Bond symphonique, First and Foremost a Festival of Theme Songs

by Alain Brunet

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

March 27 at Grand Théâtre de Québec

classique / Jazz / Orchestral Pop / Pop / trad québécois

The sparkling magic of Christmas, Yannick Nézet-Séguin… and Antoine Gratton!

by Frédéric Cardin

Far be it from me to diminish the quality of yesterday’s performances by the guest artists at the (now) classic eclectic Christmas concert by the Orchestre métropolitain and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Mélissa Bédard makes a strong impression in Glory Alleluia and Minuit, chrétiens (O Holy Night). Her full contralto (non operatic) voice, very accurate and free of unnecessary embellishments, stood out. Kim Richardson did the same with other classics such as White Christmas and I’ll be Home for Christmas. Then there was the lyrical sensation of the hour, Élizabeth St-Gelais, who gave us Les Anges dans nos campagnes (Angels We Have Heard On High) and a rather successful Sainte Nuit (Silent Night) sung in Innu (St-Gelais’ indigenous Nation). There was also a fine duet with Michel Rivard, with a heartfelt Gens du pays. Rivard also offered C’est dans la famille, initially a little vocally fragile, but authentic.

Taurey Butler, Mr ‘’Charlie Brown Christmas’’ at Bourgie Hall each season, with the excellent Wali Muhammad on drums and Morgan Moore on double bass, gave us some lovely jazz flights of fancy on the piano (no Charlie Brown, though. That’s reserved for the other hall) in a few traditional titles from the repertoire, and fiddler David Boulanger treated us to a very pleasant Petit concerto for Carignan and orchestra by André Gagnon, with Oleg Larshin, OM’s first violin. Well-controlled contrasts between the ‘classical’ solos of Larshin and Boulanger’s fiddlings, modern echoes of Yehudi Menuhin and Jean Carignan, for whom the work was composed. A true miniature masterpiece, it was accompanied by another of Gagnon’s must-haves: an extract from his 1992 album Noël, the warm and gently melancholy Ronde des bergers (Shepherd’s dance). I’d never paid attention to this detail before, but the horn solos are formidable! Even the ever-perfect Louis-Philippe Marsolais learned this the hard way. Of course, the finale was performed by everyone at the same time, an essential communion embodied by the Beau Dommages/Michel Rivard classic: 23 December. It was a great success, bringing people together in an ecumenical way and reflecting the image of a Quebec that is both ‘’traditional’’’ and coloured by its modern diversity. Well done.

Kim Richardson/Élizabeth St-Gelais/Michel Rivard/OM crédit : Denis Germain – Orchestre Métropolitain

In short, everyone rose to the occasion, and then some. Good humour reigned supreme, and the stage and the entire Maison symphonique shone with a thousand colours, in a cosy, inviting atmosphere. So hats off to them. But the reason I wanted to include Antoine Gratton’s name in my title is that the supreme link between all the pieces, all the performances, all the musical styles evoked in this secular and musical mass, the unifying factor that enabled us to spend almost two hours, without intermission and without any boredom, well hooked into the proceedings, this indispensable secret of success, is Antoine Gratton’s arrangements.

The singer-songwriter, who once called himself A Star, has also been a skilled arranger of symphonic pop concerts for some years now. Yesterday, he came up on top thanks to the originality of the scores he produced for the orchestra and choir, which provided a brilliant accompaniment to the above-mentioned performances. No matter how well-known the tunes, Gratton knows how to sprinkle his arrangements with a host of surprises for the ears, be they harmonic, colouristic or rhythmic. Here’s just one example: the counterpoint between the orchestra’s bells and the backing singers’ clapping hands in a passage from My Favourite Things. Delightful.

The arranger is too often forgotten in this kind of event, but he shouldn’t be, especially not in the case of this concert, which could have turned into a litany of syrupy melodies strung together interminably, had it been for other, less creative pens. Thousands of dinners of turkey, tourtière and cranberry sauce are the same all over Quebec during the festive season. But sometimes there’s a chef in the kitchen, hiding behind his or her pots and pans, who manages to reinvent the classics and bring them all together in a way that’s original enough to be noticed. And all this without going overboard and leaving a bitter taste in the mouth. In cases like this, let’s invite that person to the table and honour him-her (which is what happened on stage yesterday).

