Concert review

Brazilian / Forró / Samba

A Double Carnival Celebration

by Sandra Gasana

The Sala Rosa was packed to capacity for the double anniversary celebration of Forró Rasta Paix and Tamboréal Samba Bloco. While the former was celebrating its second anniversary, the latter was celebrating its very first.

The evening began with Forró Rasta Paix, a five-member group including Fabio Stilben, whom we interviewed. While he sang and played the triangle, he was accompanied by Pablo Majlis on accordion, Alexandre Monteiro on flute, Vovô Saramanda on percussion, and Anit Ghosh on violin or bass, depending on the song.

We were treated mainly to covers from the wide repertoire of forró, including classics by Luis Gonzaga, but also xote, a style similar to reggae. The dance floor filled with couples, as this style is primarily danced in pairs.

“For the next song, we’re going to invite our godmother, Bïa, who has supported forro for a long time,” Fabio announced before welcoming the great Brazilian singer and presenter.

For the final songs, Fabio handed over his triangle to Lissiena Neiva, another prominent figure in Montreal’s Brazilian music scene, primarily involved in samba circles, to focus entirely on singing. This allowed him to express himself more freely and even dance.

My favorite of the evening was the cover of Vamos Fugir, by Gilberto Gil but especially Bebê by Hermeto Pascoal, perfectly mastered by Alexandre Monteiro and his flute.

As Fabio described to us during our interview, the evening began with some rather mellow pieces before ending in a full-blown, carnival-like celebration. The audience danced wildly, sang along to every song by heart, and had even started a sort of tunnel that wound its way through the entire venue. In short, after the first set, the bar had already been set incredibly high.

After a short break, Tamboréal kicked things off with two pieces played by the students. In fact, in addition to being a percussion group, Tamboréal has also been offering percussion classes for a few months, and this was the students’ first public performance. This was followed by the full Tamboréal Samba Bloco ensemble, composed of 18 percussionists, 3 musicians (bass, electric guitar, and cavaquinho), and of course, the conductor Carlos, with whom we had the opportunity to speak.

Each of the musicians had the opportunity to sing on some tracks, but the rest of the time, it was singer Thaynara Perí who perfectly filled that role. She alternated between her percussion instrument and singing, but it was clearly in the singing that she shone. Despite the imposing sound of the percussion, her voice still carried through.

Their repertoire consists of covers but also original compositions, including a song that bears the group’s name.

“I would like us to applaud all the Capoeira enthusiasts and what they have done to make this martial art known throughout the world,” said Carlos before introducing the song “Capoeira.” Just like Thaynara, he alternated between his roles as bandleader, percussionist, and MC, speaking between songs to provide context or talk about the tracks.

Some pieces had a rather rock feel, partly thanks to the electric guitar, but otherwise we were treated to a mix of samba, forró, maracatu and axé.

Carlos even took the time to invite Fabio to feature on a track, reinforcing this idea of ​​collaboration. Meanwhile, in the audience, people started line dancing, some improvising as dance instructors while others followed along.

“It took us many hours of work, love, and sweat to offer you a show like this, I hope you enjoy it,” Thaynara shares with us in Portuguese, between two songs.

I have a feeling these double-anniversary parties are becoming a ritual, since this is already the second time these two groups have celebrated together. And even though there was another major event in the Brazilian community this weekend (Sambakana), it didn’t stop a good crowd from gathering at Sala Rosa, another indicator of the significant size of the Brazilian community in Montreal. There’s something for everyone.

Electronic

EAF x S.A.T. | IRL’s Ocean of Sound

by Loic Minty

After a long night of music, I woke up remembering what I thought had been a dream.

IRL, a.k.a. Amanda Harvey, opened with an ode to her anthropocenic listening practice: a field recording of an ocean soundscape.

Immediately, wandering thoughts dulled and narrowed into the rocking of waves. Ever so slowly, as we reached for the bottom rung of attention, ears opened in anticipation of the first notes of a warm pad. Quietly but surely, IRL began.

From deep under the water’s surface came the emergence of a drone. Then, as the patterns of her sampler wove into each other, rhythms filled the space with what seemed to be an ocean between each note. From above, a keyboard softly blew the symphony of a thousand angels with their horns. It was high and airy but also just as grounded in the space. Moving back and forth, IRL took pauses, listened, felt the crowd. The “performance” felt second to a desire to channel something greater. As time went on, the channel only became clearer, and the static rolled into a little ball of lint.

