Virée classique | Harmony of the ride, the tradition continues

by Alexis Desrosiers-Michaud

As is the tradition every year, there was a (twice) presentation at the Complexe Desjardins of the Harmonie de la Virée, a wind orchestra of high school youth from Joseph-François-Perrault schools, Notre-Dame, Laval and Jean-Eudes colleges, the Pensionnat Saint-Nom-de-Marie as well as FACE. This year, the Harmonie was conducted by Stéphane Forgues, an experienced teacher at JFP.

This program of music written exclusively for wind orchestra represented a beautiful blend of nature (the theme of this Outing), the seasons, and the four elements (fire, earth, water, and air).
The first piece, “Hounds of Spring,” resembles a village dance set to a pastoral rhythm. It showcases the orchestra’s ensemble qualities. Next came “Come Down Rain,” which depicts a rainstorm in an arid region. Inspired by Arabian music, Jack Wild’s work allows several young soloists to shine. The middle piece is “October” by Eric Whitacre, also known for his choral pieces. As its name suggests, October captures the calm of autumn.

The penultimate work is Frank Tichelli’s ebullient Vesuvius. It’s a highly energetic piece that inevitably recalls the tragedy of Pompeii. Rhythmically complex, Vesuvius gets the most out of the teenage musicians, and Frogues, a master technician, never lets up and demonstrates extreme precision. The concert ends with Rossano Galante’s The Wilderness. A very catchy piece, especially thanks to the percussion, it feels like several times that one is on board a train hurtling through the snow-capped mountains and forests that cover North America.

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Classical

Virée classique | Helmchen and Taylor: Through a Storm of Emotions

by Alexandre Villemaire

It was a well-attended symphony hall that discovered the sensitive playing of pianist Martin Helmchen and the deep voice of mezzo-soprano Beth Taylor. These two internationally renowned performers won over a diverse audience, ranging from seasoned classical music lovers to those experiencing the atmosphere of the symphony hall for the first time.

In terms of repertoire, they were treated to two works of great contrast. In the first part of the concert, Martin Helmchen performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491. One of the composer’s last works, this penultimate concerto in his series of twelve is filled with theatrical flourishes and nuances in the interplay between the piano and the orchestra, which Payare and Helmchen brought out with finesse. Martin Helmchen’s playing is delicate and agile, even in the more lively moments. One of the qualities of Helmchen’s interpretation is also his sense of musical phrasing and his use of silences in the music. He allows the pauses in the music to breathe naturally, particularly in the final cadenza of the concerto, with great theatricality.

The stylistic contrast was striking with mezzo-soprano Beth Taylor’s interpretation of British composer Edward Elgar’s Sea Pictures cycle. The work, based on five poems by different poets, evokes the sea in all its forms, from its immensity and calm to its unpredictable nature. Bath Taylor conveyed the different emotions conveyed in the text and music with a vivid interpretation. From the very first note of “Sea-Slumber Song,” the Scottish mezzo-soprano’s round timbre, both dark and luminous, struck us and transported us into a world of sound and poetry. There was a slight misstep in the second verse of the fourth poem, “Where Corals”—whose perpetual offbeat rhythm can be tricky—but it did not lead to a major derailment of the vocal line. She concluded the concert with a performance of interpretive aplomb.

It was an evening of concert finesse, albeit punctuated by noise from the audience. There are some things that can be overlooked in the context of the Virée Classique experience, but bringing a young baby to hear this type of repertoire does no one any favours.

Photo : Antoine Saito

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Classical / Classical Period / Modern Classical

Virée classique | Two excellent soloists performing a second-rate work

by Alain Brunet

I preferred the excerpt from Míkis Theodorakis’ Sinfonietta for flute, piano, and string orchestra, performed Saturday evening at the Maison symphonique, to the more violent, rhythmic, virtuosic, and unique fourth movement of his Symphony No. 2, Le chant de la terre, performed last Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium.