Let’s not doubt for a moment that there will be a 2025 edition.

Classical

Schulich | Horatio Quartet wins the Chamber Music Competition 2024-2025

by Judith Hamel

After four vibrant performances by the finalist ensembles, the Horatio Quartet has won the grand prize in the Schulich School of Music’s annual chamber music competition. The musicians win a residency at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg and a performance at the Canadian Centre for Architecture as part of Schulich@Bon-Pasteur series.

The finals took place at Tanna Schulich Hall and were broadcast live. The jury for this stage was made up of Catherine Cosbey, Sara Laimon, Jacqueline Leclair and David Stewart.

The Trio At Work ensemble, comprising violinist Abigail Sunde, cellist Conrad Sobieraj and pianist Jisu Yeum, opened the evening with the Allegro from Mozart’s Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano No. 3. Their light-hearted interpretation transported us into Mozart’s elegance and clarity. In Mendelssohn’s Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano No. 1, which followed, a certain rigidity was felt at times, occasionally depriving the interpretation of vulnerability, but the climaxes were musically well controlled. Clean articulations and just nuances demonstrated their great technical mastery.

The second ensemble to perform, the Lyra Quartet, featured Lucy Nemeth and Jessica Tovey on violins, Hudson Maness on viola, and Ellamay Mantie on cello. From the very first bars of the Allegro from Haydn’s String Quartet No. 2 in F major, Op. 77, their cohesion was evident. The semi-circular placement typical of string quartets certainly favors fluid visual and gestural communication. Still, despite this advantage, each movement seemed naturally amplified by the other, giving us the impression that they were both breathing from the same breath. Their performance culminated in Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 73. By turns carrying innocence and gravity, they exploited the full dynamic potential of this work. Their impeccable phrasing and accuracy of both intonation and emotion offered a moment of rare intensity, both rigorous and profoundly human.

After the intermission, the Horatio Quartet, comprising violinists Justin Saulnier and Joey Machin, violist Alex Beggs and cellist Gabriel Vincent, performed Haydn’s String Quartet in D major No. 4, Op. 20. Their exemplary precision and solidity were evident from the very first lines. The first violin, carried by Justin Saulnier, brilliantly sustained its predominant role throughout the work, infusing the ensemble with constant vitality. Their performance continued with the first movement of Debussy’s String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10, where they demonstrated sensitivity and expressive contrasts.

The evening concluded with the Alexa Trio, made up of violinist Joseph Tsao, cellist Alexander Lewis and pianist Chris Peng. Their performance began with the first movement of Beethoven’s Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano No. 1 in D major, Op. 70, where the piano evoked a softness in the ensemble. They then performed Smetana’s Trio for violin, cello and piano in G minor, Op.15, which opens with a poignant violin solo, followed by the piano’s entrance, bringing depth and nuance. The work is remarkably well-balanced, giving each player an individual voice to let his or her instrument and musicality shine. Their interpretation was breathtaking, exalting the work’s intense, vibrant emotions.

classique / Jazz / Vocal Jazz

Schulich | Christmas classics with the McGill Jazz Orchestra

by Vitta Morales

It was a pleasant coincidence that the McGill Jazz Orchestra’s performance of Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite coincided with the first veritable snowy evening of the year.

This fact did not go unnoticed by conductor Marianne Trudel who was quick to point it out jokingly before the band began their festive selections. “Cozy” wouldn’t be the first superlative I’d use for Tanna Hall but under the circumstances, it did feel as though we in the audience had assembled in the aim of getting toasty and losing ourselves in some classic 60s big band fare. Truly, we were only missing mugs of hot chocolate.

Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker is, of course, a darling of the public domain and has been (re)interpreted countless ways by countless musicians. Ellington and Strayhorn, however, managed to capture something truly special back in 1960 with their arrangement of this prolific Russian ballet; and The McGill Jazz Orchestra’s execution of it was more than solid. It was impressive, as it always is, to see such young musicians achieve such high levels of playing. Some of them, I would say, already have the chops to drop out of their studies and play professionally (I won’t say who in order to avoid potentially angry parents). Having said that, student concerts almost always have a few elements that are rough around the edges. We might call them small reminders that these young cats are, in fact, still learning.

It wasn’t until the third movement, for example, that the bass and drums finally imposed a more confident time feel and stopped acquiescing to those around them. Playing tentatively does nothing to serve the groove so it was a relief when they finally started to trust themselves. Additionally, some solos among the horns seemed to meander at times. Worth mentioning are the soloists who were, by contrast, quite intentional in their playing including Rafael Salazar, Shai Geballe, Maude Fortier, and Jeremy Sandfelder (Although Sandelfer is a more established jazz man in Montreal who found himself subbing on the night so this is perhaps a bit unfair to the students).

The second half of the concert featured Élizabeth Cormier singing a selection of Irving Berlin songs as they were arranged for Ella Fitzgerald. Having recently attended a Caity Gyorgy concert of identical repertoire, it was hard not to get a bit of déjà vu. I should say that Cormier, for her part, is a lovely singer with a nice tone and good stage presence; the one element that I would say needs improvement is her English diction. A troublesome word here and there betrayed her Quebecois accent which is perhaps not ideal when performing Ella’s repertoire but otherwise a harmless enough feature of her singing.

Overall I think the orchestra’s members can, and should, take pride in a job well done as their semester winds down. I have no doubt that, as long as the desire is there, these young players will continue to make strides in their musicality. For now they should probably catch up on some sleep before their winter session. And maybe reach for some hot chocolate.

photo: Tam Lan Truong

Classical / Contemporary

Schulich | Playing in the snow with the Contemporary Music Ensemble

by Judith Hamel

Today is December 4, and the first snow of the year is falling on the city. Tonight, we find ourselves Downtown, in the Music Multimedia Room (MMR) of the Elizabeth Wirth Music Building. While the McGill Jazz Orchestra loosens its fingers in Tanna Schulich Hall, the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble, under the baton of Mélanie Léonard, offered us a snow-themed concert.

The concert began with the premiere of Distant Paths by composer Kalen Smith. Composed as part of his thesis, this fifteen-minute piece mobilizes some fifteen musicians, including woodwinds, brass, strings, harp, piano, drums and percussion. The work explores different contrasts: linearity and non-linearity, tonality and atonality, movement and stoicism, cross-fades and abrupt breaks. The strings, often the ones carrying the shifting lines, were complemented by resolutely straight drums, instilling stable motion or… shifting stability.

Throughout the piece, the opposition between tonality and atonality takes center stage. Atonal lines multiply and culminate in tonal climaxes, driven in particular by brass instruments with fanfare-like colors. When the drums mingle with saxophone keys and bow strokes, the composer’s rich textural work is revealed. The work ends with a long blast of tam-tam and cymbal, which is left to resonate until the very last fragment of sound.

The second work of the evening transports us into the icy, poetic world of Schnee (Snow), by Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen. This hour-long work plunges the audience into a meditative state, depicting snow in its many facets: from icy air to chilling frost, from the delicacy of snowflakes to the mysterious enchantment of a winter landscape.

Two sources of inspiration guided Abrahamsen in the creation of this work: snow, of course, but also Bach’s canons, which he had orchestrated several years earlier. While the Bachian influence dissipates in Schnee’s contemporary sonorities, the work remains marked by the rigor of its structures and the hypnotic power reminiscent of Bach’s genius.

The composer takes us on a journey that transcends our perception of time. The first canons, each about ten minutes long, seem to stretch time, while the unfolding of the canons gradually accelerates, culminating in a tenth that lasts barely a minute. This temporal progression reflects the changing nature of snow: sometimes soothing, sometimes swirling and unpredictable. As the work progresses, we feel, through the music, the biting cold, the suffocating sound of snowy landscapes and the dance of the flakes, from the most delicate to the most unleashed.

