TSO Music Director, Peter Oundjian and soprano, Isabel Bayrakdarian
I’m not going to lie, there is a noticeable energy that enters the backstage area of the Hall when it’s inhabited by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra musicians. Particularly evident after working through an entire summer without their presence. One of the greatest perks of the job here is having these talented players not only perform regularly throughout their season at Roy Thomson Hall but rehearse about 3 days a week. Imagine being able to hear an internationally renowned orchestra rehearse in the “other room” at your office! Its pretty surreal, to say the least, and the excitement is absolutely contagious, in my opinion, whenever live music surrounds.
Tonight, as I type this, the TSO return to the Hall and celebrate their 89th season. The concert, or should I say ‘party’ – is an extended one that will be repeated on Saturday too. They perform Gustav Mahler’s massive / epic Resurrection Symphony with an extended cast which includes the Mendelssohn Choir, and soloists such as the enchanting Isabel Bayrakdarian (UPDATE: Isabel Bayrakdarian will perform as part of Bravissimo! on New Year’s Eve at Roy Thomson Hall.) A fittingly grand 90-minute masterpiece by a composer who, I’m told, pushed through the transformation of modernism in the early 20th century.
If you’ve read this blog over the past few months, you’ll know that I admit to being a classical music novice. I love it and my mind has exploded with new music since joining the team at the Corporation of Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall- but am not nearly as familiar with the composers, pieces and performers as I am with say groups like The xx or Bahamas (who we also have performing in our Halls in the coming weeks) but one thing I can say, hands down, is that the TSO just might be, in my CONTINUE READING >
Gustav Mahler,Polaris Music Prize,Toronto Blue Jays,Toronto Symphony Orchestra
So – one of the first thing I noticed when I joined the Toronto Symphony is that orchestral musicians inner clocks are timed just like any band; for late night. Mornings are groggy but in the evening, musicians are buzzing. I’m actually a bit surprised that June 19 is the TSO’s first ever Late Night concert.
The Late Night concept came about after TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian conducted a similar concert at Tonhalle, Switzerland. He ran the idea by some of our tsoundcheckers at a post-concert party and well, here we go.
What can I tell you about Beethoven’s 9th…the “Choral,” his Ode to Joy? I can tell you it’s a masterpiece and has been since its premiere in 1824, written during Beethoven’s later period (when most of his contemporaries thought he was going crazy.) I can tell you that it proved his contemporaries wrong and that it was revolutionary, ushering in the romantic era and foreshadowing the massive symphonies of Mahler and Bruckner. I guarantee that you can hum the theme. We’ve all heard it many times; but hearing it live…with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, a stellar cast of soloists and the impressive Mendelssohn choir, you understand why it holds this place is music history. You’ll feel it in your gut, in the hairs on the back of your neck, in your twitching tear ducts (and yes, it will be the music, not the triple rye you brought into the hall.)
CONTINUE READING >
Beethoven 9,Peter Oundjian,Podcast,Toronto Symphony Orchestra,TSO Goes Late Night
In the lower level of Massey Hall you’ll find ‘Centuries,’ a fully-stocked bar you can visit pre-show and at intermission of most performances. The room is filled with artefacts illustrating the admirable history of Massey Hall, perhaps most notably the “Decade Panels” that line the entrance corridor to ‘Centuries.’ Starting with 1894-1904, a panel is present for each decade since Massey Hall opened. The panels feature news articles, photographs, programmes and other paraphernalia that aim to give a slice of life at Massey Hall from that period in history. In this column, we look at each decade and highlight some of the items included in these panels. Of course, for a more in-depth look, next time you’re at Massey for a show, head on over to ‘Centuries’ and check them out. This week, we take a look at 1984 – 1993, the tenth in a series of eleven tributes to Massey Hall’s glorious history.
Massey Hall 1984 – 1993
The late 80s and early 90s remain a special place in many of our hearts – a time filled with hair-crimping irons, leg warmers, and Cyndi Lauper. While we don’t see a presence from Ms. Lauper on this decade panel, the delightful neon colours of yesteryear do show themselves, particularly in the form of a backstage pass for The Beach Boys as well as in a flyer for The Peking Acrobats. On the heels of their massive hit single Take On Me, a-ha performed at Massey Hall on October 16, 1986 (the band returns to Toronto for the first time since then on May 10 2010. CONTINUE READING >
Aretha Franklin,Arthur Miller,Beach Boys,Blue Rodeo,Cats,Centennial Concert,Centuries,Dalai Lama,David Broadfoot,Gordon Lightfoot,Intimate Grandeur: One Hundred Years At Massey Hall,John McDermott,Massey Hall,Mendelssohn Choir,Sharon Lois And Bram,The Peking Acrobats,Tom Jones,Toronto Symphony Orchestra,William Kilbourn
Tegan & Sara playing in Vancouver earlier this month.
Can you believe that we are already in the second half of January? Somehow, the short cold days have managed to turn into weeks, and before you know it we’ll be catching the first glimpse of spring. Before we do, though, we have heaps of shows to shelter you from the wintry storms.
JUST ANNOUNCED
Pieta Brown, we’re delighted to report, will be joining Mark Knopfler when he comes to Massey Hall on his Get Lucky North American tour. Peita is a critically-acclaimed folk singer-songwriter who has been compared to Lucinda Williams, PJ Harvey, and Cat Power. The BBC has called her a “folk goddess and country waif,” and we can’t wait to see her in person. (Also, did you know that if you buy a pair of tickets to the show online you’ll get a free copy of Knopfler’s CD? Aren’t you glad you do now?) CONTINUE READING >
Colin James,Mark Knopfler,Mozart@254,Pieta Brown,Sinfonia Toronto,Tegan & Sara,Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Portrait of Mozart painted posthumously by Barbara Kraft, 1819.
Five years ago, when Peter Oundjian was relatively new in his position as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director, he announced the Mozart@249 festival at the TSO’s annual season media conference. He explained that he didn’t think we had to wait until the all important 250th birthday to have an excuse to have a Mozart festival so he was going to get a head start on everybody else. It was rather endearing, although we all knew it was really just clever marketing. But who cares? What’s not to love about Mozart, especially in the dark cold days of January?
Well here we are five years later and the annual January Mozart Festival is so popular that the TSO artistic team just keep programming it – hence Mozart@254. The festival opened last night and runs until January 24 at Roy Thomson Hall and CONTINUE READING >
Mozart,Mozart Festival,Mozart@254,Roy Thomson Hall,Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Ornette Coleman comes to Massey Hall September 24.
Thursday and Saturday of this week will be hopping at both Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, with what promise to be epic performances. Between those and a special announcement yesterday, it is one exciting week here at the Halls.
Thursday, September 24 at Massey Hall sees the second instalment in the Jazz @ Massey Hall series: Ornette Coleman is coming to town. In 2007 Coleman received both a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and rightly so—the man changed the landscape of jazz fifty years ago and hasn’t stopped since. A December 2007 Rolling Stone article explains just wherein his innovation lies: “Coleman’s great affront to the jazz establishment was to base his improvisations not on the chords of a song but on the melody, and then not on the actual notes of the melody but on what the melody makes you feel.” (The piece is not available online, but can be found in the December 13, 2007 issue, on page 72.) Coleman’s unique free jazz will certainly make for one educational and entertaining evening. CONTINUE READING >
Jamie Oliver,Joshua Bell,Ornette Coleman,The Beatles,Toronto Symphony Orchestra