In both cases, Godwin Friesen was the soloist. Initially, his instrument was placed at the centre of the orchestra, somewhat in keeping with his atypical role: a solo truly interwoven with the orchestral discourse, whose individual performance blended more than in a “normal” concerto for piano and orchestra.

Secondly, we are dealing with a work closer to the modern or post-Romantic orchestrations developed at the beginning of the previous century and revisited in the middle of that same century by the Greek composer, in 1947. This time, we see a more melodic, more conformist inclination, except perhaps for the peculiarity of presenting two soloists in the context of a composition that is easier to play. Namely, concert pianist Godwin Friesen and OSM solo flutist Timothy Hutchins.

The technical demands of the late composer, who was very prolific, were therefore somewhat less demanding for this second performance of his works in the same Virée. In my opinion, the performance was flawless, a proper work whose objective is clear: to allow two excellent musicians, one an emerging soloist and the other a veteran, to express themselves.

We were then treated to a delightful Pastorale served as the main course by the OSM and Rafael Payare, Beethoven’s most reassuring symphony. It was composed between 1805 and 1808 by the famous composer, who was disappointed with the urbanization of Vienna, which he found detrimental to its natural surroundings. Two and a quarter centuries have passed since then, with the results we all know…

PROGRAM

Artists

Rafael Payare, conductor

Timothy Hutchins, flute

Godwin Friesen, piano

Works

Míkis Theodorakis, Sinfonietta for flute, piano, and string orchestra (22 min)

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 2, The Song of the Earth, “Pastoral” (38 min)

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Classical / Modern Classical / Tango Nuevo

Virée classique | Four Seasons of Buenos Aires… Female students? Male students? The audience can’t tell the difference!

by Alain Brunet

The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, or Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas, four works of modern tango by Astor Piazzolla, brought together in homage to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, have been featured in countless classical programs over the past three decades.

As Andrew Wan, who was entrusted with the task of conducting the transcription of the work for 12 strings, pointed out, this work is now part of the language that must be mastered. And that is why the best students recruited to carry out this mission had to master this tango nuevo before taking to the stage, and no one was disappointed in the quiet Esplanade audience on that beautifully sunny Saturday.

So, the arrangement by violinist Leonid Desyatnikov, popularized in the past by the great Gidon Kremer, was chosen. Except for the lead violinist, 12 instrumentalists were recruited, producing an ensemble effect very different from the original instrumentation: bandoneon, violin, double bass, piano, and electric guitar.

To stay true to the spirit of the piece, the soloists must use typical tango effects, notably bow strokes in the high register at the end of certain phrases.

Each of the four guest soloists: Eva Lesage’s fluid playing in Verano Porteño (Summer) was marked by lyricism and firmness, a magnificent season accompanied by direct references to a season imagined by Antonio Vivaldi in the Baroque era. Otoño Porteño (Autumn) highlights the talent of Anaïs Saucier-Lafond, whose playing has a powerful gravity and even a very beautiful sound, combined with very solid articulation, despite a few tiny details that need to be corrected in this case. The soliloquy at the end was particularly promising.

The most delicate piece, in my opinion, was Olena Kapersky’s Invierno Porteño (Winter), which begins in icy tranquility and reveals an angular discourse from the soloist, who expresses himself before receiving a vigorous response from his dozen colleagues, concluding with an obvious reinterpretation of Vivaldi.

Finally, Charlotte van Barr brought the program to a beautiful close with the very dynamic Primavera Porteña (Spring) and distinguished herself with her impeccable articulation in the virtuoso phrases required by the score.

Connoisseurs and laymen alike were delighted!