The musicians brilliantly brought this concert to life. Their technical playing was more than up to scratch, and their interpretation did justice to the complexity of the score. The positioning of the musicians in Schnee was also very interesting. Indeed, the pianos placed face to face, on either side of the stage, created a stereophonic dialogue, offering the audience a remarkable breadth of sound.

Jazz lovers and fans of contemporary music finally found themselves outside in a light snowstorm. Perhaps the one indoors was more pleasant after all…

photo : Tam Lan Truong

Brazilian / Brazilian jazz / Soul/R&B

Festival de Jazz – Brazil’s Luedji Luna Brings The Snow to Montreal

by Sandra Gasana

Despite the first snowfall of the season, this didn’t stop music lovers from coming to Studio TD to see Bahian singer Luedji Luna. Not her first time in the metropolis, but a first in this venue. “I remember when I first came to Montreal, it was for the Festival de Jazz, outdoors,” she recalls. Most of the songs were taken from her third album Bom Mesmo é Estar Debaixo d’Àgua Deluxe, with a track of the same name. Accompanied by her musicians – drums, bass, keyboards and percussion – she took to the stage wearing an electric grey dress. With her unique blend of jazz, Afro-Brazilian rhythms, soul and RnB, she offers us a Brazilian version of some of the classics that rocked our youth. She opens with Metàfora, which sounds like something straight out of the 90s, and Pele, on which she collaborated with Ethiopian artist Mereba, who wasn’t there but whose voice we heard.

She covers two classics during her show, Sade’s No Ordinary Love and a track by Brazilian artist Djavan, but adds her own touch to it. In fact, she launched the “Luedji Sings Sade” concept in Brazil. Of course, she couldn’t leave without performing the song that marked a turning point in her career, Banho de Folhas, to which she invites the crowd to dance, much to their delight.

The opening act was Glowzi, a DJ/singer accompanied by a trumpet player, and together they set the perfect mood to welcome Luedji, mixing soul, electro, RnB and jazz. They also took the opportunity to send a message of solidarity to Palestine, Darfur and the Tigray region.

chanson keb franco / Indie Rock / Pop-Rock

Émile Bourgault at Sala Rossa | The Celebrated DoesThings in Style

by Sami Rixhon

Émile Bourgault turned 21! This very evening, November 27. Instead of treating himself to a night out with friends, the young musician from Montreal’s South Shore treated himself to a show at the Sala Rossa. The gang probably went out to celebrate Bourgault with a few drinks afterwards, in fact, but let’s start with the essentials: the music…

I’ve been following Émile Bourgault for a long time. I got to know him over three years ago as an undecided student at Cégep du Vieux Montréal. Then I appreciated his performance at the Francouvertes 2022, and a few months later I saw him play at Osheaga, on the Arbres stage, in front of a small crowd of a hundred people. He even gave a performance in my father’s garden, that’s saying something!

And each time, it gets better and better. You can see that he’s gaining experience and confidence. It’s not the first time I’ve written about him, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be treading the boards at Club Soda for his solo project very soon.

In two years, big max.

Bourgault opens his show with the title track from his, so far, only album, Tant mieux, then continues with Nœud coulant. He has a touch of Pierre Lapointe about him on these sad songs, a touch magnified by the invaluable help of melancholic par excellence Félix Dyotte, who produced his long project. The more Émile Bourgault matures, the more sorrow he experiences, and the more beautiful things he has to say (which we, as an audience, will feel even more) in tracks where spleen is so much in the foreground.

For the moment, it’s on the more pop songs that Bourgault excels, in my opinion, such as Juillet or Les aiguilles, which gives the impression of listening to a Thierry Larose who’s just discovered the saxophone – excellent lines from Florence Beauquier-Léger on sax, by the way, probably the most outstanding accompanying musician of the evening. As for Monique, she’s more into rock, and very well at that, which tells us that Émile Bourgault should perhaps explore this avenue a little more, to get a more eclectic sound.

“I know I still have a crowd at the end of the session, so thank you all for being here,” he breathes before performing Ma dépendance.

