Photo of programme page for Music Toronto’s concert of the Leonkoro Quartet. Works performed: Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet in D, Op. 20, No. 4; Henriëtte Bosman’s String Quartet; Franz Schubert’s Death and the Maiden Quartet.
Heard the Leonkoro Quartet in concert last night, a very fine young group of musicians. The Haydn and Schubert were impeccable and the Henriëtte Bosmans was intriguing.
Photo of cover page of programme booklet for the National Ballet of Canada’s production of Flight Pattern by Crystal Piet and Suite en Blanc by Serge Lifar
Saw this double bill at the National Ballet of Canada today. Crystal Pite’s Flight Pattern - danced to the first movement of Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs - was extraordinary.
Yes - I’m generally very ambivalent about Schnittke but was enthralled by their performance.
Photo of page from Koerner Hall’s programme booklet, listing works performed by the Danish String Quartet: Alfred Schnittke’s String Quartet No. 2, Jonny Greenwood’s Suite from There Will Be Blood, and Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet.
Excellent Danish String Quartet concert at Koerner Hall last night.
Photo of page from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s programme booklet, listing Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9.
The musicians of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra were in heroic form last night, performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 9. The fourth movement was just gutting.
A lot of shtick
Photo of screenshot of programme for the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Rossini’s Barber of Seville
Saw the Canadian Opera Company’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia this afternoon and it was lots of fun. Joan Font’s synthetic cubist circus aesthetic was very pleasing to the eye and the singing and orchestra playing was excellent.
Screenshot of cover page of the digital program for Canadian Stage’s production of You, Always by Erin Shields.
Saw a new Erin Shields play at the Berkeley Street Theatre today and was moved to tears.
Photo of page from Koerner Hall’s programme booklet - Budapest Festival Orchestra, conducted by Iván Fischer.
Last stop on their North American tour - Budapest Festival Orchestra playing Mahler’s Symphony no. 3 at Koerner Hall in Toronto this evening.
Screenshot of the Canadian Opera Company’s digital program for Verdi’s Rigoletto
Excellent Rigoletto at the Four Seasons Centre yesterday. Third time I’ve seen this Canadian Opera Company production and I think I’ve finally warmed to Christopher Alden’s take on the piece. Helps to have a performer of the calibre of Quinn Kelsey in the lead role.
The lineup of vocal soloists for Symphony no. 8 is really impressive
Programme for Víkingur Ólafsson’s concert in Toronto. Two works by Bach, two by Beethoven, and one by Schubert.
Enjoyed Víkingur Ólafsson’s concert in the key of E at Koerner Hall this afternoon. Encores were Rameau and Glass.
Cover photo of & Juliet programme booklet
I saw this musical in 2022 in its pre-Broadway run and enjoyed it. Saw the current sit-down Canadian-cast production at the Royal Alexandra Theatre last night, and was elated - cast is great, Vanessa Sears is amazing.
Intriguing concert of new music last night from Canada’s Gryphon Trio and Norway’s Nordic Voices at the Jane Mallett Theatre in Toronto. Works by Andrew Balfour, Bohdana Frolyak, Norbert Palej, and Jeffrey Ryan.
Photo of programme booklet cover page for Mirvish Theatre’s Toronto production of Kimberley Akimbo
I enjoyed seeing this quirky, affecting musical this afternoon.
Screenshot of the front page of the digital program for Company by Stephen Sondheim, presented by Talk is Free Theatre at Toronto’s The Theatre Centre.
Saw this local production of a Sondheim classic yesterday. Some reservations about the lack of a proper band and difficulty hearing some of the lyrics, but much respect to Talk is Free Theatre for putting on this complex work.
Photo of Toronto Symphony Orchestra programme booklet page listing 3 works: Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1, Arvo Pärt’s Symphony No. 1, and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite.
Fine Toronto Symphony Orchestra concert this evening. Nice to be reminded of how much I love The Firebird (and Stravinsky in general).
Photo of stage set for Crow’s Theatre’s production of Rogers v. Rogers.
Saw this wildly entertaining new play by Michael Healey about Canada’s telecoms dynasty at Crow’s Theatre today. Tom Rooney is truly a national treasure and his solo performance in this is incredible.
and new Jim Jarmusch!
Screenshot of Letterboxd’s Year in Review showing that I watched 60 films in 2026, my Most Watched Actor was Bulle Ogier, and Most Watched Director was Ernst Lubitsch
Looks right to me - caught up with some late-period Rivette on Criterion Channel, and a bunch of Lubitsch on TCM last year.
Photo of programme for Les Arts Florissants’ concert at Wigmore Hall in London. List of compositions by Purcell, Blow, Locke, Humfrey, Campion, Dowland, and Handel.
Superb Les Arts Florissants concert of English Renaissance and Baroque music at Wigmore Hall last evening. Rebecca Leggett and Hugh Cutting sang exceptionally well, particularly in the second half of the concert devoted to arias from Handel’s English operas and oratorios.
Photo of cover page of the programme booklet for All My Sons by Arthur Miller, in performance at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre.
In London for a couple of days, saw this yesterday and was really impressed by Cranston and Jean-Baptiste’s lead performances. Less impressed by van Hove’s obtrusive sound and lighting design decisions
Saw Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent at a packed TIFF Lightbox screening last night, and it’s easily one of the best films I’ve seen this year.
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you’ve seen:
PJ Harvey (5x)
Marc-André Hamelin (playing Morton Feldman’s “For Bunita Marcus”)
David Bowie (3x)
The Pogues with Joe Strummer
Sonny Rollins
Absolutely. For me, the CD releases of the UK albums + the 2 Past Masters comps in 87-88 was a watershed moment.
Screenshot of digital program for a Toronto Symphony Orchestra concert, listing three compositions: Lines, Layers, Ligaments by Matthew John-Knights, then two works by Sergei Prokofiev.
Captivating Toronto Symphony Orchestra concert of Prokofiev pieces last night - knife-edge intensity in the Third Symphony, aching lyricism in the Romeo and Juliet suite.
Photo of page from Koerner Hall’s programme booklet, listing preludes performed by Jan Lisiecki.
Photo of second page from Koerner Hall’s programme booklet listing preludes performed by Jan Lisiecki, and Lisiecki’s short essay describing his programme.
Excellent Jan Lisiecki concert at Koerner Hall this afternoon. Enjoyed the Szymanowski and the Messiaen in the first half, and he played the Chopin very beautifully.
Photo of front page of programme booklet for Soulpepper Theatre’s production of The Comeuppance, by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Saw this Soulpepper show last night - excellent cast in a so-so play. Honestly think it would benefit from an intermission; in part to alleviate the feeling of narrative aimlessness, also because 130 minutes in the Young Centre’s low-padding and zero-legroom seats is very uncomfortable.
Photo of cover of programme booklet for the National Ballet of Canada’s production of Procession, choreographed by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber.
I really enjoyed this afternoon’s performance of a new ballet piece having its world premiere at the National Ballet of Canada this week. Loved the use of Mahler in the second half and was knocked out by the ecstatic finale.
34th anniversary? Released in 1991 (little over a month after Nevermind)