The only other member of the OSM present at this program, violinist and violist Victor Fournelle-Blain conducted the first student performance on the program, on the romantic side: Edvard Grieg’s Holberg Suite, an instrumental suite in five movements, composed in 1884 in the style of baroque and ancient works – prelude, sarabande, gavotte, air, and rigaudon. This Baroque style allowed the Norwegian composer to make direct references to JS Bach, to which he added elements of Norwegian folklore in certain movements. Very beautiful, very lyrical, very close to Nordic nature, as suggested by the general theme of Virée 2025.

As Victor Fournelle-Blain explained at the outset, the work was originally written for piano before he adapted it himself for string orchestra. We cannot conclude that this was an academic performance by these model students, but rather one of emerging virtuosity already imbued with the spirit of music.

Artists

Andrew Wan, violin and conductor

Soloists:

Eva Lesage, violin soloist, 1st season, from Quebec, graduated from the Montreal Conservatory, currently studying in Vienna

Anaïs Saucier-Lafond, violin soloist, second season, from Quebec, currently studying at the Conservatory

Olena Kaspersky, violin soloist, third season, American from Los Angeles, currently studying at McGill

Charlotte van Barr, violin soloist, fourth season, from Ottawa, Ontario, currently studying at McGill

Julien Haynes, viola

Victor Fournelle-Blain, viola

Sophia Tseng, viola

Sophia Battel, cello

Ellamay Mantie, cello

Evelyne Méthot, cello

Étienne Beaulieu-Gaule, double bass

William Deslauries-Allain, double bass

Pieces

Edvard Grieg, Suite Holberg

I. Praeludium. Allegro vivace (4 min)
II. Sarabande. Andante espressivo (4 min)
III. Gavotte. Allegretto – Musette. Un poco più mosso (4 min)
IV. Air. Andante religioso (5 min)
V. Rigaudon. Allegro con brio (4 min)

Astor Piazzolla, Les quatre saisons de Buenos Aires

Otoño Porteño (6 min)
Invierno Porteño  (7 min)
Primavera Porteña (5 min)
Verano Porteño (7 min)

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Singing songs for moody souls, wicked scenes for grotesque tongues and…

by Z Neto Vinheiras

EAF and SAT attracted the dedicated audiovisual community into a night for all savours: Samuel Gougoux setting the mood with his ambient-jazz impressionist chansons, CECILIA embodying and orchestrating all forms of art in a single performance, and the collaboration between VISIO and Orchestroll strolling through sonic and visual matter.

In a seated setting, the space is inviting for a more attentive listening and overall experience. The night starts smoothly yet moody, navigating in the flow of a feeling in between angelic lights – Samuel Gougoux makes us feels like we’re in our friends’ living room on a Sunday late afternoon, singing and listening to each other, the sunset light invading the room through the windows, bathing, caressing our skins. The character is simple, honest, pictorial and intimate.

On a contrasting note, CECILIA’s silhouette cuts through the scene dragging a chair for a promising confrontation – she seats with the back facing the audience, wearing a long dark coat backwards – she has stories to tell, poetry to unmask, images to be seen, mirrors to be broken. WHAT EYE FOR is an impeccable junction of all art forms, each one manipulated with sharp intention and a very clear reason. Nothing is meaningless or superfluous. With detuned vocals, a theatrical space, words gazing back at you, shadow play and images moving between the dream and the real, CECILIA takes us to the gloomy side of things – extravagant excess but never exaggerate; exquisite yet so human; raw and bold without forcing it on your face; classy and so strange. A most creative whole-scenic performance that will linger in your memory.

Lastly, the headliners Orchestroll and Italian artist VISIO present their collaborative work AURA SLEEPTRACK – combining electronic, acoustic instruments and oneiric imageries, it feels just like a dreamy heatwave or an igneous way into sound and visuals. The here trio gives us density, mass and matter for a spectacular closing, each one very tuned to their instrument and with this sort of volcanic energy that does not leave the audience go home unshaken. A blast to the senses!

And a great night for EAF, SAT and us devoted listeners.

