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King's Singers at Koerner Hall

12/16/2014

The King's Singers: sempre sotto voce.

This review was originally written for the Musical Toronto website.

The King’s Singers aren’t just an ensemble – they’re an institution. Founded at King’s College Cambridge in 1968, the vocal sextet now contains none of its original members. However, with about 150 recordings to their credit and countless tours around the globe, they’ve built a strong brand-name and a devoted fan-base.

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Teatro Regio Torino Brings William Tell to Toronto

12/7/2014

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Anglea Meade as Matilde, with Gianandrea Noseda on the podium.

There are a couple of truisms that seem to be permanently attached to Rossini’s William Tell – neither of which is entirely fair.

The first is that the piece is excessively long. Clocking in at just under four hours, it’s not exactly short – but it’s a mere bagatelle compared with Die Meistersinger or Les Troyens.

The second is that it’s very rarely performed nowadays. But in 2015 it will be staged in London, Monte Carlo, Munich, Paris and Warsaw. That’s not bad for an opera that “nobody does anymore.”

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Second City Meets the TSO

12/1/2014

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Colin Mochrie fronted Second City’s show with the TSO.

Here’s my review of The Second City Guide to the Symphony. It was originally published on the Musical Toronto website, here.

Who makes classical music funny? Victor Borge did it, and so did Anna Russell. The violin-piano duo of Aleksey Igudesman and Richard Hyung-ki Joo are also funny. Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt are hilarious in their show Two Pianos Four Hands. And let’s not forget Peter Schikele (a.k.a. “PDQ Bach”), Dudley Moore, Steve Martin, Bugs Bunny and Monty Python.

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King's Singers at Koerner Hall

Teatro Regio Torino Brings William Tell to Toronto

Second City Meets the TSO

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