Choral Music / Classical / Classical Period / Renaissance music

Beethoven’s 9th, Montreal, 200 Years Ago…

by Alexis Desrosiers-Michaud

On this Valentine’s Day, we were treated to a premiere at the concert by Ensemble Caprice and Ensemble ArtChoral: Beethoven’s 9ᵉ symphony on early instruments, conducted by Matthias Maute.

The original program was to have opened with the little-known cantata Hiob by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel. Instead, we were treated to two Yiddish pieces, Ernst Bloch’s Yih’yu L’ratzon and a traditional aria calledOy dortn, as well as Gregorio Allegri’s famous Miserere.

The two Jewish pieces feature soprano Sharon Azrieli and her imposing vibrato. Acting as cantor, she announces psalmodies and the choir responds. We don’t know if it’s a microphone or projection problem, but she was barely audible from the back of the audience. All the same, it’s very pretty, and reminds us that this Jewish and Hebrew music is too rarely performed in our concert halls.

The Miserere is a jewel of musical genius that leaves no room for error. Unfortunately, there were mistakes. Firstly, the voices of the quartet perched high up in the Maison symphonique are not homogeneous; those of the men do not vibrate, whereas those of the women do. What’s more, it’s not always right. Then, there’s no change in volume throughout the piece, and as this piece is often repeated, it becomes redundant and loses all its intimacy. Then, in the psalmodies, different notes are accentuated by the choristers, instead of being lightly pressed, and it’s sometimes unclear in the cuts and consonants. In short, this is a fine work, but it would have deserved a more consistent rendering.

The real treat of the first half is Höre auf meine Stimme, written by William Kraushaar, also a chorister in the bass section. Maute warned us that the melody would stick in our heads, and for good reason. Simple without being kitschy, repeated often enough without our noticing it too much, it is supple and expressive. The accompaniment doesn’t impose itself, leaving the choir to sing along, acting as a harmonic carpet. Were it not for a few dissonant chords from the language of Morten Lauridsen and his contemporaries in the a cappella passages, we would have placed this work between the styles of Mendelssohn and Schubert, and on our first listen, this piece seems accessible to most amateur choirs. When will it be published?

According to conductor Maute, this is the first time in Montreal that Beethoven’s Ninth has been played on period instruments. It takes a few minutes to adapt to the new sound, but it’s very pleasant and successful, despite a few lapses in accuracy and precision. The sound isn’t fat, and the loud passages don’t give the impression that Obelix is lifting the Sphinx, but the tension is there. In the first movement, which Maute conducts at breakneck speed, you can hear all the elements of the musical dialogue, and the second really has the feel of a dance, something you don’t get from many other conductors. However, the middle section of this movement is too fast, and the winds don’t keep up. The third movement is certainly not adagio, but very cantabile. One enjoys the phrases without lingering or falling into the moon.

The last movement opens smoothly and lightly. Finally, the cello/bass recitatives are not too heavy! And all is exalted before the entrance of the chorus, with the recitative of bass Dominique Côté. But as soon as the chorus begins, something annoys us: a soprano pierces more than the rest of her section, especially in the high register, which is like saying almost all the time in Beethoven. Once this is targeted by the ear, it’s extremely difficult to ignore. My seatmate, who was also bothered by it, confided to me at the end of the evening that it wasn’t the first time it had happened to this tandem. If you don’t want one person’s work to unbalance a rare, high-level performance, this is something to be corrected.

photos: Tam Photography

Contemporary

New European Ensemble open the 12th edition of M / NM

by Vitta Morales

The Netherlands-based New European Ensemble kicked off this year’s 12th edition of the Montréal Nouvelles Musiques Festival. The opening concert titled “Dynamite Barrel” showcased the work of innovative contemporary composers whose pieces on the night would adhere to this year’s theme: the marriage of music and images.

Heading into this concert with little information, I assumed that this meant music that evokes imagery but that ultimately each listener was to be responsible for their own imaginations. As I would soon see, each of the featured composers would run with this theme slightly differently.

