The theme of encounters punctuated the Orchestre symphonique de Laval’s first concert of the 2024-2025 season on October 30.

The headliner was Antoine Bareil, OSL concertmaster, in Felix Mendelssohn’s masterful Violin Concerto No. 2 in E minor. But, more broadly, what emerged throughout the evening were encounters: encounters between the Mendelssohn sister and brother, encounters between guest conductor Adam Johnson and the orchestra, encounters as we strolled between different musical tableaux, but above all an encounter between the orchestra and its audience. A faithful audience, who turned out in large numbers to fill almost the entire Salle André-Mathieu. Just over 500 people, we were told.

Programming the two child prodigies of the Mendelssohn family as the opening act gave Adam Johnson – whose interventions to introduce each of the evening’s works were pertinent – the opportunity to highlight the undoubted talent of Fanny and Felix, linked by blood but separated by the conventions of their time. The concert began with Fanny Hensel Mendelssohn’s Overture in C major. A rarely performed work and the composer’s only piece for orchestra, it features a conventional structure and clear, vital writing divided into three parts: a noble introduction supported by a bass of winds, over which the strings weave delicate motifs; a second, more animated section where an interplay between two contrasting themes emerges between woodwinds and strings; and a festive, trumpeting finale. In each of these passages, conductor Johnson brings about changes in dynamics and textures with fluidity and precision. The woodwinds were particularly strong, complementing the virtuoso string lines of the fast part.

Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto No^. 2, one of the best-known and most important in the repertoire, plunges us into an entirely different character, between drama and lyricism. Antoine Bareil, the orchestra’s concertmaster, was giving his first performance of the work, and to say the least, he rose to the challenge with brio. Right from the first movement’s appassionato theme, Bareil sets the tone with an energetic, embodied opening. In the cadenza, the soloist makes his instrument sing, showcasing its full range. His work is a true masterpiece, meticulously sculpting each sound with precise attack and great agility. The second movement, attacca,offers a lyrical, languorous theme in which Johsnon highlights the orchestra’s timbre, while leaving the necessary space for Antoine Bareil to unfold his playing. Communication was visible and symbiotic between the two partners, despite certain moments when it seemed that the tempo was pressing a little. Concluding with a virtuosic third movement tinged with an almost humorous veneer, this was a captivating performance that kept the audience on the edge of their seats right up to the last note.

The second part of the evening featured Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, originally composed for piano, but frequently performed by large ensembles with orchestration by Maurice Ravel. Typical of program music, the work presents a succession of pieces inspired by different paintings, with musical interludes (promenades) linking the paintings. Unlike other interpretations, in which the theme of the “Promenade” is played in a tightly bound manner, especially when taken up by the strings, Adam Johnson retains the march-like character introduced by the brass in this section, which accentuates the strolling character between the various tableaux. These were all performed with a commitment and dynamic precision that brought out the full richness of the orchestration. To name but a few, Gnomus, with its unusual character, Il vecchio castello, where the duet between alto saxophone (Ludovik Hinse-Lesage) and bassoon (Michel Bettez) was lyrical, Bydlo with its rumbling double basses and cellos framing the growling euphonium (Sébastien Côté) and the Great Gate of Kiev, which concluded the work in a majestic, triumphal march.

In top form, the Orchestre symphonique de Laval made a strong impression for its season opener. The energy, vigour and musicality that enveloped Salle André-Mathieu bode well for the rest of the season.

Photo Credits: Gabriel Fournier