Concert review

Snake Church – II

by Loic Minty

Between Nordic spa and spaceship sound design from the 1970s, the echoey Casa became a ship caught in warp at the speed of shortening days. Slow, almost imperceptible movements turned two hours into the snap of a finger, drawing us into the deep ambiances of Ben Grossman and Micheal Mucci, known together as Snake Church.

Shaped by a hurdy gurdy and a lap string instrument processed through modular synthesizers, their sound evoked a longing, cathartic mood reminiscent of Puce Marie’s A Feast Before the Drought: high-pitch wails like a ship horn across the Atlantic, and long weaves of muddy, inharmonic textures in the mid-range.
Though the melodic content remained mostly static, the modulated resonance of strings through smooth, granulated textures echoed the spirit of Eliane Radigue’s Opus 17, the inspiration for this concert series. Like Radigue’s final feedback works, their music is perpetually transforming, binding past and future into an in-between state pulsating with life.

Midway through this journey, they shifted upward in quarter-tone increments to a new key. The sirens dissolved into ethereal clouds, scattered like dappled sunlight. The ship docked in another green world, and the bass motors fell silent, leaving everything in suspension. As the long ending allowed the dust to settle, silence returned, no longer shy or ominous, but welcoming. Applause mixed with snake hisses and laughter as the lights came back on and the Mardi Spaghetti regulars gathered to talk. For the first of this new Opus 17 concert series, the turnout was strong, and anticipation is high for what these organizers will present next.

Hermeto Pascoal and The ONJ | A Brilliant Performance in Memory of The Late Genius

by Michel Labrecque

My colleague Alain Brunet once wrote: “Hermeto Pascoal must be considered an absolute genius.” This Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, little known in our part of the world, has produced a unique blend of Brazilian music, jazz, experimental music, and everything in between.

By pure coincidence, the Montreal National Jazz Orchestra’s tribute concert, which had been in preparation for a long time, was presented five days after his death. The guest conductor, Jovino Santos Neto, is a longtime companion of Hermeto Pascoal, which added a great deal of emotion. All the more so because Jovino speaks excellent French and was able to easily convey this emotional palette to us.

For fans of Hermeto’s music, myself included, one question remained. How would this jazz big band be able to translate the genius’s often fragmented and unconventional music? Sometimes there is only a piano solo, sometimes indigenous flutes, sometimes an accordion?

The answer came quickly, right from the first piece, “Apresentação.” It turns out that O Bruxo (the wizard), as he is nicknamed, has already written arrangements for big bands. However, the musicians had to step out of their comfort zone, starting the piece with vocal onomatopoeia.

The brass arrangements were astonishing! And the orchestra was furiously tight. It sounded great despite the console failure at the beginning of the concert. “Brasil Universo” followed, and we were floating. It grooved seriously, with the atonal slips that are Hermeto’s trademark.

It quickly became apparent that Jovino was enjoying conducting this group. When the console was restored (it had apparently died at the beginning of the concert), he sat down at the piano to play two solo pieces by Pascoal, and we were levitating! That said, Marianne Trudel played the piano for almost the entire concert, and she did so very, very well, as usual. There was an obvious rapport between her and Jovino, who she had met in Brazil a long time ago.

The next part of the concert was a little more traditional jazz, albeit sophisticated. And the audience seemed to love it. The ONJ featured a guest percussionist, Brazilian Carlos Henrique Feitosa. There were lots of solos; saxophonist David Bellemare was in brilliant form, as was Jean-Pierre Zanella, the most Brazilian of Quebec saxophonists.

It ended on a high note with “Piramide,” during which the whole band went wild. And “Obrigado Mestre” (Thank you, Master), at the end of which Jovino Santos Neto had to wipe away a few tears.

In short, the skeptics were proven wrong and we had a wonderful evening. The ONJM’s next concert will take place on October 30 and will feature music by female composers. See you there!

