TEM North American Tour : Dido and Aeneas

February 7th & 8th 2012 at 7:30pm - Westminster Church, 745 Westminster Ave, Winnipeg
February 11th 2012 at 8:00 pm - Seattle Town Hall, 8th and Seneca, Seattle
February 13th 2012 at 8:00 pm - Convocation Hall, Edmonton
February 15th 2012 at 7:30 pm - Knox Presbyterian Church, Ottawa
February 16th 2012 at 7:30 pm - Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, 400 St. Paul Street East, Montreal

Cast: Dido : Noemi Kiss, soprano Belinda : Grace Davidson, soprano 2nd Woman : Agnes Zsigovics, soprano Aeneas : Alexander Dobson, baritone Sorceress : Daniel Taylor, countertenor Sailor : Benjamin Butterfield, tenor With the TEM choir and Orchestra

Other choral & solo pieces on Programme: Oh Lovely Peace As with Rosy Steps The Pilgrim’s Home Total Eclipse O Nata Lux Remember not Hear My Prayer

See "Tour Dates" section for more information & booking details

 

 

Hannah Rahimi Reviews the Montréal Bach Festival, November 2011

The Theatre of Early Music’s Glorious Gloria

As part of the Montreal Bach Festival, a large audience gathered on Sunday afternoon to hear the Theatre of Early Music performing at the majestic Église Saint-Léon de Westmount. The concert opened with the ethereal voice of Daniel Taylor floating over the crowd from the back balcony of the church. He proceeded to lead the TEM choir in a series of moving choral works, beginning with a traditional Basque air, The Angel Gabriel From Heaven Came, and ending with John Tavener’s The Lamb, a contemporary work that combines homophonic simplicity with exquisite moments of dissonance.

Montreal-based cellist Matt Haimovitz displayed his tremendous virtuosity, rich tone and enormous musicality in performances of Vivaldi’s Concerto in B minor and Concerto in G major. Although the church’s thundering acoustics swallowed up some of the more intricate passages, Haimovitz and the small TEM orchestra managed to convey Vivaldi’s fire and lyricism in this compelling performance.

Concluding the concert, the orchestra and choir joined together to present a passionate rendition of Vivaldi’s Gloria. Under Taylor’s guidance, the choir expressed the jubilant highs and simmering lows of this stunning religious work, enhanced by the sensitive and spirited playing of the orchestra. Sopranos Agnes Zsigovics and Hélène Brunet enchanted the audience with their beautifully blended duet in Laudamus te. Zsigovics also shone in Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, naturally shaping each phrase with her clear, round voice, accompanied by the elegant, lush playing of oboist Matthew Jennejohn.

This concert was the perfect antidote to a grey Sunday in November, breathing joyous life into sacred works of music to warm us as winter sets in.

Enthusiastic review for Agnes Zsigovics and Daniel Taylor and TEM in Edmonton, November 2011:

Classical Music in Edmonton Review - Nov 2011

Joined by Agnes Zsigovics, soprano and Jordan de Souza, piano, Daniel wowed the audience with not only his vocal talent but also his natural comedic wit as he told stories and described some of the music.

The first half of the concert included some early music standards and folk song favourites such as I will Give My Love an Apple and Down by the Sally Gardens. It is wonderful and rare to hear these well known simple tunes receive such care and sensitivity by a seasoned artist.

Daniel Taylor shared the music with Agnes Zsigovics who supplemented the program with solos and duets with Daniel. Agnes is a promising soprano with a haunting early music style and I hope to hear much more from her in the future. In particular, the ornamentation in Agnes’ Lascia ch’io pianga from Handel’s Rinaldo was beautifully understated and authentic.

The second half of the performance was devoted to the music of Handel and Jordan de Souza was allowed to shine on the piano with the rousing Harmonious Blacksmith Variations. The highlights of the second half were the infrequently performed The Pilgrim’s Home from the oratorio Theodora which was lovingly sung by Agnes Zsigovics, Daniel Taylor’s always stellar singing of Cara Sposa (Rinaldo) which I would argue is his best role, and finally, the encore. Daniel Taylor brought the house down (and his hair!) with the passionate and unhinged singing of one of Tolomeo’s arias from Giulio Cesare satisfyingly unleashing the full power of both his countertenor and baritone voice in the final aria of the concert.

http://classicalmusicinedmonton.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-daniel-taylor-countertenor.html

 Top

 

Notre Dame Basilica, Montréal October 13th, 2011

Well-received musical experience for the delegates of the International Congress of Human Genetics

If this is Baroque, please don’t fix it!

