Maison symphonique

Classical Singing / classique

Concours musical international de Montréal : Demi-finale du CMIM

by Rédaction PAN M 360

La compétition s’intensifie et le niveau de performance s’élève! À l’issue d’une première épreuve intensément disputée, les dix demi-finalistes se retrouvent sur la scène de la Maison symphonique de Montréal pour la demi-finale. Retrouvez vos airs favoris chantés par les meilleurs interprètes de la nouvelle génération aux côtés de l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), l’orchestre officiel du CMIM, sous la direction du chef de renommée mondiale, Patrick Summers.
À cette étape, les concurrents et les concurrentes doivent présenter un programme de trois airs d’une durée maximale de 18 minutes de musique. Celui-ci doit comprendre un air d’oratorio, deux airs d’opéra ou d’œuvres avec orchestre. Le tout doit être interprété dans au moins deux langues différentes.
Venez découvrir qui sont les talents qui se rendront jusqu’à cette étape captivante!

The competition is heating up and the performance standard is rising even higher! After an intensely contested first round, the ten semifinalists will take to the stage at the Maison symphonique de Montréal for the Semifinal. Enjoy the thrill of your favourite arias performed by the finest singers of the new generation alongside the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), the official orchestra of the CMIM, under the direction of world-renowned conductor Patrick Summers.
At this exciting stage of the competition, singers must present a program of three arias lasting no more than 18 minutes. The program must include one oratorio aria and two opera arias or orchestral works, and be performed in at least two different languages. Reserve your place or one of our packages now for an unforgettable musical and emotional experience in the company of exceptional singers.
Enjoy an unforgettable musical and emotional experience in the company of exceptional singers.

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Ce contenu provient de Place des Arts et est adapté par PAN M 360

Classical / Modern Classical / South African Traditional

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

by Judith Hamel

The OSM sometimes gives us gifts. Moments of unexpected communion, as was the case on May 22. The concert program featured the closing piece Romeo and Juliet, but it was the journey to get there that was most meaningful.

The concert opened with Maurice Ravel’s Ma mère l’Oye, under the expressive and precise direction of conductor Xian Zhang. This suite of musical tales featured several musicians as soloists. In Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête, the famous contrabassoon solo, embodying the clumsy Beast, was brilliantly performed by Michael Sundell, before the disenchanting harp glissando transformed him into a prince.

Then Abel Selaocoe took to the stage to perform Four Spirits, a song about the Sebokeng community where he grew up, accompanied by the orchestra and multi-percussionist Bernhard Schimpelsberger. Selaocoe is a cellist and singer of South African origin, bringing with him an impressive musical baggage.

Through inventive use of extended playing techniques, he explores in depth the rhythmic, melodic and above all timbral potential of the instrument, placing it at the service of expressivity. With his cello, Selaocoe manages to conjure up a plurality of timbres and functions: the instrument becomes in turn the rhythmic echo of his voice, a vocal double, or comes close to a lute or guitar. It is sometimes an accompanist, sometimes the bearer of lyrical flights of fancy, and provides a sensitive extension of his body.

As for his voice, what can I say… First of all, the well-dosed amplification in the Maison Symphonique showcases the breadth of his vocal range and ensures the grandeur of his creativity and dynamic expressions. Here again, he blends several traditions, inserting sweet Southern Sotho and Zulu songs and guttural chants that acoustically fill the hall into a solid vocal control. Together, cello and voice express inspired lyrics with a doubled range of emotions.

From the fourth movement, celebrating the spirit of community, came a timid murmur and then a chorus from the audience. After a long ovation, Selaocoe returned to the stage to offer a final aria dedicated to the present moment. He reminds us that if we failed to do the right thing yesterday, there’s still time to do it today. And a final chorus formed…

In the second half, we return to the classics with excerpts from the first two suites of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. A work which, as you can imagine, has been played hundreds of times by the musicians, but which is not without its pleasures. The performance may not have been the most striking of the evening, but it was no less effective. Between Pierre Beaudry’s solid outbursts on bass trombone and Zhang’s dramatic flights of fancy, there was plenty for the audience to enjoy.

