In the last week, the LPO has been on a journey through the seasons. Tonight, it was mists and mellow fruitfulness, courtesy of rarities by Respighi and Marx.
Soprano Elizabeth Watts brought tonal richness and energy to an evening of French song with texts by Théophile Gautier, but her expressive arsenal was diminished by a bout of flu.
The Garth Newel Piano Quartet presented a "French Feast" of delectable chamber works by Ravel, Chausson and Florent Schmitt that was a gastronomical as well as musical triumph.
Paris in the springtime: cold winds, driving rain and even a flurry of snow. Tonight, courtesy of Debussy’s Printemps, something a little more seasonal raised the temperature.
Released from the Covent Garden pit, the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House enjoyed its moment on the stage, breathing in the sea breezes of Ravel and Chausson, strutting its stuff in Bernstein and basking in shimmering Scriabin.
If you sing like an angel, might as well look like one. Philippe Jaroussky, considered one of the world’s finest countertenors, came onto the stage in Hohenems, Austria last Saturday evening with the demeanor of a celestial being...
Michel Plasson returns to l'Orchestre symphonique de Montréal in a program of French music and Karina Gauvin resplendent in Britten's Les Illuminations. It was an object lesson in how to capture the essential essence of French music.
There are musical moments that lift you up into a jet stream you ride till your feet are on the pavement again. Last evening in Koerner Hall was a flow of such moments as the Amici Chamber Ensemble celebrated their first set of twenty-five musical years.
On Sunday afternoon, Glenn Gould Studio became host to a professional photo-shoot as well as the Amici Ensemble’s feature concert, “Fashionista: Fashion as Art.” The unique theme featured elegant gowns by Rosemarie Umetsu, demonstrating what one can draw and create from such elaborate musical selections. First on the programme was Galina Ustvolskaya’s Trio for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano.
American Ballet Theatre’s second programme at Sadler’s Wells transports us across the globe and through time beginning with a visit to the 19th century Russian Imperial Court and ending in wartime America. This is a mixed experience in more ways than one. Things get off to a tentative start with Balanchine’s Theme and Variations.
The intimate setting of the Wigmore Hall provided the ideal platform for mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn’s sensitive performance of songs by Faure, Chausson and Schumann. Her voice flowed apparently effortlessly through this varied repertoire, connecting powerfully with the audience.
Marie-Nicole Lemieux, contralto pléthorique offre un récital jubilatoire soutenu par un Roger Vignoles royal ; malheureusement la truculence déjà légendaire de la cantatrice semble bien mal adaptée à l’exercice du récital.
La Comédie française, la littérature et la philosophie unissent leurs forces avec celles de la musique pour une lecture et un concert franco-russe qui resteront dans les mémoires.
On attendait beaucoup de cette production du Roi Arthus de Chausson à l'Opéra de Paris mais force est de reconnaître que cette redécouverte ne fut qu’un demi-succès ou plutôt même un demi-échec.
