Volume 17 Issue 5 - February 2012

No.5, the “Emperor,” with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, onFebruary 2 and 4 at 8pm. Also on the programme is SymphonyNo.10 by Shostakovich. The great Günther Herbig conducts. Next,Kuerti entertains the young ones in Mooredale Concerts’ Musicand Truffles series with “Beethoven – Immortal Musical Genius”at 1:15pm, Walter Hall, February 12. Last, Kuerti will perform anall-Beethoven recital for Barrie’s Georgian Music on February 19.Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra conducted by NormanReintamm features the acclaimed Arthur Ozolins February 4, in aperformance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2, along withBeethoven’s Fifth Symphony at the P.C. Ho Theatre.The New Orford String Quartet will perform Brahms’ PianoQuintet in F Minor, with Arthur Rowe, for the Kitchener-WaterlooChamber Music Society on Feb 10, at the KWCMS Music Roomin Waterloo, and again the next day in London’s Wolf PerformanceHall, as part of the Jeffrey Concerts; Rowe is the artistic director forthat series.Back in the GTA, the Aurora Cultural Centre has landed thealways electrifying André Laplante for its Great Artist Piano Series!Laplante will perform works by Liszt (his specialty) and Schubertat the Centre on February 17, 8pm. And speaking of Liszt, all youdie-hard romantics looking for a post-Valentine’s Day fix can hearAngela Park and Aaron Chow, along with soprano Eve RachelMcLeod and Rachel Mercer, cello, in “A Romantic Music Tryst withLiszt,” presented by the Neapolitan Connection, in a matinee onFebruary 19, at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.B IS FOR BRAHMSSpace limitations won’t permit me to delve into detail on all 22Brahms concerts I mentioned in the introduction. I’ll focus on a few(and you can check out others in Part C at the end of the column).“Warhol Dervish” is a pretty intriguing concert title. February 3at 8pm, at Gallery 345, the concert should prove equally intriguing,featuring, among other more twisty repertoire, Brahms’ Horn TrioDiverse repertoire, method & studyand accessories including amplifiers& public address systems/dj equipment.Band and string instrument sales.Ask about our teacherdiscount program.‘‘’UNIVERSITY AUDITIONS AREUPON US!! CHECK IN WITHSTEVE’S FOR LEVEL-APPROPRIATEMATERIALS...GOOD LUCK!WE PROUDLY FEATURE:Dedicated RCM exam requirement bookWoodwind.and Mozart’s Clarinet Trio — both in E-flat major, both arrangedfor violin, viola and piano — played by John Corban, Pemi Paulland Katelyn Clark, respectively. And another winner in the concerttitle category, given that they’re performing sextets by Brahms andDvořák, is Via Salzburg’s “Six Degrees of Separation.” Catch alldegrees of fun at Rosedale United Church, February 10, 8pm.Show One Productionsis presenting a veryspecial event on February23 at Koerner Hall.Legendary violinistVladimir Spivakov andoutstanding pianist OlgaKern will perform as aduo — a first for Toronto!And their programme isabsolutely sumptuous:Olga Kern and Vladimir Spivakov.Brahms’ Sonata No.3 in D Minor Op.108; Franck’s Sonata in A;Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne (based on his ballet music for Pulcinella);and Spiegel im Spiegel by Pärt. As an added attraction, in this case“B” is also for Bösendorfer. At her request, Kern will perform on anine-and-a-half foot, 97-key Imperial Bösendorfer grand (courtesyRobert Lowrey Piano Experts), apparently the only piano that couldwithstand Liszt’s powerful touch. Not only is it Kern’s preference, itwas also the choice of jazz great Oscar Peterson. The magic beginsat 8pm.And last, Ontario Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton ofMarco Parisotto, has programmed a magnificent all-Brahms concert,which it will perform twice. “A Journey Into Brahms” plays onFebruary 25, at the Regent Theatre in Oshawa, and then “journeysinto Toronto” on February 28, for a concert jointly presented withMooredale Concerts, at Koerner Hall. The exciting soloist featuredin the compelling Violin Concerto in D Major is young Koreanviolinist, Ye-Eun Choi, in her Toronto debut. A protégée of Anna-Sophie Mutter, Choi debuted with the New York PhilharmonicOrchestra under Alan Gilbert in 2009. Also on the programme isBrahms’ Symphony No.2. It promises to be a fine evening.C IS FOR CLASSICAL COLUMN CONCLUDING WITH CONCISEQUICK PICKS (DETAILS ARE IN OUR CONCERT LISTINGS):• February 9, 7:30: Royal Conservatory. Discovery Series: HirokoKudo, piano and Tobias Bäz, cello. Works by De Falla, Brahms andMartinů. Mazzoleni Concert Hall.• February 19, 2:00: Royal Conservatory. Mazzoleni Masters Series.All-Brahms programme. Members of the Arc Ensemble.• February 21, 12:00 noon: Canadian Opera Company. Passion andPoetry. Works by Schubert, Brahms and Chopin. Mehdi Ghazi,piano. Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre.• February 22 and 23, 8:00: Toronto Symphony Orchestra. BrahmsSymphony 4. Also works by Fauré and Britten. Karina Gauvin,soprano; Jean-Marie Zeitouni, conductor. Roy Thomson Hall.• February 23, 1:30: Women’s Musical Club of Toronto. Music in theAfternoon: Roger Chase, viola and Michiko Otaki, piano. Works byIreland, Bowen, Delius, Bach and Brahms. Walter Hall.• February 25, 8:00: Canadian Sinfonietta. Wine and Cheese. Worksby Brahms, Schnittke and Ravel. Michael Esch, piano; Joyce Lai,violin; Olivia Brayley Quackenbush, horn. Heliconian Hall.• February 28, 4:30: Guelph Connection Concerts. Doug Miller andFriends. Works by Bach and Brahms. Doug Miller, flute; DariusBagli, piano. St. George’s Anglican Church, Guelph.• March 6, 8:00: Music Toronto. Piano Series: Richard Goode.Brahms: Eight Pieces Op.76; Chopin: short works tba; Sonata No.3in b Op.58. Jane Mallett Theatre.This month’s column was brought to you by the letters A, B and C.Avail yourself of all the listings, beat those blahs, catch a concert ortwo and enjoy!CHRISTIAN STEINER (KERN)415 Queen Street West, Toronto OntarioM5V 2A5 (416) 593-8888educational@stevesmusic.comTMSharna Searle trained as a musician and lawyer, practised alot more piano than law and is listings editor at The WholeNote.She can be contacted at classicalbeyond@thewholenote.com.16 thewholenote.comFebruary 1 – March 7, 2012