Listings

Singer-Songwriter

(CANCELLED) Birkin-Gainsbourg Le Symphonique

by Alain Brunet

In 2016, the OSM and the Francofolies de Montréal introduced Birkin-Gainsbourg Le Symphonique, which Jane Birkin has been carting around the world ever since. This is a second opportunity to rediscover the great classics born of the collaboration between Gainsbarre and Birkin, a mythical couple if ever there was one. It is also an opportunity to realize the classical content of these brilliant songs, orchestrated for 72 musicians by Nobuyuki Nakajima, and once again performed by Jane in memory of her “Sège”.

ARISTS AND PROGRAM

Jane Birkin: singer

Symphony orchestra of 72 musicians

Philippe Forget: conductor

Philippe Lerichomme: artistic direction

Nobuyuki Nakajima: arrangements and piano

Electro-Jazz / Indie Pop / Jazz / Trip Hop

Elliot Moss + Laura Derover

by Alain Brunet

From New York, Elliot Moss is both a visual artist and songwriter. The sweet melodies carried by his high-pitched, ashen voice, sometimes filtered by Auto-Tune (reminiscent of James Blake at times), blend into a housey, jazzy soul-synthpop, adorned with a few instruments played in real time — at least in the studio. Obviously, Moss knows the virtues of a songwriting hook, and moreover he knows how to deftly shift moods from one song to another. He also knows how to make good use of modular synthesizers, to fluff things up a bit. Following the gems he’s scattered to date, what‘s next for Moss? This Montreal concert should give us a few clues… In the same spirit, the very talented Laura Derover offers delicate synthpop, a little more complex than Moss’s, mixed with jazz and chamber music from the classical tradition. Listen carefully to this Dutch singer, who could turn out to be a discovery of 2020.

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Classical

Akiko Tominaga, Blair Logfren, piano, cello

by Alain Brunet

Originally from Japan, Akiko Tominaga resides in Canada, more specifically in Montreal and Calgary, after having completed her piano studies at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. She was originally scheduled to perform this concert with marimbist Anne-Julie Caron, but the latter had to cancel, leading Tominaga to present a completely different program: she will perform with cellist Blair Lofgren. The works to be performed have not been made public for reasons we can take a guess at…

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Baroque / Classical

Bach : Shadows and Light

by Laurence Gauvin

Arion Baroque Orchestra’s Bach: Light and Shadow programme is composed exclusively of works by Johann Sebastian Bach. Under the baton of Hank Knox, harpsichordist and founding member of Arion, the Orchestral Suite in B minor (BWV 1067) will be performed, followed by the aria Zerfliesse, mein Herze, from the St. John Passion (BWV 245). The famous Orchestral Suite is the second of four and was composed for flute, strings and basso continuo. Written between 1738 and 1739, this work is one of Bach’s last compositions for orchestra. It has seven movements, two of which showcase the talents of flutist Claire Guimond, Arion’s artistic director since 1981. An important figure in early music in Canada, Claire Guimond will be heard as soloist in two movements of the suite, the Polonaise, as well as in the well-known Badinerie. The concert will close with the aria Zerfliesse, mein Herze from the St. John Passion, the first large-scale choral work composed by the master. Given its many existing versions, it is difficult to establish precisely the year in which this passion was composed, but it is estimated that it was in 1724. Meaning “Flee, my heart,” Zerfliesse, mein Herze is a sweet tune of deep melancholy. Its refined texture allows a complete appreciation of the vocal part, which translates into a touching lyricism. The aria will be performed by the Spanish soprano Nuria Rial, a singer who works with several European opera houses.

