Noteworthy

What’s more Toronto than the Toronto Symphony Orchestra collaborating with Drake?

On November 16, the teaser to Drake’s newest EP, Scary Hours 3, was released, and your TSO took centre stage! This moody, atmospheric trailer begins with a shot of the Toronto legend’s car driving to Roy Thomson Hall. Once there, he walks in and is greeted with a glass of red wine before taking his seat in the middle of the venue to watch the orchestra. To cap off the video, TSO Music Director Gustavo Gimeno and members of the orchestra play Giuseppe Verdi’s Overture La forza del destino.

The shoot happened on October 20, and it all came together rather quickly. Through mutual connections, the TSO was able to connect with a member of Drake’s team, and the rest fell into place. The musicians knew it was for a special project, but no details were shared.

“Seeing my picture with him was completely mind-boggling,” said Associate Principal Double Bass Michael Chiarello, who hands Drake the glass of wine in the video. “You can ask many members of the orchestra… I have been talking about meeting him since my first day of work in 2017.”

“We were given some idea of what the repertoire might be—some options, so we were able to have a practice session,” says Gimeno in a conversation with Toronto Life. “This was all happening on the same day as the shoot, though, so I did worry about being underprepared. But, ultimately, the music we were working with is music we know well, and all of the mystery really kept us on our toes in a positive way.”

“We were all very pleased with the end result, where our performance and the music plays such a key role,” continues Gimeno. “Drake really incorporated the meaning of the piece, Verdi’s La forza del destino, very well. It starts with these very strong, repetitive notes coming from the brass section—it’s like destiny calling.”

And destiny does call, as Verdi’s music returns to Roy Thomson Hall in Pines of Rome. This program, conducted by Gimeno, explores the vast and rich repertoire of Italian composers in the classical canon with  works from Respighi, Berio, Rota, and of course, Verdi.