Throughout his show, Émile Bourgault will be performing duets with various emerging artists, including Sofia Duhaime (on Nos amours cimetières), his girlfriend Sam Tanguay (on L’oreiller) and Otto (on Si tu pars). But it was the performance of Ailleurs, with Louis-Julien Durso, that stole the show during the evening. The two young men have known each other for years, and you can feel it. You can feel the chemistry, the extra something when they take the mic together. In fact, it was Durso who was responsible for staging the show.

Bourgault will not be performing any songs from his first two EPs. He’ll prefer covers, new material… not even Pauvre & malheureux, which was a big hit with the music-loving student community of Old Montreal (and other CEGEPs in town). We understand that Émile is looking ahead, he’s determined and will most likely succeed.

The project hasn’t reached its final stage, and Émile is still trying to find his feet, but when he does, he’ll have to be prepared. It’s going to happen fast.

Just before the encore, Bourgault performs Les aiguilles. The audience sings along to the chorus, perfectly. There’s no better gift. Especially for his birthday.

Les dauphins et les ~~licornes~~ céréales

Céréales Dauphin. Funny name. The Sainte-Thérèse troupe opened the ball before Émile took to the stage later in the evening. I left with a certain preconceived notion that I hadn’t been charmed by their only song released on platforms, Lucky Charms. But live, it’s something else.

The quintet do very well on stage, and the technical level, for the age of the members (in their early twenties), is excellent. There’s a touch of The Strokes in the sound, combined with a high-school style of dress. Now we’ll have to make more material appear, but the potential is there.

A name that could, I’m not surprised to say, find its way into the Francouvertes 21 in a few years’ time.

LIST OF SONGS ON THE PROGRAM (ÉMILE BOURGAULT)

1. Tant mieux
2. Nœud coulant
3. Juillet
4. Ma dépendance
5. Nos amours cimetières (avec Sofia Duhaime)
6. Les souvenirs heureux
7. Ailleurs (avec Louis-Julien Durso)
8. L’oreiller (avec Sam Tanguay)
9. Always on my mind (avec Norah Lapointe)
10. Monique
11. J’imagine
12. Si tu pars (avec Otto)
13. Marcher, passer, partir
14. Les aiguilles

ENCORE

1. Vivre enfin
2. L’alinéa

Photo Credit : Charles-Antoine Marcotte

Post-Rock

Godspeed You! Black Emperor | Calls to resistance

by Claire Martin

Back in Montreal after a European tour, the legendary band Godspeed You! Black Emperor treated fans to a high-octane experience at two sold-out shows on November 25 and 26, 2024 at MTELUS.

20h59. As the lights go down, a respectful silence settles in. The hum of a low, powerful drone spreads across the room. On stage, the instruments are silent. The drone continues.

Finally, the musicians arrive, discreetly. Bassist Thierry Amar and violinist Sophie Trudeau play the first notes of an improvised introduction over a drone background, soon joined by the other band members, guitarists Efrim Menuck, Mike Moya and David Bryant, bassist Mauro Pezzente and two (yes, two!) drummers: Aidan Girt and Timothy Herzog.

GY!BE’s sonic aesthetic is reflected visually on stage: it’s dark. The band is barely visible, lit only by the orange glow of 16mm film projections. Composed of textures, abstract images and political sequences evoking a dark, angst-ridden universe, these art films are created by the band’s long-time collaborators and filmmakers, Karl Lemieux and Philippe Léonard.

For almost two hours, Godspeed takes us into a world filled with fire, blood and divine wrath. Epic crescendos, euphoric and thunderous, deafening waves of distortion crash against percussive mountains. The individual pieces seem to merge into one, with moments of furious storm, melancholy lulls and cinematic transitions.

Throughout the concert, there were few of the telephones that often rise above the crowd. Instead, the multi-generational audience surrendered to Godspeed’s sonic catharsis. Some were almost in a trance, others swayed a little, but for the most part, they just stood there, grave and motionless, fascinated by the anarchic symphony unfolding on stage.

