Baroque / classique

OSM : Le Messie – Alléluia!

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Grâce à son art de la dramaturgie, Handel compose de saisissants tableaux sonores pour raconter la vie du Christ. L’impact puissant du chœur magnifie cette œuvre emblématique et lui apporte une énergie et une force remarquables.  Un classique du temps des fêtes et une occasion unique d’entendre l’une des œuvres les plus célèbres de Handel, dirigée par Rafael Payare.

In this concert, Handel’s masterful storytelling brings the narrative of Christ to vivid musical life. The powerful chorus elevates this iconic work with extraordinary energy and depth. This is a unique chance to experience one of Handel’s greatest masterpieces under the baton of Rafael Payare—a holiday classic not to be missed!

Programme

George Frideric Handel, Le Messie, HWV 56 (159 min)

Program

George Frideric Handel, Messiah, HWV 56 (159 min)

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

classique / jeunesse

OSM : Olympique symphonique

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Des millions de gens vibrent tous les deux ans avec les athlètes du monde entier lors des Jeux olympiques. Durant ce concert, petits et grands pourront ressentir la ferveur d’un hymne, l’importance du rythme et de la respiration. La musique et le sport sont des alliés de chaque instant que nous célèbrerons en grand!

Every two years, millions of people are inspired by the incredible feats of Olympic athletes. This concert invites audiences young and old to experience the stirring emotion of national anthems and the deep connection between rhythm and breath. Throughout history, music and sport have gone hand in hand—join us as we celebrate their enduring bond in spectacular fashion!

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

cirque / classique / musique de film

OSM : Stellaire – l’orgue fait son cirque

by Rédaction PAN M 360

En route pour un voyage au milieu des étoiles où les arts du cirque jonglent habilement avec la multitude de sonorités du Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique. Découvrez ce spectacle inédit au son des musiques de Philip Glass et de la spectaculaire Suite Interstellar de Hans Zimmer. Ouvrez grand vos yeux et vos oreilles!

Embark on a journey to the stars in this unique concert where the circus arts seamlessly blend with the majestic sounds of the Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique. Immerse yourself in this extraordinary spectacle, accompanied by the music of Philip Glass and Hans Zimmer’s awe-inspiring Interstellar Suite. A true feast for the eyes and the ears!

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

Classical

The symphonic magic of age-old tales

by Frédéric Cardin

While Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier next door shook to the metal-symphonic sound waves of Voivod and the OSM, the Maison symphonique, the usual refuge of Rafael Payare’s musicians, vibrated to the thousand and one colours of musical tales from China and Russia. 

At the start of the programme, the Orchestre FILMharmonique, conducted by Francis Choinière, welcomed soloist Liu Fang, master of the Chinese pipa, an instrument in the lute family, in the creation of a new concerto for her instrument by Quebecer Christian Thomas. In 2023, Thomas gave us his Messe solennelle pour une pleine lune d’été (Solemn Mass for a Full-Moon Night), an opera based on the work of Quebec author Michel Tremblay, which was well received by audiences and critics alike. Much more romantic in its idiom than the Mass, the Pipa Concerto, nicknamed Dragon, allowed Ms Liu to show the full extent of her technical talent, despite some occasional hiccups in the first movement. I wrote about this concerto in a review elsewhere on the site (read it HERE), so I won’t go into that again, but I will say that the four-movement piece struck me as even more accomplished than when I first listened to it on digital files. This is a sign that listening to it is enough to sustain prolonged and repeated attention. In any case, the largely East Asian audience that packed the hall seemed to appreciate and enjoy the performance. It is to be hoped that other Quebec orchestras will programme this concert, giving fellow Quebecer (Chinese born) Liu the chance to tour as much in Quebec as she does internationally, hopefully.

The second piece on the programme was the Butterfly Lovers violin concerto with soloist and Opus Prize 2023 Discovery of the Year Guillaume Villeneuve. Villeneuve’s twirling, scintillating performance gave a superb breath of life to this Chinese Romeo and Juliet, whose original title is the Romance of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. The concerto, written in 1959 by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao, is one of the first works of its kind in Chinese musical literature. The style and language are hyper-romantic, as if Tchaikovsky had lived in Beijing rather than St Petersburg, but the soloist has to achieve several effects that are clearly inspired by the traditional techniques of the erhu, a Chinese instrument that is similar to the Western violin. It’s a musical bonanza, with endearing, memorable melodies and abundant colour, especially in the woodwinds. 

