Drake, on Friday, April 8 at the Gardiner Museum. However, you need to register for this Salon 21 event beforehand. See here, for details.
RCM | Leon Fleisher conducts the Royal Conservatory Orchestra at Koerner Hall. 8:00 p.m. $25-55
Another eminent musician, the great pianist, and conductor Leon Fleisher is in town to conduct the RCM Orchestra on Friday, April 8th in a great program – Brahms Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 77 with soloist Alexander Volkov. Also on the program is Strauss’ Don Juan, Op. 20 and Ravel’s La valse. Info here.
ESSENTIAL OPERA | She’s the One at Heliconian Hall. 7:30 p.m. $20-25
Essential Opera, founded by sopranos Erin Bardua and Maureen Batt, is one of several small, independent, performers-driven groups that offer interesting “concept” programs that the big companies are unlikely to tackle. On Friday, April 8th 7:30 p.m. at the Heliconian Hall in Yorkville, Essential Opera is presenting She’s the One, a show that explores all facets of women’s lives. It’s “a collage of contemporary Canadian and American operas” featuring works by Leslie Uyeda, Anna Pidgorna, Anna Höstman, Fiona Ryan, Elizabeth Raum, John Estacio and Jake Heggie. More details found here.
SINFONIA TORONTO | Elements at the Glenn Gould Studio. 8:00 p.m. $15-42
The Sinfonia Toronto, a chamber orchestra under the direction of Nurhan Arman, is presenting Elements – a “homage to earth, fire, air, and water.” On the program are works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Glazunov. Elements is a violin concerto by Michael McLean, with violinist Brian Lewis. Concert on Friday, April 8th 8 p.m. at the Glenn Gould Studio. See here, for more info.
Saturday 9
U of T | The University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra at MacMillan Theatre. 7:30 p.m. $10-30
The University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra is playing a very attractive (and ambitious) program featuring two great works – Brahms Symphony No. 3 Op. 90 and Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 Op. 47 on Saturday, April 9th 7:30 p.m. at the MacMillan Theatre, under the baton of Uri Mayer. Info here.
Sunday 10
TSO | A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Roy Thomson Hall. 7:30 p.m. $33.75 -107 (Repeats April 9, 3:00 p.m.)
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s second program this week is a potpourri of several very popular pieces – Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Elgar’s Enigma Variations, Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, and the Harp Concerto by Handel with harpist Heidi Van Hoesen Gorton. The concert is repeated on April 10th. James Feddeck makes his TSO debut with these two performances. Full details here.
OFF CENTRE MUSIC SALON | 21st Annual Schubertiad: Beyond The Brook at Trinity St. Paul’s Centre. 3:00 p.m. $5-50
It’s impressive that Off Centre Music Salon, under the co-direction of pianists Boris Zarankin and Inna Perkis, is presenting the 21st Annual Schubertiad. In a world where art song is an endangered species, this is enviable longevity. The program description is a touch cryptic, but it appears to combine Die schöne Mullerin with Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (Shepherd on the Rock). Soloists are tenor Jeffrey Ollarsaba, soprano Ilana Zarankin, and pianists Boris Zarankin and Inna Perkis. April 10th 3 p.m. at the Trinity St. Paul’s Centre. Details found here.
RCM | Valentina Lisitsa at Koerner Hall. 3:00 p.m. $35-85
At exactly the same time as the Schubertiad is the return of pianist Valentina Lisitsa to Toronto, for a recital at Koerner Hall. Readers may remember her appearance with the TSO last year was cancelled by the TSO following political protests. She’s playing Scriabin, Tchaikovsky, and Rachmaninoff. Full details found here.
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