This concert was an opportunity to discover live several tracks from GY!BE’s latest album “No Title as of 13 February 2024, 28,340 Dead”. The title, which refers to the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes between October 7, 2023 and February 13, 2024, is accompanied by a statement addressing the role of art in these dark times: “No Title = What gestures make sense as tiny bodies fall? What context? What broken melody?…”

Political commitment has always been at the forefront of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Their albums are manifestos, their concerts are calls to resistance.

Choral Music / Classical / musique contemporaine

Schulich | Duruflé’s grandeur at the Maison

by Judith Hamel

The Maison Symphonique vibrated this Sunday afternoon under the bows, mouthpieces and voices of the students of the McGill Symphony Orchestra, the Schulich Chamber Choir and the McGill University Choir. No fewer than 230 musicians took to the stage to honour this remarkable music on an impressive program spanning the 20th-century and diverse aesthetics.

While their Pollack concert hall is closed, the ensembles take advantage of the opportunity to play in several of the city’s venues. This time, it was the Maison Symphonique. 45 minutes before the start of the concert, the audience was greeted with a musical performance by the Schulich Chamber Choir in the hall’s Foyer. Under the Christmas tree and in front of a very attentive audience, they gave us a fine introduction, led by 6 choirmasters.

As a prelude to the Requiem, the concert got off to a gentle start with the choral piece Ubi Caritas. The 90-strong orchestra, 140 choristers and Maison Symphonique Pierre-Béique organ, conducted by Jean-Sébastien Vallée, followed with a remarkable performance of Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem.

Despite some passages where a little more assurance from the choir would have been appreciated, it nonetheless stood out for its impressive solidity, alternating between melodic passages of great finesse and heart-rending fortissimos. And when choir, orchestra and organ unite, the sonic impact in the hall is staggering. The power of the ensemble literally overwhelms the audience. The fourth movement, Hosanna, stood out for its spectacular intensity, highlighting the hall’s acoustics. In the fifth movement, Pie Jesu, the orchestra showcased mezzo-soprano Javiera Zepeda magnificently, particularly in her high passages, where her vocal mastery combined perfectly with the timbre of the alti and cellos. The Requiem was a highlight of the concert.

Then, after the intermission, the performance of Schoenberg’s Theme and Variations was carried off by a remarkably solid brass section. From the very first expositions of the main theme, articulations were clean and precise, highlighting an essential feature of the work. Each section offered distinctive sonic spaces, allowing the orchestra to reveal all the finesse of the counterpoint and the elegance of the orchestration.

The concert ended with Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations, taking us into a subtle and mysterious interplay. Each of the 14 variations sketches a sonorous portrait of someone close to the composer, blending tenderness, playfulness and depth, culminating in a final variation in which he reveals himself. The most striking variation was the ninth, Nimrod, in which Alexis Hauser brought a poignant intensity to the musicians. Another impressive moment was the tenth variation, named Dorabella, where strings and woodwind perfectly captured the mischievous laughter of Elgar’s friend Dora Penny, offering a moment of lightness and humor. Finally, perhaps in some passages the trombonists overdid the power of their instrument, but we forgive them.

Altogether, it was a magnificent concert, in which the musicians seemed to be fully inspired by the grandeur of the venue. Before plunging into the holiday spirit, this afternoon put a balm on our November blues.

photo : Tam Photography

Classical / Classical Singing / Opera

Faculté de musique de l’UdeM | An Effective Evening at The Opera

by Alexandre Villemaire

The 2024-2025 season of the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Music is currently in full swing. Perched on the slopes of Mont-Royal at the top of the famous Vincent-d’Indy Avenue hill, around a hundred people gathered in Salle Claude-Champagne on Saturday to hear the current crop of young singers. It was a great opportunity to discover them in preparation for their production of Hansel und Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921), to be presented at the end of February. The students were accompanied by pianist/conductor Robin Wheeler and Alona Milner.

