Additional Information
This Sunday, at Théâtre de La Ville de Longueuil, soprano Marianne Lambert will present her new production, Mers intérieures.
Through a series of pieces and accompanied by immersive processed images, the concert explores different facets of perinatal mourning.
PAN M 360: The concert is entitled Mers intérieures. What do these “internal seas” mean to you?
Marianne Lambert: The internal seas symbolize my stages of healing in the perinatal mourning process. Water is a central element in this story, as it gives birth, nourishes, but can also destroy. Yet it also has the power to cleanse, heal and purify.
PAN M 360: This concert features works by Debussy, Wolf, Górecki, Ayotte, Ravel, Mahler and Weill. How did you choose these works, and what guided you in this selection?
Marianne Lambert: First of all, the Górecki was done when we did excerpts with the Orchestre symphonique de Drummondville. Despite my love for the piece, it’s difficult to transpose to piano and cello.
As for the choice of pieces, I based myself mainly on the poetry, and surprisingly, by changing the perspective, several pieces suited the subject. In fact, I had the opposite problem, which was to make heartbreaking choices.
PAN M 360: The piece Reste, which you commissioned from composer Maggie Ayotte, deals with perinatal bereavement, a subject that is still very much unexplored in our society. Can you tell us about the process that led to the creation of this work?
Marianne Lambert: I was looking for a composer who would be able to transpose the difficult stage of leaving my child’s little body. It was after listening to the piece Entre la veille et le sommeil by Maggie Ayotte, played by the formidable Duo Fortin-Poirier, that I immediately fell in love with her writing and her sensitivity. In life, there is no adon. When I contacted her, she was about to give birth to twins. Despite this, she couldn’t refuse my order. Her maternal color is an asset for this concert.
PAN M 360: In the treatment of perinatal bereavement, do you think the arts, particularly music, have any particular potential?
Marianne Lambert: Absolutely! We know that the arts in all their forms are an important medium for experiencing emotions, reflecting and healing. We don’t talk enough about perinatal bereavement, despite the fact that many families go through it. I sincerely believe that this concert will be a way of resonating together and breaking the solitude.
PAN M 360: The concert also includes a multimedia component. How did this visual dimension develop, and how does it interact with the music?
Marianne Lambert: Last September, we spent 4 days shooting, including one night underwater. No pun intended, but I wanted the audience to dive into my world and forget the space of time. The magnificent images were treated with the genius of Isabeau Proulx-Lemire and Emmanuel Grangé. They have transposed my story into metaphor with poetry and great humanity. The visual will play a major role. So much so that at certain moments, me and the musicians (Janie Caron on piano and Chloé Dominguez on cello) will be the plot. For me, this was the best way to leave a greater impact through gentleness and kindness.