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Classical / Contemporary / Indigenous peoples / Inuit

Virée classique | Mozart by sleigh to the Far North

by Alain Brunet

Dina Gilbert, a conductor who has been closely associated with the OSM for several years (she was assistant conductor from 2013 to 2016), conducted this small ensemble on a journey “from Vienna to the Far North.” She appeared on Saturday before a nearly full Fifth Hall.

The idea was to divide the program into two distinct parts for the same ensemble: violin, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, and percussion. This instrumentation corresponds to that chosen in 2008 by maestro Kent Nagano for a tour of Nunavik with the OSM. A commission was then placed with Inuit composer Alexina Louie, which was performed in various Arctic locations.

First, Gilles Bellemare’s arrangement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, more specifically Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major, a well-known piece that every Westerner has heard. The effect is rather average in a small ensemble in front of an audience, and this has nothing to do with its performance. It feels like listening to a mini military band from the pre-industrial era, and the choice of complementary piece to the main work could have been very different. While it is understandable to want to popularize music among these novice music lovers who systematically applaud between movements (no one has told them not to, mind you), linking contemporary music with such a mega-hit by Mozart, composed in the 18th century, seems questionable in this particular context.

A better complement would have been preferable to accompany the pièce de résistance, an Indigenous work imagined by an Inuit composer. Alexina Louie is one such composer, educated in Western music faculties and keen to pass on her Indigenous culture. In this case, the composer evokes the Arctic landscape, dog sledding, summer mosquitoes, and other elements of traditional Inuit daily life through sound, adding two throat singers to this classical ensemble: Taqralik Partridge and Julie Larouche were called in at the last minute because their colleagues were unable to fly this weekend for reasons we can imagine.

It should be noted that Inuit women’s throat singing is primarily a game that 20th-century ethnologists and composers found to be very musical. Since then, interest in throat singing has remained high, as we regularly see projects featuring it—Oktoecho did so just a few days ago at Présence autochtone.

Throat singers are no longer the exotic curiosity they were in the 1970s and 1980s. They have developed their technique, and the variety of their guttural textures, the rhythms of their performance, and the patterns of their phrasing have evolved considerably. However, the sound material remains fairly basic, and the musical potential of throat singing remains limited. Ultimately, more work is needed to develop the language. As for the instruments of the “South,” we were at the service of a rather consonant work, marked by repeated motifs and leaving room for individual expression. Worthy of interest, certainly…

ARTISTES

Taqralik Partridge, throat singing

Julie Larouche, throat singing

Marianne Dugal, violin

Ali Yazdanfar, upright bass

Alain Desgagné, clarinet

Mathieu Harel, bassoon

Paul Merkelo, trumpet

James Box, trombone

Serge Desgagnés, percussions

Works

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (arr. G. Bellemare), Une petite musique de nuit (16 min)

Alexina Louie, Take The Dog Sled (21 min)

Classical / post-romantique

Virée classique | Symphony (participatory) of La Virée, for and by our community

by Alexandre Villemaire

It is a tradition that has continued since the beginning of the Virée classique: at each edition, amateur musicians come together to form an ad hoc orchestra and perform pieces from the symphonic repertoire to the audience gathered at the Complexe Desjardins. This Symphonie de la Virée, which has established itself as one of the most eagerly awaited and popular events of this mini festival organized by the OSM, attracts the attention and ears of many attentive and curious passers-by.

Conducting the various instrumentalists is Adam Johnson, newly appointed music and artistic director of the Laval Symphony Orchestra, who has been commissioned this year with a program that flirts with both familiar repertoire and new discoveries, including several local composers.

The orchestra began with Felix Mendelssohn’s Overture to The Hebrides, an energetic and dynamic piece with lyrical lines and percussive string passages. This was followed by a suite of three dances by Florence Price, one of the most important American composers of the 20th century and the first African American woman to have one of her symphonies performed by a major US orchestra. Dances in the Canebreaks, one of her last pieces, is steeped in African-American folk inflections with energetic, lyrical, and lively movements, marked by exchanges and interactions between the strings and brass and passages accompanied by pizzicato.