The pieces are set out to represent locations, sonic evolution, historical periods, or a mixture of the three. Sometimes this was done, as it routinely is when it comes to new chamber music, by pushing the limits of textures and timbre; meaning that they contained all the florid passages, extended techniques, mixed orchestration, and meterless moments you would expect. For those who found this fatiguing, the piece Cyan Saturn, inspired by Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, provided some nice contrast as it contained some compositional conventions of jazz fusion which made for something a bit different.

Regardless, most of the pieces of the night would couple their music with images projected onto a screen and essentially require the players of the New European Ensemble to “score” the images live. In one piece this meant recontextualizing old Looney Tunes scenes; on another occasion, a Bollywood film; and at the very end, a surf rock piece superimposed with Thai music set to shadow puppetry.

When the musical scoring lapsed into what I would consider dense, pointillistic, or meterless soundscapes, I was much more tolerant of any shrieks and squeals when I could see they were in accordance with what was happening on the screen. The brain is funny that way. At other moments I felt some dense soundscapes overstayed their welcome. I can wholly admit that contemporary chamber music asks important questions of established practices when it goes down this route; my gripe is that it always seems to be the same questions. And they’ve been asked for more than a few decades at this point. Overall I would say the New European Ensemble interpreted for us some very interesting music, but I wasn’t about to rush to the merch

photos: Marie-Ève Labadie

Classical / Modern Classical

OSM | Payare and Weilerstein: Passion for Two From Prokofiev to Ravel

by Alexandre Villemaire

On the eve of Valentine’s Day, February 12 and 13, the setting couldn’t have been more propitious for the pairing of Rafael Payare and Alisa Weilerstein on the Maison Symphonique stage.

If Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé can be deliberately associated with the idyll of love, both in its subject matter and in its music, Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony Concertante for Cello, with its eclecticism and biting, percussive sounds, could appear out of step with the program’s aesthetic. On the contrary, the works were highly complementary in terms of timbral language, dynamics and passionate playing.

Opening the evening, Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphonie concertante. Written between 1950 and 1952, this mature three-movement work by the Russian composer is a reworking of an earlier cello concerto that was roundly criticized. Prokofiev’s language is textured and composite, drawing on the full range of the cello’s sound, as well as orchestral and rhythmic sonorities and passages reminiscent of jazz. At the podium, Payare was as fiery as ever, but more restrained than usual in his gestures for this complex score, where the orchestral interventions are velocity-laden in terms of texture and technique. Payare’s direction was precise and the orchestra of great intensity.

The second and third movements (Allegro giusto and Andante con moto) particularly appealed to us, respectively for their virtuosity, their use of dynamic orchestral effects and their folk accent in the cadenza of the second movement, where Alisa Weilerstein demonstrates the full range of her technique and the possible interplay of her instrument with evocative ease. Even if what sounds false to the ear is in fact well calculated, written and conveyed with naturalness. The cello lines are as swift as the orchestral lines, blending with the different sections in a rich, inventive orchestration. On stage, Alisa Weilerstein transports us into a world of her own, where she doesn’t just play the music. She is the music. She embodies a character like an actress on a stage, where her facial expressions and gestures are as significant as the accompanying music. The audience gave her a standing ovation for several minutes.

The second part, dedicated to the music of the ballet Daphnis et Chloé, plunged us into a dreamlike, colorful world. Here, Payare becomes a painter before a blank canvas which he paints with precision. Even if we’re dealing with repertoire that’s all too familiar, it’s always a delight to see the dynamics and colors imagined by Ravel unfold. The arrangement of the choir, which was installed higher than usual due to the recording, was also interesting. It’s a nice touch, too, to have the rows of choristers enter successively during the introduction, to simulate the effect of voices arriving from afar and gaining in power. A minor criticism: the processional effect would have had even greater impact if this entrance had been sung without a score! For the rest, the choir’s interventions were excellent, delivered with fine control of nuances and dynamics. In the orchestra, Rafael Payare danced across the stage, instilling vigor and character into the various orchestral forces, both in the more diaphanous moments and in the thunderous, brassy passages reminiscent of the language of George Gershwin. The astonishingly complementary and passionate interpretation of the evening’s two works richly deserved the thunderous applause of a packed Maison symphonique, and gave the orchestra great material for their forthcoming album releases, which we look forward to discovering.