MONTREAL NATIONAL JAZZ ORCHESTRA

The Music of Hermeto Pascoal

September 18

At Cinquième Salle de la Place des Arts

Modern Classical

Violin-Piano Duets, Virtuosity, “Agricultural” Posture

by Alain Brunet

A virtuoso of agricultural posture because he cares about the fate of our small planet and is dedicated to building bridges between culture and organic farming, violinist Emmanuel Vukovich continued his summer concert series on Sunday in this concert hall set up at the Cadet Roussel farm in the rural municipality of Mont Saint-Grégoire in Montérégie. The public recording of the premiere of three violin-piano duets by the composer was an uplifting experience for the small audience in attendance, and will likely be so for those who immerse themselves in this audio and video recording.

Prior to this concert on Sunday, September 14, we discussed this project with the three artists directly involved: Emmanuel, Canadian pianist and conductor Maria Fuller (from Saskatchewan), and American composer Sheila Silver (upstate New York), for the public recording of Resilient Earth. In a context of great environmental fragility, the inspiration of a response from our planet to the harmful actions of humankind is more than legitimate.

With this in mind, Sheila Silver has composed a work for violin and piano in three distinct parts. It is an extension of Resilient Earth, four caprices for solo violin composed between the summer of 2020 and February 2022. During the pandemic, the composer reflected on the ongoing destruction of our environment and became interested in ecological solutions to remedy it. A recording was made, and the performer and composer agreed to continue the experiment with these brand new duets.

From the outset, Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, masterfully performed by Emmanuel Vukovich and his colleague Maria Fuller, are clearly inspired by Balkan folklore, gradually migrating towards modernity to conclude in a powerful jig, percussive on the keyboards and strongly emphasized in the violin attacks. Composed 110 years ago, these dances heralded Bartók’s immense contribution to the modern adventure of music in the 20th century. We were therefore on familiar ground before moving on to the main course, Sheila Silver’s three duets.

Trees come from the Skies unfolds slowly with its harmonic progression on the keyboard, exploring harmonies that are clearly modern—from the first three decades of the 20th century. This work evokes the miracle of the forest as felt by the composer, the ability of trees to regenerate themselves and provide us with oxygen. The melodic phrases of the violin allow for beautiful flights into the high frequencies, and we then appreciate the dialogue between the pizzicato violin and the piano, which the motifs feed beautifully. In short, this is a neo-modern offering that any classical music lover should understand without difficulty.

We move on to Photosynthesis – Magic, an ode to photosynthesis and the Earth’s capacity for regeneration. The piece calms down for a moment, until it takes on a compound meter, allowing the two instruments to superimpose a contrapuntal discourse. This, incidentally, is reminiscent of Bartok-style Balkan modernism, which softens and offers magnificent piano motifs allowing the violin to develop a complementary discourse. The tempo changes add to the theatricality of the sound.

The climax is reached with Dracula Reimagined, undoubtedly the most violent of Sheila Silver’s three offerings. Forearms pressed against the keyboard, ten fingers digging deep into the ivory keys, atonal motifs, violent cadences, an organized maelstrom—this is a beautiful shortcut to a hybrid discourse built on modern harmonies from the previous century. In short, the forms observed in these three works are familiar and well-digested, even those in Dracula Reimagined, which are more violent and atonal at times. Sheila Silver prefers to create a beautiful set of references rather than impose new ones, much to the delight of her audience.

In conclusion, the second part of this delicious modern sandwich was served up, namely Béla Bartók’s Rhapsody for Violin and Piano No. 1 and Maurice Ravel’s Gypsy Rhapsody. The choice of Bartók and Ravel to open and close the program was not random; it fits perfectly with Sheila Silver’s neo-modern aesthetic, which nevertheless draws on more recent aesthetic periods without disrupting anything we know about them.

It goes without saying that such immersion in this musical modernity remains and will remain a most enriching experience for the vast majority of music lovers accustomed to baroque, classical, or romantic references. Here is another key to unlocking the doors to the present.

