“The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is about to embark on its second international tour in three years, a major, four-country, seven-concert excursion that, for the first time, will see the orchestra perform in Israel, as well as in Vienna, Prague and the German cities of Regensburg and Essen,” writes Robert Harris in Saturday’s (5/6) Globe and Mail (Canada). “The tour—which kicks off May 11 in Jerusalem—will highlight a contemporary Canadian composition, Jordan Pal’s Iris; feature an internationally recognized Canadian pianist, the wunderkind Jan Lisiecki; and show off the TSO at the end of long-time music director Peter Oundjian’s tenure…. On the basis of a pretour concert the TSO gave on Wednesday night in Toronto … featuring repertoire they’re taking with them to Europe and the Middle East, the results on stage over the 11 days of the tour should prove to be sparkling and exceptional.” During the tour, Oundjian will conduct Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade; Boulez’s song cycle Le soleil des eaux with soprano Carla Huhtanen and The Soundstreams Choir 21; Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra; Schumann’s Piano Concerto with soloist Jan Lisiecki; Brahms’s Violin Concerto with soloist Maxim Vengerov; Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7; and music by Czech-Canadian composer Oskar Morawetz.
Posted May 8, 2017
Pictured: Peter Oundjian leads the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall.
