March 2008 - Nr. 3
Roy Thomson Hall Announces TWO Classical Music Concert Series
For the 2008/2009 Season:
International Vocal Recitals
& Virtuoso Performances
2008/2009 Subscription packages for Roy Thomson Hall’s
International Vocal Recitals Series (4
concerts)
& Virtuoso Performances Series (3 concerts)
***ON SALE NOW***
Call 416-872-4255 or Visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office, 60 Simcoe Street, Toronto
www.roythomson.comRoy Thomson Hall takes great pleasure in announcing details of its two classical music concert series for the 2008/2009 season: International Vocal Recitals and Virtuoso Performances, each featuring an extraordinary roster of world-renowned artists.
Roy Thomson Hall’s International Vocal Recitals continues its tradition of presenting the world’s finest opera stars in recital. This season spotlights four superlative sopranos! The series opens with the legendary American soprano Kathleen Battle in her first Toronto appearance in seven years (Sunday, November 16, 2008, 2:00 pm). Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, accompanied by the Orchestra La Scintilla of Zürich Opera, promises once again to enthrall Toronto audiences with her exquisite coloratura (Sunday, March 1, 2009, 2:00 pm). The opera world’s newest star, American soprano Nicole Cabell – 2005 winner of the prestigious Cardiff Singer of the World Competition – makes her Roy Thomson Hall debut (Sunday, March 8, 2009, 2:00 pm). The series ends on a high note with American superstar Renée Fleming, hailed as the reigning lyric soprano of our time (Friday, April 17, 2009, 8:00 pm).
International Vocal Recitals 2008/2009: Subscription Packages of 4 Concerts: $150 to $425
Roy Thomson Hall’s Virtuoso Performances offers three evenings of artistic brilliance featuring three of the world’s much-loved artists. The series leads off with a recital by Chinese piano sensation Lang Lang, acclaimed by the New York Times as "the hottest artist on the classical music planet" (Tuesday, September 26, 2008, 8:00 pm). Canada’s adored opera diva, soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, is joined by the Chamber Orchestra of the Armenian Philharmonic for a special concert exploring the music of her Armenian heritage (Friday, October 17, 2008, 8:00 pm). For the series finale, Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble weave their way to Toronto to showcase one of today’s most fascinating musical journeys (Friday, March 20, 2009, 8:00 pm).
Virtuoso Performances 2008/2009: Subscription Packages of 3Concerts: $99 to $295
International Vocal Recitals 2008/2009 – Roy Thomson Hall
Subscription packages of 4 concerts: $150 to $425 (On Sale Now) Call 416-872-4255
Kathleen Battle, soprano
Sunday, November 16, 2008, 2:00 pm
Roy Thomson Hall
No other modern soprano better exemplifies the classic operatic diva than Kathleen Battle, still at the peak of an extraordinary career that has enriched the musical world for more than three decades. She continues to grace the great stages of the world with her sublime and expressive voice that shines in repertoire ranging from Handel and Mozart to Gershwin and African-American spirituals. The five-time Grammy winner is a distinguished recording artist with releases that encompass opera, concert, choral and solo albums on all the major record labels.
"Her voice is without qualification, one of the most beautiful in the world." – Washington Post
Cecilia Bartoli, mezzo-soprano
With Orchestra La Scintilla of Zürich Opera
Sunday, March 1, 2009, 2:00 pm
Roy Thomson Hall
Cecilia Bartoli has one of the truly distinctive voices of the opera world, recognizable after merely a few notes. It helps to explain the "Bartoli Phenomenon" and why she has become one of opera’s most admired and celebrated artists. The Italian coloratura first captivated Toronto audiences with her spellbinding virtuosity in 1993 and returns for her 7th appearance, accompanied by the same superb "period" music ensemble that joined her in 2005. One of today’s best selling classical singers, Ms. Bartoli’s latest album to reach No. I on Billboard’s classical chart is Maria (a tribute to the life and roles of the first woman opera superstar, Maria Malibran, 1808-1836).
