Semaine du Neuf | Paramirabo/Musikfabrik: old school avant-garde meets cool post-modernism

Two ensembles devoted to contemporary music and separated by an ocean, but also by two schools of thought, met on Tuesday evening 11 March at the Wilder building in the Quartier des spectacles in Montreal. On one side, the Ensemble Musikfabrik from Cologne in Germany, represented by three of its musicians, oboe/English horn (Peter Veale), horn (Christine Chapman) and double bass (Florentin Ginot). On the other, the Montreal sextet Paramirabo, comprising piano, percussion, violin, cello, clarinet/bass clarinet and flutes. Beyond the difference in timbre imposed by the instrumentation of each ensemble, it was the marked dissimilarity between the two ‘languages’ spoken that was striking. Disparities that were obvious even to the most layman and accentuated by the chosen programme, in terms of syntax, discourse, the importance of narrative in the musical framework, references to the vernacular and many other aspects besides. 

In the first half, the three guests from Musikfabrik demonstrated their breathtaking technical expertise in ultra-pointillist/pointraitist scores in which every possible and impossible sound came out of the instruments present, except perhaps those for which they were initially intended. The quality of the sounds, timbres and textures was pushed to a very high level of perfection. The discourse, stratospherically intellectual, was enough to delight the most discerning of thoughtful music lovers. In my humble opinion, it was Juliet Palmer’s Blur of Lichens that stood out the most, offering, through a hyper-calculated construction, the most beautiful impression of freedom, even lyricism and grace. Canadian Gordon Williamson offered his humorous take on strict abstraction in Odd Throuple (a pun on Odd Couple, but with three people), a work in which he explored the sonic contrasts of this unusual trio (an oboe/English horn, a horn and a double bass, let us not forget). I found Dylan Lardelli’s The Giving Sea, a ‘spiritual evocation’ of the ocean, much more academic. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that uplift. Maybe this is just me.

READ THE INTERVIEW WITH PARAMIRABO’S PAMELA REIMER ABOUT THIS CONCERT

This strictly atonal and abstract discourse is rooted in a very Boulézian or post-Boulézian vision of the avant-garde (even if it’s not strict serialism/dodecaphonism), which is already a good fifty years old. We can therefore speak of an ‘old school’ avant-garde, an astonishing oxymoron that would have been unimaginable not so long ago. 

For the uninitiated, it’s an impression of cerebrality that will echo in the mind, a characteristic typically (let’s say stereotypically) associated with ‘contemporary’ music. Is it good music? Absolutely! But the second half, led by Paramirabo, was about to show us that today’s music is made elsewhere, and that it’s important not to forget that.

This part began with a short piece by Vancouver’s Rodney Sharman, a lovely, poetic tribute to John Cage for English horn (Peter Veale of Musikfrabrik) and piano doubled as toy piano (Pamela Reimer of Paramirabo), draped in neo-impressionist finery. The message had been sent: this second part was going to offer us a completely different experience, less cerebral, more organic, even sensitive, inclusive and eclectic in its amalgams. Post-modernist, and very cool.

And that’s exactly what happened with Paul Frehner’s Un pont sanguin (A Blood Bridge), a narrative, rhythmic work imbued with a very broad post-minimalism and amusing sounds such as a Plan 9 From Outer Space-style synthesiser. A creation that deserves to be repeated as often as possible. Canadian Chris Paul Harman’s Francisez-moi! (Frenchify me) is a nod to the French language, inspired by early French composers, writers and poets. The result is full of humour, with narrations on tape of extracts from various texts, including one on the various qualities of ‘’tétins‘’ (breasts). There is a polytonal Turkish march from Lully in there, post-folk like tunes, and many more friendly things, albeit embedded in a modernist set of harmonies. It’s all fun and games. 

Finally, Quebec composer Frédéric Lebel presented his creation Si le Temps, l’Espace (If Time, Space), a beautiful score tinged with neo-spectralism, sparkling with a thousand lights and pleasantly open, even solar. 

The members of Paramirabo were impeccable, on par with their illustrious guests. The programme will travel to Germany in the coming months. We can be sure that our German cousins will be impressed not only by the quality of our instrumentalists, but also by the kind of contemporary music they champion, informed by Europe but steeped in North America. 

Paramirabo : 

Jeffrey Stonehouse, flutes and artistic direction

Viviane Gosselin, cello and general direction

Gwénaëlle Ratouit, clarinets

Hubert Brizard, violin

Pamela Reimer, piano

Krystina Marcoux, percussion

Paramirabo : 

Musikfabrik :