Imani Winds is a wind quintet from the United States that’s a blessing to hear. Made up of black musicians (except for the clarinettist), they aim to bring music up to date for this type of ensemble by playing, along with great staples of the repertoire, new arrangements (their most recent album is entitled A Passion for Bach and Coltrane, which gives you an idea!), works by black composers or by commissioning new works, often inspired by African-American and Latino music. The group, which has won three Grammy awards, gave a concert last night at Salle Bourgie in Montreal. Only their second in 27 years of existence, which is a great shame for us. An all Black and Latino programme was offered to the audience, who packed the Bourgie Hall reasonably well.

There’s plenty to admire about the musicians on stage: Brandon Patrick George, flute, Mekhi Gladden, oboe (replacing Toyin Spellman-Diaz), Mark Dover, clarinet, Kevin Newton, horn and Monica Ellis, bassoon. Firstly, they are very, very good, each of them clearly a top-class soloist. The ensemble playing is impressive in its effortless virtuosity, surgical articulation and fusional coherence. Secondly, and most importantly, for the past 27 years, they have been investing (though not exclusively) in a repertoire space that remains marginal, but fortunately is rapidly expanding, that of music written by artists from racialized and/or minority communities in classical music. Bravo!

All but one of the pieces on the bill were strongly coloured by jazz, blues or Latin music. Accented syncopations, fluid, slightly feline swaying and chromatic colours revolving around ‘blue’ harmonies, this was a catchy universe, but not a racy one. No, because the scores on offer (by Damien Geter, Carlos Simon, Paquito D’Rivera, Valerie Coleman, Andy Akiho and Billy Taylor, the latter in an arrangement) are refined, twirling and full of invigorating effects, often entertaining, sometimes surprising. But what satisfies any passionate and invested music lover in this kind of programme is the extra soul added to the works by their extra-musical references. It’s racial profiling in Damien Geter’s I Said What I Said (the main theme depends on the typically Black locutionary rhythm of the title phrase), the celebration of great black personalities in Carlos Simon’s Giants (Bessie Smith, Cornel West, Herbie Hancock), of New York neighbourhoods in Valerie Coleman’s Rubispheres no 1, of freedom in Billy Taylor’s I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free or the denunciation of the imprisonment of immigrants in Andy Akiho’s BeLoud, BeLoved, BeLonging.

This last piece is, however, the stylistic exception of the lot, as it is a post-minimalist flight in three movements, nervous and devilishly exciting, less obviously connected than the others to Afro-American or Latin heritage. Ironically, the piece by Paquito D’Rivera, Aires tropicales, by far the best-known artist on the programme, is the most “facile”. Not bad, no. It gives the instrumentalists a good workout and is certainly an excellent musical challenge for any professional ensemble. But the juxtaposition of the writing and the underlying theme is more superficial than its competitors

The evening, much appreciated by the audience, ended with an arrangement of Billy Taylor’s famous song I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free, dedicated by Nina Simone. Real jazz, but adapted in anything but a linear fashion. Clarinettist Mark Dover did a fabulous job, turning it into a feverish Theme and Variations bursting with expressive dynamite. 

The applause was long and sustained. Everyone clearly wanted to see them again as soon as possible.

It had been a long time since Ute Lemper had performed in Montreal. The musical legend treated an appreciative Maison Symphonique to a lengthy program retracing the highlights of a career spanning several decades. She was accompanied by the FILMharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Francis Choinière.

The program was original, featuring well-known works interpreted in a refreshingly refined manner. We admired the power and warmth of Ute Lemper’s voice and her stage presence. She’s full of energy, dancing upstage and demonstrating her acting skills. All eyes are on her. It’s clear that the works she presents are significant, not only historically, but also personally. In the first part, she intersperses each song with context and stories about her life.

We laugh a lot, we cry sometimes, and we’re touched in many ways. We also realize that nothing changes, and that history is doomed to repeat itself, again and again. Indeed, Ute Lemper doesn’t shy away from commenting on current political events: allusions to current wars, women’s rights and widespread political disillusionment. Lemper doesn’t hold back, but you can’t blame her, given that most of the works in her repertoire were written with the same sentiments, even 100 years earlier. She even changes some of the lyrics to suit current events. The effect is both funny and troubling.

What’s striking about FILMharmonique is their ability to adapt. After all, at film concerts, the music is set to the beat, of course. That said, the FILMharmonique’s role here was purely that of accompanist, having to adapt to the liberties taken by Lemper and his vocal improvisations. And the orchestra once again demonstrated its excellence. Francis Choinière directed the musicians while being completely in tune with the soloist. Every time, the synchronization was perfect, with everyone on stage breathing at Ute Lemper’s pace. Towards the end of the concert, the singer herself conducts the orchestra, in a way, asking certain musicians to improvise.