Behind her was what looked like found 16mm footage, perpetually reconfiguring its frame, giving space to imagine what life was held in those blurs of light. There was no subject or story, but the theme was very strong. It sparked pictures in the mind’s eye and, together with the music, created what Michel Chion dubbed the audiovisual illusion. We were simultaneously seeing the sound and hearing the images move on the screen. With that, what we were experiencing felt beyond both mediums -a poem of sorts, speaking to the deep recesses of memory, to some shared recurring dream we’ve yet to sleep through. Over IRL’s field recordings and deep drones, the images of seafoam breaks, deserted mountain ranges, lava trails -all became internalized as one. And there, if you listened closely, the voiceless could be heard.

From our interview last winter preparing for her Substrat show, Amanda Harvey spoke extensively about how listening has shaped her practice, and I realize I hadn’t understood what that meant until last night. Her music felt closer to a sonic meditation practice from a Pauline Oliveros prompt than to a strict live performance, and her selfless, experiential approach meant that presence was needed -something that a secondhand description often fails to convey.

EAF is a magnet that draws these unique beings. There is much to be said about this series’ growing influence, and it feels as though the chrysalis has begun to crack. Yet it is still by and for the artists. Small bubbles of surrounding subcultures regularly pop in to give some air to this now-familiar exploratory formula -that is, an engagement with the non-defined. And so, the story continues, forward into the unexplored present moment.

Bebop / Jazz / saxophone

A Big Band of Strings and Saxophones Celebrates Charlie Parker

by Michel Labrecque

Upon entering the Fifth Hall of Place des Arts, twenty minutes before the concert, the string ensemble was already in a state of high excitement: the instruments were tuning, practicing scales and twirling around.

The National Jazz Orchestra transformed itself into a string ensemble, as it sometimes does. This particular occasion was to pay tribute to Charlie Parker with Strings, that rare moment when, between 1949 and 1951, the great bebop saxophonist recorded with a string ensemble. A moment that marked history at the time.

To commemorate this event, the ONJ pulled out all the stops: on stage were some twenty violinists, violists and cellists, accompanied by a harpist, an oboist and an English horn player. In addition, there was a rhythm section with drums, bass, guitar and piano.

The musical director for that evening, Samuel Blais, told me in an interview that Charlie Parker, aka Bird, had never had such a large ensemble. At the time, the producer wanted to save money, so it was a small string ensemble that collaborated with the great saxophonist.

To portray Charlie Parker, Samuel Blais called upon regulars from the ONJ: the excellent Montreal saxophonists Jean-Pierre Zanella, Rémi Bolduc, André Leroux and Alexandre Côté. Each of them had their moment of dialogue with the string ensemble.

How can I put it simply? It all sounded fantastic! It was fluid and rich. The ONJ meticulously respected the original arrangements, but the saxophonists had the freedom to improvise, without trying to copy Parker. Of course, you have to appreciate the style of the era. The strings sometimes sound like a soundtrack from a Walt Disney film. But it’s finely arranged, and in these dreary times, it adds a little color to our lives.

Don’t even ask me which of the four soloists was the best. Each had their own unique sound. And that’s perfectly fine.

Finally, the four musicians reunited on stage and indulged in a series of solos, accompanied by the rhythm section, for a final piece. The string and wind orchestra, almost entirely composed of women, tapped their feet and smiled.

In the room, we were doing the same thing….

It was a very nice evening, sold out, although around me there were a few empty seats.

The ONJ’s next event will be dedicated to Ellington. On January 15, 2026, Kim Richardson will sing Duke Ellington, conducted by Marianne Trudel. Happy New Year!

Publicité panam
Jazz / Latin Jazz / orchestre / saxophone

Melissa Aldana’s Soul Pierces The UdeM Big Band

by Michel Labrecque

With the cold and torrential rain pouring down on Montreal, it took a bit of courage to venture to the concert hall at the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Music. But it was well worth it: the radiant saxophone of Chilean Melissa Aldana awaited us, accompanied by a student Big Band that seemed to be firing on all cylinders. Rain? What rain?