A sober evening, presented in gala form without extravagant presentation or complex staging, but not lacking in quality moments. In this operatic evening, several excerpts from works covering a vast spectrum of the operatic repertoire were presented. From German Romantic opera to bel canto, operetta and Baroque opera, it was a seamless transition. This panorama allows us to see the different performers in action, in a variety of styles, lyrical expressions and character incarnations. Verdi’s Witches from Macbeth opened the evening. With piercing eyes, the sopranos and mezzos of this chorus presented a biting, menacing reading of this page of verismo. The few choral numbers that graced the program were among the evening’s most appreciated for their strength and technical precision. The overall sound was enveloping, the articulation just right and precise. A case in point was the excerpt from Mozart’s Idomeneo “Placido è il mar… Soavi Zeffrini”, where the balance of voices between the numerous women’s voices and the five men’s voices was soaring, balanced and complementary to Marie France Eba Koua’s singing.

In terms of individual voices, several performances caught our attention. Among the men’s voices, baritone Élie Lefebvre-Pellegrino stood out for his beautiful, resonant, full, round and slightly brassy low register, coupled with good stage presence. His interpretation of Nilakantha’s aria from Léo Delibes’ Lakmé was assured and committed, as was his performance as Count Almaviva in the duet “Crudel! Perche s’ignora” duet from The Marriage of Figaro with Kevisha Williams. However, his passages in the upper register still need to be stabilized. Fellow singer Théo Raffin offered some of his best stage performances in Don Giovanni’s Leporello (“Sola, sola in buio loco”) and Romeo and Juliet’s Mercutio (“Mab, la reine des mensonges”). In both cases, his interventions were both interpretative and vocal. The only bass in the cohort, Andrew Erasmus delivered the difficult aria “O du Mein Holder Abendstern” from Wagner’s Tannhäuser with finesse and sensitivity.

As for the female voices, Maëlig Querré (mezzo-soprano) made a good impression in her role as Romeo from Bellini’s I Capuletti e i Montecchi. Her agile, assured voice with a sonorous low register complemented Nicole Ross’s Giulietta, who, despite great strength and agility in her high notes, reached the end of her range by the end of the aria. Cloée Morisette and Clotilde Moretti were equally sparkling in an excerpt from Carl Maria von Weber’s Freischütz. Another name to remember is mezzo-soprano Julie Boutrais. She distinguished herself in the duet from Moneverdi’s opera L’Incoronazione di Poppea, performed with Salomé Karam. Playing respectively King Nero and his lover Poppea, the two singers perfectly captured the passionate feelings and intoxication evoked in “Signor, oggi rinasco” as Nero announces to Poppea that she is to be his wife. Julie Boutrais also brought the evening to a close with her warm, embodied voice in Dido and Æneas‘ final aria “When I am laid in Earth”, followed by the final chorus from the same opera. A moment that sent shivers down our spines.

If we have to make one slight criticism of the concert, it’s the lack of detail in the program. A gala-style singing recital featuring a succession of arias, duets, trios and choruses from different periods and styles allows the singers to express themselves in a variety of roles and characters, and at the same time introduces the audience to protagonists and operas with which they may be less familiar. It would be a good idea to provide a little context for these works, to situate them for the audience. The excerpt from the trio “Je vais d’un cœur aimant” from Hector Berlioz’s opera Béatrice et Bénédict is a good example. Maëlig Querré, Maïlys Arbaoui-Westphal and Anne-Sophie Gagnon-Metellus performed this excerpt from a little-performed opus well, and would have deserved a little program note to appreciate it even more.

Caribbean / Dancehall / konpa / Soul/R&B

Mundial Montréal | Magdala, The New Standard for Montreal Konpa?

by Alain Brunet

“Moi j’ai 5 pieds 4 et j’ai pas besoin d’escabeau”, sings Magdala in Grind Mode, a konpa track of her own. A colleague tells me that the Montreal singer has already tried in vain to make her mark in Quebec TV voice contests. What do you think?

We all know that these contests rarely lead to a singular career, and that a tiny minority of lucky ones make a long-term name for themselves in local pop for the general public.

Even fewer make a name for themselves like Dominique Fils-Aimé, who was also noticed in these contests, and who have the strength of character to forge their own path without following the dictates of FM pop.

Magdala, on the other hand, follows neither path and paves her own: this is Montreal’s new konpa, the new standard, her own!

