Additional Information
Irina Krasnyanskaya, artistic director of the Pro Musica concert company, had the excellent idea of pairing cellist Marion Portelance and pianist Emmanuel Charest for the Mélodînes series, dedicated to emerging artists. They chose Beethoven and Brahms to join forces and showcase their musical potential. This is a great opportunity to get to know these Quebec artists at the dawn of their professional careers. Alain Brunet conducted the interview for PAN M 360.
Questions for Marion Portelance:
“Named one of Canada’s 30 most promising young musicians by the CBC in 2023, cellist Marion Portelance performs as soloist with orchestras in Montreal, London and France. An active chamber musician, she performs in the UK, USA, Canada and Switzerland. Having won various prizes in Canadian and British competitions, in 2023 she has the honor of playing on the cello of King Charles III for the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle, broadcast by the BBC.”
PAN M 360: Marion, many music lovers discovered you at the coronation of King Charles III, rather than your real accomplishments leading to an international career, including being named one of Canada’s Top 30 Young Musicians by the CBC. What’s the story? What has been the impact of these feats?
Marion Portelance: I’m really grateful for the visibility this extraordinary event has given me. The crowning has certainly brought me to the attention of a wider public, and therefore a certain notoriety. However, there’s more to my development as a musician than this, and I’d say that the wonderful opportunities that came my way afterwards weren’t necessarily or concretely linked to this event. Rather, they stemmed from my auditions and the invaluable encounters I made in London during my final years of study.
PAN M 360: Who have been your most influential teachers?
Marion Portelance: My 3 teachers who were with me for so many years! I was lucky enough to study with 3 exceptional women who inspired me, passed on their passion and know-how, and enabled me to discover and blossom as a young musician. I began my cello studies with Janick Simard until I entered the Conservatoire, where I continued with Carole Sirois. It was only after my baccalaureate that I went to London to study under Melissa Phelps at the Royal College of Music.
PAN M 360: Who are your favourite cellists?
Marion Portelance: There are so many, it’s hard to choose, but I’d definitely say Jacqueline du Pré. She was a very close friend of my teacher Melissa Phelps. I’m even more touched when I listen to her performances, now that I know her personal journey thanks to my teacher.
PAN M 360: What are your professional goals? An orchestra? Chamber music? Soloist? A mixture of all these?
Marion Portelance: For the time being, a mixture of all that! I fell in love with orchestral music and the experience of playing in a symphony orchestra when I was in high school. It’s always been a dream of mine to play in an orchestra. I’m currently on trial with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, so it’s a dream come true. I also had the opportunity to join the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and did a few chamber orchestra projects without a conductor, which was absolutely eye-opening!
I discovered a passion for chamber music a few years ago with my Vatra Quartet (piano quartet, Montreal) and have had the privilege of doing a lot of chamber music since moving to London. I’ve just joined the Fiora Quartet, a string quartet based in London, and I’m very excited about future projects with them. Of course, I’m as passionate as ever about the repertoire for cello and piano. It’s a great privilege for me to come back to Montreal and play these concerts this week alongside Emmanuel!
PAN M 360: What repertoires do you like to explore as a cellist?
Marion Portelance: I like to do everything! Most of my career to date has revolved around the broad classical repertoire, but I love exploring contemporary music, and I’m also always happy to take part in projects outside the classical framework.
Questions for Emmanuel Laforest:
“Emmanuel Laforest is distinguished by the many awards he has received, notably in 2022 and 2024: Fondation du Conservatoire prize, 1st prize in the Conservatoire de Montréal concerto competition, Grand Prix at the Canadian Music Competition, Concours de musique de la Capitale and the Classival de Valleyfield Competition. In 2021, he won 1st and Grand Prize, concerto section, at the Sorel Competition. As a soloist, he has played with many Canadian orchestras.”
PAN M 360: Do you see yourself as a deliberately versatile pianist, or are you one by necessity? Or a bit of both?
Emmanuel Laforest: I’m a musician first and foremost. I love being a concert pianist, I love conducting, accompanying, chamber music, jazz and so on. I love being able to explore all these different branches, which allow me to develop as a complete artist and enable me to discover different ways of sharing my love of music.
PAN M 360: You’ve made a name for yourself in major Canadian competitions. Do you plan to compete internationally?
