Additional Information
On Sunday, May 30 for the concert version of Flute Passion: Mozart and on Tuesday, June 8 for the Concerto for flute and harp (also by Mozart), with Valérie Milot on harp and Arion Orchestre baroque conducted by Mathieu Lussier, Nadia Labrie will take the stage in front of an audience that is certainly impatient to see her again. I spoke with her about ancient flute, beauty and Mozart.
Listen to the album and read our review of Nadia Labrie’s album Flûte Passion: Mozart
Pan M 360: Hi Nadia, how do you feel before these two concerts in one of the first festivals to come back after the pandemic?
Nadia Labrie: I feel very excited! I must say that the June 8 concert (where I will be playing Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp) is a special challenge. I will be playing it on a classical period flute, made of wood. To do this I had to relearn how to play, because not only the instrument is different, but also the fingerings, the way of blowing, the way of projecting the sound, and many other details.
Pan M 360: Is it difficult to do this?
Nadia Labrie: It is very demanding. I have been working on it for about a year and a half. The other difficulty is that at the beginning I had to work on a baroque flute, which has its own differences from the classical flute. The reason is that I ordered a classical type flute from a maker, but I received it in 2021 only. I couldn’t start my ”relearning” only a few months before the concert, so I had to start with the baroque instrument, and then go to the classical one. So there you have it, it was a past year full of new training! In this regard, I must say a huge thank you to Claire Guimond who guided me well along this path.
Pan M 360: Did you come up with the idea, or were you challenged to do it?
Nadia Labrie: I was dared (laughs)! But I accepted with enthusiasm because it’s been a long time since I wanted to play this concerto, and a long time, also, that I wanted to dive into the universe of the ancient flute. I never had the courage to try it before, because I come from Rimouski and at the Conservatory there, there are no ancient instruments. My contacts with this world remained limited. This time, it was an opportunity to get me out of my security zone, and as I am an avid learner, I found it a perfect opportunity to launch myself into this adventure. As a result, I discovered a second passion that I never knew existed before.
Pan M 360: Enough to consider the possibility of eventually recording with early instruments?
Nadia Labrie: Yes, not right now, but one day, it is very possible. In the meantime, I am preparing a new concert where I would like to present the history of the flute through repertoire ranging from early music to modern music. I will take the opportunity to use the flutes I own (I have several!).
Pan M 360: What does Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp mean to you?
Nadia Labrie: Oh dear, it is a dream for me! Since I was a teenager I’ve known it and I loved it. It is so beautiful, especially the slow movement. This extraordinary melody touches us right there (the heart, the guts). Again, coming from Rimouski, forget about it, there was zero harp there. It was not possible to do this concerto. Now that I am able to do it, I don’t hesitate. I can’t wait!
Pan M 360: You told me, when you were presenting your album Flute Passion Schubert, that this music corresponded perfectly to your state of mind. You needed it to move forward. Same thing for the Bach that followed, and now, you are clearly in a Mozart phase, right?
Nadia Labrie: Indeed! The light of Mozart is in perfect adequacy with the serenity, the joy and the happiness that I feel in my life right now. I even have a dog that I named Mozart! Schubert happened in a dark period of my life, but it made me feel good. Then, Bach “fit” with my need for solidity, regularity, to feel “grounded”. Mozart, now, feels like the sun!
Pan M 360: Are there other composers who seem to be just as luminous to you, to continue on this beautiful path?
Nadia Labrie: Vivaldi! His concertos please me enormously.
Pan M 360: The concert of this Sunday, May 30, is the entire album Flute Passion Mozart, right?
Nadia Labrie: Yes, absolutely. With musicians that I love, it will feel good throughout, as much for me as for the public!
Pan M 360: We have to thank Marc Boucher of the Classica festival who made this kind of collective event revival possible…
Nadia Labrie: Absolutely! Marc and the whole team were great. A lot of festivals have been pulling the plug and that left us with nothing, but Classica has been able to reschedule most of the 2020 concerts in December, and in 2021, that’s one of the the first festivals to make that kind of commitment. Wow. That’s fantastic.
Pan M 360: We agree! Greetings to the entire Classica team! Thank you Nadia for this great interview.
Nadia Labrie: Thank you very much!
