May 12 at 8pm, May 13 at 2pm, & May 14 at 3pm
“Delicate, precise colours and shimmering, playful textures” — The Guardian
Following her remarkable Tafelmusik debut in 2022, violinist Leila Schayegh was immediately invited to return as soloist and guest director for a program devoted to sublime French baroque music. Grand Voyage: The French Baroque takes place on May 12 at 8pm, May 13 at 2pm, & May 14 at 3pm, at Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, wrapping up Tafelmusik’s 2022/23 subscription season. Tickets are available at tafelmusik.org.
Known for her “ravishing legato,” Schayegh brings “multicoloured delicacy and suppleness” (Gramophone) to Leclair’s Violin concerto in E Minor, op. 10, no. 5, also featured on her critically acclaimed 2022 recording.
The Enlightenment idealism that captured the French imagination in the 18th century infuses the orchestral selections on this program, starting with Rebel’s groundbreaking 1737 work, Les Élémens, which depicts the chaotic moment when time itself began.
Considered something of a radical composer in his day, Rameau created a stir at the Paris Opera when producing his first opera a few years earlier. The originality of his dramatic works is also displayed in his lighter opera-ballets: a suite of instrumental movements from Les Indes Galantes offers a colourful palette of 18th-century orchestral sonorities and textures. Grand Voyage closes with the Chaconne from the composer’s Dardanus—music for which Tafelmusik has received a JUNO Award and a Grammy nomination.
Grand Voyage will be filmed for future digital broadcast.
LISTING INFORMATION:
Grand Voyage: The French Baroque
with Leila Schayegh, guest director and violin soloist
May 12 at 8pm, May 13 at 2pm, & May 14 at 3pm
Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
Tickets start at $25 and are available at tafelmusik.org
Tafelmusik gratefully acknowledges the support of BMO, Presenting Sponsor of the 2022/23 concert season. We are also grateful to our government partners, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
ABOUT LEILA SCHAYEGH
Leila Schayegh is among the most visible violinists in the early music scene, with a busy international career. She has developed a close collaboration with Jörg Halubek, harpsichordist, organist, and director. Their 2016 recording of Bach’s six obbligato sonatas was awarded numerous prizes. Her collaboration with director and harpsichordist Vaclav Luks led to the recordings of Benda’s violin sonatas and Mysliveček’s violin concertos. She plays regularly with Gli Angéli Genève (directed by Stephan MacLeod), notably in the almost complete series of Bach’s cantatas. She’s recently expanded her repertoire towards the classical and romantic period, and has recorded the Brahms violin sonatas with Jan Schultsz. In 2020 she recorded Bach’s famous Sonatas and Partitas, and the complete Leclair violin concertos with La Cetra Basel has just been released.
Born in Winterthur, Switzerland, Leila is professor of baroque violin at her alma mater, the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, as successor of her teacher Chiara Banchini.
ABOUT TAFELMUSIK
Tafelmusik is a world-renowned period orchestra and choir in the heart of Toronto.
Founded 45 years ago on the pillars of passion, learning, and artistic excellence, Tafelmusik brings a fresh perspective to historically informed performance. Played on period instruments and grounded in scholarship, 17th- to 19th- century instrumental and choral music shares the stage with exciting multimedia programs, bold new commissions, and intriguing cross-cultural collaborations. From dynamic live performances at Jeanne Lamon Hall in Toronto’s historic Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre and stunning Koerner Hall, to international tours, award-winning recordings, and inspiring education programs, Tafelmusik is a musical powerhouse with a reputation for thrilling and delighting audiences.
Tafelmusik is a Canadian charitable organization that relies on donations from the community to make our performances and education programs possible.
Website: tafelmusik.org
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Media contact: Luisa Trisi, Big Picture Communications
luisa@luisatrisi.com | 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1X7