An evening where the new and the already familiar alternate, allowing the audience to feel genuine emotions. Here’s hoping Selaocoe comes back soon!

There are evenings like this one that we’d like to relive soon.

Photo Credit : Antoine Saito

classique / post-romantique

OSM : Le chant de la terre de Mahler par Payare

by Rédaction PAN M 360

La rencontre inédite entre la musique de Mahler et la création d’une œuvre pour voix et orchestre en langues autochtones promet une fin de saison mémorable! Face à fragilité de l’existence humaine, le renouvellement perpétuel de la nature alimente le rêve d’immortalité des humains. Traitée par Mahler dans Le chant de la terre, cette thématique trouvera un écho dans une œuvre composée et écrite par des artistes autochtones, allochtones et métis rendant hommage à la vie et à la Terre. Ce concert hors du commun clôturera une saison 2024-2025 prometteuse!

An unprecedented convergence between the music of Mahler and the premiere of a work for voices and orchestra sung in Indigenous languages will make for a memorable season finale! Faced with the fragility of human existence, the perpetual renewal of nature has nurtured the dream of immortality in humans. This theme, depicted by Mahler in Das Lied von der Erde, will be echoed by a work composed and written by Indigenous, non-Indigenous, and Métis artists paying homage to life and to the Earth. An extraordinary concert that will bring a promising 2024-2025 season to a close!

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Ce contenu provient de l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal et est adapté par PAN M 360

période romantique

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

by Frédéric Cardin

Last night’s finale and premiere at the Maison symphonique de Montréal were one and the same: the Orchestre Philharmonique et Choeur des Mélomanes (OPCM) ended its season (the tenth of its existence) with a first-ever performance of a Mahler symphony, in this case the Second, “Resurrection”. Conductor Francis Choinière had chosen it for its beauty and magnificence, allowing him to showcase his orchestra’s capabilities. Soprano Sarah Dufresne and mezzo Allyson McHardy joined the ensemble for the short but beautiful lyrical lines of the work’s fourth and fifth movements.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW WITH FRANCIS CHOINIÈRE ABOUT MAHLER’S RESURRECTION SYMPHONY.

Francis Choinière conducts in a poised manner, without the effluvia of his Montreal colleagues Rafael Payare and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, or the historic Bernstein, a model in his own right. This induces an attention to the almost crystalline clarity of the score’s numerous lines and contrasts. Where Bernstein creates a gripping viscerality, Francis draws precise, more thoughtful portraits. This does not prevent the achievement of impressive and effective tutti when necessary.

I particularly appreciated the characterization he gave to the strings, very beautiful and rich in temperament. Hats off to the orchestra’s first chair, violinist Mary-Elizabeth Brown, who played some vibrant, very lilting solos.

The second movement, andante moderato, was beautifully pastoral and debonair. The same was true of the Scherzo (third movement), with its dance-like “allant”.

Urlicht, that moment of grace (fourth movement), gave us the opportunity to appreciate mezzo McHardy’s sound projection, a tad dark for the needs of the score, but given in a very pleasant tonal and aesthetic refinement.

The final movement, with its many dynamic pauses, is a formidable piece to tie down, for it must be ensured that the fluidity of the “ascent” to the final light, which begins here and ends in the next movement, is not diminished and rendered less penetrating by these frequent pauses. These must appear as mere breaths in a spiritually continuous ascent, despite the changes in texture and affect. I must report that, listening furtively to a few comments from the audience after the concert, this aspect of the work was perhaps not fully understood by all. If I myself did not feel the irremediability of this ascent during the unfolding of the movement, the choral finale ended up reconciling the purpose with the objective. Indeed, Francis Choinière led his 200-odd musicians to an apotheosis that (again, comments gleaned from the audience) sent shivers down the spines of many present, yours truly included. It was well worth the trip, for this grand tutti had panache! Heaven was reached, even if it almost had to wait.

As a good critic who has to quibble over technical details, I would like to note the lack of technical and aesthetic finish of the trumpets and horns in several delicate passages. If you want to play Mahler again, you absolutely must polish up this aspect.

