Avant-Garde / Classical / Contemporary / expérimental / contemporain

Bozzini Quartet : microtones, great music

by Frédéric Cardin

Contemporary art music is doing well in Montreal. Yesterday (Tuesday night), a full house (the Espace Bleu in the Wilder complex in the Quartier des Spectacles) hosted Harmonies inouïes (Unheard-of harmonies), a concert by the Quatuor Bozzini, while the day before, the Agora Hydro-Québec in UQAM’s Cœur des sciences gave a full house to the SMCQ. Good news, then. But back to our Bozzinian business. This concert was no easy proposition: four creations of microtonal music by four relatively unknown young composers: Gabriel Dufour-Laperrière, Paolo Griffin, Bekah Simms and Francis Battah (who is nonetheless enjoying a growing reputation).

Next concerts of the Bozzini Quartet

Paolo Griffin’s Adherence is a rather monochrome (or should we say microchrome?) exercise that places the listener in a kind of sonic microgravity, made up of sustained notes (microtonal, of course) superimposed on one another in an almost non-existent dynamic. Gabriel Dufour-Laperrière’s Tout coule (everything flows) is stylistically close to Adherence, but already more fluid and active in its dynamics and instrumental writing. Numerous glissandos detail an undulating general architecture, constantly swelling and un-swelling. These dynamic peaks and lows remain centred on an average that oscillates between mezzo-forte and forte, but reach an intense double forte about four-fifths of the way through the piece.

The two best pieces (in my humble opinion) framed the programme. Songs for Fallow Fields by Bekah Simms, first in presentation, dares to use melody and consonance, grafted with ornamentation and microtonal harmonic coating. In this sense, the score by the young Glasgow-based Newfoundland composer is resolutely more ‘’contemporary’’ than the previous two. At the start of the 21st century, the exploration of encounters between neo-tonality, or even straightforward melodicism, and experimental avant-garde techniques is a promising avenue that greatly refreshes the discourse of learned music. It also has the not inconsiderable advantage of broadening the audience for this discipline. In short, to Bekah Simms (present in the audience), who said of this piece: “I’m not used to writing melodies, but this time I took the time to do so”, I would reply: “Keep going in this direction, and keep taking the time, it works!’’

The last piece on the programme was also the most fleshed-out, the most accomplished and the one that demonstrated the best mastery of the musical language, but also of the principle of discursive structure and of a narrative that is both demanding and easy to understand.

Simply entitled String Quartet No. 4, the work by Montrealer Francis Battah goes even further than the melodic consonance/microtonality encounter of Bekah Simms. In his quartet, Battah constructs a system of microtonal modal music! This is not in itself an invention, since in certain cultures, such as the tradition of maqam singing in learned Muslim music, modal microtonality is a given. Nevertheless, Battah’s approach is accomplished and frankly successful, enabling him to create a vehicle in which imaginary folk music is evoked in a generous canvas of some 20 minutes. Listening to it, we get the impression that a door to a parallel universe has opened, letting us discover a world similar to our own, but in which the ‘normal’ musical foundations are microtonal. Battah has listened extensively to a wealth of non-European folk and art music to inspire his writing. Celtic, Indian, Arabic and Persian influences can be identified, like ghostly but easily discernible spectres. Francis Battah’s String Quartet No. 4 will, I ardently hope (and dare to predict), have a long and happy life. Serious and daring quartets will find in it material worthy of their talent and a work which, despite its high degree of knowledge, will appeal to a curious and attentive public. My friend and colleague Alain Brunet, who accompanied me to the concert, also agrees.

It would be almost pointless to underline, once again, the quality of the Bozzini quartet’s playing. Impeccable and perfectly in tune with the will of the creative artists. There is certainly a lucky star hanging over the heads of these four young artists in learned composition, because to see one’s music played by an ensemble of such high calibre is an exceptional privilege.

