In review: Julie

Review

Last night Soundstreams and Canadian Stage opened their collaborative production of Julie, the fourth opera by Belgian composer Philippe Boesmans. There was a good amount of hype leading up to this opening, and for good reason. Julie is adapted by librettists Luc Bondy and Marie-Louise Bischofberger from the controversial play by August Strindberg, Miss Julie; its three-singer cast is a cross-section of the rising stars of our current generation.

Don't miss: l'homme et le ciel

Interview

Next month, Canadian composer Adam Scime will see the world premiere of his chamber opera, l'homme et le ciel. Amanda Smith, artistic director of FAWN Chamber Creative directs this co-presentation with FAWN and The Music Gallery. Scime's atmospheric story of "inescapable visions" and "sexual impulses" is scored for chamber ensemble, electronics, and three voices; the libretto by Ian Koiter is adapted from The Shepherd of Hermas, a 2nd-century Christian literary work.

Concert etiquette, or put down your phone

Humour

Alright, so I've been thoroughly enjoying the 2015/16 season of opera and concerts so far, but I'm a little dismayed that it's only November and we already need to talk about concert etiquette.

Coaches, voice teachers, and the grey area in between

Op-ed

The system still appeared odd to me. Why weren't these voice teachers, in their lessons full of exercises and tone production, also pointing out wrong rhythms, missed entrances, and poor diction? And why did these pianists feel that they had so much to offer someone who is probably much more advanced at singing than they are?

Powerful stuff: the Elizabeth Krehm Memorial Concert

Review

Last night's Elizabeth Krehm Memorial Concert at Metropolitan United Church was a grand, cathartic experience. Elizabeth Krehm passed away in 2012, after spending a month in St. Michael's Hospital Intensive Care Unit; since 2013, the Krehm family has been holding benefit concerts, donating 100% of the money raised to the ICU in Elizabeth Krehm's name. This year was Mahler's 2nd, his "Resurrection" Symphony, with Evan Mitchell leading the Canzona Chamber Players Orchestra, the Pax Christi Chorale, and soloists Michèle Bogdanowicz and Rachel Krehm.

Aria Guides: "Aprite un po' quegli occhi"

How-To

Figaro's final aria in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro is one that separates the men from the boys. It's endlessly interesting for dramaturgs, since Figaro breaks the so-called "fourth wall" and addresses the audience directly for the first time the show. He's fed up with women and their shenanigans, and it's one of rare times we really see him lose his cool. Musically, it's all about stamina.

In review: Puss in Boots & Berio's Folk Songs

Review

The Glenn Gould School presented its fall opera this week, a double bill of Xavier Montsalvatge's El gato con botas (Puss in Boots), and Luciano Berio's Folk Songs. The two shows are objectively different in musical style and dramatic inspiration, but director Liza Balkan writes that pairing El gato and Folk Songs "is a desire for storytelling that embraces surprise, humour, truth, freedom of play, and a willingness to be fearless and intimate with you, the audience."

Things more important than opera

Op-ed

Opera and music and theatre mean a whole lot to me, and I take seriously what I write about it. To talk about the arts during times like this, after the horrific attacks in Paris, seems to take more justification than usual.

Playing the long game: fostering artistic respect

Op-ed

The only necessary ingredient in bringing up a generation of respect for the arts is constant exposure. It's not a passive thing at all, and what makes me nervous is that it's largely up to the grown-ups to plant the seeds.

A great show at the AGO

Review

Last night I went to the Art Gallery of Ontario for their AGO Friday Nights series; this month, Friday Nights includes a little music with your art. Complementing the AGO's current exhibition of works by J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851), Painting Set Free, is a series of concerts curated by Tapestry Opera's artistic director, Michael Mori, entitled Music Set Free.