Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Karina Gauvin

La Lira di Orfeo and Raffaele Pe bring Handel's opera in a concert performance to the Parco della Musica. 

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Rafael Payare offer up a thrilling Beethoven 9 to close the season.

Marie-Nicole Lemieux and Karina Gauvin star in Mozart concert arias before a very gentle Pastoral Symphony at the Maison symphonique.

Visiting conductor Matthew Halls in a programme of Haydn, MacMillan and Beethoven.

Karina Gauvin provides a powerhouse recital of German, Italian and French Baroque music, with Handel dominating

Although both Bernstein's Jeremiah Symphony and Mendelssohn's Hymn of Praise explore the role religion plays in the cultivation of the human spirit, they are in many aspects sharply contrasting works. This made for an appealing concert by Montreal's Orchestre Métropolitain and their conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

In Québec, Fabien Gabel, the OSQ Chorus and Orchestra present two rarely heard psalms while soprano Karina Gauvin brings absolute magic to the music of Ravel and Schmitt.

Barrie Kosky's punchy, visually exhilarating take on Saul, with Iestyn Davies as a sublime David, makes for a powerful evening of drama at Glyndebourne.

A concert performance of Arianna in Creta at the Halle Handel Festival riveted the audience with the towering talent of Ann Hallenberg and uniformly fine singing, acting and playing.

A flamboyant production and a wonderful cast of singers seals a big success for this gem of the early Baroque.

Mozart was supposed to be the composer of La clemenza di Tito but it was really a critical edition of Metastasio’s opus by Teodor Currentzis.

Handel's La Resurrezione, anchored the Boston Early Music Festival’s Thursday programs in a dramatic reading by many of the same forces performing Campra’s La Carnaval de Venise.

With Lully’s death in 1687 and Louis XIV’s increasing immersion in religious piety under the influence of Madame de Maintenon, the court ceased to exercise a strangle hold on opera.

Jérémie Rhorer led a turbocharged performance of this rare Spontini opera, which, although it tires with its grandiose hyperbole, contains excerpts that deserve to be heard more often.

Not a single note, nor a single orchestral member, is superfluous in MTT's interpretation of Mahler's Second Symphony.

In an eclectic program  by Karina Gauvin and pianist Maciej Pikuski at the Concertgebouw’s recital hall, Debussy’s Forgotten Songs stand out.

An audacious mix of baroque and contemporary themes, from a collaboration of artists, yields an exceptional aesthetic experience.

In spite of superb performances from the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra and the two lead soloists, Steffani’s Niobe at the Concertgebouw offers too few inspired moments to make it truly memorable.

Chalk and talk is dead. Teachers scramble to bring history to life in classrooms up and down the country through dressing-up days and interactive whiteboard activities. Few, however, can equal Robert Carsen’s efforts in his riotous production of Handel’s Rinaldo, here on its first Glyndebourne revival since its 2011 première.

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. 

Handel's Solomon is given a revelatory performance by an all-star cast of principles, La Chapelle de Québec and the Violons du Roy under the direction of Bernard Labadie.

In Amsterdam, the Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin, accompanied by pianist Maciej Pikulski, delighted the Concertgebouw audience with a varied program of English and French songs.

An excellent cast headed by Franco Fagioli makes this concert version of Rinaldo at the Theater an der Wien unforgettable; Il Pomo d'Oro shine in the pit.

After Cavalli’s Ercole Amante in 2009 and Handel’s Deidamia in 2011, De Nederlandse Opera is continuing its exploration of obscure Baroque operas with Gluck’s Armide, until 27 October.I always wondered why Armide was Gluck’s own favourite work.

As Handel made music of John Milton’s poems L’Allegro and il Penseroso , Mark Morris made Handel’s music dance. The 32 scenes of Morris’ ballet breathe with inspiration of figures and designs from watercolours William Blake did for an edition of Milton’s poems.

