It was in the serene setting of a virtually full Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours that the Ensemble Diderot performed, a music ensemble recognized among other things “for its vocation to rediscover and interpret on period instruments the repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries, and to reveal the links forged between performers, composers, courts and schools of a Baroque musical Europe without frontiers”.

Having already appeared at the Bach Festival a few years ago, violinist and artistic director Johannes Pramsohler this time brought his friends Roldán Bernabé and Simone Pirri (violins), Eric Tinkerhess (cello) and Philippe Grisvard (harpsichord and organ) to Montreal to present a program centred around works from the generation preceding that of the Leipzig Kantor. The evening’s repertoire was quite unique and relatively mysterious, in that it consisted of a string of sonatas for three violins, defined by their “use of three voices in the high register of the violin, supported by a bass voice, allowing for the expression of more personal virtuoso playing and more complex musical writing”, not to be confused with the trio sonata – an emblematic genre very much in evidence in the Baroque period, and governed by different rules. The sonata for three violins was such a unique and experimental genre that the composers who tackled it often composed only one. So, as Johannes Pramsohler and Philippe Grisvard humorously pointed out in their remarks to the audience, we were hearing the bulk of the sonata catalogue. For its first appearance in the metropolis, the Ensemble Diderot delivered a performance marked by subtlety and marked dynamism. A dynamism that was not without its difficulties, as the string players had to deal with instruments whose temperature fluctuations forced them to retune almost systematically between each piece.

The first part set the table in a balanced and honest manner. The sonatas by Gabrielli and Fontana gave rise to some fine exchanges of violin passages, supported by a round, sonorous continuo and melodic outbursts from the organ. Schmelzer’s Sonata a 3 violini was imagined by Diderot’s musicians as an evocation of the Judgment of Paris, an important episode in Greek mythology pitting the goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite against each other. The Prince of Troy, Paris, must present an apple to the fairest of them all. The musical dialogues here are highly idiomatic, moving from a tender, lyrical movement to a more animated, energetic theme, and ending with a page of almost contemplative supplication. Johann Fux’s Sonata for 3 violins, without continuo, is a strange interweaving of varied contrapuntal musical lines, which leaves us with an impression of harmonic clutter, despite subtle, perfectly executed nuances and dynamics.

It was particularly in the second half of the concert that the inventiveness and aesthetics of the type of sonatas represented by the Ensemble Diderot really shone through. Opening the second half, Marini’s Sonata in Eco allowed us to appreciate Pramsohler’s virtuoso vocal playing, to which his comrades Bernabé and Pirri responded from behind the chapel choir, amplifying the echo effect that the piece calls for through the use of repetition of the last segments of the violins’ musical lines. Giovanni Buonamente’s Sonata Seconda evokes for the musicians the mythological figure of the Fates, the beings who weave the destiny of every individual. The musical lines, typical of a canzone inspiration, are carried by an effect imitating a spinning wheel in the violins, which concludes with a dry, sonorous bow stroke in the cello, symbolizing a life that has just been cut short. The Sonata decima by Dutch composer Carolus Hacquart is an exceptionally constructed four-movement synthesis of sonata form, frivolous, agile and stylistically varied. Considered the inventor of the concerto, Torelli’s sonata bears the mark of this influence, with its sonorous, clarion tutti. The finale, a sonata by Antoine Dornel, was warmly applauded. As an encore, the musicians offered a nuptial gift in the form of Pachelbel’s famous Canon: a work that may have been overplayed but was treated with good taste and vivacity. So there’s no need to sulk, especially when accompanied by the imagination and rigour of the Ensemble Diderot.

The Bach Festival continues until Saturday, December 2. To see the detailed program, visit the official festival website.

Also check out the Off-Festival Bach program, which offers a series of free concerts and activities every day from November 22 to 29, starting at 12 noon.

Photo credit: Antoine Saito

Le Vivier and l’Orchestre de l’Agora joined forces last night to fulfill one of their primary missions: to promote and present contemporary music in all its forms. The program offered, which included a number of commissions by the Orchestre de l’Agora, demonstrated the wide range of possibilities in contemporary composition. Indeed, the three works presented, each featuring a different soloist, all used a distinct musical language. A highly successful evening, full of nuance and energy!

