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September 2, 2014
Mozart and Haydn Program Notes
2014-15 Season
After almost thirty years as Kapellmeister to the court of Esterháza, Joseph Haydn was let go in 1790 becoming a very successful freelance composer. The Esterházys awarded him a pension, allowing for a comfortable retirement, and stipulated that Haydn’s one remaining task be to compose and direct a new mass once a year to honour the name-day of Princess Marie Esterházy. The last six masses by Haydn were all for this purpose, the most famous being the so-called “Lord Nelson” Mass.
May 23, 2014
Much to Enjoy with TSO’s Rendition of Lerner and Loewe Musical Theatre Classics
2013-14 Season
A night at Roy Thompson Hall to see the Toronto Symphony Orchestra may not sound like a theatre-goer’s ordinary evening plan, but the renowned orchestra’s renditions of classic musical theatre hits from Lerner and Loewe is just as magical as a night at the theatre. Legendary writing duo Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, a lyricist and composer respectively, have left an indelible mark on the musical theatre world with Broadway hits such as My Fair Lady and Brigadoon, as well as Oscar-winning film Gigi. All three of these works and more are on display at Roy Thompson Hall, with guest Canadian soloists and a one hundred-strong choir combining with the TSO for a stunning and altogether memorable concert.
April 22, 2014
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir announces its 2014-15 Season: Celebrating 120 years
2014-15 Season
Toronto, 1894: the last horse-drawn streetcar made its run in Toronto; Massey Hall was built; and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir was founded, presenting its
first concert in 1895. Throughout its 120-year history, and under the leadership of seven renowned conductors, the Choir has been acclaimed for its stunning performances of major choral repertoire and for its important role in the life of choral music in Canada.
April 20, 2014
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir wows with Sacred Music for a Sacred Space
2013-14 Season
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir has done it again. Performed a concert splendidly, that is. Their performance on April 18, 2014 at St. Paul’s Basilica was nothing short of magnificent, due in equal parts to the choir’s ability, the music selection, and the combination of power and restraint shown by them. They were led by conductors Noel Edison and Caron Daley, with organist Michael Bloss providing the instrumentals.
April 18, 2014
Sacred Music for a Sacred Space 2014 Program Notes
2013-14 Season
Program notes for Toronto Mendelssohn Choir concert on April 18, 2014 – Sacred Music for a Sacred Space – at St. Paul’s Basilica. Notes by music reviewer and lecturer Rick Phillips.
March 29, 2014
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir delivers a mixed Bach B minor Mass
2013-14 Season
After hearing the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and Artistic Director Noel Edison last Wednesday night, it was a mixed success. It was a nuanced approach, with a special focus upon subtlety and the withholding certain melodic passages that Edison felt needed to whisper rather than call out. At other times, Edison didn’t hesitate to push the choir forth and allow it to chime like carillon bells over the streets of Bach’s mid-eighteenth-century Leipzig.
From the stabbing consonants of its Kyrie, through the stirring syncopation of its Credo, Edison did a fine job of maintaining a singular thread uniting the work.
March 27, 2014
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir performs Bach’s ‘Mass in B Minor’ at Koerner Hall
2013-14 Season
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s concert of Bach’s “Mass in B Minor” on March 26, 2014 at Koerner Hall was like the Titanic: it took a little bit of time to get her feet moving but once she did, she was unstoppable. The TMC’s performance was also drastically different than the Titanic’s in that the former didn’t hit any icebergs, but rather sailed off into the sunset in a sound that kept ringing long after conductor Noel Edison cued the stop.
March 26, 2014
Bach B Minor Mass Program Notes
2013-14 Season
Program notes for Toronto Mendelssohn Choir concert on Mar 26, 2014 – Mass in B Minor – at Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning. Notes by music reviewer and lecturer Rick Phillips.
February 2, 2014
TMC Choral Conductors’ Symposium wraps up with free concert
2013-14 Season
When voices can sound as good as they do with the Elora Festival Singers and the Mendelssohn Singers, it’s easy to see why people believe in God.
On Feb. 1, 2014, the two choirs sang a programme of 19 songs led by seven different conductors: EFS/Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Artistic Director Noel Edison and Associate Conductor Caron Daley, and five student conductors taking part in the fourth annual Choral Conductors’ Symposium (Renata Dworak, Jeffrey Moellman, Sarah Morrison, Raymund Ocampo, and Zachary Thompson.)
The most appropriate word to describe the result was glorious.