Friday evening, the Lanaudière Festival welcomed the Argentine cellist Sol Gabetta, for the first time in Canada, said the press release. In the introduction to the concert, the artistic director Renaud Loranger rather mentioned a “first time in Quebec.” I tried some research, but I can’t say if it’s “Canada” or “Quebec.” If you know, let me know.
In the end, all of this is of little importance in light of the spectacular performance that the Swiss-based artist offered to the fairly large audience. Spectacular, certainly, but not in the sense of a show-off who wants to accelerate the allegros systematically into Mad Max-esque furiosos. Rather in the sense of a technique so precise that it forces admiration and provides excitement by itself, and that is also supported by a warm singing of the phrases that lets all the notes flow with undeniable naturalness. I am thinking particularly of Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob. VIIb/1, of which I have rarely heard such a clear and touching reading. In this sense, Gabetta (and the Violons du Roy, of course) expressed with excellence the spirit of Empfindsamkeit, or the “sensitive style” of the late 18th century, a precursor of Romanticism in that it favored a freer expressiveness, while remaining framed by still very precise and coded forms. No urgency or disheveled propulsion of rhythms, then, nor aggressive attacks that seek to force “energy.” Only a calm narration, but one that exudes a communicative sparkle, all within a technical execution that reaches stylistic perfection. It was a very great moment of music.
The other concerto played by Ms. Gabetta (there were two, since she was with us…) was that of Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, the very pretty Wq 172 in A major, one of my favorites in the repertoire, although still relatively unknown to the general public. The cellist admitted in the interview granted to my colleague Alexandre Villemaire that she had not touched this piece since 2014. We noticed, as a result, that the lady did not have this score as instinctively “in her fingers” as the Haydn, even though in the end she still gave a solid lesson in musicality to anyone who would like to try it.
I don’t know if Bernard Labadie’s Violons hadn’t been in contact with this concerto for several years either, but the fabulous clarity demonstrated in the first part of the concert (in addition to the Haydn, Mozart’s Symphony 29, which I’ll tell you about below) wasn’t quite as crystalline in this CPE Bach. Oh, for any other ensemble, it would have been an accomplishment in itself, but after what we had heard previously, the bar had just dropped by an infinitesimal micron, nevertheless perceptible.
READ THE INTERVIEW WITH SOL GABETTA (in French)
From the very beginning of the concert, and as mentioned just now, Bernard Labadie gave a Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201 perfectly balanced with steady rhythms and finely drawn phrases. All this in a relaxed and elegant style. Already, we had an idea of the aesthetic choice proposed for this concert. In the end, it was at the end of the program that the Quebec conductor showed a little more vigor with Haydn’s Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor, “The Farewell,” to which he breathed a dynamic that we had not felt before. A convincing conclusion that did not deviate from the spirit of the evening’s general. A great success.
We only hope that these are not “goodbyes” that Sol Gabetta is leaving us with, but only a “see you later,” because this fabulous performer absolutely must come back to us quickly. We dream of hearing her at the Maison symphonique or at the Bourgie hall!
