Joseph So

2 months ago | operacanada.ca | Joseph So

Following the highly successful Puccini warhorse Madama Butterfly that opened the winter season at the Canadian Opera Company (COC) winter season, the company followed it with something entirely different, La Reine-garçon, a new opera and the first co-commission between Opéra de Montréal and the COC. It featured an excellent all-Canadian cast. Given the relatively conservative Canadian opera audience when it comes to new works, it was gratifying to witness the very enthusiastic ovation at the end.

2 months ago | operacanada.ca | Joseph So

The Canadian Opera Company opened its winter season on January 24th with Madama Butterfly, one of Puccini’s most beloved operas. A quick bit of research shows that it was staged by the COC in its inaugural season of 1951, and it was subsequently revived a total of 15 seasons, the last in 2014. In fact, it was slated for its 16th production in 2022, but the COVID pandemic sadly reduced it into a single, online concert performance.Thankfully, we are once again able to experience its magic in person.

Dec 4, 2024 | ludwig-van.com | Joseph So

Festival of Carols/ Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Jean-Sébastien Vallée, conductor; Jonathan Oldengarm, organ; Irene Gregorio, piano. Dec. 3 & 4, 2024 7:30 p.m. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge Street, Toronto. Repeats Dec 4; tickets here. For the last 25 years, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir has been bringing the joy of communal Carol Sing to its Toronto audience. The sole exception was in 2020 and 2021 when the in-person event was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Nov 30, 2024 | ludwig-van.com | Joseph So

Olivier Messiaen: Chants de terre et de ciel; Alexander Scriabin: Poème-nocturne, op. 61; Alexander Scriabin: Vers la flamme, op. 72; John Zorn: Jumalattaret. Barbara Hannigan, soprano; Bertrand Chamayou, piano. Koerner Hall, November 28, 2024. As I am writing this review, it’s a full 12 hours after I heard Barbara Hannigan at Koerner Hall last evening. Yet I am still feeling the afterglow of her extraordinary recital.

Nov 11, 2024 | ludwig-van.com | Joseph So

The year 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of Rhapsody in Blue, the iconic composition by the beloved American composer, George Gershwin. To celebrate the occasion, Canadian impresario Robert Missen of Bobolink Concerts is putting on a tribute to George and Ira Gershwin, in a series of three concerts featuring some of the most recognizable and beloved works by the famous duo.