Indeed, a strange duo (Duo Étrange), formed by Vanessa Croome, soprano, and Sahara von Hattenberger, cello. The two young Montrealers decided to join forces on stage despite the almost non-existent repertoire for this unusual combination. Two options were available to them: to create arrangements of existing pieces (the easier and potentially more profitable one – Imagine a few famous opera arias in these sonic outfits. It would certainly work!), or commission new works (the bolder, riskier choice). Guess what, the girls have guts: they opted for the second. And good for them (and us), because what they do is original, in addition to being attractive and accessible.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE STRANGE DUO AND THEIR ALBUM BY LISTENING TO THE INTERVIEW (you’ll find out why the two artists chose the title I Wish I Were Dead!)
Mysterious landscapes… from Montreal
Mysterious and twilight worlds, sometimes sensual, always firmly rooted in the poetry of words and sounds, unfold before the music lovers who dare to show up for the appointment.
Composers, mostly from Montreal, are represented: Airat Ichmouratov (very warm, loving, Quatrains of Wisdom, op. 82, based on poems by Omar Khayyam, where the composer also plays the clarinet and Armenian duduk! I love it!), Nicole Lizée (amazing Urbexcelsis (Doesn’t It Fill Your Eyes), which immerses us in a ghost town filled with phantom digital echoes), Laurence Jobidon (very funny and raucous Simone: modern myth, a sort of 6-minute musical about a civil servant stifled by a promotion), Luna Pearl Woolf (setting to music about ten poems by Rumi in Rumi: Quatrains of Love, some with reminiscences of Gorecki and his Third Symphony), and Fong Jeffrey (Britten-esque adaptations of two excerpts from the mediaeval French Roman de la rose).
With a few international notes
The Russian-Dutch Maya Fridman (also a cellist in life) presents us with a Tree of Life that is both complex and powerfully evocative, in which whispers of exotic colours and ancient Jewish spirituality rustle.
If you purchase the digital version of the album, an addition will be offered to you: Kväll (twilight in swedish) by the Swede Anders Hillborg, a short but enchanting piece that adopts the colours and intonations of mediaeval music.
A well-balanced pairing
Vanessa Croome possesses a very beautiful soprano timbre, with easy and generous high notes complemented by a pleasant narrative flexibility. The rest of her range is luminous, without blinding harshness, supported by a light and discreet vibrato. A beautiful voice, one that you want to hear often.
Sahara von Hattenberger is excellent and contributes to the strength of this union with her athletic playing, richly adorned with deep and resonant tones.
READ THE REVIEW OF THE ALBUM 1Q84 BY SAHARA VON HATTENBERGER.
Duo Étrange will perform the album program at the Bourgie Hall, Montreal, on February 24, 2026.
