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Urban Shocker's Neighbourhood Watch

Ah, the young 'uns! Yes, I question whether Dudamel is a terribly original interpreter ... more a brilliant, energetic enthusiast, maybe? And my man Yannick, what is he? He's brilliantly conducted some things ( Scriabin, for instance ... ) that I'd never want to hear again, but he gets under the skin of the music and brings out the essence. I heard him talk about his conducting once, before one of the Bach Consort concerts, and I think he sees himself primarily as a conduit between the composer and the audience. Hence his ability to make everything sound as good as it possibly can, regardless of what it is. For interpretive? Daniel Harding maybe?

Has anyone booked any Luminato yet? I haven't so far. Some of the theatre looks good, but I'm a bit disappointed that there doesn't seem to be a dance company as good as last year's Nederlands Dans Theater.
 
Quel drag. Yannick won't be conducting next week. I just got a goofy taped message on my voicemail to that effect.

.. and from the TSO website:
"
TSO CONDUCTOR CHANGE NOTICE: JUNE 10 & 12
Please note that due to his exceptionally heavy schedule in recent weeks, compounded by his scheduling changes, Yannick Nézet-Séguin can no longer conduct the June 10 and 12 TSO performances. Jean-Marie Zeitouni, who recently conducted the TSO’s Messiah concerts, has graciously agreed to conduct these performances. The artist and programme remains the same. "

Too bad! I don't think I like this at all and will probably exchange my tickets. Sorry to bear bad news!

Last week, Spano cancelled out but they substituted a wonderful guest -- I've been meaning to review this but I'm too busy. Also, Maria Stuarda was my second favourite opera of the season (after Otello), too busy, too busy.
 
How disappointing. But I'll still go, since the only alternative at the end of the season is to change the ticket to hear Oundjian conduct Beethoven ... and I've been careful to book my year to avoid him. I haven't heard Zeitouni before. Yannick's schedule has been remarkably full lately and I can't imagine that he'd cancel without good reason.

http://www.yannicknezetseguin.com/schedule.html
 
..saw the beautiful Ingrid Fliter play Chopin last night, and man was she good.

Unfortunately the second half of the night was Mahler's 1st, which I don't like at all. It all seems like a bunch of noise with Frere Jacques in the middle. The audience adored it though. While they encored, I took advantage of a quick escape!
 
We were there, last night, Roy.

The Chopin played by Ingrid Fliter was wonderful. Beautifully backed, too.

The Mahler 1st? I've always liked that symphony, but certainly not as it was presented last night. It seems to me that the TSO spent most rehearsal time on the Chopin piece, and were very scrappy and not together in the Mahler.

Oundjian has given good Mahler in the past, but this was not good at all. The interpreting disappointed. Oundjian glossed over some important passages, didn't plumb the depths.

I was surprised by the standing ovation but then again, my ears are very fussy.
 
Like W.C. Felds, he'd rather be in Philadelphia I guess. As an early-adopter city we've enjoyed Yannick since 2004, so I suppose it was inevitable that New York would catch on eventually, as they did last year, and now Philly.

What a nice introduction to Jean-Marie Zeitouni, though. My contact at the church informs me he'll be conducting the Bach Consort at Eglinton St. George's United on December 10th. Bach's Christmas Oratorio, I assume.

So many young Chinese Yundi fans on Saturday night, and a sparkling performance. But the Bruckner was what held me.
 
Yundi was very good with the Chopin concerto and Zeitouni proved a good backer for it.

I was less impressed with his efforts over the TSO in the Bruckner. He shows promise but I think he had trouble communicating a lot of his ideas.

The Bruckner 9th is one of my hallmark pieces and I always treasure the ending of it - the strings have to get it right, and they got it right.

I recall a review of the piece by a New York critic - this is an unfinished symphony and some composers have tried to construct an ending for it, without success. The critic said that Bruckner's 9th was "finished by God". I like that.
 
RE Luminato:

Anybody see The Requiem? I did not, but heard some mixed reviews.

I will be seeing Primma Donna on Friday night, and have lowered my expectations.
 
The best of the highbrow season past

Now that the highbrow season is over (for me) I will opine:
The best of the season past:

Opera -
1) Madama Butterfly with Yannick Muriel Noah singing the lead
2) Otello
3) Maria Stuarda (to rehash a bad old joke: I love bel canto operas, and this one was both bel canto and can belto)

Symphony -
1) Verdi's requiem (Noseda conducting - that was a dream night. I swear, I dreamt it!!!)
2) Sibelius 1 and 2 (Dausgaard conducting)
3) Shostakovich 5th (Deneve conducting)

I've been offered tickets to hear the Beethoven 9th this Saturday and will go. (Conductor) Oundjian's Beethoven is spotty, but he did the 9th well (very well) some years ago and I expect that it will be good this time, too. It's the 11pm performance, part of Luminato, actually. The soloists are good for this concert, too.

Next season I will subscribe to both opera and TSO, and I will also be going to some chamber concerts, jazz events, and the like. I will also attend some of the Toronto Summer Musical Festival offerings.
 
Last edited:
TSO - Beethoven's 9th, Saturday June 19th (Oundjian)

^ I am adding the TSO's performance of Beethoven's 9th to my list of favourites.

We took in last night's 11 pm performance (actually part of Luminato).

With a splendid choir and soloists along, the actual star of the program was the orchestra. The playing was superb and the direction by Oundjian was nothing less than out of this world. What I will remember most of all about the evening was the translucency of the orchestra, and excellence in all sections. Secondly, I will remember the pacing: the tempos were delightfully fast, it made the whole experience truly delicious. What I mean to say is "yummy, what an evening that was". When Oundjian does Beethoven's 9th again, go!!!

We skipped the post-concert party in the lobbies (12:30 am) because we were tired from partying all day and so on ...

Almost forgot -- the new first desk cellist was at work (no more Winona) and there was an excellent guest concertmaster whose name I do not know - they need him, he is absolutely wonderful.

With all that done, we are off to the north country for two days, now, to recoup our energies. We've partied a lot during Luminato week! :)
 
I haven't seen much lately - working into the evenings, and missed Luminato completely. The only thing of any Neighbourhood note, on Sunday morning, was seeing one of the ROM's 45 minute presentations on their The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army exhibition. Time well spent, and if you're a member and have the chance catch one of these you'll probably enjoy it too - it shows quite a bit of the behind-the-scenes work that brought the exhibition here through the Museum's strong curatorial contacts with China.
 
Nothing much happening in the Neighbourhood these days.

There's a bright green mermaid, sitting on a faux rock and combing her hair, outside the Shody Bop in Royal Bank Plaza though.
 
I haven't posted much lately, have I?

It's been a summer of serious loss for us .. my dear Mom passed away in July (as I said to Shocker, that's Toronto's loss -- 90 years of wonderful Toronto history, gone from among us). Just a little while later, my lovely Mom in-law passed away.

No worries now, we are through with our mourning, life must go on.

To my great fortune, Mahler's 2nd, at the TSO, awaits, on September 23rd. This is the symphony which tells us we don't live and die in vain, a perfectly timed message. I'm looking forward to this immensely.

Lots of opera and symphony dates coming up, as usual that is the blessing of autumn.
 
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