Melissa Aldana has garnered much praise in recent years for the originality of her playing and the quality of her compositions. “She’s one of the best saxophonists on the planet,” João Lenhari, trumpeter, teacher, and musical director of the Big Band, told me during our interview. And by that, he meant regardless of gender.

Melissa usually performs in a sextet or quintet. Her only experience with a big band was a project with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, inspired by the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. It was a version of this project that we were treated to at the Salle Claude Champagne.

João Lenhari stated it from the outset, in his French beautifully tinged with a Portuguese accent: reproducing these compositions by Melissa Aldana arranged by Jim McNeely was a serious and complex undertaking that required many rehearsals.

Overall, the concert was excellent. The kids did a fantastic job. These pieces, which are jazz with a subtle Latin influence, are indeed difficult to perform. But overall, everything flowed smoothly. The rhythm section was particularly impeccable, in my opinion as a layperson who listens to a lot of music.

What’s particularly wonderful about this kind of concert is the humility of the “star.” Melissa Aldana gave the students plenty of space for their solos, applauding and encouraging them. I don’t know if you find that in classical music. There was a particularly moving moment when tenor saxophonist Maude Gauthier and Melissa Aldana were in dialogue, responding to each other. I wondered how fast Maude’s heart was beating. It’s an incredible opportunity!

In short, it was a warm and musically excellent evening. The only slight drawback: at times, the Big Band somewhat overpowered Melissa’s saxophone, which often conveys very subtle emotions. Fortunately, she was able to showcase her full talent in an unaccompanied solo, where the breadth of her range and nuances was evident.

I therefore recommend that you listen to her latest album Echoes Of The Inner Prophet, to appreciate her talents as a saxophonist and composer.

On December 7, the Salle Claude Champagne will host saxophonist Bob Minzer, accompanied by the university’s alumni Big Band.

Pop

M For Montreal I Léonie Gray’s Songs For Female Power

by Marilyn Bouchard


Leonie Gray took the Théâtre Plaza, stage by storm, as part of M for Montreal, to offer us a groovy and full-of-energy performance. In front of a smiling and dancing crowd, she presented this Friday, November 21, an assortment of songs, mainly from her most recent album Crève-Cœur, but also some from her previous album Who?. Accompanied by an exclusively female band on drums and piano, the girls presented a 45-minute setlist mixing pop, soul and jazz, with touches of funk and R&B here and there, for a catchy moment. The powerful voice of Gray, who won several singing competitions in the early 2000s, punctuated the evening with intensity and raw emotion, where the female power recovery was in the spotlight. Very physically involved, the artist used the stage as her home by using every corner/position with ease to sometimes create proximity effects with the public and sometimes bursts of energy lifting the room. An exciting show that set the table well for the finale.

Dark Pop / Indie Rock

M For Montreal I Kandle Dances in the Shade

by Marilyn Bouchard

Kandle, our favourite western Canadian adoptee, was back on the scene at the l’Esco on St-Denis in a program alongside Babyteeth and APACALDA during to M for Montreal. Surrounded by an intimate formation of two musicians, the singer-songwriter, who has been travelling the roads recently alongside her father (54-40’s, Neil Osborne) was back in town for an expected meeting with his Montreal Fans.

Going through mainly songs from for album Set the Fire, but also Holy Smoke and In Flames, she introduced us to an assortment of bluesy rock songs, languorous and dancing shades inspired by her childhood on the road, her pain chronicles, and her love life with authenticity and ardour. In a dark and smoky atmosphere, straight out of the ’90s, where only neon lights illuminated, the backing tracks and the musicians harmonized to offer us an emotional moment filled with guitar-inspired solos and melancholic vocal flights. An evening where, clearly, Kandle had as much fun as the audience in Montreal!

Electro-Jazz / Jazz Fusion / jazz groove / Jazz Rock

M For Montreal I BADBADNOTGOOD storm l’Olympia

by Marilyn Bouchard

The Toronto electro-jazz band BADBADNOTGOOD, accompanied by Colin Stetson and Rebecca Foon FOR the opening, closed the last night of M for Montreal at the Olympia. Obviously very happy to be back in front of the Montreal public, the four musicians set the stage on fire by presenting an assortment of pieces consisting of must-haves such as “Time Moves Slow” and “In Your Eyes” but also of their most recent material from Mid Spiral and Talk Memory. For the occasion, Leland Whitty spoiled us with even longer and more complex saxophone solos than on record and was quickly equalled by, Alexander Sowinski (drums and sampler) and Chester Hansen (bass and synths), who all gave themselves to heart joy on their instruments, giving us the real impression of being in their (very large) local.

