Canadian music then and now at New Music Concerts in Toronto

By Stanley Fefferman, 06 February 2013

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Reviewed at Betty Oliphant Theatre, Toronto on 3 February 2013

Weinzweig, Interplay

Schafer, Trio for flute, viola and harp

Cherney, Die klingende Zeit

Scime, In the Earth and Air

Harman, En Masse

New Music Concerts Ensemble

Robert Aitken, Director

Black American music finds a new voice at the Concertgebouw

Clare Varney, 18th June

Dutch premieres, new faces and new arrangements result in a concert quite unlike any other from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Antony Hermus.

****1

Apollonian radiance and women scorned: the Britten Sinfonia at Snape

Roy Westbrook, 18th June

Hell holds no fury like a woman scorned, and it was certainly so in Greek mythology, celebrated in this outstanding Aldeburgh Festival performance by the Britten Sinfonia and Helen Charlston.

*****

Improvisatory Gershwin from Ryan Wang with Chromatica Orchestra

Nick Boston, 17th June

Energetic yet atmospheric performances from Chromatica Orchestra, with Ingunn Korsgård Hagen providing firm yet spirited direction.

****1

A perfect landing with Harding and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Mengguang Huang, 17th June

Håkan Hardenberger joins the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Daniel Harding for a thrilling night concluding with a breathtaking, high-energy Beethoven Four.

****1

Poise over fire: McGegan, Chen and the Orchestra of St Luke’s

Edward Sava-Segal, 16th June

A late substitution turns a violinist-led showcase into a polished, orchestra-centred Bach Festival evening at Carnegie Hall.

***11

Quatuor Diotima and Stéphane Degout haunt Wigmore Hall

Christopher Woodley, 15th June

An enterprising trio of works by Ligeti, Respighi and Schoeck leave a lasting impression of oppression, alienation and dark nights of the soul.

*****

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Stanley Fefferman

Stanley Fefferman is Professor Emeritus at York University, Toronto. He is active in classical, new music, and jazz circles as a writer and accredited performance photographer. His work is archived on Canadian sites The Live Music Report.com, Showtimemagazine.ca, and OpusOneReview.com. His website is here.