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Browsing: Baroque and Early

Left: Denise Torre; Right: Dorothéa Ventura & Vincent Lauzer. Photo: Brenden Friesen

Les Idées heureuses: Chaconnes and the Taste of Chocolate

By Benjamin Goron on 3 April 2026 Baroque and Early, Chamber Music, Classical Music, Montreal, World Music

With Chaconne et chocolat : délectations espagnoles, Les Idées heureuses continues a musical adventure it began a few years ago. Its theme: the fascinating chaconne. Having explored France, Germany, Italy and England, this new program invites audiences on a trip to Spain with a few detours to South America, cradle of many artistic influences that have nourished this musical form. The heart of the project is the richness and diversity of the chaconne. “The chaconne as a dance and an instrumental form is rather a chameleon: you can enter into all sorts of emotions, choose any genre, discover music that’s very…

Vincent Lauzer. Photo: Emmanuel Crombez

La Nef: How Imitation has Fuelled the Creative Imagination

By Benjamin Goron on 3 April 2026 Baroque and Early, Classical Music, Montreal

Guided by an idea as simple as it is inexhaustible—the art of imitation—La Nef’s latest program offers a fascinating musical journey through the centuries. From the Middle Ages to contemporary composition, Jeux d’imitation, jeux de miroirs will highlight the enduring nature and richness of the imitative process, which have never ceased to inspire composers. At the heart of the project lies an ancient—yet surprisingly modern—concept: the gymel (from the Latin cantus gemellus, or “twin song”). As Vincent Lauzer, the project’s musical director and flutist, explains: “The starting point was the medieval gymel, a form of composition and improvisation that seeks…

Photo: Geri Born

Jordi Savall: Tracing the History of the New World Through Music

By Justin Bernard on 3 April 2026 Baroque and Early, Strings

When Jordi Savall spoke with La Scena Musicale in 2022, he was on a North American tour that took him to Ottawa and Montreal with his ensemble Hespèrion XXI. At the time, his repertoire centred on the golden age of consort music, a period spanning the 16th and 17th centuries. This year marks the 85th birthday of this illustrious viola da gamba player and conductor, a specialist in early music and unearther of rare gems. Despite his years, Savall demonstrates a passion for research and the unknown that remains as strong as ever. Indeed, in addition to his specialist ensembles,…

Jonathan Woody with Tafelmusik. Photo: Dahlia Katz

Newswire | Tafelmusik Unveils its 2026/27 Season

By Newswire on 13 February 2026 Baroque and Early, Classical Music, Newswire, Toronto

Toronto, Ontario (February 11, 2026) —Tafelmusik today announced its 2026/27 concert season, a boldly curated year that balances iconic masterworks with rediscovered voices, interdisciplinary storytelling, and vibrant new perspectives, performed on period instruments with the ensemble’s signature energy, precision, and expressive depth. Subscription packages are now available at tafelmusik.org. New this season, Tafelmusik welcomes audiences into a year shaped by joy, reflection, and surprise. Acclaimed British violinist Rachel Podger has extended her tenure as Principal Guest Director for an additional three years, through to the end of its landmark 50th anniversary season. In 2026/27, Podger leads two major programs, Bach’s…

Tafelmusik: Restoring Dance to Rameau

By Holly Harris on 2 February 2026 Arts Industry, Baroque and Early, Classical Music, Dance, Orchestral, Theatre, Toronto

Tafelmusik puts on its party shoes when it presents Rameau and the Art of Dance this month (February). Internationally-acclaimed baroque violinist Robert Mealy, artistic director of The Juilliard School’s historical performance program, leads a program of French baroque suites spotlighting Rameau’s magnificent operas. The Berkeley, Calif.-born performer and teacher is director of the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, principal concertmaster for Trinity Wall Street’s baroque orchestra, as well as co-director of the chamber group Quicksilver. For its Rameau program, Tafelmusik musicians will be joined by 15 string and wind players from Juilliard415, the school’s principal period-instrument ensemble founded in 2009.…

