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CRITIC'S PICKS | Seven Shows You Should Absolutely See This Week

By Joseph So on September 19, 2016

For the week of Sept. 19 – 25.

Critic’s Picks for classical music and opera events in Toronto for the Week of September 19 to 25. (Photo: Andrew Eccles/Decca)
Critic’s Picks for classical music and opera events in Toronto for the Week of September 19 to 25. (Photo: Andrew Eccles/Decca)

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. 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 curated concert listings in the Musical Toronto Datebook.

Here it is. The first instalment of Critic’s Picks for the 2016-17 music season. Lots of interesting concerts to whet every appetite. The big news is the Toronto Symphony Orchestra season opener starring American soprano Renée Fleming. One of the most beautiful voices of our time, Fleming at age 57 is phasing out her opera career while continuing to sing concerts. She’s likely to end with the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier at the Met and Covent Garden this season. You can also hear her sing it in concert on Sept. 29 and Oct. 1 in Boston. Tafelmusik opens this week with Handel’s Water Music. Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud plays the Sibelius concerto with the TSO. Also of note is a rare appearance by the Van Cliburn laureate, Chinese pianist Sa Chan at the Glenn Gould Studio.

Wednesday 21

TSO | Opening Night: Renée Fleming at Roy Thomson Hall. 7 p.m. $45–165

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra opens with soprano Renée Fleming, under the baton of Peter Oundjian. The centrepiece is Ravel’s Shéhérazade, plus Puccini and Leoncavallo, ending with selections from The King and I. More info, here.

Thursday 22

UofT | Thursdays at Noon: Musical Chairs at Walter Hall. 12:10 p.m. Free!

Soprano Elizabeth McDonald, voice teacher at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, together with clarinettist Peter Stoll, trombonist Achilles Liarmakopoulos and pianist Kathryn Tremills will perform works by Beethoven, Spohr, and Schumann. I first heard McDonald in 2001 as Elettra in a COC Idomeneo, at the beginning of her career. She has since transitioned into an eminent teacher at U of T. Details, here.

Tafelmusik | Handel’s Water Music at Koerner Hall. 8 p.m. $26–111 (repeats Sept. 23, 24, 25, and 27; start times/venues vary.)

Tafelmusik opens its new season with a perennial favourite, Handel’s Water Music, under the guest direction of violinist Elisa Citterio. Other pieces on the program are Bach’s Orchestra Suite no. 4, and selections from Rameau’s Les indes galantes. This show is repeated on Sept. 23, 24, 25, and 27, with the last date at George Weston Recital Hall in North York. Details, here.

Friday 23

TSO | Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 at Roy Thomson Hall. 7:30 p.m. $33.75+ (repeats Sept. 24, 8 p.m.)

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra under conductor Peter Oundjian is presenting Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2, and the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Norwegian Henning Kraggerud. The concert opens with Butterfly Wings and Tropical Storms, a short piece by Canadian composer Randolph Peters. Incidentally, his opera The Golden Ass was staged by the Canadian Opera Company back in 1999. Details, here.

Sunday 25

Mooredale Concerts | Cecilia String Quartet at Walter Hall. 1:15 & 3:15 p.m. $45–165

Sept. 25 1:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. Walter Hall. Mooredale Concerts presents the Cecilia String Quartet, as part of its Music and Truffles series. Their show at 1:15 is called Classical Dance Party, where they’ll perform and demonstrate music/dances written for the Minuet, Polka, Waltz, Rigaudon, Scherzo, etc., featuring compositions by Haydn, Strauss, Dvorak, Grieg, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Albeniz and Piazzolla. At 3:15 p.m., they will give a concert of works by Haydn and Mendelssohn. Details, here and here.

Li Delun Music FoundationSa Chen Piano Recital at the Glenn Gould Studio. 7:30 p.m. $15–20

Li Delun Music Foundation presents Chinese pianist Sa Chen in a recital of works by Debussy and Liszt. Chen is the laureate of several important competitions, including 2005 Van Cliburn (3rd) and the 2000 International Chopin Piano Competition (4th).  She will also be giving a masterclass on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at the Steinway Piano Gallery on 2651 John Street in Markham, Ontario.  Info, here.

Viva Mexico | Ernesto Ramirez and Romulo Delgado at Trinity St. Paul Centre. 3 p.m. $40

Two fine tenors, Ernesto Ramirez and Romulo Delgado, are joining forces in concert, to celebrate Mexico’s independence by paying homage to its music. In May 2014, Ramirez received critical accolades by stepping in to sing the title role of Roberto Devereux opposite the great soprano Sondra Radvanovsky at the Canadian Opera Company. He’s a singer to watch.

#LUDWIGVAN

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Joseph So

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