Francis Choinière had chosen to conclude the evening with another evocative piece of music, Stravinsky’s The Firebird. A judicious choice, which allowed us to return to the more usual Western repertoire while remaining true to the enchanting spirit of the evening. The orchestra, made up of many young musicians, probably fresh out of Quebec schools, performed well, and the conductor’s direction was committed. A few technical imperfections in Kastchei’s dance did not detract from the energy that Choinière wished to infuse into the ensemble, which ended in a successful climax. 

An evening that clearly delighted a very mixed and diverse audience. If that was one of the objectives, it was achieved. 

Classical / période romantique

OSM | Between Icelandic Basses and Bruch’s “Unforgettable” Concerto

by Judith Hamel

The Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM), under the direction of conductor Dalia Stasevska and violin virtuoso Randall Goosby, presented a program on Wednesday evening featuring composers Thorvaldsdottir and Price, as well as Bruch and Dvořák.

Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Archora, commissioned by several major orchestras and premiered in 2022, opened the concert with a spellbinding 20-minute soundscape. Designed to evoke a textured universe, the work transports the audience into an exploration of the ensemble’s sonic and energetic potential.

From the very first notes, the hypergraves invade the space, creating an imposing, palpable sound mass. The screeching cymbals add an organic dimension, while the winds click their keys and use their breath to amplify the work’s mystical atmosphere. All this adds up to an almost living narrative. Then the organ, with its imposing presence, amplifies the impression of immensity, of a room larger than ourselves. The twenty minutes passed with great fluidity, like a single wave that sweeps over us. The apparent stability of the sounds, achieved by the interweaving of the musicians’ breaths, gave a superhuman impression.

American soloist Randall Goosby then took to the stage to deliver a straightforward performance, carried with finesse by his great mastery of the instrument. Max Bruch’s “unforgettable” Violin Concerto No. 1, though somewhat frustrating for the composer in its eclipsing power over his other concertos, remains a landmark work in the German Romantic repertoire. Tonight, in the “Adagio”, Goosby was able to express the full intensity of this inner romance. It was in the third movement, however, that the soloist really came into his own. He unfurled himself in the passionate, dancing themes that hint at Bruch’s Hungarian origins, as well as in the final, technical passages. These playful accents resonated particularly well with his light, easy-going playing. A young virtuoso who didn’t overwhelm us with his musicality, but whose technique and ease are impressive.

Florence Price’s Adoration opened the second half in an orchestrated version for violin and orchestra by J. Gray, putting a second female composer in the spotlight. This short piece was particularly well suited to Randall Goosby, who effectively conveyed the emotional charge through his straight but honest playing. However, an OSM concert is no exception: just as he was about to raise his bow, Goosby was interrupted by the telephone of an audience member who was listening to the recording of his performance of the first part at full volume. With humor and patience, he lowered his bow and said: “You can play it again if you want”. But no sooner had he started to play than a cricket buzzer sounded in the hall. Fortunately, the crickets were out of place, but they gave the audience a good laugh.

Although the concertante gave the evening its title, it was Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8, fiercely conducted by Dalia Stasevska, that stood out as the highlight. Dalia Stasevska’s conducting was particularly noteworthy for its emphasis on drastic contrasts of nuance and the exaggeration of certain rhythmic passages. This symphony, with its bucolic atmosphere, was thus deployed through moments of lightness, straight trumpet lines and the exaggerated popular character of certain dancing themes. The fourth movement, which opens with a flamboyant trumpet call and ends with groovy chromatic passages, ended the concert on a welcome note of youthfulness.

Photo credit:  Randall Goosby – Kaupo Kicks ; Dalia Stasevska – Antoine Saito

Classical / Classical Singing / orchestre / période moderne / période romantique

OSM | Mahler, Payare and The OSM: Between Inner Turmoil, Light and Fatality, a Powerful Evening.

by Hélène Archambault

The OSM has made an enlightened choice to present the works of Alma Mahler and those of her husband, Gustav, in the same concert to inaugurate 2025. The performance of Alma’s works alongside those of her illustrious husband is a contemporary nod to a time when many female musicians are giving up their careers to support those of their husbands.

At the age of twenty-three, Alma, née Schindler, frequented the Viennese artistic scene, composing lieder and insisting on her artistic and intellectual independence. She met Gustav Mahler in November 1901. Twenty years her senior, he made a deal with her: to become his wife, she had to give up her aspirations as a composer. Passionately in love, she accepted, and the marriage was celebrated on March 9, 1902.

Despite this “ban” on composing, Gustav suggested that Alma rework the lieder and have them published (in the program notes, Catherine Harrison-Boisvert notes that “Gustav seems to have wanted to make amends”). It is fortunate that Alma’s Lieder have been rescued from anonymity in this way. Their performance is a first for the OSM. With these 5 lieder, the orchestra offers a sensitive listening experience, and, in my case, one of discovery. In meins Vaters Garten (In my father’s garden) is particularly touching. Mezzo-soprano Beth Taylor’s deep, radiant voice is enhanced by the composer’s expressive writing. My only downside? The orchestration by Colin and David Matthews. A slight mismatch between the two scores is unfortunately to the detriment of the voice.

Of the Sixth Symphony, called “Tragic”, Alma writes that it is her husband’s most personal work, the one that sprang most directly from his heart. She also reports that in writing the Sixth Symphony, Gustav anticipated his own life in music. Three blows of fate, symbolized by as many hammer blows in the finale – only two of which are retained – also befell him: the loss of their daughter Maria to scarlet fever, a diagnosis of incurable heart disease, and the loss of his position at the Vienna Opera. As Mahler’s Sixth was written before these events, this interpretation is debatable. But the story is worth telling, if only to stir the imagination! And perhaps also a little to allow ordinary people to become a little more attached to the composer?

Speaking of attachment, the OSM and Payare, in their interpretation, go the right way. From the very first bar, the tempo is energetic without being frantic. The tone is set. The first movement unfolds between the military and the evocation of Alma, embodied by the strings. The orchestra alternates between rumble and light. Payare seems to play with rhythm. Though regulated like a metronome, time with him seems more supple, more alive. The beautiful pages of the second movement feature a dialogue between woodwinds and brass, in which the orchestra’s playing is limpid. The third movement, almost dreamlike, and the finale follow one another without a break. This sequence seems to allow the orchestra to bewitch us, before plunging us into an emotional stampede in the style of “being Gustav Mahler” right to the end. Just writing it makes me breathless – the energy deployed by the conductor must be the envy of the greatest sportsmen and women. Tragic” symphony, you say? Between enchantment, sweetness and tragedy, one does not leave the symphonic house completely unscathed.

Photo Credit: Gabriel Fournier

Baroque / classique

Les Violons du Roy : Gauvin, Lemieux – divin Handel

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Karina Gauvin et Marie-Nicole Lemieux occupent une place à part dans notre vie musicale en général et chez Les Violons du Roy en particulier! Depuis le tout début de leurs carrières respectives, elles font toutes deux partie des artistes invités préférés du public et des musiciens des Violons du Roy. Quelle chance de pouvoir les réunir avec nos musiciens et Jonathan Cohen pour marquer notre 40e anniversaire de façon exceptionnelle!

Karina Gauvin and Marie-Nicole Lemieux hold a special place in our music community, and even more so at Les Violons du Roy! Since the very beginning of their respective careers, they have both ranked among the favourite guest artists of the public and the orchestra. It’s a real privilege to bring them together with Jonathan Cohen and our musicians to celebrate our 40th anniversary with a truly exceptional concert!

Programme

Ouverture (Judas Maccabaeus, HWV 63)
From this dread scene (Judas Maccabaeus, HWV 63)
Sinfonia (Alexander Balus, HWV 65)
Fury, with red sparkling eyes (Alexander Balus, HWV 65)
Our limpid streams (Joshua, HWV 64)
Ouverture (Solomon, HWV 67)
Will the sun forget to streak (Solomon, HWV 67)
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (Solomon, HWV 67)
Thou fair inhabitant – Welcome as the Dawn of Day (Solomon, HWV 67)
Ouverture (Belshazzar, HWV 61)
Great victor, at your feet I bow (Belshazzar, HWV 61)
Ouverture (Theodora, HWV 68)
Fly, fly, my brethren – As with rosy steps the morn (Theodora, HWV 68)
But why art thou disquieted, my soul – Oh! that I on wings could rise (Theodora, HWV 68)
To thee, thou glorious son of worth (Theodora, HWV 68)
Streams of pleasure ever flowing (Theodora, HWV 68)