PROGRAM :
Romanian Folk Dances – Béla Bartók

Trees come from the Skies – Sheila Silver

Photosynthesis – Magic – Sheila Silver

Dracula Reimagined – Sheila Silver

Rhapsodie pour violon et piano n° 1 – Béla Bartók

Rhapsodie tzigane de concert – Maurice Ravel

MUSICIANS :

Maria Fuller – piano
Emmanuel Vukovich – violin

classique / Jewish Traditional / Singer-Songwriter

The Yiddish soul of Montreal at Centre des musiciens du monde

by Frédéric Cardin

The Centre des musiciens du monde launched its new season of Intimate Concerts last night. An extended season, with more concerts and discoveries in store. If last night’s concert is any indication, it will be a rich year. Melodically, some of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard in years were performed at the Tur Malka (King’s Mountain) – New Yiddish Songs from Canada concert. Several of them were brand new, never performed on stage before. If there are indeed a few details to fine-tune and a stage performance to coordinate, the touching beauty of the material offered by the ensemble is a guarantee of assured success in the hearts of those who will listen to them.

The quartet is made up of Henri Oppenheim on piano, guitar, percussion, compositions and arrangements, Mael Oudin on double bass and arrangements, Elvira Misbakhova on viola and Sheila Hannigan on cello. Oppenheim is the originator of the project, a Frenchman of Jewish origin who has lived in Montreal for almost 30 years. The songs in Yiddish, the language of the Jews of Eastern Europe, draw on the ultra-poignant, even emotionally powerful, melodic style of the Eastern European tradition, which was heavily decimated by Nazi Germany, but fortunately still alive in Montreal, one of the world’s main bastions of this culture. Oppenheim draws his texts from Yiddish poetry, including that of several Montreal artists such as Chava Rosenfarb or Jacob-Isaac Segal.

The arrangements, full of tenderness and melancholy, are carried out with great care by the outstanding performers Sheila Hannigan, a regular in all kinds of music, and Elvira Misbakhova, an excellent violist with the Metropolitan Orchestra, in addition to having played very often in klezmer ensembles in the metropolis. Mael Oudin on the double bass is more discreet, but his presence is nonetheless essential. Oppenheim leads the transitions in a sober manner, and with a discreet touch of humour.

Ultimately, it was an extremely touching moment of human communion, steeped in the cultural richness of Jewish Montreal, without which the soul of the metropolis would not be what it is today.

DETAILS AND TICKETS FOR THE INTIMATE CONCERTS SERIES

Next concerts of the series:

  • December 17, 2025 – Didem Basar, kanun – Under the Moon of Topkapi
  • January 23, 2026 – Ori Shalva, choir – Echoes of Sakartvelo, Georgian polyphonies
  • February 11, 2026 – Guillaume Martineau, piano and Gabriel Paquin-Buki, clarinet – A Night in the Garden of Eden
  • March 18, 2026 – Sadaf Amiri, santour – The sparkle of inner strings
  • April 15, 2026 – Persian-Inca Duo – Federico Tarazona (charango) and Showan Tavakol (kamancheh) – The Valley of Dreams

classique / période romantique

OSM | The Spectacular Effect, Essential to Kick Off The Season

by Alain Brunet

The start of an OSM season is an opportunity to dazzle the eyes and ears. The choice of the central work in the program must be grandiose and often involves a choir and soloists in addition to the orchestra. This justifies the choice of La Damnation de Faust, a 136-minute dramatic legend, OP.24, composed and written by Hector Berlioz in the mid-19th century and premiered in 1846 under the baton of its composer.

A huge choir behind the OSM (the OSM Choir and Petits Chanteurs de Laval, conducted by Andrew Megill and Philippe Ostiguy, respectively), four soloists, and conductor Rafael Payare. The effect was mammoth, as you can imagine. Performing such an oratorio for soloists, various choirs, and a symphony orchestra is a colossal undertaking, and a very costly one at that. Needless to say, the OSM pulled out all the stops for this performance.

So what to choose? The repertoire of works suitable for such a performance is relatively limited, and these works are not of equal value. The choice therefore fell on La Damnation de Faust, whose ancient legend was taken up by Goethe and then set to music by Schubert, Schumann, Spohr, Wagner, Boito, Gounod, Liszt, and Mahler. True to his era, Berlioz was no exception, as we saw powerfully demonstrated this Wednesday at the Maison symphonique.

Divided into 20 scenes grouped into four distinct parts, with an intermission in the middle, this work is ambitious in its instrumentation, its pomp, and its length. This ambition is understandable in an era when composers sought to create total spectacle. In 2025? It is generally accepted that this work is part of the great repertoire, but one can still take issue with the obsolescence of its libretto and the pompous and outdated nature of this French operatic writing, once admired. As for the dramatic plot, the story of the doctor Faust who sold his soul to the devil, a theme that dates back to the dawn of time, Berlioz’s version is more than ambitious.

