Orchestra Toronto Tickets

The music they produced was very fine. The conductor’s brief introductions to each movement aided my visualization, and I appreciated that he wasn’t verbose. I liked seeing a mostly mature ensemble with a few younger musicians mixed in. Youth orchestras have been a good experience for me, but it was especially nice to see the tenured players do their thing. The pieces were well chosen and complemented each other nicely. The dialogue and juxtaposition within the string section — especially between the violinists and cellists — was enlivening in the truest sense of the word, as if the exchange itself breathed life into the performance. The brass section’s ascensionary instance amidst that action was both inspiring and serene. They didn’t spoil a good thing by running long — the duration left me wanting to come back. To me, seating matters here: being close to the orchestra made a big difference. I started off at the back (arrived late) and had a more immersive experience once I moved to my group’s proper seats near the front. Part of the enjoyment also came from watching a few audience members who seemed well acquainted with certain instruments and the challenge of some passages, visibly marveling at how the musicians handled them. I’m a relative novice to live orchestral music and would gladly bring another crew of friends with me the next time the opportunity affords.

Great choices from Verdi and Wagner. Karoline Podolak was superb. Highlights were the Ride of the Valkyries, the Bell Song from Lakme and a rousing rendition of Libiamo for which baritone James Westman and tenor and Scott Rumble joined Miss Podolak.

Good seats, great music and really nice staff there. Might go there again for the last concert of the series in June

The concert was beautifully presented and made us feel the magic of the holiday season.

Dynamic conductor, pitch perfect orchestra, really enjoyed the performance

A great experience, good for all ages. Very affordable too!

Very dramatic and entertaining. Many moments had yhe crowd literally jumping in surprise.

In my last review of the Dvorak Cello Concerto concert, I had noted the perceived improvement in the orchestra's playing, lending for a most wonderful and rich experience of this concerto. As for this ambitious undertaking of Mahler's Third, the opening commenced at a moderate dynamic where I personally prefer my recordings to sound more "aggressive"; otherwise, the orchestra could definitely get loud where called for. While the strings' intonation and internal timing seemed to be in good order, there were points of struggle in the coordination between sections, in one case as though the conductor intended to execute an ambitious phrasing. The playing was otherwise reasonable throughout. By the fourth movement, the playing was largely clean and steady unto the point that I found myself quite pleased and impressed with the maintained cohesiveness and impetus which did better justice to this movement. As usual, I can recommend this orchestra as a gateway to the classical concert experience, and will be looking forward to their next season.

Hugely talented musicians and conductor, bringing intensity and emotion to their performance.

That was the 7th show of Orchestra Toronto I’ve attended and am not feeling board. Every time new experience and peaceful performs.