CD Review | Louis Couperin: Complete Works. Jean Rondeau

By Justin Bernard on 2 February 2026 Baroque and Early, CD and Book Reviews, Classical Music

Louis Couperin: Complete Works Jean Rondeau, harpsichord Erato, 2025 While most keyboard players succumb to modern tastes and decide to perform baroque composers on the piano, Jean Rondeau remains devoted to the sounds of the harpsichord. Under the French musician’s fingers, we are enveloped by the depth and vibration of this plucked string instrument. For his latest release on Erato, Rondeau offers us one of the most important projects of his artistic life: a complete Louis Couperin in no less than 10 volumes, totaling nearly 300 of his works. In the illustrious Couperin family, it is indeed the uncle to…

Kerry-Anne Kutz, Julie Leblanc, Monique Fauteux and Catherine Léveillé of Quatuor Musaïque

Festival de la Voix: Montreal’s Celebration of the Voice

By Kaitlyn Chan on 2 February 2026 Baroque and Early, Canadian Music, Classical, Contemporary, Interviews, Montreal, Vocal, Vocal Jazz

Vox Aeterna was founded in 2008 to foster the vocal arts scene in and around Montreal, encouraging the growth of vocal concerts and educational opportunities. Four years later, the charitable organization created Festival de la Voix with these same principles in mind. The multi-week festival introduces audiences to professional vocalists from various backgrounds, cultures and musical styles. Discovering Beautiful Voices Artistic Director Kerry-Anne Kutz’s well-trained ear makes her an excellent judge of talent. “The first thing that I think about—no matter what the genre—is the beauty of the voice,” she says about programming. From established artists such as soprano Myriam…

Geneviè̀ve Soly Photo: Robert Etcheverry

Les Idées heureuses: Graupner’s Good Friday cantatas

By Hassan Laghcha on 2 February 2026 Baroque and Early

As part of its Passion Concert series, Les Idées heureuses will present Christoph Graupner’s Good Friday cantatas at Bourgie Hall on April 3. This fourth Graupner concert, out of six planned, will feature three cantatas by this German baroque composer: GWV 1126/16, GWV 1127/29 and GWV 1127/46. Renowned harpsichordist Geneviève Soly, the ensemble’s founder, continues to develop the international musical project which she launched in 2001 with the aim of rehabilitating Graupner’s work, a contemporary of J.S. Bach. She is delighted with the fruits of her efforts in Quebec and Europe, notably the international dissemination of Graupner’s harpsichord works. Her…

Gerald Finley and the TSO. Photo: Allan Cabral/Courtesy of the TSO

Review | Gerald Finley and Anthony León Shine in TSO Messiah

By Gianmarco Segato on 17 December 2025 Baroque and Early, Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Toronto

There are as many versions of Handel’s oratorio, Messiah, as there are performances, which in Canada, are almost too many to count over the holiday season. Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s annual performances have a long history. The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir has been singing the Messiah choruses with the TSO for 90 years since the 1935-36 season. At this year’s opening performance on Dec. 16, audiences were treated to some unusual variations and two stellar performances from Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley and American tenor, Anthony León. British conductor Michael Francis is the longtime leader of several notable ensembles including the Florida Orchestra,…

Pacific Baroque Orchestra & Vancouver Chamber Choir. Photo: Elicea Andrews

Review | Early Music Vancouver’s Messiah: A Satisfying First Encounter

By Kaitlyn Chan on 16 December 2025 Baroque and Early, Choral, Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Vancouver, Vocal, West

At this time of the year, it’s expected that at least one choir and orchestra will perform Handel’s Messiah in most Canadian cities. The oratorio composed in 1741 has become so synonymous with the season that, for some, it is a yearly tradition to attend a performance. On Dec. 13, I sat among many such enthusiasts to witness my first live Messiah, presented by Early Music Vancouver. The crowd was buzzing with excitement as we took our seats. A French double-manual harpsichord stood centre stage surrounded by a semicircle of chairs for the players. After a brief introduction, land acknowledgement…