PROGRAM:

Hank Knox: conductor

Nuria Rial: soprano

Claire Guimond: flute

JS Bach:

Orchestral Suite No. 2 for flute, strings and basso continuo, BWV 1067 

(Ouverture, Rondeau, Sarabande, Bourrée l and ll, Polonaise, Menuet, Badinerie [flute, strings and harpsichord])

Sinfonia from Cantata BWV 42Aria Zerfliesse, mein Herze, from St. John Passion, BWV 245

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Jazz / Soul Jazz / Soul/R&B

L’Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal at the roots of R&B

by Alain Brunet

Singer Marie-Christine Depestre joins the Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal (ONJM) to express the jazz genes of R&B and soul. Needless to say, funk and groove expressions were first associated with modern jazz, before they were taken up by R&B practitioners. And so? The natural link between these two musical universes deserves to be underlined in triple. Thus, the R&B classics “Think”, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” have been arranged ONJM-style by trombonist and chef Jean-Nicolas Trottier, with soloist Marie-Christine Depestre bringing it all together.

MUSICIANS:

Orchestre National de Jazz de Montréal (ONJM)

Guest singer: Marie- Christine Depestre

Conductor: Jean-Nicolas Trottier

Saxophones, flutes and clarinets: Jean-Pierre Zanella, Samuel Blais, Frank Lozano, Annie

Dominique, Alexandre Côté

Trumpets: Jocelyn Couture, Aron Doyle, David Carbonneau, Bill Mahar…

Trombones: Dave Grott, Taylor Donaldson, David Martin, Bob Ellis

Piano: Jérôme Beaulieu

Guitar: Andy Dacoulis

Double bass: Rémi-Jean LeBlanc

Drums: Kevin Warren

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Modern Classical

Han-Na Chang conducts Shostakovich

by Laurence Gauvin

For its next concert, l’Orchestre Métropolitain welcomes conductor Han-Na Chang to the  podium for Beethoven’s famous Violin Concerto and Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony. Formerly a solo cellist, Han-Na Chang has been Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Trondheim Symfoniorkester, in Norway, since 2017, where she previously served as Principal Guest Conductor from 2013 to 2017. She will share the stage with American soloist Benjamin Beilman, a violinist known throughout the world for his impressive technique and rich sound. Beilman will have the opportunity to perform Beethoven’s Violin Concerto several times as part of the festivities associated with the composer’s 250th birthday, notably in France, Hungary and Poland. Composed in a very short time, the Violin Concerto was premiered on December 23, 1806 by the then well-known violinist Franz Clement. Clement was even the author of the last theme used in the final rondo of the concerto, obviously refined by Beethoven afterwards. The program will conclude with a colossal piece: Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony. First performed on December 17, 1953, only a few months after Stalin’s death, this picturesque work is one of the composer’s best known. He said at the time that his goal was to convey the emotions and passions of the people, at that time strongly oppressed by Stalin’s ruthless regime. In a more traditional four-movement form – in contrast to its five-movement predecessor – this symphony is on a par with Shostakovich’s great works: giant, poignant and virtuosic.

PROGRAM

Conductor : Han-Na Chang

Violin : Benjamin Beilman

Beethoven : Violin Concerto

Shostakovich : Symphony No. 10

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Classical

Charles Richard-Hamelin à the Maison de la culture Claude-Léveillée

by Laurence Gauvin

The Maison de la culture Claude-Léveillée welcomes the famous Quebec pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin for an intimate piano concert. Winner of the silver medal and the Krystian-Zimerman Prize at the 2015 Frédéric-Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, Charles Richard-Hamelin is, at the age of only 30, a renowned pianist acclaimed around the world. During this concert, the audience will be able to enjoy works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and then Chopin: a romantic repertoire that will undoubtedly reflect the best qualities of the performer. It should be noted here that Richard-Hamelin’s discography contains not only a recording of Chopin’s two piano concertos – dating from 2019, with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal under the baton of his maestro, Kent Nagano – but also two discs dedicated solely to the piano repertoire of the same composer, both of which have been recognized and honoured by critics. So a promising program is in store for February 27, performed by one of our greatest pianists.

