April is the cruelest month, said the great poet T.S. Eliot. But Montrealers should count their blessings, having so many wonderful musical ensembles in the city. Here is a sampling of what’s to come.
April 23. As part of its special concert series, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra presents world-class pianist Yuja Wang in her first appearance in Montreal. The 26-year-old who captured the spotlight as soon as she burst on the concert scene, will perform Prokofiev’s 3rd Piano Concerto under the baton of French conductor Jean-Claude Casadesus. Tschaikovsky’s magnificent 6th Symphony, the Pathétique, will follow. 514-842-9951, osm.ca
April 30-May 7. For the 25th year, the Orchestre Métropolitain will tour four boroughs on the island of Montreal, featuring principal oboist Lise Beauchamp playing Mozart’s Oboe Concerto, the only one Mozart wrote for that instrument. Venues include churches in Verdun, Pointe Claire, Ahuntsic, Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and the Maison symphonique de Montréal. 514-598-0970, orchestremetropolitain.com
May 1-3. I Musici presents conductor and flutist Matthias Maute and pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin, who will play Chopin’s Piano Concerto in F minor. This concerto was the second of only two that Chopin wrote to be published. It was written when the great composer was in his early 20s. Music by Schubert, Borodin and Koomans in a transcription by Matthias for flute and strings are also featured on the program. 514-982-6038
Throughout April and May, McGill music students present a gamut of concerts encompassing voice and all instruments free or at an extremely affordable price. These young musicians have worked for years to get to this moment and many of them are outstanding. Visit mcgill.ca/music/events/concerts to see the calendar, or call 514-398-4535.
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