In front of hypnotic and abstract projections, the public immersed themselves in the musical trance by dancing and tapping the bar in the air, while we had the right to a few words and a lot of warm smiles. A busy evening of interpretations (and improvisations!) inspired by frantic or languid rhythms where everyone had a blast. A supercharged and packed room, with the energy at the ceiling, for a final in beauty!

Punk / Rock

The Saints of Today are not Yesterday’s Saints

by Patrick Baillargeon

Whether you’re into punk or rock and roll, The Saints should need no introduction, and yet… even today, the Brisbane combo remains largely unknown to the general public. But among thrill seekers, the band is legendary. That’s why several fans from Montreal and elsewhere didn’t hesitate to travel to Toronto to attend this unexpected Saints concert in Canada. Well, what’s left of the Saints, that is: drummer Ivor Hay and prodigious guitarist Ed Kuepper, the mastermind behind the Saints’ sound. 

With singer Chris Bailey and bassist Algy Ward canonized in the afterlife, the two remaining members put together an unstoppable version of The Saints, recruiting Mark Arm from Mudhoney, a singer whose tone is different from Bailey’s but who can perform the songs with intensity and genuine passion. Mick Harvey (Birthday Party, Bad Seeds) was the natural choice to help reproduce the additional parts played on the albums, whether on guitar or keyboards. Bassist Peter Oxley (Sunnyboys) has long been Kuepper’s collaborator on various projects. This new version of the band, dubbed The Saints ’73-’78, is rounded out by a horn section: Eamon Dilworth (trumpet), Julian Wilson (tenor saxophone), and Mark Spencer (baritone saxophone). The goal: to pick up where the original band left off in 1978, performing songs from their first three albums, those with Kuepper on six strings: (I’m) Stranded (1977), Eternally Yours (1978) and Prehistoric Sounds (1978).

After a successful first Australian tour in 2024, The Saints ’73-’78 made their US debut in November, stopping off in Toronto for the only Canadian date on the tour. This is the first time that songs from the original band and their three albums, as well as their respective EPs and singles, have been performed in North America.

Canonization

For those wondering who we’re talking about, here’s a quick recap. Between 1973 and 1978, The Saints laid the foundations for their legend. In September 1976, they self-produced “(I’m) Stranded,” a seminal single that preceded the first releases by the Sex Pistols, the Damned, the Buzzcocks, and the Clash. Their first album was released in February 1977. The band then left Brisbane for Sydney, then moved to London, where, as an introduction, they performed at the Roundhouse as the opening act for the Ramones. Bassist Kym Bradshaw left shortly after to join The Lurkers; Algy Ward took his place.

In the following year, The Saints released This Perfect Day and the EP 1-2-3-4, then began to shift towards a fuller sound, tinged with R&B and sometimes supported by a brass section. Eternally Yours and Prehistoric Sounds were released in 1978. The band broke up shortly afterwards.

Chris Bailey continued the adventure under the name The Saints for four decades, shifting towards a mix of folk and R&B. Ed Kuepper, the musical mastermind of the early days, returned to Australia, founded the Laughing Clowns, released numerous solo albums, composed soundtracks, returned to rock with The Aints/The Aints!, collaborated with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, explored experimental jazz with Asteroid Ekosystem, and most recently released After the Flood with drummer Jim White. Drummer Ivor Hay made a few occasional returns to Bailey’s Saints and formed the band Wildlife Documentaries. As for Algy Ward, he went on to join The Damned.

73-78… 2025

Although there were a few sporadic reunions of The Saints (in 2001 and 2007), these were limited to a few concerts in Australia. Following the death of singer Chris Bailey in 2022 (and bassist Algy Ward the following year), guitarist Ed Kuepper and drummer Ivor Hay decided to form a band that could best represent the songs performed on the Brisbane band’s first three albums.

