Additional Information
Certainly one of our great interpreters of modern and contemporary music, pianist Louise Bessette has turned her attention to two American composers: Charles Ives (1874-1954) and his Piano Sonata No. 2, “Concord, Mass., 1840-60”, and Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) for his cycle New England Idyls, Op. 62. This is another of Louise Bessette’s discographic “Escales”, Escale en Nouvelle-Angleterre, released this Friday, October 11 by Atma Classique, and whose material will be played on Saturday 12 at Salle Bourgie.
October 2024 marks the 150th birthday of American composer Charles Ives. To mark this anniversary, concert pianist Louise Bessette takes her audience on a colorful journey to early 20th-century New England, where Charles Ives’ Concord Sonata merrily blends fanfares, hymns, ragtime and classical music.
This Concord Sonata has been called a masterpiece of the piano repertoire. And this is the most frequently performed edition, revised in 1947. The brief viola (first movement) and flute (fourth movement) parts are optional, and Louise Bessette has chosen to graft them on in studio with the concert of violist Isaac Chalk and flautist Jeffrey Stonehouse.
The pianist’s concert at Salle Bourgie promises to be a one-of-a-kind event, since it will also be possible to admire – for the very first time in Montreal – a collection of artifacts that once belonged to Charles Ives. As for New York pianist and composer Edward MacDowell, musicology reminds us that he wanted to give European post-romanticism a dose of Americana by drawing inspiration from the music of his native New England, like Charles Ives.
That’s why Louise Bessette granted Marianne Collette and PAN M 360 this warm and enlightening interview.
Launch at Salle Bourgie
1339, Sherbrooke O street, Montreal
October 12, 2024, at 7:30pm
INFOS AND TICKETS HERE
Lecture and exhibition of Charles Ives artifacts in collaboration with the Danbury Museum & Historical Society at 4:30 pm. These objects, once belonging to Ives, are crossing the U.S. border for the very first time!