Photo Credit: Antoine Saito

Jazz

ONJ | Tirolien with Strings Brings Down the House

by Vitta Morales

I will waste no time in saying that Malika Tirolien with the ONJ was among the best concerts I’ve been assigned. It is only February, but I suspect it will go down as one of my favorite shows of the year. And the reason why it boils down to this: Tirolien and company treated us to fantastic performances of solidly crafted songs that were then elevated by great arranging from Jean-Nicolas Trottier.

Tirolien, armed with a rhythm section, three backup singers, a string orchestra, and horns, performed songs from her 2021 album Higher, in addition to a few other selections from a separate project called Gemini Crab. Already, the songs from Higher in their original form are groovy, synth heavy, and high energy. (Due in part, no doubt, to it being co-produced by Michael League of Snarky Puppy). In an interview with Tirolien, our colleague Varun Swarup quite astutely wondered how much more grandiose these songs could get. This would be answered immediately. These arrangements, and in particular their use of strings, equated to a lightness and floating quality in the more gentle moments of the music, but they were equally up to the task of adding a satisfying density and dissonance when required. As concerns the horns, they provided some heft and weight, making the groovier moments even more so. In the words of Tirolien herself, Jean-Nicolas “found a way to elevate the music without losing its core identity.”

Musically, the show and compositions had a bit of everything. Quintuplet grooves, 12/8 shuffle, synth lead solos, a saxophone battle, politically fueled rap, belted high notes, creative tempo changes, a shredding guitar solo, and even some light choreography were all seen before the night was over. And, most importantly, it all worked. It really worked. Going over my notes, I looked to see if there were any fair criticisms that were worth mentioning. In the end, I decided that including any nitpicks would feel a bit forced. And this is because my takeaway from the evening wasn’t “Wow, what a great show; but it would have been nice to clean up elements X, Y, and Z.” Rather, my takeaway was, “Wow, what an exceptional show from all involved.”

Classical / Modern Classical

Echoes of Africa that resonate very well

by Frédéric Cardin

Last night saw the Orchestre classique de Montréal’s concert Échos lointains d’Afrique (Africa’s Distant Echoes) featuring soprano Suzanne Taffot. The programme for this evening, under the musical direction of Kalena Bovell, an American conductor originally from Panama, included works by Afro-descendant composers: the British Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the Americans George Walker and William Grant Still, the Quebecer David Bontemps and a number of Spirituals.

The main course of the evening was the creation of David Bontemps’ song cycle, Le deuil des roses qui s’effeuillent (Mourning for the roses that are falling apart). This evocative title comes from the pen of Haitian poet and author Jacques Roumain, whose 80th birthday we were commemorating in 2024. In nine texts beautifully set to music by Bontemps, soprano Suzanne Taffot has brought to life subtle, warm, sometimes melancholy landscapes in a musical language steeped in the stylistic roots of the tiny Caribbean country. Sinuous lines, swaying, syncopated rhythms, but in a light, sober sound architecture. By paying this fine tribute to his own Haitian roots, Bontemps has confirmed his status as a rising star of modern Quebec composition. That said, we would have appreciated it if the texts had been projected onto the large empty wall behind the orchestra, so that we could have fully immersed ourselves in the beauty of this inspiring poetry, the vocal writing not always allowing the words to blossom with all their potential clarity (and the dim light preventing us to read them in the paper program). Suzanne Taffot’s voice is beautiful, with a wide register that demonstrates a natural ease in all pitches.

There were lovely Novelletten by Coleridge-Taylor, a British Romantic composer of Sierra Leonean origin, and very pleasant Danzas de Panama by William Grant Still, with their simple melodies treated with sober refinement. George Walker’s Lyric for Strings was perhaps the most impressive, with its restrained, elegantly constructed pathos. A sort of Barber Adagio, more sparing of affect.