The first part featured percussionist David Therrien Brongo, premiering composer Nicolas Gilbert’s percussion concerto Jeux de pouvoir. The work takes the form of several small tableaux, with the percussion soloist moving around the foreground of the hall. David Therrien Brongo demonstrates great virtuosity in a complex score, and the accompanying orchestra is precise, leaving plenty of room for the soloist. The concerto has a great deal of humour, which all the performers convey with brio: conductor Nicolas Ellis is asked to leave the podium for a few bars to play the triangle, and then a few famous excerpts from orchestral works (including Ravel’s Bolero) follow in quick succession towards the end of the work. The Orchestre de l’Agora’s performance of this work strikes the perfect balance between virtuosity, humour and musical enjoyment.

The second work is a complete change of register. We leave the overflowing energy and enter the dark world of Émile Nelligan’s poetry. What remains, however, is the virtuosity. Le récital des anges, a cycle for voice composed by Ian Cusson, is performed by soprano Elisabeth St-Gelais. This cycle, originally for piano and voice, but orchestrated by Cusson for the Orchestre de l’Agora, is composed of six poems selected by Cusson to tell a dark story, whose common thread is regret. The work is troubling, and so is St-Gelais’ perfect interpretation of it. You can feel the hall holding its breath. The balance between soloist and orchestra is excellent, the instruments perfectly illustrating the regret and doubts tugging at the protagonist. The stage presence of Elisabeth St-Gelais is convincing, transporting us into the world of the Quebec poet.

The last work on the program, once again, offers a striking contrast to the previous one. Wlat Marhulets’ Concerto for klezmer clarinet offers everything you’d expect from a work for klezmer clarinet, and more! Soloist Victor Alibert demonstrates impeccable mastery of his instrument. The score calls for frequent use of the high register most of the time, which Alibert does with ease and flexibility. Klezmer music is known for being rhythmic and celebratory, and that’s exactly what the audience was treated to in this final piece. The orchestra still had energy to spare and gave their all for this final work. Klezmer music is unmistakable, but this concerto also goes elsewhere, borrowing heavily from the purely orchestral tradition, and at times recalling the musical language of the great jazz orchestras, with its extensive use of drums and electric bass lines.

This concert demonstrated the great variety that exists in today’s repertoire. Although the works presented used a fairly conventional musical language, there was no denying that they were rooted in the 21st century. This celebration of creativity achieved its goal, thanks to the musical rigour of Nicolas Ellis and the Orchestre de l’Agora, as well as to the high-calibre soloists.

It was one of the most beautiful evenings of music I’ve heard this year. If an Opus Prize could be awarded to the best concert in Montreal by a foreign organization, I Gemelli at Salle Bourgie last Wednesday evening (November 22) would be among the few finalists. I Gemelli is an ensemble led by Emiliano Gonzalez Toro, a tenor with a wide range (a barytenor, in fact) and a stage presence that is easy, dynamic and more than likeable. On stage, another tenor, Zachary Wilder, is lighter and brighter, but just as technically and expressively impressive. For this concert of Italian baroque arias (essentially, the programme from their album A Room of Mirrors), they were accompanied by a baroque cello, a viola da gamba, two violins, a harpsichord, a harp, a theorbo or a baroque guitar (the musician changed depending on the piece) and an archlute, the ensemble I Gemelli.

To say it was good is too generic. Call it what you will, the mayo that catches, the current that flows, a home run on almost every ”tune”, in short, it was memorable. Firstly, because the musicians are all good, very good. The two tenors stand out, as they are often in the spotlight in this predominantly vocal repertoire. Like the mirrors in the title of the eponymous album, they are both capable of the most exquisite subtlety in triple pianissimo (in the treble, please (!), but they still surprise in their complementarity, thus avoiding duplication. The instrumentalists are at the pinnacle of an art that is now well mastered, the historical baroque, but they seem to have taken it to a new level in terms of technical perfection and authentic affect. The overall sound of these Gemelli is finely graduated and balanced, demonstrating a remarkably coherent collective listening.

