Toronto ‘cancels’ Valentina Lisitsa, again

Toronto ‘cancels’ Valentina Lisitsa, again

main

norman lebrecht

April 29, 2015

Various interested parties have informed us that one of the anti-Kiev pianist’s two Toronto recitals next month has been cancelled by the venue for lack of sales. A screenshot of the cancellation has been put out by pro-Kiev sources. However, it has been blocked by our computers as malware and may well be a propaganda attack.

Lisitsa has not confirmed any such cancellation. So far as we know, the two recitals are still on sale.

 

lisitsa toronto

 

Comments

  • Milka says:

    Oakville is not Toronto !!!!!!

  • nat says:

    I thought she is going to play in Donetsk. She twitted she is getting ready. https://mobile.twitter.com/ValLisitsa/media/grid?idx=3&tid=593175413578440704

  • jaypee says:

    This reminds me… How come Christian Thielemann never conducts in Israel?

  • Jenny says:

    Her concert on May 9th was in fact cncelled.

    You can check yoursekf on the Ticketmaster website.

    Reason is not explained.

    I am not posting a link, because you’ll accuse me to be pro-Kiev source.

  • stagedude says:

    Here’s a story on this by Michael Vincent, with quotes from the promoter.

    http://www.musicaltoronto.org/2015/04/29/update-the-valentina-lisitsa-rumour-mill-sees-no-end-in-sight-exclusive/

    Incidentally, the venue has 1700 seats.

  • Dimas says:

    The information about poor ticket sales came from very reliable source and this info is consistent with venue capacities and last year’s Spivakov attendance, which attracted similar controversy.

    Last year when Spivakov came to Toronto, they were only able to sell about 60% of seats in a venue with a capacity of 2,600. It was a single concert, not two, and it was in downtown Toronto, where there are many people who simply want music and don’t really care who plays today. In this case, only people who specifically want Lisitsa would come to Oakville. It’s basically a conference venue with amplifiers, good for rock bands. If you look at the pictures on their web site – there is no glory in playing a grand piano in that place. http://rentals.themeetinghouse.com/theatre1.html

    As for update from Music Toronto “The Valentina Lisitsa Rumour Mill Sees No End In Sigh”, the issue of ticket sales is a matter of perspective – in regards to ticket sales, her promoter stated they are doing “fine.”, and journalist Michael Vincent concluded that the rumors of poor sales are not true.

    It is clear that they were not able to sell both dates. This is a large venue (1700 seats). I would guess that her promoter simply decided to increase chances of profitable affair by dropping Saturday May 9.

  • Stagedude says:

    When promoters say ‘scheduling conflict’, it really means poor sales.

    • dan says:

      The travel conflict is true. Valentina has to be in Singapore the very next day

      • Stagedude says:

        No agent would book a gig that an artist couldn’t make. Who knows, perhaps the Singapore gig came along after the TO dates were booked.

        The Singapore gig is on the 13th, so it would have been possible (though very challenging) to play TO on the 9th and still make it to Singapore for some number of rehearsals.

      • Olaugh Turchev says:

        Posting the update would have been the minimum intellectual honesty required of an information site. Draw the conclusion…

  • Dumas says:

    The very next day?

    13 May 2015
    Esplanade, Singapore

    http://www.deccaclassics.com/us/artist/lisitsa/ontour

  • jaypee says:

    “How come Rattle doesn’t either?”

    http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Article/286854,placido-domingo-and-simon-rattle-win-israel-s-wolf-prize.aspx

    Do you think the champion of Hans Pfitzner and Max von Schilling will receive this award one day?

  • MOST READ TODAY: