The year 2024 at Le Vivier kicks off with concerts featuring the next generation of today’s music scene. Last night, the newly-formed Ensemble Tesse presented its first concert. For the occasion, the event was presented in a rather different way: an ambulatory concert. The format of this concert proved to be very enjoyable and allowed us to appreciate the works of the program in a new way.
On entering the hall, the audience was invited to sit on the floor, on stage, around a structure that would be occupied by the musicians. Between each piece, the audience was invited to stand up and move around. There was also the option of standing or even lying down. The audience lent itself to the game, moving silently around the structure at opportune moments. This movement didn’t make the concert any slower or heavier – on the contrary, the musicians also moved around and lay down on the floor when it wasn’t their turn to play.
The program featured works that were “comprovisées”, composed as well as improvised. Co-creation is one of Ensemble Tesse’s objectives, and it fulfills its mandate perfectly. The listening and dialogue between the musicians are remarkable. The works presented are above all studies in sonority, in which each musician pushes the sonic limits of his or her respective instrument. It is essential to underline the quality of each performer, both in their consistently excellent playing and in their ensemble playing.
Each piece showcased a different member of the ensemble, each time in a different instrumental combination. Each work presented a different sound universe. Although the concept remained the same – collective improvisations – the evening never felt repetitive, and the musical ideas followed one another judiciously. More meditative moments rubbed shoulders with noisy, rhythmic passages, and sometimes with great melody.
The concert was enthusiastically received by the audience. The scenography and lighting helped to place listeners in an experimental atmosphere, a little out of time and space, where all frameworks were broken and reconfigured. Ensemble Tesse is proof positive that it’s possible to do things differently and still deliver a memorable and enjoyable concert experience. Watch out for their next projects!
Ensemble Tesse
NOAM BIERSTONE (percussions)
AUDRÉANNE FILION (cello)
CHARLOTTE LAYEC (bass clarinet)
OFER PELZ (piano)
MARILÈNE PROVENCHER-LEDUC (flutes)
GABRIEL TROTTIER (horn)
To find out about upcoming concerts presented by Le Vivier, click HERE!