Program

Ouverture (Judas Maccabaeus, HWV 63)
From this dread scene (Judas Maccabaeus, HWV 63)
Sinfonia (Alexander Balus, HWV 65)
Fury, with red sparkling eyes (Alexander Balus, HWV 65)
Our limpid streams (Joshua, HWV 64)
Ouverture (Solomon, HWV 67)
Will the sun forget to streak (Solomon, HWV 67)
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (Solomon, HWV 67)
Thou fair inhabitant – Welcome as the Dawn of Day (Solomon, HWV 67)
Ouverture (Belshazzar, HWV 61)
Great victor, at your feet I bow (Belshazzar, HWV 61)
Ouverture (Theodora, HWV 68)
Fly, fly, my brethren – As with rosy steps the morn (Theodora, HWV 68)
But why art thou disquieted, my soul – Oh! that I on wings could rise (Theodora, HWV 68)
To thee, thou glorious son of worth (Theodora, HWV 68)
Streams of pleasure ever flowing (Theodora, HWV 68)

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Ce contenu provient des Violons du Roy et est adapté par PAN M 360

Baroque / classique

OSM : Les pieds en fête!

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Dans ce récital, le pédalier du Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique sera magistralement dompté par l’organiste Jan Kraybill. Elle vous conduira de l’Allemagne baroque de Bach aux États-Unis de Sowerby, pour une randonnée musicale très originale. À voir et à entendre!

In this solo recital, organist Jan Kraybill showcases her exceptional command of the Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique’s pedalboard, guiding you on a unique musical voyage from Bach’s Baroque Germany to Sowerby’s America. This is something you’ll want to see and hear!

Programme

Jean-Sébastien Bach (attribué à Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach), Pedal-Exercitium BWV 598 (2 min)
Jean-Sébastien Bach, Prélude et fugue, BWV 532 (10 min)
Gustav Holst, Première suite pour orchestre militaire, op. 28, no 1 : Chaconne (trans. H. G. Ley) (5 min)
Charles Gounod, Marche funèbre d’une marionnette (trans. W. T. Best) (6 min)
Geoffrey Wilcken, The Love Amazing, op. 74, no 1 (7 min)
Libby Larsen, Aspects of Glory : III. Tambourines (4 min)
Charles-Marie Widor, Symphonie pour orgue no 6, op. 42 : II. Intermezzo (6 min’)
Rachel Laurin, Three Short Studies, op. 68 (7 min 30 s)
I. Monologue (pour pédale solo) (3 min)
II. The Flight of the Hummingbird (2 min30’’)
III. The Dialogue of the Mockingbirds (4 min)
Johannes Matthias Michel, Three Jazz Organ Preludes: I. Swing Five « Erhalt uns, Herr » [Garde- nous, Seigneur / Keep us, Lord] (4
min)
Robert Elmore, Rhumba (6 min)
Charles Villiers Stanford, Intermezzo on an Irish Air (“Danny Boy”), op. 189, no 4 (6 min)
Leo Sowerby, Pageant (11 min)

Program

Johann Sebastian Bach (attributed to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach), Pedal-Exercitium BWV 598 (2 min)
Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude and Fugue, BWV 532 (10 min)
Gustav Holst, First Suite for Military Band, Op. 28, No. 1: Chaconne (trans. H. G. Ley) (5 min)
Charles Gounod, Funeral March of a Marionette (trans. W. T. Best) (6 min)
Geoffrey Wilcken, The Love Amazing, Op. 74, No. 1 (7 min)
Libby Larsen, Aspects of Glory: III. Tambourines (4 min)
Charles-Marie Widor, Symphony for Organ No. 6, Op. 42: II. Intermezzo (6 min)
Rachel Laurin, Three Short Studies, Op. 68 (7 min 30 s)
I. Monologue (For Solo Pedal) (3 min)
II. The Flight of the Hummingbird (2 min 30 s)
III. The Dialogue of the Mockingbirds (4 min)
Johannes Matthias Michel, Three Jazz Organ Preludes: I. Swing Five “Erhalt uns, Herr” [Keep us, Lord] (4 min)
Robert Elmore, Rhumba (6 min)
Charles Villiers Stanford, Intermezzo on an Irish Air (“Danny Boy”), Op. 189, No. 4 (6 min)
Leo Sowerby, Pageant (11 min)

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

classique / période romantique

OSM : La Symphonie «Pathétique» de Tchaïkovski

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Plongez dans un tourbillon d’émotions avec deux chefs-d’œuvre poignants. D’abord, le Concerto pour violoncelle d’Elgar, où le soliste Nicolas Altstaedt mettra cet instrument en lumière avec une intensité saisissante. Ensuite la Symphonie n° 6 de Tchaïkovski, dans laquelle, sous des accents nostalgiques, un véritable drame intérieur se déploie. Entre tumulte des passions chez Tchaïkovski et mélancolie chez Elgar, chaque note sublime les tourments et les craintes.