All in all, a fine incursion into Mahler’s repertoire by a very young orchestra showing its aptitude for this demanding repertoire. There will be plenty of time to fine-tune the details and offer more in the near future to audiences who are often new to this repertoire, a specialty of this orchestra. This audience, considering its reaction, appreciated the experience and will be back in the future.

Thank you Francis and the OCPM for building tomorrow’s classical public in such a wonderful way.

Classical Singing / classique

Concours musical international de Montréal : Grande finale du CMIM

by Rédaction PAN M 360

L’heure est venue pour les cinq finalistes sélectionnés à la demi-finale par le prestigieux jury du CMIM de se mesurer à leurs pairs.
À cette étape cruciale du Concours, les chanteurs et chanteuses doivent démontrer toute l’étendue de leur technique et de leur expressivité à travers un programme d’une durée maximale de 18 minutes incluant trois airs extraits d’opéras ou d’œuvres orchestrales, interprétés dans au moins deux langues différentes.
Pour cette ultime épreuve, les finalistes ont le privilège de se produire aux côtés de l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), l’orchestre officiel du CMIM, sous la direction du renommé chef d’orchestre Patrick Summers. Ce moment décisif culminera en fin de soirée avec l’annonce des lauréats et des gagnants des prix spéciaux lors de la cérémonie de clôture.
Qui remportera le prestigieux titre de grand lauréat ou grande lauréate de Voix 2025? Venez encourager vos favoris et vivre en direct, depuis Montréal, l’émergence de futures célébrités internationales!

The time has come for the five finalists selected by the prestigious CMIM international jury during the semifinal to distinguish themselves from their peers.
At this crucial final stage of the competition, singers must demonstrate the full extent of their technique and expressiveness in a program lasting no more than 18 minutes, including three arias drawn from the opera or orchestral repertoire and performed in at least two different languages.
For this final round, the five finalists have the privilege of performing alongside the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), under the direction of renowned conductor Patrick Summers. This decisive moment will culminate at the end of the evening with the announcement of the laureates and the winners of the special prizes at the closing ceremony.
Who will win the prestigious title of Grand Laureate of Voice 2025? Come and cheer on your favourites and experience the emergence of future international stars live from Montreal! Don’t miss this exceptional event.

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Ce contenu provient de Place des Arts et est adapté par PAN M 360

Orchestral Pop

OSM | Half Moon Run’s Masterful Return to The Symphonic… Home

by Marilyn Bouchard

On May 15 at the Maison symphonique was the last of 3 performances of the return of Half Moon Run with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal conducted by Adam Johnson.

The evening began with Everyone’s Moving Out East, richly accompanied by the full orchestra. The soaring 9beat followed to the rhythm of brilliantly enriched percussion, delicately complemented by female backing vocals and violins, amplifying the light of the musical epic, which ended sharply at the climax, to the cheers of the crowd.

We came back down for Goodbye Cali, with the guys strolling across the stage in long strides to the rhythm of the promenade, which ended with the piano scores intertwining, veering into jazz. Crawl Back In then opened, softly, with only acoustic guitar and vocals backed by violins, quickly evolving into more complexity.

We found ourselves suspended for a moment in time, and I don’t know if it’s because of a little similarity with Hallelujah, but this one brought a tear to my eye. Immediately afterwards, the highlight of the evening, How Come My Body, one of my favourites, went completely wild, with the percussion and double bass weighing down the atmosphere and the female singers adding density to the choruses.

Razorblade and Loose Ends were presented in a rousing, rhythmic fashion, with the brass instruments, and solo trumpeter Paul Merkelo in particular, taking full advantage of their space. You won’t (look me in the eyes) was really well accompanied by violins, surprising us with a magnificent solo from Marianne Dugal in particular, and enveloped by female vocal harmonies, while the atmospheric Another Woman came close to Muse’s progressive/alternative rock with the orchestra and an abundance of staccatos. We were treated to a deep, rich version of It’s true, on which the double basses heightened the song’s dramatic potential tenfold, as well as Grow Into Love and Then Again adorned with overlapping violins, between pizzicatos and legatos that filled the airs.