Left to right : Francis Battah, Bekah Simms, Alissa Cheung, Clemens Merkel, Stephanie Bozzini, Isabelle Bozzini, Paolo Griffin, Gabriel Dufour-Laperrière – credit : Alain Brunet

Contemporary / expérimental / contemporain

SMCQ: Prana, breathing, “comprovisation”

by Alain Brunet

Sandeep Bhagwati is an authentic and vibrant incarnation of transculturalism in music, and we’re contemplating the extent of this during the SMCQ’s 2023-24 season, here’s the most recent illustration : last Monday and Tuesday at UQAM’s sold-out Coeur des Sciences, the composer highlighted in the SMCQ’s Série Hommage presented a work that was ” deeply emotional, spiritual and immersive “.

For 4 voices and 4 trombones, Prana explores breathing, drawing on spiritual concepts from southern Asia. On the program, inspiration, expiration, meditation, textural quest, frequenting the body’s 7 yogic chakras, performance, comprovisation – a combination of the words composition and improvisation, illustrating and assuming the dynamic coexistence of these two practices in musical creation.

Isolated in different localities during the pandemic, the trombonists had united (in visio, we imagine) their respective breaths, thanks to the breathing exercises induced by this comprovisation project. Inspired by this experience, Bhagwati composed Music of Breaths, this time written for four a cappella voices. From this idea of merging the two experiences was born Prana.

” In Sanskrit,” Bhagwati explains at the outset, “Pra means to fill and Na means life or breath. ” Thus, Prana explores the sounds generated by the human breath and offers ” new perspectives in the way you breathe and listen “.

A Montrealer by adoption, born of Indian and German cultures, the composer and theorist of transcultural comprovisation expresses himself here in French, English and German. He clearly introduces his composite work, based on a synthesis of both philosophical and spiritual concepts, concepts inducing the sounds to be expressed by the 4 singers and 4 trombonists : Kathy Kennedy, Sarah Albu, Elizabeth Lima, Andrea Young, Felix Del Tredici, Kalun Leung, David Taylor, David Whitwell.

First it’s the expression of brass instruments exchanging long-exhaled notes, then it’s the voices’ turn to express themselves in linear frequencies. Then the 8 artists work together, then in sections, and so on to a more compositionally elaborate conclusion.

The extensive techniques of trombone playing (grumbling, low harmonics, human breath exacerbated through the sound of the instrument, etc.) and voices (subtle games of onomatopoeia, vast lexicon of textural research, etc.) lead us to this zone of comprovisation arranged by Sandeep Bhagwati.

The structure of the expression games is simple, requiring the creativity of each performer in real time, reminiscent of several free improvisation experiments observed over the last few decades, lightly harnessed by a loosely-constrained compositional system. Nevertheless, the superimposition of voices and trombones requires real compositional coherence, with pre-recorded elements (direct or indirect respiratory evocations, etc.). The trombones opt for continuous sounds, while the voices express themselves in jerks, producing an interesting counterpoint.

Fragments of melody are subsequently interwoven into an organized whole, and on the trombone side, a vocal bestiary is set in motion, leaving us somewhere between a concert and a hike in the Ecuadorian forest;

At the end, the organization of sounds imagined by Sandeep Bhagwati becomes denser and more complex, requiring orchestral direction (Cristian Gort) and extra effort from the performers to flesh out the discourse and execute its conclusion.

photo credit: Marie-Ève LaBadie

Contemporary Jazz / musique de chambre

A Very Elegant Marriage of Strings and Jazz

by Michel Labrecque

It was a chilly evening! The wind pinched our faces. But, once inside the Fifth Room of Place des Arts, it was the strings of the violins, violas and even those of the piano that were plucked; and there was a lot of heat inside.

A daring double bill awaited us: Sources, a suite created by pianist Marianne Trudel in 2016 and Focus, a suite for strings and saxophone designed in 1962 by American composer Eddie Sauer, performed here by Yannick Rieu. The link between these two works was the ECO string ensemble of the Montreal national jazz orchestra, conducted by Jean-Nicholas Trottier. About twenty female musicians (there was one man) on violins, violas and cellos.

Beyond the musical aspect, this evening contained something magical on a human level. Marianne Trudel had a compelling need to communicate with the spectators. She asked the lighting engineer to turn on the lights, so she could see us to talk to us.

A concert is also a meeting.