Embark on an emotional journey through two profoundly moving masterpieces. First, soloist Nicolas Altstaedt will bring Elgar’s Cello Concerto to life with powerful intensity, followed by a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, a piece brimming with nostalgia and inner drama. From Tchaikovsky’s turbulent passion to Elgar’s poignant melancholy, every note unveils the complexities of human anguish and fear.

Programme

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Ballade, op. 33 (11 min)
Edward Elgar, Concerto pour violoncelle, op. 85 (30 min)
Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovski, Symphonie no 6 op. 74 en si mineur, « Pathétique » (45 min)

Program

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Ballade, Op. 33 (11 min)
Edward Elgar, Concerto for Cello, Op. 85 (30 min)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6, Op. 74 (“Pathétique”) (45 min)

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

classique / post-romantique

OSM : Éclatante nostalgie – de l’Europe à Hollywood

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Exilés aux États-Unis, Bartók et Korngold expriment avec émotion la nostalgie de leur terre natale à travers leurs Concertos : influences hongroises chez le premier, réminiscences de l’esprit viennois et mélodies hollywoodiennes chez le second. Mettant en valeur l’éblouissante violoniste Simone Lamsma, ce concert vous plongera dans l’univers captivant de la musique classique, mêlant émotion, cinéma et musique symphonique. Une soirée magique où les mélodies envoûtantes vous transporteront au cœur de leur héritage culturel.

Exiled in the United States, Bartók and Korngold poured their longing for home into their concertos—one steeped in Hungarian traditions, the other blending Viennese charm with Hollywood melodies. Showcasing the brilliant Simone Lamsma, this concert promises an enchanting journey full of emotion, cinematic splendour, and symphonic brilliance. A magical evening where mesmerizing melodies will allow you to discover a rich cultural heritage.

Programme

Claude Debussy, L’isle joyeuse (arr. B. Molinari), L. 106 (7 min)
Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Concerto pour violon, op. 35 (24 min)
Béla Bartók, Concerto pour orchestre, Sz.116, BB 123 (36 min)

Program

Claude Debussy, L’isle joyeuse (arr. B. Molinari), L. 106 (7 min)
Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Concerto for Violin, Op. 35 (24 min)
Béla Bartók, Concerto for Orchestra, Sz.116, BB 123 (36 min)

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

cinéma / hommage / orchestre

Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques 2025 : Ligeti, Kubrick et la musique de film

by Rédaction PAN M 360

De l’hypnotique «2001, l’Odyssée de l’espace» à l’audacieux «Eyes Wide Shut», en passant par l’inquiétant «The Shining», les films de Stanley Kubrick font une place de choix à la musique, en particulier à celle du grand compositeur hongrois György Ligeti. Plusieurs œuvres du compositeur sont d’ailleurs présentes dans la cinématographie du réalisateur.
L’organiste Jean-Willy Kuntz, l’Orchestre symphonique de McGill et l’Ensemble à cordes de la SMCQ sous la direction de Alexis Hauser, interprèteront des pièces emblématiques de ces trois films iconiques. Également au programme, une création orchestrale du jeune compositeur Liam Ross Gibson, une voix émergente et singulière dans le paysage musical canadien (commandée par la SMCQ). Alexey Shafirov présentera quant à lui le second concerto pour piano de Prokofiev. Tandis que la spectaculaire fresque orchestrale de Ainsi parlait Zarathoustra, célèbre poème symphonique de Richard Strauss, fera aussi majestueusement écho au cinéma de Kubrick. Un concert à la Maison symphonique de Montréal qui s’annonce grandiose et mémorable.

From the hypnotic “2001: a Space Odyssey” to the bold “Eyes Wide Shut” and the eerie “The Shining,” Stanley Kubrick’s films give a prominent place to the music of the great Hungarian composer György Ligeti. Several works by the composer are in fact present throughout the director’s cinematography.
Organist Jean-Willy Kuntz, the McGill Symphony Orchestra and the SMCQ String Ensemble under the direction of Alexis Hauser, will perform emblematic pieces of these three iconic films.
Also on the programme: an orchestral premiere from young composer Liam Ross Gibson, a singular emerging voice on the Canadian musical landscape (commissioned by the SMCQ). Alexey Shafirov will present Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto, while the spectacular orchestral fresco Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Richard Strauss’s famous symphonic poem, will also majestically echoes Kubrick’s cinema. A concert at the Maison symphonique de Montréal that promises to be grandiose and memorable.