That’s what we saw at Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theater on November 13. Preceded by local band Gloin (sorry, we arrived too late), the Saints quietly took the stage shortly after 9 p.m. and immediately launched into a flawless brass-heavy rendition of “Swing For The Crime,” except for some poorly adjusted sound. The problem was fixed by the second song, the incisive “No Time,” from their first album. “This Perfect Day” (or night, in our case) followed without delay, setting the tone for what was to come. In all, there were 19 songs, including, of course, the unavoidable “(I’m) Stranded,” “The Prisoner,” “No,” “Know Your Product,” “Brisbane (Security City)” and a finale culminating in the furious “Demolition Girl” and “Nights in Venice.” 

However, the crowd wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as expected. The atmosphere in this venerable concert hall, which has seen many notable acts since its first shows in 1991 (and which will close its doors for good at the end of the year), wasn’t as wild as one might have hoped. It must be said that the concert was far from sold out… As for the band, they didn’t seem particularly excited about this (only) show in Canada. Not very talkative (like most of the rest of the band, for that matter), Mark Arm contented himself with slipping in a few words here and there, clinging to his microphone stand throughout the performance, or almost. It was as if he felt out of place, he who is capable of all kinds of eccentricities on stage with his band Mudhoney. With the Saints, he doesn’t have to play that role. And it must be said that the American singer has the difficult task of filling Bailey’s very large shoes, a perilous mission that he has carried out with a kind of respect, humility, and serenity when you think about it. And with each performance, it’s pretty much the same scenario, if you take the time to watch some of their shows that are circulating on the web right now. 

Let’s be clear, today’s Saints are not yesterday’s Saints, nor do they try to be. The tempo is a little slower, the energy less intense, or at least channeled differently. In fact, the current lineup is content to deliver the tracks from the first three albums as honestly as possible, without fanfare, but with trumpets. 

These brass-heavy concerts, which they performed in Oceania, then North America, and now Europe, are the ones they should have given back then, if they hadn’t split up so soon. Kuepper and Hay have aged, Bailey and Ward are no longer with us, but their replacements, and those who have been added, notably the versatile Mick Harvey, who acts as a kind of conductor without a baton, give the ensemble a different flavour. 

The Saints from 1973 to 1978, yes, but in 2025, a different perspective, a different energy, but the same music that marked the all too short career of this iconic band.

Live photo by Matthew Ellery

Hard Rock / math rock / Mathcore / Noise Rock / Psych-Rock

M For Montréal | Angine de Poitrine: Heading for a heart attack!!

by Alain Brunet

The Angine de Poitrine tandem may not be on the verge of a stroke, but the signs of the electrocardiogram (cardiogam!) don’t lie: the buzz is tangible, we were able to measure its impact at Ausgang, on Friday, November 21, in the context of M for Montreal. This microtonal guitar-percussion tandem (Khn de Poitrine and Klek de Poitrine on the drums) coated with electro is booming on the indie scenes with its carnival costumes and its digitized Cro-Magnon tracks, served in the form of friendly saturated grunts. Good beasts! All these elements contribute to a winning formula, both daring and hilarious. Tribal grooves are thus immersed in a thick magma of effects pedals and other hypnotic frequency generators. All the beats on the program are well-known, often inspired by prog and mathcore (for the composed bars), psych-rock, Ledzeppian hard-rock (for Jimmy Page’s famous oriental riffs, necessarily microtonal) or downright noise. The interventions of the microtonal strings (Siamese guitar and bass, two handles and a single body) thus eject us from the melodic scales commonly used in the mentioned styles.

This music is made of melodic-harmonic motifs lying on hellish rhythms; all these textural overlays produce an extraordinary jam. Balanced like a jam, these pieces on the program are relatively simple, few variations along the way, except for a few more sophisticated bridges. Regardless of what we think, Angine de Poitrine turns out to be simply incendiary; these thundering blueberries (Saguenay, Alma) make you explode in the face. The ripple effect of this festive trance is undeniable, impossible to resist. Heading for a heart attack!

Contemporary

Quigital Corporate Retreat: how to destroy corporate culture while having a great time

by Frédéric Cardin

How to describe the concept behind Quigital Corporate Retreat by the Architek percussion ensemble, soprano Sarah Albu, and creators Eliot Britton, Patrick Hart, David Arbez, and Kevin McPhillips? I won’t repeat what has already been said in the interview I conducted with Ben Duinker from Architek, Sarah Albu, and Elliot Britton. I therefore invite you to consult it without delay (French and English).

WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE

I will rather focus on the show itself, which I attended on November 13, 2025, at the Sala Rossa in Montreal. What must be said, first of all, is that this show represents a renewed form of the concept of total art in which the audience is involved. A good half hour before the first notes are played, we are already in the show itself. We are welcomed not as spectators, but rather as employees of the Quigital corporation. The event is a professional retreat, a session of boosting and motivation, collective brainstorming, but also, unbeknownst to us, an evaluation of our performance. We receive an official identity card and a downloadable application connects us to other “employees” with whom we are called upon to exchange ideas for products to launch, to build a network, and above all, to accumulate Quigital points. With these points, we can even buy promotions!

Once this intro is over, the show begins. This is a fairly playful roller coaster whose success, I am told, is due to the advice of the director and choreographer Marie-Josée Chartier. We quickly get caught up in it, so well is everything managed, and the musicians also act as more or less effective managers of the event’s progress. But the person who ensures the impeccable running and the maintenance of the breathless energy is the MC (Mistress of Ceremony), a kind of crowd animator/Club Med GO/pushy motivator of the evening: the soprano Sarah Albu. She’s the one who holds it all together, who sings, talks, encourages to the point of saturation to repeat the ridiculous mantras of this big fictional, but not so fictional, company. Here’s an example: If you’re on time, you’re late; We strive for Data Completeness!; It’s up to all of us to live and breathe the sunset-type environment; Aim to find out your Complete Edgeboard Storylines, and a bunch of other nonsense like that. We are bombarded with hollow propaganda, covered in false-good-feelings that underpin a mind-numbing productivism that seems straight out of an updated version of Orwell’s 1984.

All of this, of course, is a scathing but lucid critique of the contemporary corporate world, which seems unable to avoid the trap of its own extremist caricature leading to absurdity.

The event consists of songs that form a complete cycle (a Songbook) of six tracks, evoking conventional platitudes that one might hear or read in the usual activities of a workday:

Can You Forward This To Me?
I Hope This Email Finds You Well
Exciting News!
Just Wanted To Circle Back
You Left Something Behind
We Love You

All of this is interspersed with sometimes frenetic instrumental moments, like when the host overloads her coworkers by pushing them to always go faster. These (the guys from Architek) type faster and faster on computer “keyboards” that also serve as percussion or funny instruments like a melodica!

The great success of this show, unlike any other I have ever seen in contemporary music, is that, firstly, the staging is precise to the millimetre and timed to the millisecond. Secondly, the proposed socio-economic critique is not done in a heavy-handed or leftist preaching manner. Although the content is undeniably left-wing, the humour and ridicule present throughout serve as a lightning rod against any potential impression of militant political action. Then, thirdly, the music composed by Elliot Britton and Patrick Hart is perfectly suited to the subject matter and the flow. The Montreal composer plunges us into a tornado of sounds, notes and well-turned melodies that evoke as much the muzak of a telephone voice mail or the corporate jingle as the typical song of an American musical and, also, more contemporary instrumental episodes, but always inhabited by an irresistible propulsive energy. The simple little themes associated with Quigital’s “ads” will remind those who remember them of the stereotypical jingles from the fake commercials in films like Robocop (the original from 1987, a very dark satirical masterpiece by Paul Verhoeven) or Total Recall (also the original, with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1990, and also by Verhoeven and based on a short story by Philip K. Dick). As if the superficial and propagandist tendencies of multinationals have not changed at all… Nowadays, it even seems that a fusion movement is taking place with a certain religious fringe of society, especially in the United States.

The creators probably noted it very well, as the majority of this corporate retreat is divided into six parts associated with a ritual initially launched with the “prayer” Oh Growth, Heed My Call. The six parts follow, whose titles leave no doubt as to the religious links: Invocation, Thanksgiving, Confession, Supplicata, Intercession, Adoration. Imagine then the host who, following the dismissal of some employees, offers very superficial and useless “thoughts and prayers”!! A particularly strong moment when you know how and in what contexts they are used by our southern neighbours.

In the end, Quigital Corporate Retreat is a bold, very bold show, but one that certainly has the potential to reach a wide audience in search of a change of scenery and social critique that is as virulent as it is comical, without forcing anyone to tear their hair out trying to understand what’s going on. That is a very rare thing in contemporary so-called “avant-garde” creation.