The Sources suite is dedicated to water, in all its forms. It goes from the St. Lawrence River, near which Marianne grew up, to the possible shortage of drinking water, to the rain. A liquid musical suite, which in addition to the string ensemble, featured the pianist’s two former sidekicks, percussionist Patrick Graham and double bassist Étienne Lafrance, who formed the jazz group Trifolia in the previous decade.

So we immersed ourselves in this music. Initially, the meditative dialogue between piano and strings reminded me of Keith Jarrett’s Arbor Zena (1979), a cerebral but fluid neo-classicism. Little by little, more jazzy, more dissonant elements appeared. Marianne Trudel started to improvise and she knows how to do it. The work of Patrick Graham with very diverse percussion, from indigenous drums to mini-gamelan cymbals, is breathtaking in its subtlety.

Then, a magical moment arrived: a few members of the ECO string ensemble abandoned their written scores to dive into improvisation. I had chills. I would have taken a little more.

We arrived at the harbour safely before making a new musical trip with Focus.

Thanks to the presence in the room of the public radio host and writer Stanley Péan, we learned that this play had already been presented in Montreal in 2005, as part of the FIJM.

From the outset, the difference in the string arrangements compared to Sources is striking. Here, we are more into pizzicati and daring rhythmic changes.

It has already been said, that the American Eddy Sauer was very inspired by Béla Bartok (1881-1945) when he composed this suite. Sauer’s brilliance is to combine this inspiration from the Hungarian composer, keen on folklore, with jazz. It gives a very inspired chamber jazz.

Focus was written for American saxophonist Stan Getz, who became known for his collaborations with Brazilian musicians such as Joao Gilberto. The idea was to let the saxophonist improvise around the string arrangements.

The excellent Yannick Rieu was ideally suited to take Stan Getz’s place. He completely appropriated the work in his own way, on tenor and soprano saxophones.

It was a more introspective and less explosive Yannick Rieu than heard in other concerts. It was the music that wanted that. At one point, however, the strings fell silent to let Rieu do a long solo as he knows how to do.

After two hours of concert, we were full.

However, one thing puzzles me: why only one performance of this concert, which mobilized a lot of people and energy?

I understand that it’s niche music. At the same time as this concert, there was a huge crowd lining up to attend Mireille Mathieu’s show at the far bigger Salle Wilfrid Pelletier. The Cinquième Salle was not quite full. It’s like David against Goliath.

But I sincerely wish these artists to be able to play together again. And to expand their audience.

OSM | Variations on a Theme With Louis Lortie et Eun Sun Kim

by Elena Mandolini

The OSM welcomed two distinguished guests on Thursday. Firstly, Korean conductor Eun Sun Kim was at the helm of the orchestra for this evening of themes and variations. Pianist Louis Lortie also took center stage for half of the program, which was accessible and very well conceived. All the elements were in place for a concert of the highest quality.

The first piece, Johannes Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn, has its pitfalls, not least the tempo. If it’s too slow, the piece sounds weighed down, and if it’s too fast, the theme, a chorale, loses all meaning. But Eun Sun Kim has found the right balance for each movement. The piece also draws complexity from the balance required between the different sections of the orchestra. The melody shifts constantly, and the musicians move from rapid passages to long, held notes. Here again, it’s a success. The work unfolds with all the relief required. A fine example of synchronicity on the part of the orchestra.

Mozart’s Rondo in D major for piano and orchestra, the first piano piece of the evening, is also successfully performed. This piece is constructed as an exchange between piano and orchestra, alternating in the interpretation of the theme or its variations. In his role as a soloist, Louis Lortie shines, interpreting the work with lightness and ease, bringing out the humour characteristic of Mozart’s compositions.

After intermission, the piano takes center stage once again in Fauré’s Ballade for piano and orchestra. This work, originally conceived for solo piano, was later orchestrated to develop it further. Imbued with romanticism, the piece features numerous climbs in intensity, successfully carried by both orchestra and pianist. There are also many moments of delicacy and discreet dialogue between the various instruments. Lortie’s interpretation is once again noteworthy and admirable, bringing out the main melody with great clarity through streams of notes.