And then there’s the programme. I’ve said a little bit about it, but it’s worth highlighting the audacity of coming to a city for the first time with a line-up that doesn’t have any real ‘selling’ names! No Vivaldi, no Bach, not even Corelli. No, just Falconieri, d’India, Marini, Castellani, and the other greats of their time, now retreating into obscurity. And yet, I don’t think any other meeting with more eminent ‘celebrities’ would have been more satisfying. What we heard was beautifully inspired, with strong melodies and fine compositions that were by turns invigorating or poignant. A feast from start to finish.

But the real soul of this memorable concert came from the musicians themselves. Artists who enjoy playing together and show it clearly – isn’t that, in the final analysis, an excellent sign? Then there was Toro himself (ably assisted by Wilder), who dared to do something that few Europeans still do, especially those of such high calibre as these: address the audience directly, throughout the concert. The communication is fluid, friendly but not overdramatic, and informative but in no way academic. It’s fun but with a clear respect for the audience’s intelligence.

And believe me, the audience really appreciated it. After the concert, the musicians rushed into the lobby of the venue to talk to the public and sell a few albums. There was a big crowd around the table and, if I’m not mistaken, the well-stocked box was emptied in no time. Even the beautiful box set of Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, which was recently released and cost $60, was gone. I got a copy, signed and kindly given to me by Toro himself. The man is happy.

These people know how to make friends, and they’ve given us good reason to invite them back.

The year 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of Ensemble SuperMusique, whose mission is to dedicate itself to the performance of new music, as well as to written and improvised music and graphic scores. The ensemble is well-known on the Montreal music scene for its great talent, dynamism and consistently high-quality performances. Last night’s concert, co-broadcast with Le Vivier, proved once again that Ensemble SuperMusique always stands out in its field.

The two works on the evening’s program were premieres, conducted by the composers themselves. The first piece, Versa es in luctum cithara mea… by Vergil Sharkyaʹ brought together several elements in a single work: prepared and acoustic instruments, amplification and sound effects. As a prelude to the piece, the composer rolls metal balls over guitar strings, and strikes the strings with light brushes or a piano hammer. So many unusual playing methods create a superb sound effect, a little ethereal and almost otherworldly. This first section transports us into a world of uncluttered sonorities, in which the focus is on the different ways of producing sound.

The second section mobilizes the entire SuperMusique ensemble, giving way to some fine moments of collective improvisation, on a melodic base carried by the low instruments and percussion. Once again, we pass through several tableaux, each depicting different moods: rhythm and bass, meditation (where we see three bass flutes at work!) and a register that could almost be described as science fiction.

The second work on the program, Monnomest (“my name is”), by Joane Hétu, is a long work in three movements and several tableaux dedicated to Rémy Bélanger of Beauport, creator and cellist, who was attacked in October 2020 in Quebec City in what is now known as the “sabre attack”. The work is built around a theme that musically spells out the name of Rémy Bélanger de Beauport, a theme that metamorphoses over the course of the work but is always recognizable in the background.

As well as involving instrumental improvisation, of course, 7 performers also lend their voices to the work. This adds an extra texture to an already richly composed piece. Each instrument has the opportunity to take center stage, allowing the ensemble’s talent to shine through. Monnomest is a work guided by magnificent melodic moments and moments of introspection.

This concert was carefully constructed, with a scenography that invited total and complete listening. The two pieces blended perfectly and were a seamless continuation of each other. The moments of improvisation were breathtaking, and we admired the cohesion of the ensemble.

At first glance, the program on paper looks astonishing and surprising: a saxophone quartet – an instrument much more often associated with jazz and contemporary music – performing transcriptions of works by Johann Sebastian Bach, interspersed with pieces composed between the 20th and 21st centuries, and ending with an emblematic rock “hit” by AC/DC! The members of the Signum saxophone quartet made up of Slovenians Blaž Kemperle (soprano saxophone), Alan Lužar (tenor saxophone) and Italians Jacopo Taddei (alto saxophone) and Guerino Bellarosa (baritone saxophone), offered this audacious artistic proposal to the Bach Festival audience, who had amassed in good numbers at St. George’s Church for a performance full of contrasts and twists and turns.

