Classical music

Esprit Orchestra, As part of their Now Wave Festival--four days showcasing rising-star per formers--two Esprit favourites, Rose Bolton and Andre Ristic, present new commissioned works. As well, Christien Ledroit's Streamlined, a piece for chamber orchestra, electric guitar and digital audio, gets its world premiere, and a work by German composer Oliver Schneller has its Canadian premiere. Alex Pauk conducts, and Ledroit solos on the electric guitar in his own work. April 3. $26. Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E., 416-366-7723, www.espritorchestra.com.

Sinfonia Toronto presents another concert with spring as its theme (a self-fulfilling musical prophecy, one hopes), including music by Elgar, Dvorak, Bartok and Resphigi. Nurhan Arman conducts. April 3, $33. Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W., 416-205-5555, www.sinfoniatoronto.com.

TAFELMUSIK Trinity--St. Paul's Centre 427 Bloor St. W., 416-964-6337 www.tafelmusik.org

Royal Fireworks, Along with this great music of celebration by Handel, Taifelmusik introduces the Folia Project--25 variations on the famous baroque theme "La Folia." Still one of the best tickets in town, Tafelmusik continues to set the highest musical standards in all of its performances. March 27, 31, April 1 to 4. $26-$59. March 28. $26-$59. George Weston Recital Hall, Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St., 416-870-8000.

TORONTO SYMPHONY Roy Thomson Hall 60 Simcoe St., 416-598-3375 www.tso.on.ca

Espana. More Spanish-style music has been written over the years by composers from away than by native Spaniards. The TSO has a little of both in this concert, part of the Light Classics series, with music by Emmanuel Chabrier and Edouard Lalo (both thoroughly French), Brazilian Heifer Villa-Lobes, Englishman William Walton, Argentinian Alberto Ginastera, as well as the real thing from Manuel de Falla. Rumon Gamba guest conducts; Karen Gomyo plays the violin. April 17 and 18. $31-$61.

Gil Shaham brings a popularizing, Romantic attitude to his playing. Here, with the Brahms Violin Concerto, the American violinist takes on one of the masterpieces of the repertoire. Peter Oundjian gives us a sneak preview of his first full season as music director when he leads Beethoven's Sixth and John Estacio's Solaris. April 7 and 8. 831-$98.

Isabel Bayrakdarian. Finally, the stunning soprano gets to make her debut with her hometown orchestra. To show off her fine dramatic voice, Bayrakdarian sings, among other selections, two arias from Mozart's Il re pastore. Sir Andrew Davis also leads the orchestra in performances of Beethoven's Eighth Symphony and will act as pianist and conductor for a Mozart Concerto-Rondo. March 31, April 1 and 3. $31-$9g. April 4. $31-$98. George Weston Recital Hall, Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St., 416-870-8000.

Italianissimo! The wonderful Quartetto Gelato joins the TSO for music from la bells Italia--from "O Sole Mio" to Italian movie themes. April 23. $31-$61.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet. There are national performing styles in the piano world, and this pianist is one of the leading exponents of the lyrical French school. Appropriately, Thibaudet brings Gallic music with him: the Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand (written for one-handed pianist Paul Wittgenstein, brother of philosopher Ludwig). Stephane Deneve leads the TSO in more music by Ravel--his Mother Goose Suite--and the Mendelssohn Symphony no. 5. April 29 and May 1. $32-$98.

Noseda & Hahn. Hilary Hahn is an immensely gifted young violinist who took the international classical world by storm in her early teens, establishing herself as one of the most important artists of her generation. Now in her 20s, she continues to dazzle audiences. Hahn performs two rarities: Louis Spohr's Violin Concerto no. 8 and Chausson's Poeme. Guest conductor Gianandrea Noseda leads the orchestra in two works that are centuries, and worlds, apart: Haydn's Symphony no. 95 and Shostakovich's Symphony no. 9. April 21 and 22. $32-$98.