The OSM’s performance here struck me as rigorous and fervent, always serving the singing of the choirs and soloists—tenor Andrew Staples plays the role of Faust, mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill transforms into Marguerite (his wife), and bass-baritone Willard White plays Mephistopheles (the devil), while bass-baritone plays Brander. Anyone familiar with the French language will have noticed the pronounced accents of the soloists, who would normally have been trained to master 19th-century French, as it is used in a significant part of the opera repertoire. Some may take issue with this… personally, I took more issue with the bombastic nature of the text, but hey, each to their own!

As for the vocal performances, it is clear that the lead soloist does not have the greatest power, and that such a piece requires the services of a tenor who is more experienced in the high frequencies in order to rise above the orchestra. The same can be said of the mezzo-soprano in the high notes of her register. And we applaud the exemplary preparation of the choirs, whose combined effect is more than striking.

And that’s probably the wow factor of this program, the first in the 2025-2026 lineup.

Photo Credits: Antoine Saito

Artists

Rafael Payare, conductor

Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano (Marguerite)

Andrew Staples, tenor (Faust)

Sir Willard White, baritone (Méphistophélès)

Ashley Riches, bass-baritone (Brander)

OSM Choir

Andrew Megill, choir director

Petits Chanteurs de Laval, choir

Philippe Ostiguy, choir director

Work

Hector Berlioz, La damnation de Faust, op. 24 (136 min)

Intermission (20 min)

DJ set

Palomosa I ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U Could Have Gone Harder

by Stephan Boissonneault

I became aware of the Japanese DJ and producer, Yousuke Yukimatsu, from his Tokyo Boiler Room set, which kind of launched him into stardom due to the unruly nature of a shirtless Japanese man playing some of the fastest and hardest techno imaginable for an hour. His set at Palomosa’s Jardin Stage had inklings of that vibe, but felt way more low-key and, dare I say, “safe.” It was all dance filled music, but I was really expecting it to go harder, leaving me sore in a pile of sweat. We still got an onslaught of drumming techno, but only brief moments of it. His shirt did come off, so the crowd loved that.

The whole set felt a bit more massaged than I and much of the crowd was expecting. Perhaps it was the fact that he was playing outside? Maybe he was tired? Or was he perhaps playing to the crowd, signalled by a cover of 100 gecs’ “Hollywood Baby.” I will say that Yukimatsu is a pro. His changeovers between songs and the overall vibe are pretty seamless, and the music never broke once (unlike many of the past Palomosa DJs), but I wanted more of a Boiler Room vibe.

Pop

Palomosa I Rebecca Black is a Force To Be Reckoned With

by Stephan Boissonneault

I haven’t thought about Rebecca Black in the music world for almost 15 years. I, of course, remember the pay-for-play “Friday” dominating YouTube’s pages back in 2011, but after seeing Rebecca Black live at Palomosa, she is waayy past that. Nothing could prepare me for Rebecca Black’s comeback, from a teenage talk singer to a now full-on vocal pop powerhouse. The show began with several signs standing on the stage, saying “HOMO SEX IS LIFE,” or “STR8? SEEK REBECCA BLACK,” and two ripped, burly men holding a banner saying “Rebecca Black.”

Rebecca Black burst from the banner and dove into a song from her latest album, Salvation, called “American Doll,” which was clearly about the female image of pop stars, and immediately felt like a Lady Gaga kind of pop song; heavy on bass and catchy lyrics. I had no idea Rebecca Black would come back as a queer icon, but as most pop stars rely on a vocal backing track, she does not. Her voice is insanely powerful, and she loves to show just how powerful during the show. The sound will cut out just as she lets out a piercing falsetto and switches into a cascading growl. Her vicious syncronized dance moves paired with her flamboyant backing men were also extremely entertaining. “Montreal if you don’t dance to this one, I’ll kill you,” she screams while lying prone on top of her dancer’s dual backs. She is doing work on that stage, reduced to a puddle of sweat by the end of the first couple songs.