The concert closes with Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. If we felt that the OSM had shown restraint until now (sometimes out of necessity, as the score obliges…), this is no longer the case in this latest work. As soon as the theme is announced by the trumpet, quickly followed by a powerful brass choir, it becomes clear that the concert will end in grandeur and nobility. The OSM has mastered Pictures at an Exhibition, having performed them this summer at the opening of the Virée classique. The conductor’s precise, expressive gestures make a major contribution to this solid interpretation.

With this concert, the OSM has once again offered its audience a most enjoyable evening with some very talented guests.

This concert will be presented again on Saturday, February 17 at 2.30pm. INFO AND TICKETS HERE!

Photo credit: Gabriel Fournier

Classical / Turkish Classical

Didem Başar: Music, space, time Continuum

by Frédéric Cardin

Turkish-born Montrealer Didem Başar (pronounced Bashar) is the Grande Lady of the kanun (my words). This instrument from the zither family is widely used in traditional Turkish music and throughout the Middle East. Başar is adding several strings to her already strong instrumental game by incorporating composition and above all encounters with other musical genres, something she can easily do in Montreal’s rich musical ecosystem.

On Tuesday evening at Salle Bourgie, as part of the Musique des cultures du monde series, she presented her Continuum project, in which her compositions (and a few arrangements) for kanun, percussion and string quintet offered the attentive audience some 80 minutes of delicate and delightful travel, a kind of tangible link between the present and the long history of the millenias-old culture of the Middle East. A continuum of space, time and, of course, music. Accompanying her on stage were the Andara Quartet, double bassist Étienne Lafrance and percussionist Patrick Graham.

With the exception of a few arrangements of traditional pieces, all the works were written by the artist herself, including a Concerto for kanun and strings, written in the rules of the art. It’s a wonderful adventure that begins with a light first movement, full of pointed textures (string pizzicatos and plucking of the kanun), interspersed from time to time with lyrical caresses from the strings. If this initial section suggests a stroll in all simplicity, the second movement betrays this prejudice with a plaintive adagio in dark colours, evoking a sadness swollen with powerful melancholy. It’s as if we were homesick with her. The third movement, the finale, reveals more rhythmic muscle and a willing, assertive drive that visibly satisfies the audience present.

The entire repertoire offered in the programme stems from this oriental atmosphere, based on an essentially modal harmonic universe, but to which Didem Başar adds touches of more western chromaticism here and there, a chromaticism that also invites microtonality. The result is a set of attractive melodic constructions that never, however, become recipes for auditory tourists. Başar’s music is easy to like, but never “easy”. It also leaves a little room for improvisation by its companions, particularly in the piece Lame Pigeon, where Étienne Lafrance gets brilliantly improvisatory before handing over to cellist Dominique Beauséjour-Ostiguy, who is expansive but more controlled, violist Vincent Delorme, who is impressive, and percussionist Patrick Graham, who is always spectacularly subtle and refined.

A wonderful moment of music and intercultural encounter, à la Montréal. Continuum is a concert you shouldn’t miss if you see it in your area, and it will also be released as an album on 18 May 2024. Definitely one to watch.

alt-rock / Punk Rock

Taverne Tour Day 3: Last Waltzon Tears It Wide Open

by Lyle Hendriks

Ah, the coveted opening slot. Depending on who you ask, it’s one of two things: either a death sentence for the energy of your set as you play to a slowly filling and thoroughly sober room or an opportunity to bring the noise and kick off the evening right. And thankfully, Last Waltzon’s set at Casa del Popolo on Saturday night firmly fell into the latter category.

Young, loud, and punk to the core, Last Waltzon is the epitome of devil may care. They brought together an electric set that started at 11 and never dipped down for a second, with hair-raising gang vocals, raw, frenzied drums like a nailgun to the skull, and a thrashing array of jangly, guttural guitar that doesn’t waste any time in getting you moving. Perhaps it’s Last Waltzon’s idea of not wasting time that appeals to me. The songs are short, concise, and absolutely lean, with each track bringing an emotional urgency, as if the boys would drop dead if they didn’t get it out of their system.