From Russian-born Canadian composer Airat Ichmouratov, the orchestra played his overture The Myth of the Falcon, a programmatic work based on the mythical bird of the Hungarian people, of whom they are said to be the descendants. It is an extremely colorful work in which Ichmouratov’s talent as an orchestrator is evident, particularly in the passage leading up to the final climax of the piece, which surprised many with its sudden change in dynamics.

The concert concluded with an excerpt from Maxime Goulet’s Symphonie de la tempête du verglas (Symphony of the Ice Storm). The movement, entitled Chaleur, represents, with luminous energy, the mutual aid that took place during the extreme weather event of 1998. Jig and rigadoon rhythms run through this work, which was conducted by Rafael Payare. A frenzied conclusion that celebrated the love of music for these musicians from all walks of life.

Photo : Gabriel Fournier

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période romantique

Classical Spree 2025 | Dances with animals

by Frédéric Cardin

The Obiora ensemble, a classical orchestra made up of musicians from diversity, was on the stage of the Maison symphonique yesterday afternoon, for an attractive program, marked “for the whole family.” And the whole family was there, especially the little ones who squirm and whisper. It makes me happy to witness these kind of events, and I recommend parents not to scold their kids too much when they move a little in their seats. That’s what those concerts are for! Don’t make them feel too much that the concert is a constraint. In short, there was some chirping (a little), but it was quite alright.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW WITH ALLISON MIGEON FROM OBIORA ABOUT THIS CONCERT (in French)

The program, conducted by Rafael Payare, began with a very pretty four-movement string piece by African-American Quinn Mason, Irish Dance Suite, illustrated by Kanyen’kehà:ka (Mohawk) artist Kaiatanoron Dumoulin Bush. Each of the four movements was accompanied by an illustration constructed live on the big screen by the young lady. We wondered a bit where it was going, because the abstract lines drawn all looked alike, but in slightly different configurations. It looked like braids of hair intertwined with leaves. It was only at the very end that the complete design, bringing all the parts together, allowed one to perceive a sort of Celtic symbol (it seems to me), constructed with plant motifs. Very pretty, but a little difficult to follow for very young children. Mason’s music is of the very popular pleasure type, with frank melodies, graceful rhythms, fortunately not too heavy on the cliché side. A piece that is certainly very successful with youth string orchestras.

The Carnival of the Animals, which everyone was eagerly anticipating, also received unprecedented support. And it was the latter that completely stole the show and won over the fairly large audience. The choreographer Charles Brécard, that I would qualify as Fluid Man, so smooth are his movements, almost liquid, illustrated each movement of Camille Saint-Saëns’ masterpiece with as much humour as originality. He mostly avoided “mimicking” the creatures of the score. Oh, there was an elephant’s trunk suggested with a handkerchief and swan wings, but Brécard mostly characterised other aspects of the music. The rhythms, for example, on which (Fossils et Finale) he crossed contemporary dance, hip hop and street dance.

Some of the pieces could easily be seen at the JOAT street dance festival, which takes place in Montreal at the end of August. He also got the whole crowd involved, without a word, in the famous Aquarium (fish) with undulating hand movements that you might see at pop concerts. Elsewhere the artist would collapse like a rag, fall gracefully off the stage and try to get back on, or roll around on the floor. The children loved it, the parents did too, and even people who don’t usually like dance very much (I know some) thought it was very successful.

Charles Brécard should tour with this concept. I can easily see any orchestra in the world attracting a family audience with this, and give an interesting alternative to the usual narrated version.