"A celebrity of incomparable stature, Bartoli reigns supreme." – The Washington Post
Nicole Cabell, soprano
Roy Thomson Hall Debut
Sunday, March 8, 2009, 2:00 pm
Roy Thomson Hall
American soprano Nicole Cabell caught the opera world’s attention in 2005 when at the age of 27, she was crowned BBC Singer of the World, the single most important competition for young opera singers. Since winning the coveted title, she has had stunning debuts at London’s Royal Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and recitals in Boston and New York’s Carnegie Hall. Her 2007 debut solo album Soprano has earned the Echo Klassik, the Georg Solti Orphee d’or and Gramophone’s Record of the Month. She is also featured on Decca’s Porgy & Bess and as Musetta on Deutsche Grammophon’s La Bohème.
"Nicole’s voice is luscious and round with terrific ring in the top register…It’s a voice that wraps itself around you…" - Marilyn Horne, American mezzo-soprano
Renée Fleming, soprano
Friday, April 17, 2009, 8:00 pm
Roy Thomson Hall
The world’s most idolized and sought-after lyric soprano, Renée Fleming’s luminous voice and compelling interpretive powers continue to touch the heartstrings of audiences in the world’s great opera houses, concert venues, on television, radio and through her many award-winning CDs. Her wide-ranging repertoire is reflected in such recent recordings as Homage – The Age of the Diva, Strauss’s complete opera Daphne, the jazz album Haunted Heart, and the movie soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Highlights of her current season include leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Vienna State Opera.
"Floating above the stave, Fleming spun sounds of sublime deliquescent radiance that defy my stock of adjectives." – The Daily Telegraph, London
Virtuoso Performances 2008/2009 – Roy Thomson Hall
Subscription packages of 3 concerts: $99 to $295 (On Sale Now) Call 416-872-4255
Lang Lang, piano
Tuesday, September 26, 2008, 8:00 pm
Roy Thomson Hall
Wunderkind virtuoso Lang Lang returns to Roy Thomson Hall for his much anticipated 2nd solo recital during a week long "Portrait" residency in collaboration with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra that also includes educational and outreach activities. Described as "the closest thing classical music has to a rock star," the 25-year-old megastar continues to astound audiences worldwide with his prodigious talent and extraordinary charisma. Since his dramatic substitution as soloist with the Chicago Symphony at age 17 for an indisposed André Watts, he has emerged as one of the truly amazing classical artists of our age. His phenomenal breadth of talent was recently showcased at the 10th Anniversary Beijing International Festival where he performed 10 different piano concertos with five international orchestras under six conductors.
"His playing was so raptly beautiful that one was afraid to breathe for fear of missing anything." - Chicago Tribune
Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano
Serouj Kradjian, piano
With the Chamber Orchestra of the Armenian Philharmonic
Friday, October 17, 2008, 8:00 pm
Roy Thomson Hall
No stranger to Roy Thomson Hall, Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian returns to delight her many hometown fans with a program celebrating the music of composer Gomidas Vartabed (1869-1935), the revered saviour of Armenian folk music; plus works by Grieg and Bartók, who were also inspired by the rich musical traditions of their homelands. Since winning the 2000 Placido Domingo Operalia Competition, the young Armenian-Canadian has become a star at the Metropolitan Opera and in the opera houses of London, Milan, Paris and Salzburg. She has won three Juno Awards, is the voice on the Grammy-winning soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and is the subject of the 2006 Gemini-nominated film A Long Journey Home which follows her performances during her first trip to her ancestral home of Armenia.
"A soprano voice that combines lyricism with remarkable dramatic instincts." - Time Magazine
The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma
Friday, March 20, 2009, 8:00 pm
Roy Thomson Hall
World-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma is joined by The Silk Road Ensemble, a multicultural collective of virtuoso musicians, for a presentation of traditional and newly commissioned compositions by composers from the Silk Road lands. The Silk Road Project (the brainchild of Mr. Ma) is perhaps the most fascinating phenomenon of today’s world music scene. Now in its 10th year, the visionary venture continues to explore, absorb and illuminate the many cross-cultural influences that flourished along the ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean Sea for over 2,000 years. "The Silk Road Project hopes to plant seeds of new cultural growth and to celebrate traditions and musical voices everywhere." - Yo-Yo Ma.
This is a co-presentation with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
"The music leapt across national boundaries in a strange and wonderful way."-
Chicago Tribune
