Quebec fans of Agent 007 are in for a treat this weekend, with a program of 18 symphonic performances and an encore. They fill 3 Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier to enjoy a program largely dominated by theme songs/trailers from as many films by James Bond, the famous fictional agent of Her Majesty’s Secret Services. Under the baton of Francis Choinière, the Orchestre FilmHarmonique presents precisely 6 instrumental excerpts and 13 soundtracks by Véronique Dicaire and Benoît McGinnis.
These 19 performances highlight the work of well-known composers and lyricists Monty Norman (famous James Bond theme), John Barry (Thunderball, Goldfinger, We Have All the Time in the World, Moonraker, A View to a Kill, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever), Lionel Bart (From Russia with Love), Pål Waaktaar du groupe A-Ha (The Living Daylights), Marvin Hamlich & Carole Bayer (Nobody Does It Better), Jimmy Napes & Sam Smith (Writing’s on the Wall), Bono & The Edge (Goldeneye), Duran Duran (A View to a Kill), Leslie Bricusse (You Only Live Twice), Michel Colombier & Madonna & Mirwais Ahmadza (Die Another Day), David Arnold (You Know my Name, Night at the Opera, The World Is Not Enough), Paul & Linda McCartney (Live and Let Die), Adele & Paul Epworth (Skyfall).
It’s worth noting that the artistic direction of this Bond marathon excludes projections of film extracts, relying instead on the entertaining animation of the singers and their interpretation of all those megatubes engraved in the collective global imagination.
Of the 19 performances, only 6 are strictly instrumental. We deduce from this that the general public essentially retains the theme song of these famous blockbusters, the songs served up as trailers and played during the credits.
There’s no doubt that Véronique Dicaire and Benoît McGinnis have a solid background in theater or comedy, and that’s a plus for the smooth running of this production. They express their attachment to these blockbusters starring the agent devoted to the British crown, a fictional character imagined in the 1950s by English novelist Ian Fleming (1908-1964). Among other things, Véronique has a soft spot for Sean Connery and Daniel Craig!
Benoît McGinnis’s undeniable talent as an actor is well known, his stage presence is well recognized, and his real skills as a tenor/counter-tenor are also appreciated… although they are inferior to those of Véronique Dicaire (mezzo and contralto), who is more powerful, more textured, a better technician in every respect and, as everyone knows, capable of imitating many female vocalists. That said, the difference in the level of the performers is of little importance, as the theatrical interventions between each piece are also factors conducive to the success of the enterprise.
As for the FilmHarmonique orchestra, Francis Choinière’s direction is closer to that of a symphony orchestra than to that hybrid form between modern symphony and jazz big band that some of the crucial composers of these soundtracks, especially those of the 60s and 70s, were hoping for. We don’t always get the desired sparkle from the wind instruments, especially the horns and trombones so beloved of John Barry, to name but one. But then, we imagine that each evening to come will see the orchestra gain muscle and improve.
And we can assure you that fans will have a great time, whether the pleasure is guilty or fully assumed.
Photo Credit: Karl André
Bond Symphonique is presented December 6 and 7 at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, as well as March 8, 2025
