Classical music fans in Quebec and Toronto have probably never heard of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.
They probably couldn’t even locate Tucson on a map.
But more than a thousand Canadians — more likely double or triple that when the final total is in next week — snapped up copies of the TSO’s debut international commercial recording, propelling the CD to the top of the Canadian classical music charts.
In the United States, first week sales of “André Mathieu: Piano Concerto No. 4,” with French-Canadian pianist Alain Lefévre, were at least 1,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which tracks record sales to determine Billboard and other record charts. SoundScan spokeswoman Anna Loynes said the album debuted at No. 5 on Billboard’s classical charts.
Sales were strong enough to rank the record No. 2 behind renown violinist Joshua Bell’s “Vivaldi’s Four Seasons” in the traditional classical category; and fifth in overall classical, which includes crossover acts like Andrea Bocelli and Joshua Groban.
“We beat André Rieu . He sells out the (Tucson) Arena, but we kick his butt on the charts,” joked a jubilant TSO Conductor George Hanson. “This is a great and glorious day for this organization .. and I share it with Alain and my friends in the orchestra.”