During a very brief intermission, the show becomes somewhat of a weird infomercial. The two dancers come out holding trays of strange liquid called “Sugar Water Cyanide,” and begin “selling” it to the audience. Rebecca reemerges and jumps into her “Suger Water Cyanide,” track and for 30 seconds, we get a sped-up version of “Friday.” As she watched the audience lose their minds and chant “partyin, partyin’ (Yeah)” Rebecca Black’s manic smile could cut glass. This might be the best way to reclaim a song you became famous and trolled for back in your youth, and she knows it. Hat’s off Miss Black.

House / Soul/R&B

Palomosa | Lis Dalton & Lia Plutonic, Joy & Dedication

by Félicité Couëlle-Brunet

Saturday evening at Palomosa opened with a back-to-back set from Lis Dalton and Lia Plutonic, two DJs whose presence in Montreal’s underground scene radiates both joy and dedication. The crowd was small, mostly friends and familiar faces, but the intimacy only amplified the sense of connection in the space.

Dalton is known for sets that mix devilish drive with heartfelt hedonism, jumping effortlessly from house burners to rave rips and downtempo detours. Plutonic, meanwhile, has carved her own space in the community with a groove-first approach that leans into R&B textures and soulful rhythms, often channeled through her work with Homegrown Harvest and the Parquette venue, home of the FLIP raves. Together, they built a set that felt playful, wholesome, and refreshingly warm, less like a party and more like a gathering of friends.What stood out most was the atmosphere: safe, inclusive, and deeply communal. For women on the dance floor especially, it was a rare pocket of space where joy felt unguarded. That spirit was sealed in one unforgettable moment at the end, when the duo grabbed the mic and shouted in unison: “Lesbians!”, a gleeful declaration that summed up the night’s mix of music, community, and care.

Publicité panam

Alt-Pop / Ambient Pop / Dark Pop / Glitch / Shoegaze

Palomosa I Yeule Brings the Glitchy, Digital Tears

by Stephan Boissonneault

After being thrown for a loop during Loukeman’s short and distracting set (due to the sound at Main Stage cutting in and out) I hoped Yeule would be clearer. As she walked on stage smoking a joint, wearing a small, fitted, low-cut leather jacket and jean shorts with a rosary and foxes tail attached, it looked like she was wearing white contacts to give that android look. Yeule is Nat Ćmeil, a 27-year-old singer-songwriter from Singapore, but based in London. UK. Her band was a guitar player and drummer, and for a few more shoegazey numbers, Yeule herself played the guitar, one of them kind of looking like Prince’s power symbol axe, but white.

It seems the festival sound team got the speakers working, but the DI for Yeule’s guitar and vocals were super quiet, and with the legion of effects on her voice, it was hard to hear her for the first four or five songs. Once the sound became clearer, it felt a bit like Björk pushed through a fuzzy and shoegazey lens in the late 90s. I’m not sure why they had the bass guitar play as a backing track, but I was at least happy to see a band. Honestly, many of the songs blended together, and it was hard ot make out which were from her latest album, Evangelic Girl is A Gun. The set felt more like a scripted performance, but featured some of the most artsy video backdrop of the festival. On the giant screen was a video of Yeule straddling a dirt bike in a glitchy warehouse, as cybernetic metals and piping dangled from the walls. Mixed with the light show and Yeule’s subtle body bends and dance moves, this show felt like it was more about the look than the sound.

Hip Hop / hyperpop / rap

Palomosa | Shadow Wizard Money Gang, hyperpop & rap spells

by Félicité Couëlle-Brunet

Born from a meme and driven by a flamboyant aesthetic, Shadow Wizard Money Gang has carved out a unique place for itself in pop culture. Their viral slogan “we love casting spells” is accompanied by retro visuals and hooded silhouettes adorned with chains and rings, halfway between video game characters and mystical figures. But the collective’s appeal goes beyond internet humor: it’s a mix of music, fashion, and attitude that embodies a generational sensibility. For them, their identity is as much about media presence and style as it is about sound.

On Saturday, the magic took shape at Palomosa. DJ Psycho kicked things off, surrounded by his mysterious companions in the DJ booth. The room quickly descended into a world of hardcore hyperpop, somewhere between electronic experimentation and metallic bursts. Everything was designed with maximalism in mind: saturated visuals, unexpected drops, intense rhythms.