The awaited Full Circle kicked off with Serge Desgagnés’ expertly executed percussion, and was the perfect song to highlight this angle of the orchestral arrangement, quickly progressing to one of the evening’s most masterful orchestrations. Call me in the afternoon, warmly welcomed by the audience, stood out for its electrifying guitar duet at the front of the stage. This was followed by I can’t figure out what’s going on and She wants to know you can let go, opening with a Tchaikovsky-like introduction of flutes and oboes, quickly accompanied by the other winds. The encore, Sun leads me on , ended the evening magnificently, starting with Devon, Conner and Dylan going up to find the leader on the central platform to deliver the last song in chorus, around the same microphone. They were gradually joined by the singers, flutes, oboes and clarinets for a final crescendo that left us with heads full of music.Tout au long du spectacle, les arrangements sensibles de Blair Thompson se sont illustrés en sachant délicatement faire briller les points forts des compositions d’Half Moon Run. Un spectacle senti, bien calculé et extraordinairement bien exécuté, conduit de main de maître par Adam Johnson. Si vous n’y étiez pas, vous avez manqué un MOMENT.

Photo Credit : Antoine Saito

classique / Folk Rock / Indie Pop

OSM : Le retour d’Half Moon Run à l’OSM

by Rédaction PAN M 360

La première rencontre musicale entre le célèbre groupe montréalais Half Moon Run et l’OSM fut remarquable et mémorable. Les artistes se donnent à nouveau rendez-vous sur la scène de la Maison symphonique pour une expérience musicale inédite et originale. Venez vibrer au son des harmonies vocales uniques de Devon Portielje, Conner Molander et Dylan Phillips, sous la direction d’Adam Johnson!

The celebrated Montreal band Half Moon Run’s first appearance with the OSM was an outstanding and memorable event. The band’s artists reconvene onstage at the Maison symphonique to deliver a new and inventive musical experience. Enjoy the sounds of unique harmonies as sung by Devon Portielje, Conner Molander and Dylan Phillips, under the direction of Adam Johnson!

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Ce contenu provient de l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal et est adapté par PAN M 360

classique

OSM : L’OSM joue Rachmaninov et Amy Beach

by Rédaction PAN M 360

La virtuosité pianistique de Rachmaninov était légendaire et elle transparaît particulièrement dans son Concerto no 3 avec lequel Marie-Ange Nguci, étoile montante du piano, fera ses débuts à l’OSM. S’inspirant des folklores irlandais, écossais et anglais, Beach rend hommage à la diversité des cultures étatsuniennes dans sa symphonie «Gaélique». Avec cette œuvre aux teintes orchestrales chatoyantes, Beach s’affirme comme compositrice d’envergure.

Rachmaninoff’s pianistic virtuosity was legendary, a fact he made markedly obvious in his Piano Concerto no. 3, in which rising star Marie-Ange Nguci will make her OSM debut. Drawing on Irish, Scottish, and English folklore, Amy Beach’s Gaelic Symphony celebrates an array of diverse cultural legacies in the United States, and with this sumptuously orchestrated work she established herself as a composer of stature.

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Ce contenu provient de l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal et est adapté par PAN M 360

classique / Piano

OSM : Le Concerto pour piano nº 3 de Rachmaninov

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Marie-Ange Nguci, étoile montante du piano, fera ses débuts avec l’OSM dans le Concerto no 3 de Rachmaninov, une œuvre brillante, d’une redoutable virtuosité. S’inspirant du mythe d’Endymion, la compositrice canadienne Jean Coulthard réalise un somptueux fondu enchainé de couleurs orchestrales pour évoquer avec lyrisme le sommeil sans fin du jeune héros grec. Découvrez les mystères entourant ces deux œuvres en compagnie du comédien Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques.

Rising star Marie-Ange Nguci makes her OSM debut in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 3, a shining work of formidable virtuosity. Drawing on the myth of Endymion, Canadian composer Jean Coulthard offers a feast of orchestral colours, lyrically conjuring the young Greek hero’s eternal sleep. Unravel the mysteries surrounding these two works along with actor Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques.