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Ce contenu provient de la Société de musique contemporaine du Québec et est adapté par PAN M 360

classique / Jazz / Orchestral Pop / Pop / trad québécois

The sparkling magic of Christmas, Yannick Nézet-Séguin… and Antoine Gratton!

by Frédéric Cardin

Far be it from me to diminish the quality of yesterday’s performances by the guest artists at the (now) classic eclectic Christmas concert by the Orchestre métropolitain and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Mélissa Bédard makes a strong impression in Glory Alleluia and Minuit, chrétiens (O Holy Night). Her full contralto (non operatic) voice, very accurate and free of unnecessary embellishments, stood out. Kim Richardson did the same with other classics such as White Christmas and I’ll be Home for Christmas. Then there was the lyrical sensation of the hour, Élizabeth St-Gelais, who gave us Les Anges dans nos campagnes (Angels We Have Heard On High) and a rather successful Sainte Nuit (Silent Night) sung in Innu (St-Gelais’ indigenous Nation). There was also a fine duet with Michel Rivard, with a heartfelt Gens du pays. Rivard also offered C’est dans la famille, initially a little vocally fragile, but authentic. 

Taurey Butler, Mr ‘’Charlie Brown Christmas’’ at Bourgie Hall each season, with the excellent Wali Muhammad on drums and Morgan Moore on double bass, gave us some lovely jazz flights of fancy on the piano (no Charlie Brown, though. That’s reserved for the other hall) in a few traditional titles from the repertoire, and fiddler David Boulanger treated us to a very pleasant Petit concerto for Carignan and orchestra by André Gagnon, with Oleg Larshin, OM’s first violin. Well-controlled contrasts between the ‘classical’ solos of Larshin and Boulanger’s fiddlings, modern echoes of Yehudi Menuhin and Jean Carignan, for whom the work was composed. A true miniature masterpiece, it was accompanied by another of Gagnon’s must-haves: an extract from his 1992 album Noël, the warm and gently melancholy Ronde des bergers (Shepherd’s dance). I’d never paid attention to this detail before, but the horn solos are formidable! Even the ever-perfect Louis-Philippe Marsolais learned this the hard way. Of course, the finale was performed by everyone at the same time, an essential communion embodied by the Beau Dommages/Michel Rivard classic: 23 December. It was a great success, bringing people together in an ecumenical way and reflecting the image of a Quebec that is both ‘’traditional’’’ and coloured by its modern diversity. Well done.  

In short, everyone rose to the occasion, and then some. Good humour reigned supreme, and the stage and the entire Maison symphonique shone with a thousand colours, in a cosy, inviting atmosphere. So hats off to them. But the reason I wanted to include Antoine Gratton’s name in my title is that the supreme link between all the pieces, all the performances, all the musical styles evoked in this secular and musical mass, the unifying factor that enabled us to spend almost two hours, without intermission and without any boredom, well hooked into the proceedings, this indispensable secret of success, is Antoine Gratton’s arrangements.

The singer-songwriter, who once called himself A Star, has also been a skilled arranger of symphonic pop concerts for some years now. Yesterday, he came up on top thanks to the originality of the scores he produced for the orchestra and choir, which provided a brilliant accompaniment to the above-mentioned performances. No matter how well-known the tunes, Gratton knows how to sprinkle his arrangements with a host of surprises for the ears, be they harmonic, colouristic or rhythmic. Here’s just one example: the counterpoint between the orchestra’s bells and the backing singers’ clapping hands in a passage from My Favourite Things. Delightful. 

The arranger is too often forgotten in this kind of event, but he shouldn’t be, especially not in the case of this concert, which could have turned into a litany of syrupy melodies strung together interminably, had it been for other, less creative pens. Thousands of dinners of turkey, tourtière and cranberry sauce are the same all over Quebec during the festive season. But sometimes there’s a chef in the kitchen, hiding behind his or her pots and pans, who manages to reinvent the classics and bring them all together in a way that’s original enough to be noticed. And all this without going overboard and leaving a bitter taste in the mouth. In cases like this, let’s invite that person to the table and honour him-her (which is what happened on stage yesterday). 

Let’s not doubt for a moment that there will be a 2025 edition.

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