Modern Classical / période romantique

Classic Spree 2025 | Music of a lifetime, marked by youth

by Frédéric Cardin

The pianist Godwin Friesen is a holistic talent. The winner of the 2022 OSM Competition excels in both concertante and chamber ensembles, as well as solo performances. In addition, he composes, and very well! Yesterday afternoon, at the Cinquième Salle of the Place des Arts complex, the young man from the Prairies, now living in Montreal, impressed everyone in a concert focused, ironically, on a string quartet! That is, the Quartet No. 1 in E minor “From My Life” by Bedřich Smetana, the focus of the title and promotion of this concert, was preceded by the juvenile Trio No. 1, for piano, violin and cello by Dmitri Shostakovich (he composed it at the age of 16) and, another manifestation of early writing talent, two pieces by Friesen himself, one of which was a world premiere. The Shostakovich still betrays Rachmaninov influences, but it also lets through some of the rough edges that would become the composer’s trademark.

The music was brought to life by the three artists, and particularly Friesen on the piano, creator of sparkling colours and impeccable fluttering sound clusters. The young man’s two pieces, The Heavens Declare and A Tent for the Sun, are as much inspired by the text of Psalm 19 as by nature, and are expressed in a seductive, neo-romantic language. Friesen knows how to handle complexity and surprise while remaining accessible and interesting, even seductive. Frankly, I am very much looking forward to hearing more from him!

The Smetana Quartet, which finally arrived, allowed three very young recruits of the OSM to showcase their talents, including the exceptional Sebastian Gonzalez Mora on the viola. What a sound (and physical) presence he exudes. The Orchestra would do well to give him as much space as possible in the future. I also greatly appreciated the playing of the first violin, Sydney Adedamola. On the other hand, it seemed to me that the sound of the second violin, Justin Saulnier, was often too harsh in the more vigorous moments.

That said, it was a beautiful concert, generally very flattering for the local musical up-and-comers.

Modern Classical / période romantique

Classical Spree 2025 | Helmchen/Hecker: A Bold Journey from Light to Darkness

by Frédéric Cardin

A packed Cinquième Salle at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 16, welcomed the duo on stage and in life, consisting of pianist Martin Helmchen and cellist Marie-Elizabeth Hecker. The Classical Spree seems to work well, and that’s all the better. Especially since the two artists had put together a fairly solid and substantial program, even for a little forty minutes of music.

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW WITH MARTIN HELMCHEN ABOUT THE PROGRAM OF THIS CONCERT

They launched into a very beautiful Waldesruhe [Forest Calm], Op. 68, No. 5 by Dvořák, in beautiful melodic lace, supported by very delicate playing. This was followed by Fauré’s Papillon, Op. 77, a formidable piece for cello, which Hecker mastered well, though without all the desired ease in the agility of the swirling lines. A bright start to the programme gave way to the sublime greyness of Schubert’s Winterreise, of which three excerpts were played, Gute Nacht [Good Night], Der Lindenbaum [The Linden Tree] and Der Leiermann [The Hurdy-Gurdy Man]. Here we felt the intimate complicity between the two artists, and above all the deep understanding of Schubert’s universe. It was very beautiful. The highlight of the morning was yet to come: the tortuous, even gloomy Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 by Alfred Schnittke, a 20th-century Russian composer of Germanic origin.

A bold but rewarding choice, as this work with Shostakovichian energy and dramatic intensity is incredibly impressive. Despite the demands it makes on the ears of the listeners, the audience hailed an impeccable and exciting interpretation, solidified by the fact that the two artists have it “in their fingers,” as they play it often these days. They have indeed just released a recording of it on the Alpha Classics label, along with other Eastern European sonatas. The morning could have been marked by near-perfection had it not been for three or four professional and ostentatious coughers, as well as, horror of horrors, a phone ringing in the very last, barely-whispered chords of the Schnittke. Embarrassing.