Emmanuel Laforest: Eventually, I’d like to take part in various competitions abroad. Taking part in such competitions isn’t a prerequisite for a career as a pianist, but it’s a great calling card. It is also an enriching experience: International competitions are places where you can meet the rising stars of tomorrow’s musical world.
PAN M 360: How would you describe the main features of your pianistic personality?
Emmanuel Laforest: I think I’m a sensitive musician, and my musicality seems to touch audiences, according to the feedback I get. My sincere passion for music and respect for the text are essential values in my approach!
PAN M 360: Do you have any particular influences in your playing?
Emmanuel Laforest: I’ve been lucky enough to work with several great masters: Richard Raymond, Serhiy Salov, Mathieu Gaudet, Charles Richard-Hamelin, all of whom have greatly shaped me as a pianist. Internationally, I’ve been lucky enough to play for Louis Lortie and Benedetto Lupo, and their advice has had a profound influence on my playing. This summer, these two masters have invited me back to take part in several workshops in Charlevoix and Italy, where I’ll be able to hone my skills alongside them.
PAN M 360: Do you have any favourite composers?
Emmanuel Laforest: Sergei Rachmaninov is my favorite composer (we’ll give you a surprise at the end of the recital!). I also love the music of great composers like Chopin, Jacques Hétu, Beethoven, Brahms…
PAN M 360. Questions about the program and your professional relationship :
Emmanuel Laforest : How did you decide to play together?
Marion and I have been colleagues for a long time. We first met when I entered the Montreal Conservatory five years ago. We ran into each other many times at regional competitions we entered at the same time, took the same classes at the Conservatoire, and so on. Then she finished her degree and left to study in London.
It was Pro Musica’s artistic director, Irina Krasnyanskaya, who paired us up and proposed this concert. We were delighted to be working together. Even before this concert was proposed, I had already contacted Marion with a view to collaborating. So I’m delighted that this project has finally come to fruition.
PAN M 360: What directories have the two of you explored so far?
Emmanuel Laforest: We’ve only explored the repertoire for tomorrow’s concert, but we’ve prepared a few surprises for you. We hope to collaborate again soon on a different program, based around the Rachmaninov Sonata.
Questions on the program
PAN M 360: Could you briefly comment on the works on the program: two duets interspersed with 4 mazurkas by Chopin?
Emmanuel Laforest: The program we are proposing is both rich in emotion and contrasts, based on three great composers who share the romanticism and virtuosity of their music.
Beethoven’s Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 3 in A major, Op. 69 opens the concert with all the vivacity and nobility of the classical style. This work highlights the equal dialogue between the two instruments, in an almost concertante spirit, elegant and refined.
This is followed by Chopin’s Fantaisie op. 49, a work for solo piano imbued with lyricism and passion. This piece, which I will perform alone, represents a deeply romantic, introspective moment at the heart of the program.
In the second half, we offer Brahms’s Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38, a majestic, dense and emotional work, where harmonic richness is combined with great melodic expressiveness. It’s a veritable inner journey that we close on a note of dramatic intensity and depth.
Ludwig Van BEETHOVEN, Sonate pour violoncelle et piano No. 3 en la majeur, op. 69
I. Allegro, ma non tanto
II. Scherzo. Allegro molto – Trio
III. Adagio cantabile – Allegro vivace
Frédéric CHOPIN, 4 Mazurkas, op. 17
Johannes BRAHMS, Sonate pour violoncelle et piano no.1 en mi mineur, op. 38
I.Allegro non troppo
II. Allegretto quasi minuetto
II. Allegro
PAN M 360: What are your duet and/or other projects?
Marion Portelance: We hope to be able to play together again soon, but for the moment I’m going back to London for LPO and my quartet for the most part. I’m particularly looking forward to playing again for the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in September!
Emmanuel Laforest: I’m finishing my master’s degree in piano at the Conservatoire de Montréal on May 4. I’ll be taking part in three workshops in Italy and Quebec. Alongside my studies in orchestral conducting, I’ll be performing Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini as a soloist with the Sinfonia de Lanaudière in February 2026. I will also give a solo recital in Lanaudière during the 2025-2026 season. I’m also preparing for various international competitions. Lots of exciting projects to come!