Throughout the evening, the orchestra performed several arrangements for solo orchestra of well-known music-hall songs. Here, the FILMharmonic took center stage, without compromise, once again demonstrating its superb versatility. The few feedback problems at the start of the concert were quickly resolved, allowing us to fully appreciate the very long concert (perhaps too long, lasting almost 2.5 hours). What’s certain is that the audience was delighted.

To find out about upcoming FILMharmonic concerts, click HERE!

For other GFN Production concerts, click HERE!

Photo credit: Tam Lan Truong

The year 2024 at Le Vivier kicks off with concerts featuring the next generation of today’s music scene. Last night, the newly-formed Ensemble Tesse presented its first concert. For the occasion, the event was presented in a rather different way: an ambulatory concert. The format of this concert proved to be very enjoyable and allowed us to appreciate the works of the program in a new way.

On entering the hall, the audience was invited to sit on the floor, on stage, around a structure that would be occupied by the musicians. Between each piece, the audience was invited to stand up and move around. There was also the option of standing or even lying down. The audience lent itself to the game, moving silently around the structure at opportune moments. This movement didn’t make the concert any slower or heavier – on the contrary, the musicians also moved around and lay down on the floor when it wasn’t their turn to play.

The program featured works that were “comprovisées”, composed as well as improvised. Co-creation is one of Ensemble Tesse’s objectives, and it fulfills its mandate perfectly. The listening and dialogue between the musicians are remarkable. The works presented are above all studies in sonority, in which each musician pushes the sonic limits of his or her respective instrument. It is essential to underline the quality of each performer, both in their consistently excellent playing and in their ensemble playing.

Each piece showcased a different member of the ensemble, each time in a different instrumental combination. Each work presented a different sound universe. Although the concept remained the same – collective improvisations – the evening never felt repetitive, and the musical ideas followed one another judiciously. More meditative moments rubbed shoulders with noisy, rhythmic passages, and sometimes with great melody.

The concert was enthusiastically received by the audience. The scenography and lighting helped to place listeners in an experimental atmosphere, a little out of time and space, where all frameworks were broken and reconfigured. Ensemble Tesse is proof positive that it’s possible to do things differently and still deliver a memorable and enjoyable concert experience. Watch out for their next projects!

Ensemble Tesse

NOAM BIERSTONE (percussions)

AUDRÉANNE FILION (cello)

CHARLOTTE LAYEC (bass clarinet)

OFER PELZ (piano)

MARILÈNE PROVENCHER-LEDUC (flutes)

GABRIEL TROTTIER (horn)

To find out about upcoming concerts presented by Le Vivier, click HERE!

Satuday night in Salle Claude-Champagne, Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Music, was the 2024 edition of the Étoile Montante concert, featuring the Orchestre de l’Université de Montréal (OUM). The event also featured student soloists (Fiona Wu, piano and Catherine Chabot, flute), conductors (Lori Antounian and Marie-France Mathieu) and composers (Edwin H. Ng and Luis Ernesto Peña Laguna). A colourful evening of breathtaking interpretations!

The first part of the concert featured the premiere of Of breath, movement and boxing by Edwin H. Ng, winner of the 2023 OUM Composition Competition. The piece is enigmatic, evocative and animated by an anxious energy. The textural interplay in this piece is particularly interesting: you could hear the wind, at times soft and melodic, at other times percussive, echoing, as it were, the freezing temperatures the audience had to brave to attend this concert.

And the audience was rewarded! The second piece on the program, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, performed by Fiona Wu, 3rd prizewinner in the OUM Concerto Competition, was breathtaking. The pianist interpreted the most virtuosic passages with lightness, ease and suppleness, while demonstrating remarkable strength and power in the passages requiring a stronger attack. The melodies, passing from one hand to the other, are always clearly audible. What’s more, the OUM’s ensemble playing and the dialogue between orchestra and soloist are impeccable, and the sound balance is excellent.

After intermission, the audience is treated to a second premiere, of the work SAR by Luis Ernesto Peña Laguna, also winner of the OUM Composition Competition. This work, which contrasts with the first premiere, is just as magnificent. More tonal, this work is filled with movement, which we guess is cyclical, since the work begins and ends in similar ways. High-pitched spun tones in the strings give way to beautiful melodic flights from the rest of the orchestra. The use of percussion is also noteworthy: sometimes subtle, it is always present, adding an interesting texture.

The evening closes with a solid and convincing performance of Conversations for flute and orchestra by Denis Gougeon, with Catherine Chabot as soloist. The work unfolds with precision. The soloist’s clear sound fills the hall effortlessly, and she attacks the fast passages with assurance and flexibility. For its part, the OUM plays its role perfectly as accompanist, but also as interlocutor (as the title of the work suggests). The orchestra shows great solidity and restraint in the slower first movement, and precision in attacks and cuts in the more percussive second movement.

The two student conductors also did an outstanding job, successfully leading these demanding works. On stage, it was clear that the enjoyment and love of music were in abundance. After an evening like this, there’s no need to worry: the next generation of musicians is in good hands.

For the complete program of the Université de Montréal Faculty of Music, click HERE!