Guide to Classical Music, Opera and Dance in Canada

Expectations are a tricky thing. High expectations more so.

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens has brought a brand new piece to the stage; a neo-classical adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s controversial novel, Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

Robert Carsen's Eugene Onegin was binned by the Met but works wonderfully in its revival by the Canadian Opera Company COC with high class singing and acting from a young, engaging cast.

It’s the end of the 17/18 season for most ballet companies and for many, this means rounding off with a glitzy gala night. I feel these performances always go in one of two directions: they’re either a Greatest Hits or a bit of a patchwork quilt. 

The German word Betroffenheit doesn’t translate easily to English. Any German-English dictionary will spit out approximations like "shocked" and "dismayed", but for a real translation, see Crystal Pite and Jonathan Young’s challenging, beautiful work by the same name. 

Labelled a “permanent irritation” in her home country of South Africa, Robyn Orlin takes the epithet as a compliment. She’s the grain of sand that makes a pearl! An imperfect one, but still.

For China’s choreographic rising star, Tao Ye, numbers hold a pivotal significance. He works in numbered series, compiling a neat catalogue of minimalist, experimental dance that can be performed alone or sit buttressed up against each other.