In the crowd, every detail became an extension of this collective spell: glitter under the neon lights, colorful hoods, futuristic glasses, and chains that sparkled to the rhythm of the strobe lights. The beats pounded the bodies, making the floor vibrate, and each drop triggered a wave of screams and movements. And when the set shifted to Tizzo, a rap figure from Saint-Michel, Montreal’s aesthetic intertwined with a surreal universe and a local nod, which brought the crowd up a notch.

As the evening progressed, the boundary between stage and audience seemed to fade away: everyone was united in the same intensity, like members of a single gang. Shadow Wizard Money Gang didn’t just give a concert at Palomosa: it invited a community to feast in excess, where music, fashion, and attitude merged into a total experience.

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Electronic / House / Vaporwave

Palomosa | Cult Member, a hypnotic journey into the heart of house music

by Marc-Antoine Bernier

At 6:30 p.m., the Jardin stage was taken over by the mesmerizing beats of Cult Member. In the soft light of early evening, his set transported the audience on an urban and ethereal journey, carried by expansive house music with vaporwave roots, featuring lo-fi textures and sounds inspired by the internet imagination.

Liam Hayden, alias Cult Member, n’est pas un DJ comme les autres. Figure discrète mais influente de la scène outsider house canadienne, il s’est fait connaître par son album culte Ethernet, avant de se réinventer dans des territoires plus techno et trance. Samedi soir à Palomosa, il a donné un aperçu de ce parcours singulier, ouvrant son set avec une réinterprétation planante de U Weren’t Here I Really Missed You.

His deeply atmospheric mix vibrated with lo-fi textures and futuristic echoes, like a patchwork of melancholy and urban pulsation. While some passages recalled the misty atmospheres of Ethernet, others shifted towards the frontal effectiveness of Club Tools Vol. 1, where heavy bass and fast rhythms galvanized the crowd. As the sun slowly set, the music grew in intensity, transforming the Garden into a hypnotic dance floor.

Not very expressive behind his machines, Hayden occasionally flashed a discreet smile in response to the cheers. But everything about his set invited introspection: his ambient layers and melodic lines seemed to come from a late-night jam session in the privacy of his studio. Yet as soon as the beats picked up speed, the entire crowd synchronized to his tempo, breathing and moving in unison.

Between solitary reverie and collective communion, Cult Member offered a suspended moment, both cold and incandescent, which perfectly summed up the alchemy of his sound universe.

Publicité panam

Electronic / Pop

Palomosa | Cecile Believe kicks off Saturday under clear skies

by Marc-Antoine Bernier

The rain had just stopped when Cecile Believe took to the stage at Parc-Jean-Drapeau’s Fizz stage. The first artist to perform on Saturday afternoon, she transformed the lingering humidity into a moment of pop and electro communion.

At 4:15 p.m., as the clouds were just beginning to clear, Cecile Believe kicked off the Fizz stage lineup at the Palomosa festival. Known to the general public for her work with SOPHIE on Oil Of Every Pearl’s Uninsides, the Montreal artist gave a performance that showcased the full range of her voice, capable of navigating between power and fragility, with flashes of vulnerability that touched the heart.

The first few songs, including a recent collaboration with Daniel Avery and Andy Bell (Ride, Oasis), plunged the audience into an ethereal atmosphere, supported by dream pop layers and haunting vocals. The crowd was quickly swept away: on Ponytail, fans sang along in unison, their faces lit up with emotion.

The highlight came with “Blink Twice”, the title track from his latest EP Tender The Spark, released in 2024. Between midtempo basslines and nocturnal beats, the track electrified the crowd, who moved fervently to the music. Later, “Bitch Bites Dog”, taken from Plucking A Cherry From The Void, brought back a visceral intensity, before the conclusion came with “Show Me What”, produced by A. G. Cook, leaving the audience feeling light and transported.

In a minimalist setting bathed in red, Cecile Believe needed nothing more than her voice and her generous stage presence to captivate the audience. Her performance was a reminder of why she already occupies a unique place in today’s electronic pop scene, even if she has yet to be discovered by a wider audience.

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