Additional Information
On August 22nd, the closing concert of the Festival international du Domaine Forget in Charlevoix will be held. On the program, a journey through several centuries of French music performed by the Chamber Orchestra of the Academy, Pentaedre and Les Violons du Roy. We talked about it with Mathieu Lussier, artistic director of the festival and conductor in this concert.
PANM360: You are the artistic director of Domaine Forget. How do you feel about taking part in it also as an artist?
Mathieu Lussier: The programming of Domaine Forget is very extensive, given the duration of the festival and the courses, and through it we try to leave an impact on an artistic level. For this reason, being part of it as an artist is an embodiment of what we try to convey both to the invited artists and to the students who come here to grow.
PANM360: Tell us more about the program you will propose on August 22nd. Is there a specific aesthetic idea behind the choices you made?
Mathieu Lussier: This program was conceived together with Alexandre Dratwicki, artistic director of the Palazzetto Bru Zane in Venice, and Benoit Dratwicki, artistic director of the Baroque Music Center in Versailles. The idea is to offer an overview of French music through several centuries of repertoire, from the early era to the 20th-century. There are also pedagogical reasons behind this choice, since these pieces effectively exemplify the technical and stylistic evolution of French music. Of course, this program also follows a personal interest of mine in this very significant repertoire, which I am glad to share with the audience.
PANM360: This concert will bring together the Chamber Orchestra of the Academy, Pentaèdre and Les Violons du Roy. How do you think these realities can contribute to each other by virtue of the specificities of each?
Mathieu Lussier: Bringing together talented young people and established professionals aims to create a spirit of emulation, which is the fundamental stimulus for continuous improvement in music and in life. Young musicians have the power to play every concert as if it was the most important of their life, while growing older, we tend to play safer. The idea behind this choice is to bring the best out of everyone on stage, in order to deliver a memorable concert.
PANM360: You have a diverse career and have various prestigious roles. Do you find that there is a complementarity between these?
Mathieu Lussier: In the past, for many instrumentalists there were two possibilities: either becoming a soloist or entering an orchestra. Thirty years ago, I decided to create my own unique path, and while I don’t think I can call myself an example, I think I can prove that it is possible to develop a career by following personal beliefs. For me there is also the aspect of love for music, which is the engine of all my activity and which I want to preserve with conviction. These aspects push me to explore the different opportunities of musical activity without preconceptions, and I believe that my interest in early music plays a role in all this. At the time, in fact, the figure of the musician was considered in a broad sense and not s a hyperspecialized figure as today, and I therefore like to be inspired by this idea of a musician.
PANM360: Given your pedagogical role, what would you like to recommend to young musicians?
Mathieu Lussier: I would advise young people to be curious and to be open to experiences and knowledge. I think it is important to take advantage of the young age to absorb as much as possible and to learn to listen, both in the musical field and in the personal sphere. These are aspects that will be fundamental for a future career in music.
PANM360: Tell us more about your present and future projects.
Mathieu Lussier: Next year I will still be the conductor of the Orchestra of the University of Montreal, and I can’t wait to immerse myself in this adventure. I will then be recording Beethoven’s piano concertos with the Arion Ensemble and Elisabeth Pion as soloist and giving the premiere of Cendrillon by the 17th-century Franco-Maltese composer Nicolò Isouard, with other musicians of great caliber. I will then have the opportunity to go to Paris and Venice: I have a rather intense year ahead of me.