CHAMBER AND SOLO

Ehnes and Lortie features two superstar Canadian performers. James Ehnes is one of our finest violinists, and pianist Louis Lortie has long held a leading position on the international stage. Here, they perform three Beethoven sonatas--among the most wonderful music ever written for violin and piano, including the famous Spring and Kreutzer sonatas. April 13. $25-$75. George Weston Recital Hall, Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St., 416-872-1111.

Hannaford Street Silver Band. Manning the bagpipes as well as the whistles, Ian MacKinnon plays selections from traditional Gaelic melodies. The band plays works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Arnold and Kelly Marie Murphy. Michael Reason is the guest conductor. April 25. $15-$28. Jane Mallet Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E., 416-366-7723, www.hannafordband.com.

Off-Centre Music Salon. In the annals of music history, Modest Mussorgsky occupies a special and rather controversial place. To some, he was a bit of an idiot savant, creative despite his lack of training. To others, he was the first precursor of the 20th century, wildly inventive in his harmonies and use of the orchestra. Off-Centre Salon lets us decide for ourselves with two rarely heard Mussorgsky song cycles, and the ever-familiar Pictures at an Exhibition in the piano original. Bass Robert Pomakov does the singing; Boris Zarankin and Inns Perkis do the piano playing. April 25. $35. Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W., 416-205-5555, www.offcentremusic.com.

Renee Fleming. There are stars and there are superstars, and in the world of classical music, Fleming definitely belongs in the second category. She has created a career for herself that could have come from the golden age of the diva. This dramatic soprano has as much of an interest in jazz and Broadway as in bel canto. April 4. $50-$100. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., 416-872-4255, www.roythomsonhall.com.

Women's Musical Club of Toronto. Barry Shiftman, Micah Yui and Marianne Bindig perform an all Brahms program, including Two Songs, op. 91. Brahms in an intimate mood is always something special, and violinist-violist Shiftman is a performer to watch. April 22. $28. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, 80 Queen's Ph., 416-923-7052, www.wmct.on.ca.

MUSIC TORONTO Jane Mallett Theatre St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts 27 Front St. E., 416-366-7723 www.music-toronto.com

Petersen Quartet. Considered the most esoteric of all musical ensembles, the string quartet has become the repository for some of the most subtle thoughts in the history of music. Music Toronto has long made the quartet one of its staples, and this interesting European group brings with it an eclectic program, including music by Milhaud and Mozart, and Grieg's Quartet in G Minor, a long-neglected masterpiece. April 1. $39-$43.

Tokyo Quartet features two staples of the repertoire, the Mozart K. 575 and Beethoven's Second Rasumovsky Quartet, as well as the Fourth Quartet by Alexander Zemlinsky. April 15. $39-$43.

ONSTAGE Glenn Gould Studio Canadian Broadcasting Centre 250 Front St. W., 416-205-5555 www.glenngouldstudio.cbc.ca

Andre Laplante. While covering Moscow's prestigious Tehaikovsky International Piano Competition--the Olympics of music--in 1982, I discovered that the reaction of Soviets to my nationality was always the same. They wanted to discuss only three things: Wayne Gretzky, Glenn Gould and Andre Laplante. Gould and Gretzky didn't surprise me, but the enthusiasm for Laplante was unexpected. The young Canadian pianist had won the silver medal in Moscow in 1978, and many Muscovites felt he had bean robbed of the gold. Laplante has continued to thrill audiences with his fiery brand of piano playing in the years since his first appearance. For this recital, he includes Schubert's Piano Sonata no. 21 in B-flat Major, D. 960--a late work considered by many to be the composer writing his own epitaph. April 6. $35.

A Dvorak Celebration. Antonin Dvorak died 100 years ago, and the anniversary will be marked by a special performance featuring the Canadian Chamber Ensemble and the Gryphon Trio, with soprano Frederique Vezina. The composer's works are a wonderful, idiosyncratic destination for a musical voyager seeking something pleasurable and exotic. Performed here are excerpts from the opera Rusalka, as well as the Dumky Trio and the Wind Serenade. April 18. $85.