Aggressive, angsty, and a damn good time—opening slot or not—Last Waltzon got Saturday night off on the right foot.

Britpop / indie / Pop-Rock / Rock

Taverne Tour Day 3: Ducks Ltd. is Mirror-Polished Pop

by Lyle Hendriks

Sometimes, you go to a show and watch four musicians play music at the same time. And sometimes, you go to a show and watch a band really and truly gel, forming a homogenized sonic emulsification that completely exceeds the sum of its parts. It was a pleasure, then, to watch Toronto pop-rock outfit Ducks Ltd. as they showed off their prowess at Quai des brumes on Saturday night.

Tight doesn’t even begin to describe the cohesion of this jangly four-piece. It’s like watching a hive mind at work, four separate entities sharing a singular purpose: expertly crafted indie pop rock polished to a mirror sheen. The frenzied, often emotional tracks were imbued with a loveable levity by lead singer Tom McGreevy, who had no problem sharing his nervous excitement with the utterly packed room before him. But any hint of hesitation quickly melted away as soon as their first song hit, and was instead replaced by a feverish performance from all four members as they marched through their set. I’ve never seen a band work so hard while simultaneously making it look so easy, whether it was the rock-solid bass, irresistible drums, or sublime backup vocals from McGreevy’s founding counterpart Evan Lewis.

Contrary to what their name might imply, Ducks Ltd. has seemingly unlimited potential in this niche they’ve carved out for themselves, and I’ll be paying close attention to anything they do next.

Flutist Aram Mun wins McGill Concerto Competition

by Elena Mandolini

Following a process that began several weeks ago, the Romantic/Modern/Contemporary Concerto Competition of McGill University’s Schulich School of Music has crowned flutist Aram Mun the winner of the 2023-2024 edition, in the section devoted to brass, woodwinds and percussion. Mun stood out with an impressive performance of Carl Nielsen’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra FS 119. With her expansive vision, rich sound and fluid, easy technique, the young artist won the highest accolade from the jury, which included Simon Aldrich, Alexis Hauser, Trevor Dix, Jacinthe Forand and Kristie Ibrahim. Personally, I was also impressed by the evening’s other flutist, YuLai Guo, who played Jacques Ibert’s concerto, and above all by percussionist Charles Chiovato Rembaldo in a spectacular performance of Peter Eötvös’s Speaking Drums. The fourth candidate, trumpeter Christopher Keach, demonstrated beautiful sonorities, but largely insufficient technical mastery, in a concerto by Oskar Böhme. Too many missed notes and missed attacks, leaving a lot of burrs, certainly sunk the young man. If you’re a fan of up-and-coming classical musicians, you should know that the piano section of this same competition will have its preliminaries on February 12, followed by the finals on February 14.

For the calendar, click here.

Psych-Rock / Rock / Surf

Taverne Tour Day 2: TEKE::TEKE & the Surf Rock Demon Wave

by Stephan Boissonneault

I finally saw the wild psychedelic Japanese surf rock hydra, TEKE::TEKE live during Taverne Tour. Since moving to Montreal three years ago, all the true heads told me to check out TEKE:TEKE. So after missing them live a handful of times and listening to the latest fire release, Hagata, I knew the sold-out show was going to be a memorable one.

From the very moment they stepped on the stage (a bit late mind you, but hey that’s show business) I knew we were all in for a treat. The first aspect I noticed was how impeccably dressed they all were; the guitarists rocking what looked like vintage kimonos, the flutist in a traditional-looking silver dress and headband, and the lead singer, Maya Kuroki, dressed to the nines in colossal thick-framed glasses, dangling orb earrings, and a striking floral dress. TEKE:TEKE looks the part and for the next hour or so, they’re taking us on a journey of Japanese ghost stories that sound like the backdrop to a raucous Tarantino film. Like the sonic equivalent of a strange tsunami, each song grows and grows into a spiraling vortex of surfy rock n’ roll, and the band is unbelievably tight, trading out weird time signatures like nothing. The projection backdrops of the Japanese red sun, topographic mountains, cartoon birds, oni, and Kanji add to the spectacle of it all.