A few moments of pure vocal grace rounded off the evening when Suzanne Taffot returned to the stage to perform four spirituals, warmly arranged by Moses Hogan and Hugo Bégin. The audience was won over, if it hadn’t already been, by Deep River, Give Me Jesus, Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child and He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.

Kalena Bovell led the ensemble with a sincere commitment, in a direction combining precision and emotional suggestiveness.

A highly successful evening in front of a packed Pierre-Mercure Hall (which should be enough to call into question certain recent statements criticising programming based on diversity in classical music).

Glam Rock / humour / spoken words

Ninja Sex Party au MTelus

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Le duo new-yorkais de comédie musicale Ninja Sex Party propose des hymnes humoristiques et accrocheurs mêlant le rock des années 1980 et l’attitude glam metal à des grooves souvent synthétiques et orientés vers la danse. Composé de Danny Sexbang (Leigh Daniel Avidan) et Ninja Brian (Brian Wecht), le duo s’est construit une base de fans fidèles grâce à ses vidéos en ligne et à des albums comme NSFW (2011) et Strawberries and Cream (2013), tous deux classés numéro un au Billboard dans la catégorie Comedy Albums. Bien que l’humour et leurs personnages satiriques de héros nerds soient au cœur de leur projet, ils abordent la musique avec sérieux, comme en témoigne leur série d’albums de reprises Under the Covers, où ils apposent leur touche à la fois espiègle et sincère sur des morceaux de a-ha, Van Halen, Boston et bien d’autres.

New York musical comedy duo Ninja Sex Party make humorous, hooky anthems that combine ’80s rock and hair metal posturing with often synthy, dance-oriented grooves. Centered around their ironic alter egos, the duo of Danny Sexbang (Leigh Daniel Avidan) and Ninja Brian (Brian Wecht) have built a loyal fan base with their online videos and albums like 2011’s NSFW and 2013’s Strawberries and Cream, both of which hit number one on Billboard’s Comedy Albums chart. While humor and playing up their satirical, nerd-hero personae are their primary focus, they take their music seriously, as evidenced by their ongoing covers album series Under the Covers, in which they put their cheeky, yet still heartfelt stamp on tracks by a-ha, Van Halen, Boston, and others.

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Country

Nate Smith au MTelus

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Nate Smith est un chanteur et auteur-compositeur country doté d’une voix chaleureuse et profonde, ainsi que d’un talent pour raconter les joies et les défis de la vie quotidienne. Il n’a connu le succès à Nashville qu’à sa deuxième tentative, après avoir reçu un rappel puissant de ce qu’il aimait dans sa ville natale. Sa musique, empreinte d’une forte charge émotionnelle, adopte une approche naturelle et discrète qui met en valeur la puissance de sa voix, tandis que l’honnêteté de son interprétation s’accorde avec la sincérité de ses textes. Il s’est d’abord fait connaître grâce à One of These Days, une chanson profondément personnelle devenue virale, avant d’enchaîner avec des succès indépendants comme Sleeve et Under My Skin, qui lui ont valu de signer avec Sony Music. Il a ensuite confirmé son talent avec I Don’t Wanna Go to Heaven, un tendre récit d’amour à long terme. En 2023, il a sorti son premier album éponyme Nate Smith, porté par le single Whiskey on You, classé au Billboard Hot 100 et Hot Country Songs. L’album s’est hissé dans le Top 30 du Billboard 200, suivi de l’EP Through the Smoke. En 2024, il a dévoilé son deuxième album, California Gold, mené par le single Bulletproof.