When you burn bridges, people fly!

Baroque / classique

Arion Orchestre Baroque | Les Adieux, Expectations Met

by Chloé Rouffignac

On Saturday, November 14, and Sunday, November 15, Arion Baroque Orchestra gave a very moving concert, Les Adieux, at Bourgie Hall. In a varied program conducted by solo violinist Chouchane Siranossian, we discovered and rediscovered the repertoire of Mozart and Haydn, as well as Andreas Romberg in his Violin Concerto in A major.

The concert began with a speech by the artistic director, reminding the audience of the importance of donations on this international day of philanthropy. This was a significant reference, not only to the current economic climate, but also to Haydn’s Symphony No. 45, “Les Adieux” (The Farewell), which was composed at a time when the musicians of Esterhaza Palace were seeking to reunite with their families, in a context where the profession of musician was already precarious…

This well-known symphony by Haydn, the centerpiece of the concert, lived up to all the audience’s expectations. The orchestra shared its energy with us right from the allegro, in a beautiful performance of a piece which, despite its popularity, is not simple and requires a great deal of dialogue between sections, particularly in its nuances. The adagio features oboe interludes and the powerful sound of the horns, which had been rather timid until then. What is also striking is the conductor’s fluid and subtle gestures. We are used to grand gestures and broad movements, yet the soloist’s efficiency is remarkable. This quality of conducting can also be found in Romberg’s violin concerto, where we can hear the beautiful colors of the horn and the very rich tones of the basses. The soloist demonstrates her agility in a piece that requires endurance and mastery of the very delicate high register in the rondeau.

After a flawless start to Mozart’s Symphony No. 5, where the orchestra’s precision was evident in the allegro, we understand the importance of a meaningful concert, where it is essential to recognize the quality of the musicians performing and an orchestra that deserves its longevity.

Photo Credit: ©Tam Photography.

Americana / chanson keb franco / Indie Folk / Indie Rock

Laurence Hélie Gets Out of Bed: All the Variables of Her Inner Self

by Alain Brunet

Laurence Hélie in French or Mirabelle in English? A hybrid creature? It doesn’t matter. This woman creates songs, atmospheres, frequencies that ultimately draw us in and take us to the right place.

Since the 2010s, this singer, songwriter, and musician has been involved in Americana and Anglo-American indie rock. She expresses herself in both languages, which is no cause for complaint in the Republic of Montreal. Since the beginning of her career, one might have concluded that her artistic direction was inconsistent, that she was an aesthetic weathervane.

However modest it may be, her new show dispels this apprehension: Laurence Hélie presents a true artistic body of work: inspired, balanced, complete.

On Wednesday, November 19, at the Lion d’Or, she was able to laugh at herself, admitting that she was tired and exasperated by long COVID, which too often and for too long has kept her bedridden with her cats, as she recounts in the song Last Chance Lake. When she manages to get out of bed, in any case, she presents herself without apparent filters, fragile and mortal as she is, sometimes dampened by the general situation for obvious reasons. Well… we believe her!

That said, Laurence Hélie still finds the energy to produce solid, well-crafted songs that are substantial enough to listen to over and over again. She finds a way to write lyrics that are solid and harmonious despite their apparent simplicity. Nevertheless, her main weapon is her voice: magnificent tone, superb inflections, circumspect whispers, natural power.

Without any apparent pretension, his band includes seasoned multi-instrumentalists, all capable of playing anything, guitars, bass, keyboards, drums: Karolane Carbonneau, Navet Confit (Jean-Philippe Fréchette), Pierre-Guy Blanchard, not to mention the talented Mat Vezio on drums on two tracks. The latter gave a touching and minimalist opening act, presenting half a dozen new songs—the guy has been through a lot, a heart attack in the spring, his mother with Alzheimer’s, his father deaf, and so on.

Laurence Hélie performed songs from her mini-album Tendresse et bienveillance, released in 2025 on Simone Records, as well as a unique cover of Nirvana’s All Apologies, which she recorded recently, not to mention a few “classics” from her French and English discography.

She may take more naps than we do, but her art is anything but sleepy.

Laurence Hélie now brings together all the elements of her inner self and displays a beautiful maturity in her songwriting. Have you realized that she deserves more attention than she receives? It’s up to you!

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