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Musical Toronto | Tonight: Small-scale opera with big, smiling appeal from Toy Piano Composers
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Tonight: Small-scale opera with
big, smiling appeal from Toy Piano
Composers
BY JOHN TERAUDS ON JANUARY 21, 2012 · 1 COMMENT
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www.musicaltoronto.org/2012/01/21/tonight-small-scale-opera-with-big-smiling-appeal-from-toy-piano-composers/
Online: P hilip
Glass’s Walt Disney
opera gets its
premiere today at 2
p.m. EST
Preview: Concert
has composer
Andrew Staniland
1/5
2/6/13
Musical Toronto | Tonight: Small-scale opera with big, smiling appeal from Toy Piano Composers
playing leading edge
of sound design
Thanks f or
following!
@newmindset216
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next season
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Opinion: On a single
album track and the
meaning o f liking o r
45 minutes ago
Online: P hilip
disliking a piece o f
Glass’s Walt Disney
#opera gets its
music
premiere today at 2
p.m. EST
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musicaltoronto.org
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salon.com/2013/02
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58 minutes ago
Preview: #Concert
has composer
Andrew Staniland
playing leading edge
of sound design
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2 hours ago
BLOGROLL
"Cake," by Monica Pearce, features, Katherine Watson, flute,
(offstage) and, from left, Wesley Chen, Marta Herman, Jeremy
Ludwig and Maureen Batt, tonight at Heliconian Hall.
Sinfini
• Colin Eatock
• Condemned to
Don’t be misled by the Toy Piano
Composers. They are not a one-­note joke,
but a cheerful, creative group of musical
collaborators that embody the creativity,
dynamism and enterprising nature of a new
generation of Toronto artists.
Music
Right after the Canadian Opera Company
presents the opening performance of Tosca
this afternoon at the Four Seasons Centre,
the Toy Piano Composers present Opera
Scenesters tonight at Heliconian Hall in
Yorkville. It is a collection of six brand-­new
opera scenes, and there isn’t a toy piano in
sight.
• On an Overgrown
I popped by a rehearsal last night to see what
Opera Scenesters is all about, and came away
with a big, happy smile on my face.
The three opera scenes I saw displayed
cleverness and craft from both the
composers and librettists. The singers —
soprano Maureen Batt, mezzo Marta Herman
and baritone Jeremy Ludwig — are excellent.
Pianist Wesley Chen is a great accompanist
www.musicaltoronto.org/2012/01/21/tonight-small-scale-opera-with-big-smiling-appeal-from-toy-piano-composers/
• Greg Sandow
• Jessica Duchen's
Blog
• Norman Lebrecht
Path
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Cries
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• The Omniscient
Mussel
• The Rest is Noise
• The Well
Tempered Blog
• Wholenote
Magazine
2/5
2/6/13
Musical Toronto | Tonight: Small-scale opera with big, smiling appeal from Toy Piano Composers
(at Heliconian Hall’s full-­size Steinway
grand).
RECENT COMMENTS
Trina o n Opera
review: COC’s
Clemenza di Tito a
mess o f visual
contradictions
saved by brilliant
singing
Amy o n Album
review: Tenor Jonas
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John Terauds o n
Opinion: On a single
album track and the
meaning o f liking o r
disliking a piece o f
music
Alan Teder o n
Opinion: On a single
The staging by director Erik Thor is
rudimentary, but just enough to give each
piece the right mood and motion.
I was impressed with the dynamics of
everyone involved. They’re friends, they love
new music and are keen to share it.
Everything is being done in a cheerful spirit
of collaboration that lends the project a lot
of positive energy.
It helps that everyone has a great sense of
humour.
As an example, take composer and librettist
Fiona Ryan’s description of her opera scene,
“The Best of ‘Nosy Nate’ “:
Nathan (alias Nosey Nate)
Thinks his blog is pretty great.
He shares his brilliant observations
Of other people’s conversations.
His task in this scene is retrospective;;
album track and the
meaning o f liking o r
disliking a piece o f
music
A ‘best of’ blog is his objective.
Tim o n Opera
review: COC’s
Clemenza di Tito a
mess o f visual
These quotations were actually overheard!
contradictions
saved by brilliant
singing
Schola Magdalena |
Schola Magdalena's
Medieval and
Modern Featured
on Musical Toronto
-­ Schola Magdalena
on P review: Schola
Okay, I guess you realise Nate is fake,
But, my dear audience, make no mistake:
As the one who transcribed them, I give
you my word.
Check out all the details at the Toy
Composers’ website, which includes
substantial audio clips of their previous
work, here.
To help share a taste of what’s to come
tonight, I snuck in my first iPhone video
during the rehearsal. Here are the opening
90 seconds of Ludwig singing “Like a Dog,”
by composer Glenn James and librettist
www.musicaltoronto.org/2012/01/21/tonight-small-scale-opera-with-big-smiling-appeal-from-toy-piano-composers/
3/5
2/6/13
Musical Toronto | Tonight: Small-scale opera with big, smiling appeal from Toy Piano Composers
Magdalena f inds
Tamara Chandon (Batt has a mute role):
new and ancient
music have a lot in
common
John Terauds
Tagged with: canadian opera company • composer •
musical collaborators • New music • Opera • opera scenes •
Piano • singer • Toronto SHARE →
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One Response to Tonight:
Small-scale opera with big,
smiling appeal from Toy Piano
Composers
Maureen says:
January 21, 2012 at 13:18
Thanks for coming, John!
REPLY
www.musicaltoronto.org/2012/01/21/tonight-small-scale-opera-with-big-smiling-appeal-from-toy-piano-composers/
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2/6/13
Musical Toronto | Tonight: Small-scale opera with big, smiling appeal from Toy Piano Composers
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