Folk Pop / latino

Sara Curruchich in concert : great songstress of mayan roots and feminist intensity

by Frédéric Cardin

A Maya descendant, specifically from the Kaqchikel group, and located in Guatemala, Curruchich not only defends the rights of her people, but as a contemporary intersectional activist, she also speaks out for the women of her country. An indigenous and feminist activist, then, who expresses herself through folk-pop music tinged with rock, but above all with commitment and intensity.

The lady was at the Balattou club last night. The same strong stage presence we noticed at the Mundial Montreal showcase last year is there, immanent and communicative. There’s something of Llasa de Sela in Sara, but more extravagant, affirmative. The melodies sound just right, authentic (and sometimes they are, drawn from local or more broadly Latin American folklore), but most of them come from the artist’s nimble pen. She is accompanied by a drum kit, a bass, and, most importantly, a marimba, which brings all the specific colour to this music. Curruchich sings and plays the guitar, but sometimes joins his colleague on the aforementioned marimba in invigorating four-hand bursts.

The voice, sometimes fragile but generally very accurate, has a slightly raspy quality steeped in nature and the local terroir. However, it is not without lyrical power, and when those moments arrive, the roundness is beautiful, balanced.

Here’s an artist who tickles both the emotions and the conscience in an original and personal way. Let’s hope she comes back often.

Sara Curruchich au Balattou, Montréal – crédit : Peter Graham

Indigenous peoples / Maori Traditional Music / musique contemporaine

Presence autochtone 2025 | Whales Without Borders

by Frédéric Cardin

The world premiere of “Song of the Whales,” an Australian-Canadian project featuring the Montreal ensemble Oktoecho and Indigenous artists from Canada, Australia and New Zealand, took place last night at Place des Festivals. In the interview she gave to my colleague Alain Brunet, the co-composer of the work, Australian Corrina Bonshek, reveals that she didn’t write any notes for the solo musicians, but rather proposed landscapes to inhabit. That’s exactly the effect the nearly 90-minute music offered the audience: a vast panorama with a generally contemplative and spiritual atmosphere. As the traditional instruments and voices (Inuit throat singing, Australian didgeridoo, Persian kemancheh, traditional flute and Aboriginal ocean conch, etc.) are slowly deployed, the landscape unfolds in a succession of calm (predominant) and lively (occasional) passages. The Inuit singing duo informed us, with examples, about the playful and competitive nature of throat singing, which was a very enjoyable moment.

READ THE INTERVIEW WITH SONG OF THE WHALES CREATORS

As mentioned, the few accelerated moments added some pep to the show, whose artistic and aesthetic value I find is probably more enjoyable to experience indoors than outdoors, unless there’s a more holistic visual staging. There were a few slow parts in the performance. This is a first, so there’s still time to refine details and speed up the pacing between pieces, which sometimes seemed hesitant.

You’ll also notice that the narrative structure of the entire concert might be lost on many, as the connection to the whales sometimes becomes indescribable. That said, the work is also a grand fresco tinged with symbolism, and not a musical theatre piece that tells a specific story.

Despite these well-intentioned criticisms, I remain captivated by the immersive and enchanting atmospheres created by co-composers Katia Makdissi-Warren and Corrina Bonshek, as well as all the artists on stage, in this elaborate crossover imbued with the best spiritual-environmental insights.

A second performance will occur tonight, same time, same place, if you missed it, or want to dive again in this musical ocean.

Festival Présence autochtone 2025 Oktoecho – Nina Segalowitz & Lydia Etok – Chant de la baleine cr.: Caroline Perron

Co-directed and composed by Corrina Bonshek (Australia) and Katia Makdissi-Warren (Canada), in close collaboration with renowned artists:

Whaia Sonic Weaver – Māori singer

Uncle Bunna Lawrie – Aboriginal singer, storyteller, and activist

Nina Segalowitz & Lydia Etok – Inuit throat singers and co-artistic directors of Oktoecho

And the musicians: Greta Kelly, Étienne Lafrance, Bertil Schulrabe, Michael Askill, and Jason Lee Scott