Diving into the heart of the material, the quartet opened the concert with Bach’s Suite for Orchestra No. 1 in C major, from which they performed the overture, minuet and bourrée with a beautiful play of nuances and an agility that brought out the woody, velvety sound of the instrument to our ears. While the program announced the piece New York Counterpoint by minimalist composer Steve Reich, we were informed by Alan Lužar that, due to technical problems, presumably linked to the tape accompanying the work, it had to be withdrawn from the program at the last minute. This inconvenience did, however, give rise to a fine discovery in the piece Prized Possessions by the young Vietnamese-American composer Viet Cuong, whose second movement “Beggar’s Lace” the quartet performed as a replacement. After the elegance of the orchestral suite, Cuong’s piece was a speedy page with intense playing, full of “dirty notes” supported by a few melodic passages to which a percussive exchange of “slap tongue” gave a biting dynamism.

Another Bach work on the program, the Concerto dans le goût italien, transcribed by Katsuki Tochio, won over the audience. The musicians of Signum demonstrated the intelligence of their playing. Each movement was coherent and expressive in style. The first movement was joyful and sparkling, with constantly renewed melodic phrases. The second showcased the touchingly lyrical playing of Blaž Kemperle and Alan Lužar. The expressive third movement had a particularly trumpet-like character, rendered by the saxophone tones.

After the interval, the quartet performed Albinoni’s famous Adagio in G minor. The character of the saxophone lends the string lines a languorous, plaintive and intense effect, full of melancholy that at times evokes the music of Ennio Morricone. In keeping with his desire to provoke stylistic encounters in which Bach’s presence is reflected in the effects and affects of their works, the final part of the concert was devoted to two excerpts from David Maslanka’s Recitation Book cycle, in which the composer quotes and uses Bach’s chorales as musical material that he deconstructs and reconstructs. The mediation on the chorale “Der du bist drei Eingigkeit”, which opens with a soprano saxophone solo, was profoundly blissful, while the more energetic Fanfare/Variation on “Durch Adams Fall” revealed, through the original material, sounds reminiscent of James Horner. Rounding off their performance, after just over an hour of music in the highly standardized world of 17th-century music, the four colleagues let themselves go with a frenzied rendition of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck; a strong, solid conclusion that reminds us that this is the same musical language used by Leipzig’s Kantor, just expressed differently.

Had it not been for the intelligence of the program, skilfully blending (re)interpretations of Bach’s music with contemporary works, and the musical personalities of the Signum members, ending a concert with such a stylistic departure would have fallen flat and been rightly decried as gauche. But the musicians’ clear artistic proposal and engaging interpretation won over the audience, who thanked them with rockstar applause! In their first appearance in Montreal and Canada, the Signum saxophone quartet certainly made a big impression with their musicality, their profound technical mastery, their ease on stage and in different forms and styles, and their ability to communicate a familiar repertoire in a new light, while accompanying us in the discovery of new musical horizons.

The Bach Festival continues until Saturday, December 2. To see the detailed program, visit the official festival website HERE.

Also check out the Off-Festival Bach program, which offers a series of concerts and free activities every day from November 22 to 29, starting at 12 noon.

Photo credit: Antoine Saito

The term “classical music” is a fascinating one. For many, classical music is the music of Beethoven, Mozart or European composers who lived in eras long past. Rafael Payare and the OSM certainly take pleasure in demonstrating that there are other composers of learned music from different lands who amply deserve their place in symphonic programming.

Wednesday evening’s concert was a signature concert for Payare. By showcasing different South American composers, it was a departure from the usual symphonic concert fare. The surprises and outbursts were many, and few in the audience remained indifferent. An energetic, charismatic, almost dancing conductor and an orchestra just as spirited and in control put on a memorable show.

The jewels in the crown were Alberto Ginastera’s dazzling Variaciones concertantes. Built around a theme in fourths, one is immediately moved by the sensitivity of the writing and the energy of the musical phrases. A sense of balance fills the work. Almost every section has its solo, and there’s no real sense of favouritism, except perhaps for the harp, which evokes the guitar. An excellent work, fresh and lively.