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Classical / Contemporary / Romantic

Kent Nagano Conducts Dusapin and Beethoven

by Sarah-Ann Larouche

A joint commission from the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Théâtre de La Monnaie/De Munt, Radio France and the Philharmonie de Paris led French composer Pascal Dusapin to begin composing his symphony for organ and orchestra. For this North American premiere presentation, the work will be performed by organist emeritus Olivier Latry. Also on the program, Chasse royale et orage, taken from Hector Berlioz’s opera Les Troyens, as well as Ludwig van Beethoven’s Pastoral, Symphony No. 6, op. 68 in F major.

PROGRAM
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Kent Nagano: conductor
Olivier Latry: organ
Berlioz: Chasse royale et orage, from Les Troyens
Pascal Dusapin: Symphonie pour orgue et orchestre
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 (Pastoral)

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Contemporary

Three Echoes of the Odyssey

by Sarah-Ann Larouche

Presented as part of the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal’s Sunday concert series, this program feature premieres by composers John Plant, Louis Babin and Jean Derome, among others. A graduate of McGill University in composition, John Plant first began composing vocal music, before turning his attention to instrumental music in the last decade. For his part, Louis Babin is known for his playful, sometimes theatrical style. Performers Marie-Josée Simard and Louise Bessette aren’t new to the music of Jean Derome – in 2017, they presented his Tombeau de Marin Mersenne in a Carte Blanche concert for Simard at the Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur.

PROGRAM

Marie-Josée Simard, percussion, Louise Bessette, piano

Works by John Plant (premiere), Jean Derome, Louis Babin (premiere)

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Afro-Antillean

Patrimoine musical des îles créoles

by Sarah-Ann Larouche

Lecturer and cultural advisor in music for the Conseil des arts de Montréal, ethnomusicologist Marie-Christine Parent offers a reflection on the transmission and development of the arts of oral tradition, and more specifically the music and dance of the Creole islands. At her side will be percussionist Daniel Bellegarde and the musicians of the Anba Tonèl ensemble. On their eponymous album, they present us with an eclectic instrumentation reflecting, on the one hand, the Caribbean tradition and, on the other hand, the European influence. Beyond the instrumentation, this influence is particularly noticable on the musical level, and eloquently illustrates the various processes of transformation and development that have brought this music to us.

PROGRAM

Speaker: Marie-Christine Parent, ethnomusicologist

Daniel Bellegarde, percussion

Musicians of the Anba Tonèl ensemble

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Classical

Maurice Steger, A Baroque Banquet

by Sarah-Ann Larouche

Internationally renowned flautist Maurice Steger is back in Montreal and conducts Les Violons du Roy’s first concert of 2020, the theme of which is England. Among the works on the program are Henry Purcell’s Chaconne in G Minor and Curtain Tune on a Ground, from his opera Timon of Athens. In their own way, these two works are marked by a certain tragic anguish, a restlessness tempered by the sweetness and lightness of Georg Friedrich Handel’s recorder concerto in F major, after HWV 369, or Gottfried Finger’s A Ground. The ensemble also presents excerpts from Handel’s dance suites HWV 1, 287 and 399, William Babell’s recorder concerto in D major, Op. 3 No. 1, and the recorder concerto in G major after Francesco Geminiani’s Sonata Op. 5 No. 11.

PROGRAM

Les Violons du Roy

Maurice Steger: conductor and recorder player 

Handel: Dance Suite, from HWV 1, 287 and 399

Handel: Concerto for Recorder in F major, after Sonata HWV 369

Purcell: Curtain Tune on a Ground

Purcell: Chaconne in G minor

Finger: A Ground

Babell: Concerto for Recorder in D major, Op. 3 No. 1

Avison: Concerto grosso No. 3 for Two Violins and Cello

Geminiani: Concerto for Recorder in G major after Sonata Op. 5 No. 11

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https://www.mbam.qc.ca/en/shop-online/concerts/maurice-steger-a-baroque-banquet/8286/

Punk / Rock

The Hypnophonics • Boids • The Lookout

by Patrick Baillargeon
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