OPERA AND CHORAL

Amadeus Choir. One of the most enduring images in Christianity is that of Mary standing at the foot of the Cross. The Amadeus choir features a 16th-century musical translation of Stabat Mater--"mother standing"--by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, as well as works by Eleanor Daley and John Rutter. Lydia Adams conducts. April 8. $30-$35. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St., 416-446-0188, www.amadeuschoir.com.

Les Violons du Roy. Over the years, St. John, Bach's other great Passion, has been overshadowed by the St. Matthew because of its smaller ambit and its general dark colouring. But it is a magnificent work and sure to be given a fine performance from La Chapelle de Quebec and a group of soloists that includes counter-tenor David Daniels and tenor Benjamin Butterfield. April 3. $35-$65. Massey Hull, 178 Victoria St., 416-872-4255, www.masseyhall.com.

Mendelssohn Choir. Johannes Brahms's extraordinary German Requiem is full of the deep Protestant faith that only a 19th-century Ger man composer could evince. Soprano Karina Gauvin lends her remarkable voice along with baritone James Westman. The concert also includes the Canadian premiere of Ruth Watson Henderson's From Darkness to Light. Noel Edison conducts. April 7. $30-$98. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St., 416-598-0422. www.tmchoir.org.

Opera Atelier presents a return engagement of Persee, a production that won raves in 2000. Cyril Auvity sings the title role and is joined by a fine cast, including Monica Whither and Colin Ainsworth. April 23, 24, 28, 30, May 1 and 2. $25-$99. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St., 416-872-5555, www.operaatelier.com.

Royal Opera Canada is a company devoted to presenting the top 10 hits of the operatic world. For these performances, it's Aida--Verdi's corn mission for the opening of the Suez Canal. Dwight Bennett is artistic director of the company; Micaela Carosi stars in the title role. April 24, 25, 27 and 29. $13-$120. Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts Dr., Mississauga, 905-306-6000, www.royaloperacanada.com.

Toronto Children's Chorus performs the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Franz Schubert, John Burge and John Rutter. The massed Toronto Children's Chorus is a joy to hear and behold. April 24. $18-$25. George Weston Recital Hall, Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St., 41-932-8666, www.torontochildrenschorus.com.

Toronto Consort. Enjoy Calisto by Francesco Cavalli the way they did in the 17th century. The great Suzie LeBlanc plays the title role, and a full period orchestra accompanies. David Fallis conducts. LeBlanc herself is worth the price of admission. April 16 and 17. $14-$44. Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St. W., 416-964-6337, www.torontotoconsort.org.

Toronto Operetta Theatre. Die Fledermaus is perhaps the most famous operetta ever written, and Johann Strauss Jr.'s tales of high-society hijinks boasts one of the musical stage's greatest scores. Featuring Laura Whalen, Ross Neill, Jane Archibald and Mark DuBois. Derek Bate conducts. April 23, 24, 27, 28, 80, May 1 and 2. $35-$75. Jane Mallet Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E., 416-866-7723, www.torontooperetta.com.

CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts 1 Front St. E., 416-872-2262 www.coc.ca

Die Walkure. Wagner's The Ring--opera's Everest, a four-opera, 16-hour extravaganza--is coming to Toronto in 2006 to inaugurate the new opera house. To get us in the mood, the second opera in the cycle is being presented this season. It's a new production by director Atom Egoyan and designer Michael Levine, whose previous (separate) efforts for the COC have been alternately praised and damned. The cast includes Peteris Eglitis as Wotan and Adrianne Pieczonka as Sieglinde. April 4, 8, 14, 17, 20 and 23. $35-$145.

Rigoletto. One of the canny secrets of the COC's success in recent years has been its perfectly balanced blend of the new and the familiar in its programming. You can't get closer to the heart of the operatic repertoire than Verdi's Rigoletto. This melodramatic work has one of opera's best-known scores, from "La donna e mobile" to Gilda's beautiful love arias. Alan Opie, Giuseppe Gipali and Canadian Robert Po maker are among the cast members. Julian Kovatchev conducts. April 7, 10, 13, 16, 18, 22 and 24. $40-$160.

Harris, Robert