Our Top 10 Chamberfest picks
Chamberfest is rife with classical hits and promising performances
From renditions of classical music’s greatest hits to cross-cultural and cross-genre experiments that would be the envy of any thoughtful festival, there are many promising concerts to sort from the dozens of presentations at this year’s Chamberfest, which runs from July 22 to Aug. 4.
Peter Hum lists the 10 shows at the top of his list.
1 Sweat When: Sunday, July 23, 2 p.m. in Almonte and Monday, July 24, 10 p.m. in Ottawa
Where: Mississippi Valley Textile Museum (July 23) and La Nouvelle Scène (July 24)
The socially conscious Bicycle Opera Project, which true to its name tours by bike, will stage a 70-minute a cappella opera that addresses the lives of women in contemporary sweatshops. The work, which features soloists singing in English, Cantonese, Ukrainian and Hungarian, premièred in New York last fall, prompting the Wall Street Journal to note its evocation of “the soul-destroying daily grind” via “voices yearning for a better life.”
2 New Canadian Global Music Orchestra When: Sunday, July 23, 4 p.m.
Where:BabsAsperTheatre,National Arts Centre
World music doesn’t get more worldly than the Toronto-based New Canadian Global Music Orchestra, which consists of 12 potent musicians from as many countries — from Cuban saxophonist Luis Deniz to Burkina Faso multi-instrumentalist Salif Sanou to Chinese flutist Dora Wang to Peruvian percussionist Matias Recharte. The group, assembled by the Royal Conservatory of Music from more than 125 applicants, has an obvious mandate to celebrate Canadian diversity and multicultural cooperation. It will be intriguing to hear what that sounds like.
3 Stephen Hough When: Sunday, July 23, 7 p.m.
Where: Dominion-Chalmers United Church
The first of four gala concerts with reserved seating in Dominion-Chalmers presents a British virtuoso among virtuosos who hasn’t performed in Ottawa since 2006. Hough, who is a writer and painter as well as a dazzling pianist, will play such muchloved works such as Beethoven’s Appassionata sonata and Debussy’s Clair de lune.
4 Moonshine Ballads and Other Charms When: Thursday, July 27, 10 p.m.
Where: La Nouvelle Scène
The show, featuring soprano Patricia O’Callaghan with Gryphon Trio tackling material by Leonard Cohen, Randy Newman and Ron Sexsmith, has undeniable crossover potential. The vocalist and the trio previously recorded the album Broken Hearts & Madmen, which stresses Latin American music as well as classy pop, in 2011. Before that, the collaborators opened 2010’s Chamberfest with a free concert.
5 Kishi Bashi with the Rolston String Quartet When: Friday, July 28, 10 p.m.
Where: La Nouvelle Scène
The best guess is that this collaboration by American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kaoru Ishibashi, who performs as Kishi Bashi, and the youthful Canadian ensemble will pull heavily from Ishibashi’s 2015 album String Quartet Live!, an affecting release brimming with his forthright vocals and indie spirit. If Ishibashi makes entrancing use of his own violin and looping gear, that will be a bonus. 6 Braid n’ Strings When: Saturday, July 29, 10 p.m.
Where: La Nouvelle Scène
Toronto-based pianist David Braid is one of Canada’s best jazz pianists, but also a composer of striking and even revelatory works for piano and strings. Expect the concert to draw from Braid’s 2016 album Flow, which was nominated for a best instrumental album of the year Juno.
7 Kubrick Mashup When: Sunday, July 30, 7 p.m.
Where: Dominion-Chalmers United Church
The Hollywood filmmaker tapped well-known classical works for such films as The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange. An all-star gathering of musicians delves into staples from those soundtracks by Strauss, Rossini, Bartok, Ligeti and Schubert.
8 The Seasons When: Tuesday, Aug. 1, 7 p.m.
Where: Dominion-Chalmers United Church
This concert by Viennese violinist Julian Rachlin and a specially assembled string orchestra, will present not just Vivaldi’s classic Four Seasons but an intriguing work that sprang from it — Four Seasons of Buenos Aires by the famed Argentine tango composer and bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla.
9 Home Within: The Syrian Experience When: Thursday, Aug. 3, 10 p.m.
Where: La Nouvelle Scène
Clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh and visual artist Kevork Mourad join forces for a one-hour audio-visual performance rooted in the upheavals of their homeland. The project, which is touring North America, is raising funds for Syrian refugees. The evening’s concert will be preceded by a 2:45 p.m. chat at the National Gallery of Canada, when the two artists will discuss their creative process.
10 Sgt. Pepper Returns When: Friday, Aug. 4, 7 p.m.
Where: Dominion-Chalmers United Church
When Chamberfest in 2013 presented this project by Andrew Burashko’s Toronto-based Art of Time Ensemble, it drew a recordsetting audience, almost selling out Dominion-Chalmers. This return appearance, which reimagines the music from the Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band for a 12-piece group plus four guest vocalists, bring the original’s harmonies to life. It’s also pegged to the 50-year anniversary of the Beatles’ classic album.