Spanish pianist Javier Perianes lends his playing to Jimmy López Bellido’s evocative Piano Concerto Ephemerae. Dedicated specifically to the soloist, we have the chance to see all the elegance and sensitivity of his playing through the different images and smells evoked by the score. We recognize several styles and almost borrowings from earlier composers, but always with a personal touch. The synesthetic objective of the score is a fundamentally mixed success, given the intrinsic subjectivity of the phenomenon. Perianes charmed the hall, offering Grieg’s Notturo, op. 54 no. 4 as an encore. He demonstrated great stage presence, combined with great talent and sensitivity.

Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas brasileras no. 8 seemed to pay homage to the common forms of the Baroque era, and to Bach in particular. We find a Toccata that doesn’t really seem to evoke Bach’s but reproduces his speed and energy. It elicits heartfelt applause from the audience. The Fugue finale is masterfully executed, and we admire the clarity of the writing and interpretation. The sudden, rapid ascent to the conclusion is interesting, beginning with a rumble and ending with a startling flourish, and is warmly applauded. The score remains less remarkable than the previous works, but the intoxicating intensity clearly appeals to the audience.

The merry-go-round of Latin and Hispanic influences ends with Ravel’s famous Bolero, brilliantly executed. Elaborating on this work would ultimately be redundant, as it is no longer presented, but we can still be amused by the fact that it is, in absolute terms, nothing more than a compositional exercise on the part of a composer who has long fought for music that is free and unrestrained by form, somewhat the opposite of what the Bolero is. A classic among classics, the piece is performed with a sensitivity that gradually morphs into a memorable intensity, just like the orchestra.

To learn more about the OSM’s program, visit the concerts page HERE.

Photo credit: Gabriel Fournier

On Tuesday evening, the Quasar Quartet offered a tribute to Claude Vivier. Presented in October in Paris, Montrealers had the chance to see this highly interesting and, above all, highly creative concert. Le Vivier is certainly proud to organize this tribute to a composer who inspired many, and not just the name of the organization.

Quasar brings together saxophone virtuosos in a tight and impressive core, both technically and expressively. Their instrumental explorations are fascinating, and the ease with which they make their instruments snap, vibrate, jump and scream is an art in itself. Of all the atypical and often incongruous sounds heard last night, few seem to have really given the musicians a hard time.

The staging was unique and meticulous. A central stage, surrounded by a transparent curtain, occupied the Espace Orange. Sometimes in front of this stage, sometimes on it, the lighting and the floating aspect of the layout helped to create an intimate atmosphere. It was a pity that the lighting for much of the concert was so low, making it impossible to follow the (very beautiful) program, which would have been nice to consult to situate the works played in succession. Fortunately, several composers took the time to introduce the works played, and we immediately felt more engaged.

The works on the program were interesting but sometimes uneven. Claude Vivier’s opening piece, Pulau Dewata, offered a different perspective on Vivier’s music, with its almost minimalist aesthetic of repeated, evolving motifs. This is one of the few similarities with the other works on the program. The second piece, L’instant liquide by Florence M. Tremblay, was fluid and highly enjoyable. It explored the atypical registers of the instruments to excellent effect, and we felt carried away by the waves of the score. The other works by Gilles Tremblay, Paul Méfano and Émilie Girard-Charest all seem to have adopted this perspective, which had the effect of exacerbating the aggressiveness of certain sonorities. Some of the techniques used went well with the mood and narrative of the works, but by the end, for most of them, the novelty wore off. It felt like a workshop on different possibilities, rather than a uniform work.

The final piece, Cinq pièces liquides by Yassen Vodenitcharov, breaks out of this mould, and the effect is pleasing. At once an evocation of painting and a tribute to various departed artists, we are surprised by the added sound effects and a pleasant fluidity that we had lost since Florence M. Tremblay’s piece.

The works were each and every one of them bursting with creativity. The composers dared, and we greatly appreciate it. We’d like to have more, but probably in a different arrangement. In any case, the Quasar Quartet’s virtuoso performance paid tribute not only to Claude Vivier but to the composers present too.

For more details on the Vivier season and upcoming concerts, click HERE.