I can’t believe this band is only seven years old because they play like they have been doing so for decades. The encore of The Clash’s “Bankrobber,” sung in Japanese was also a bonus. If you like live music, it’s almost a disservice to not see TEKE::TEKE live. They’re a triumph.

Post-Punk

Taverne Tour Day 2: Sweeping Promises Deliver Punk Rock No-Wave Fury

by Stephan Boissonneault

I love being surprised by a live show … and I’ll admit it’s becoming rarer and rarer as a music journalist of almost a decade, but one set that left me stupefied during Taverne Tour was from Kansas’ post-punk/no-wave rock group, Sweeping Promises. The combined vocal powerhouse and fuzzy bass riffs of Lira Mondal and the angular, adrenaline-punk guitar of Caufield Schnug was excellent. Schnug knows punk rock guitar like the back of his hand—sounding a bit like The Fall and Interpol smashed together. I also really enjoyed his antics of jumping and maintaining a healthy power stance throughout the set. He owned the universe.

I guess if I was doing my job right I would have done a bit of research before, seeing how the group is on Sub Pop … but I was very glad to go in cold. I’ll be checking out all of the current and future Sweeping Promises material in the near future.

Garage Punk / Garage Rock / Rock

Taverne Tour Day 2: SAMWOY Gets Real For a Sec

by Lyle Hendriks

Something about SAMWOY’s onstage persona just cracks me up. He has a boisterous confidence up there, cracking goofy jokes nonstop like an emo version of Jack Black. It’s an ease of motion, a sure sign of someone who has been through the wringer of live music and discovered that they actually had what it took to make it. But beyond the humour and armour suit of confidence, Sam Woywitka also has no problem with vulnerability, with expressing his gratitude and love for everyone who comes out to listen and dance.

Musically, there’s a youthfulness that instills Sam’s work, with upbeat, yet aggressive indie alt vibes that get you moving and perhaps thinking about your ex. Initially, his set was relatively light, with the kind of emotional lyrics and angsty instrumentation we were all hoping for. But in a moment, I went from dancing around and having a good time to simply standing there, slack-jawed and a little misty-eyed as Sam played a song I’d never heard before.

Sam delivered a monologue that was part spoken word, part half-sung rap, telling the story of how he got into music. I guess this is common knowledge for many, but it was my first time hearing Sam’s story of waking from a coma at 17, his life irreversibly changed by a car crash that robbed his friend of life and Sam of his memory. He talks about nearly dying, about seeing his mom in a strange, purgatorial hotel room and being pushed away, back to life, back to the world, and back to the music that, today, drives him so completely. It was an unexpected twist of sensitivity and vulnerability that I hope to see more of in future SAMWOY shows.

Prog Rock / Psych-Rock / Rock

Taverne Tour Day 2: Population II is Exploding at the Seams

by Lyle Hendriks

I’ve had the chance to see Population II a number of times now, and they have never once failed to be completely exceptional. The Montreal-based psych-rock three-piece is, to me, the definition of doing a lot with a little. Demonstrating that the classic set-up of guitar, bass, and drums is only as restrictive as you want it to be. Indeed, Population II seems to thrive within these apparent limitations (with the help of the occasional synth part), popping out and bursting at the seams like an overstuffed suitcase of face-melting riffs, pungent basslines, and unbelievable percussion.

One of the most impressive aspects of Population II is their drummer and vocalist, Pierre-Luc Gratton. His voice is perfect for the project, with an insistent, almost indignant singing tone reminiscent of King Gizzard. His drumming is also a bonafide phenomenon, with so much technical skill and sophistication that it begins to look freeform and naive, like a bullet train that’s about to rattle right off the rails. But what brings Population II its energy and irresistible urgency is the fact that he does both of these things simultaneously, his entire body and soul engaged in a frantic bloodletting of what I can only assume are his deepest, darkest demons. And when Gratton swings the mic out of his way and gears up for an instrumental break, you know you’re about to get blown right off your feet.

New rule for Montreal-ers: you never, under any circumstances, miss a Population II show.