It had been a long time since Ute Lemper had performed in Montreal. The musical legend treated an appreciative Maison Symphonique to a lengthy program retracing the highlights of a career spanning several decades. She was accompanied by the FILMharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Francis Choinière.
The program was original, featuring well-known works interpreted in a refreshingly refined manner. We admired the power and warmth of Ute Lemper’s voice and her stage presence. She’s full of energy, dancing upstage and demonstrating her acting skills. All eyes are on her. It’s clear that the works she presents are significant, not only historically, but also personally. In the first part, she intersperses each song with context and stories about her life.
We laugh a lot, we cry sometimes, and we’re touched in many ways. We also realize that nothing changes, and that history is doomed to repeat itself, again and again. Indeed, Ute Lemper doesn’t shy away from commenting on current political events: allusions to current wars, women’s rights and widespread political disillusionment. Lemper doesn’t hold back, but you can’t blame her, given that most of the works in her repertoire were written with the same sentiments, even 100 years earlier. She even changes some of the lyrics to suit current events. The effect is both funny and troubling.
What’s striking about FILMharmonique is their ability to adapt. After all, at film concerts, the music is set to the beat, of course. That said, the FILMharmonique’s role here was purely that of accompanist, having to adapt to the liberties taken by Lemper and his vocal improvisations. And the orchestra once again demonstrated its excellence. Francis Choinière directed the musicians while being completely in tune with the soloist. Every time, the synchronization was perfect, with everyone on stage breathing at Ute Lemper’s pace. Towards the end of the concert, the singer herself conducts the orchestra, in a way, asking certain musicians to improvise.
Throughout the evening, the orchestra performed several arrangements for solo orchestra of well-known music-hall songs. Here, the FILMharmonic took center stage, without compromise, once again demonstrating its superb versatility. The few feedback problems at the start of the concert were quickly resolved, allowing us to fully appreciate the very long concert (perhaps too long, lasting almost 2.5 hours). What’s certain is that the audience was delighted.
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Photo credit: Tam Lan Truong