Wednesday at Café Campus, in the context of Mundial Montréal, Magdala was hoping to convince professionals from all over the world to sign deals with showcase artists, including Magdala in this case.

It’s time for this artist to emerge beyond the Haitian diaspora circuit – Haiti, Paris, Miami, New York, Montreal, etc. Since the 50s, every generation of konpa has had its champions, and the style has never stopped evolving without getting the credit it deserves: konpa’s rhythmic cell is the mother of Afro-descendant beats as popular as zouk, reggaeton and Nigerian afrobeats.

Magdala maintains the rhythm and spirit of konpa, but adds a number of updates that give it a distinctive signature: different keyboards from the traditional Farfisa in konpa (although some Farfisian sounds are sometimes brought back to the menu!), heavier backbeat on drums and bass, greater emphasis on guitar, integration of soul/R&B and dancehall.

Magdala’s mezzo-soprano voice flows naturally, her stage presence exudes sensuality and star power, and her authority is unmistakable. To all intents and purposes, Magdala is ready for the big leagues. But, as we all know, many legitimate contenders for the big leagues don’t win the lottery of mass success… Magdala is relatively close to her goal, and we wish her every success, because she has everything she needs to get there. No need for a stepladder!

acadie / Country Folk / Punk Rock

Marathon | P’tit Belliveau at MTELUS, Baptism of Fire

by Sami Rixhon

First MTELUS in the sights for Jonah Guimond, aka P’tit Belliveau. After four Club Soda gigs in one year, it was time to get down to business. The real deal. And as the challenge was met with flying colors by the merry Acadian troupe, oh yes.

P’tit Belliveau is now entering the big leagues, finally treading the boards of this Montreal temple. A far cry from the young, fiery Jonah Guimond of Les Grosses Coques, who confined himself to his sometimes limited country-pop sympathies. The native of Baie Sainte-Marie, Nova Scotia, has reaffirmed himself all the more in this particularly audacious artist, who makes a mockery of industry codes and is devilishly entertaining.

P’tit Belliveau kicks off his show with Depuis que la neige a fondu and Moosehorn Lake, from his first two projects. Alternating throughout the show between banjo and electric guitar, he presents a majority of songs from his new album, the namesake P’tit Belliveau, exploring pop-punk corners à la Blink-182 as much as metal or rap avenues. Bold, I tell you.

“If there’s one person in the room who’s not singing, I’ll take my music off Spotify and stop the show,” he warns, before performing the gritty Mon drapeau acadjonne viens d’Taïwan. There’s everything you want in a P’tit Belliveau concert. Want a laugh? Check out the projections behind the band, featuring everything from exercising frogs to John Deere tractors. Want to be baffled? Let yourself be surprised by a baffling extramusical interlude where a wrestler, out of nowhere, comes on stage to fight the band, only to be brought down by a shirtless P’tit Belliveau – “Never fuck with P’tit Belliveau. Ever,” he adds afterwards. Prefer to move? Go to the front of the stage, among his faithful followers throwing mosh pits to absolutely anything. There’s something for everyone.

Hats off to the accompanying musicians, particularly talented and entertaining with their wacky choreography and their mandolin and fiddle solos galore. Two members of the delirious punk quartet Peanut Butter Sunday (Normand Pothier and Jacques Blinn) have been playing with P’tit Belliveau on stage for some time now, which may explain the rock bent Guimond is increasingly exploiting in his compositions.

The Acadian artist closes the regular part of his show with RRSP/Grosse pièce, from his second album, then returns to the stage for an excellent encore mixing children’s songs (L’arbre est dans ses feuilles), new material (L’église de St. Bernard) and old hits (J’aimerais d’avoir un John Deere and, of course, Income Tax). The audience wants more and more, forcing the band to come back and jam for a few minutes for a second, seemingly impromptu encore.

P’tit Belliveau reiterated several times in the show how grateful he is to count on the unfailing support of his public and his chums, for so many years (something he already said in Demain). Thanks to you, P’tit Belliveau, for proposing such a singular offering in a local industry that’s often too standardized. Quite simply, one of today’s finest Franco-Canadian artists.