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Ce contenu provient de l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal et est adapté par PAN M 360

cinéma / classique / hommage

OSM : 2001 - L’Odyssée de l’espace

by Rédaction PAN M 360

L’Orchestre et le Chœur de l’OSM accompagnent le mythique film de science-fiction réalisée par Stanley Kubrick, 2001 : l’Odyssée de l’espace, pour un voyage philosophique où futurisme et poésie se rencontrent. Le film explore l’évolution humaine sous l’influence d’un mystérieux monolithe extraterrestre, de la préhistoire à l’ère spatiale. L’intelligence artificielle HAL 9000 se retourne contre l’équipage du vaisseau Discovery One. L’astronaute Bowman, seul survivant, traverse un portail cosmique et renaît sous une forme supérieure, symbolisant une nouvelle étape de l’humanité. Les images époustouflantes prennent vie au rythme du célèbre Beau Danube bleu de Johann Strauss, ainsi qu’avec des œuvres de Richard Strauss et des compositions envoûtantes de György Ligeti. Une expérience cinématographique et musicale à voir absolument.

Embark on a philosophical journey with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and the OSM Chorus as they accompany Stanley Kubrick’s iconic sci-fi masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey. This fusion of futurism and poetry takes you through humanity’s evolution, from prehistory to the space age, guided by an enigmatic alien monolith. As the sentient supercomputer HAL 9000 turns on the crew of the spaceship Discovery One, astronaut Bowman becomes the last survivor. He passes through a cosmic gateway and is reborn as a higher life form symbolizing the next stage of humanity’s evolution. Stunning visuals are brought to life by Johann Strauss’ Blue Danube, works by Richard Strauss and the captivating compositions of György Ligeti. A cinematic and musical experience you won’t want to miss!

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Ce contenu provient de l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal et est adapté par PAN M 360

classique / post-romantique

OSM : Roméo et Juliette de Prokofiev

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Prokofiev dépeint les amours impossibles de Roméo et Juliette avec un lyrisme passionné et une grande inventivité mélodique; Abel Selaocoe raconte l’Afrique du Sud avec sa voix puissante, ses rythmes explosifs et son incroyable créativité dans Fours Spirits : àla croisée des traditions, les deux mondes sonores se rejoignent pour donner naissance à une expérience musicale exaltante et vous faire vivre le concert autrement grâce à l’œuvre participative de Selaocoe.

Prokofiev depicted the star-crossed romance of Romeo and Juliet with ardent lyricism and great melodic inventiveness, while in Four Spirits, Abel Selaocoe tells of South Africa using his powerful voice, explosive rhythms, and astounding creativity. At the crossroads of traditions, these two soundscapes come together for a glorious musical experience and, with Selaocoe’s participatory work, an uncommon concert experience.

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Ce contenu provient de l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal et est adapté par PAN M 360

classique / Piano

OSM : L’étincelant Concerto pour piano de Ravel

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Benjamin Grosvenor, magicien du piano, interprétera l’éblouissant Concerto en sol de Ravel. Au centre de cette partition d’un irrésistible dynamisme, le compositeur dévoile pudiquement sa sensibilité par le biais d’une mélopée d’une extrême douceur. L’ambiance plus tumultueuse de la Symphonie no 6 de Vaughan Williams offrira un contraste frappant. Puissante, entrecoupée de passages introspectifs, l’œuvre est attisée par des tensions permanentes qui s’estompent dans les sonorités quasi immatérielles du final.

Benjamin Grosvenor, a magician of the piano, will perform Ravel’s mesmerizing Concerto in G. In the middle movement of this irrepressibly vibrant work, the composer reveals his deep sensitivity in an ethereal melody of the utmost tenderness. The more turbulent mood of Vaughan Williams’ Symphony no. 6 offers a striking contrast: forceful, though interspersed with introspective passages, this work is powered by an ongoing tension that dissolves into virtual immateriality in the finale.

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Ce contenu provient de l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal et est adapté par PAN M 360

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