Saturday night’s performance of Handel’s oratorio Theodora at La Maison Symphonique in Montréal was magnificent, probably the best concert I’ve seen this season. Les Violons du Roy, La Chapelle de Québec, as well as a handful of soloists from Québec and England, all under the masterful direction of Bernard Labadie, brought this somewhat obscure work vividly to life.

Classical music is often portayed as being very serious, which is part of what makes it seem inaccessible at times. But this is a mistake: there are plenty of pieces that are, in a word, fun.

An outstanding lineup of soloists joined Bernard Labadie at Carnegie Hall Sunday for a performance of J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion. Hearing Labadie conduct his own ensemble Les Violons du Roy and the chamber choir La Chapelle de Québec with such a superb group of soloists was truly a treat indeed.

As Christmas is quickly approaching, it is only fair to take advantage of some of the musical gifts and traditions that accompany this festive season. Handel's Messiah is one of the most widely-known sacred oratorios, most commonly recognized by its Hallelujah chorus. However, Handel's Messiah, was not always regarded as a popular work for the Christmas season.

Carlos Miguel Prieto y la Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería juntan fuerzas con coro y solistas para tocar una Resurrección de Mahler apasionada.

Dans un programme très bien conçu, Kensho Watanabe dirige un Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal en belle forme. Karina Gauvin s'illustre dans des lieder d'Alma Mahler.

Un formidable plateau était réuni sur la scène du Théâtre des Champs-Élysées pour une version de concert de l'opéra de Haendel, sous la direction rythmiquement univoque de Christophe Rousset.

Depravación, lujuria y extravagancia se imponen en el Teatro Real de la mano de David Alden para mostrarnos la hermosa música de Cavalli.

Bonsoir belle bergère, pour soprano, orchestre à cordes et sons fixés, de Thierry Pécou en création mondiale à Clermont-Ferrand : le bel avenir inspiré du passé recomposé !

Bernard Labadie réalise un sans-faute à la tête des Violons du Roy et de La Chapelle de Québec dans deux bijoux du répertoire sacré de la fin du XVIIIe siècle. 

Nicht alles passte in dieser La clemenza di Tito im Konzerthaus Dortmund; unbestritten anregend aber waren die dramatischen Effekte, vor allem das Auskosten des Leisen, der Milde, der Stille.

Sérénade oubliée, la Seine en fête de Vivaldi (La Senna Festeggiante, RV 694) a fait un retour en France cette semaine, plus précisément à Rouen. La Chapelle Corneille a redécouvert cette œuvre peu donnée grâce à l’ensemble B'Rock – Baroque Orchestra Gent et ses trois solistes vocaux.

La fascinante producción de los Hermann sigue viva 30 años después de su estreno

Richesse de nuances tout à fait saisie par un Mikko Franck attentif, expressif mais toujours précis, et une distribution vocale enjouée – la sidérante Sabine Devieilhe en tête -  joignant volontiers le geste théâtral à l’envolée vocale, mais ne tirant jamais la couverture à soi.

Mercredi 13 janvier 2016, l'opéra de Haendel Partenope était proposé au TCE par Il Pomo d'Oro, dirigé avec une grande sensibilité par Maxim Emelyanychev. Parmi la distribution vocale de rêve, Karina Gauvin et Lawrence Zazzo. Résultat : un merveilleux moment de plaisir !

Karina Gauvin y Christine Rice lideran el estreno escénico en Madrid de la obra maestra de Händel

Cette nouvelle production de Dardanus ravit les amoureux de musique baroque par sa qualité, mais peut laisser perplexes les amoureux de mise en scène et costumes plus discrets.

Le Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra et pas moins de neufs chanteurs issus de différents horizons étaient réunis pour l’exécution du septième opéra en trois actes du compositeur italien Agostino Steffani, Niobe, Regina di Tebe. 

Le 12 décembre 2014, La Clémence de Titus est représentée au Théâtre des Champs-Élysées : la suite du cycle Mozart débuté par l'excellent Jérémie Rhorer depuis quelques années. Une production qui rassemble beaucoup de beau monde…