Approximately 800 attendees of the 12th International Congress of Human Genetics were treated to a selection from Handel operas in the magnificent setting of the Notre Dame Basilica. Daniel Taylor, Suzie Leblanc and the Theatre of Early Music delivered a musical experience that will not soon be forgotten.

Mr. Taylor is touted as Canada’s star countertenor and, while not having had the opportunity to hear from the rest of the field, it is hard not to believe that this is a case of damning with faint praise. Demonstrating extraordinary control of his instrument Mr. Taylor conveyed the emotional gamut of the selections, from love and passion to despair and most memorably insane rage (with the requisite flying hair). It is hard to imagine a more devoted interpreter of this repertoire.

As fine as Mr. Taylor’s performance was, for me the revelation of the evening was the soprano, Suzie Leblanc. With a rich, pure tone of crystal clarity, Ms. Leblanc evokes the voice and style of her mentor, the great English Baroque soprano Emma Kirkby. Indeed, in this listener’s opinion Ms. LeBlanc’s vocal quality has infinitesimally more color while matching the unparalleled musicianship of the former. I am looking forward to exploring her discography not only to hear her perform the Baroque repertoire, but to enjoy performances of Acadian folk song.

The band, using authentic Baroque performance technique, was sensitive in its support of the singers and was given the opportunity to shine in two overtures. While all of the musicians were exemplary and the ensemble impeccable, two were especially noteworthy (pun intended). The 1st violinist Chloe Meyers was given ample opportunity to interact with the vocalists and was their equal in the antiphonal give and take. The obvious delight in the interplay of ornamentation between the soloists and violinist consistently put a smile on my face. Contemporary jazz musicians could take a thing or two from these musicians to employ the next time they are trading fours. Praise is also due the oft neglected member of most ensembles, bassist Reuven Rothman. With such a small group it is almost impossible for the bass not to dominate when it is playing, yet the blend with the other instruments was perfect, well done!

Perhaps the finest compliment that can be paid to all the performers was the reaction of the audience. Having attended a number of these events in the past has conjured nightmares of performing before a ‘gabble’ of geneticists who are absorbed in their quatrain of A, C, T and G to the apparent neglect of the 12 glorious notes between A and G. Indeed, at the outset, applause was polite if a bit perfunctory, but by the end the assembly erupted in a standing ovation that testified to the connection between the performers and the audience. Truly one of the finest performances I have attended and the highlight of the meeting. Thanks to the organizers, particularly Judith Allanson, Secretary-General of the ICHG for their work in arranging this wonderful concert.

Marc S. Williams, MD, Director, Clinical Genetics Institute, Intermountain Healthcare, Salt Lake City, Utah

 Top

 

Double your donation today with TEM's Vital Matching Funds Campaign !

TEM are thrilled to announce that until March 30th 2012, any gift of $50 or more will be MATCHED by a new grant from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (Quebec Arts Council).

This is a significant opportunity for the Theatre of Early Music and our campaign contributors. The total cost of creating, developing and producing exceptional new concerts cannot be met by box office revenue alone. In addition to government and foundation support we also rely on individual donations to help us create great music drama which touches our hearts, feeds our minds, and ultimately endures for generations.

That is why we are asking today if you would consider making a donation, to ensure that your gift is matched dollar for dollar. Imagine how much more we can do now that your contributions will go double the distance!

Charitable tax receipts are available upon request for all donations and will be sent automatically for all donations over $100.00
For donations of $75 upwards you may request a free copy of the latest Theatre of Early Music Sony recital disc, "Come Again, Sweet Love"
On-line donations are not yet available, but cheques may be sent to this address :

Theatre of Early Music 336 Carré St-Louis Montréal QC H2X 1A5

 

Richard Campbell,  1955 - 2011 Daniel Taylor and the TEM mourn the recent death of friend and colleague, Richard Campbell. Richard was a founding member of the viol ensemble "Fretwork", which is featured along with TEM on the new Sony CD "Come Again, Sweet Love". Link to UK Telegraph obituary for Richard Campbell

 Top