Nate Smith is a country singer and songwriter with a rich, warm voice and a gift for stories about the joys and challenges of everyday life. He didn’t find success in Nashville until his second try in Music City, after he was given a powerful reminder of what he loved about his hometown. Smith’s music is strongly emotional but has a natural, low-key approach that complements the strength of his instrument, and he communicates an honesty that meshes with the home truths of his lyrics. He first made a name for himself when his deeply personal “One of These Days” became a viral success, and independent hits like “Sleeve” and “Under My Skin” led to his signing with Sony Music and scoring another success with the tender tale of long-term love, “I Don’t Wanna Go to Heaven.” In 2023, he released his full-length debut, Nate Smith, anchored by the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs single “Whiskey on You.” The album cracked the Top 30 of the Billboard 200 and was followed by the EP Through the Smoke. In 2024, he delivered his sophomore album, California Gold, led by the single “Bulletproof.”

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Contemporary Opera / Experimental / Contemporary

Semaine du Neuf 2025 : TAK Ensemble – Star Maker / Love Songs & Ana Sokolovic par Kristin Hoff

by Rédaction PAN M 360

L’ensemble new-yorkais TAK, figure de proue de la musique expérimentale américaine, présente Star Maker Fragments, une œuvre inspirée d’un roman de science-fiction.
Cette œuvre mixte électroacoustique à la partition imaginative signée Taylor Brook, met en scène des extraits du roman révolutionnaire d’Olaf Stapledon Star Maker, paru en 1937. Le roman invite le lecteur à suivre un narrateur humain, projeté dans un voyage cosmique hors de son corps, qui explore les confins de l’espace et du temps. Brook transpose musicalement les sociétés imaginaires de Stapledon en déployant un langage sonore composé de lignes microtonales étendues et transcendantes.
En première partie, Kristin Hoff interprète Love Songs d’Ana Sokolovic.
Cet opéra intime sur le thème de l’amour explore, en 100 langues différentes, les diverses expressions de l’amour : de l’amour passionné à l’amour perdu, en passant par l’amour familial.

New York ensemble TAK, a leading figure in American experimental music, presents Star Maker Fragments, a work inspired by a science-fiction novel.
This mixed electroacoustic work, with its imaginative score by Taylor Brook, features extracts from Olaf Stapledon’s groundbreaking 1937 novel Star Maker. The novel invites the reader to follow a human narrator, projected on a cosmic out-of-body journey, as he explores the outer reaches of space and time. Brook musically transposes Stapledon’s imaginary societies, deploying a sonic language of extended, transcendental microtonal lines.
Opening the evening, Kristin Hoff performs Love Songs by Ana Sokolovic.
This intimate opera about love explores, in 100 different languages, the various expressions of love: from passionate love to lost love, and familial love.

Programme

Ana Sokolovic: Love Songs (2008) – 40’
Taylor Brook: Star Maker Fragments (2021) ~60′
(création canadienne)

Program

Ana Sokolovic: Love Songs (2008) – 40’
Taylor Brook: Star Maker Fragments (2021) ~60”
(Canadian Premiere)

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Avant-Garde / Musique de création

Semaine du Neuf 2025 : Quatuor Bozzini – Effusione d’Amicizia

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Le Quatuor Bozzini célèbre ses 25 ans avec des créations de trois compositeur-ices d’exception: Michael Oesterle, Linda Catlin Smith et Martin Arnold.
Depuis sa fondation, l’ensemble a tissé des liens étroits avec ces compositeur-ices d’avant-garde. Ce concert sera l’occasion d’assister à la création de plusieurs œuvres, notamment 3-Way Cotillion, un sextuor de Martin Arnold, où on retrouve la fascination du compositeur pour la musique ancienne, les traditions folk et l’influence des musiques psychédéliques. Michael Oesterle, rencontré au Forum du NEM en 1996, est à l’origine d’une longue collaboration avec l’ensemble, qui présentera son Quatuor no 4, cinquième œuvre écrite pour le Bozzini. Quant à Linda Catlin Smith, compositrice établie à Toronto, elle a créé la pièce Reverie spécialement pour l’occasion. Sa musique a été décrite par The Guardian comme “lente et tranquille, mais aussi luxuriante, réminiscente de Couperin et Debussy.”

Quatuor Bozzini is celebrating its 25th anniversary with creations by three exceptional composers: Michael Oesterle, Linda Catlin Smith and Martin Arnold.
Since its foundation, the ensemble has developed close ties with these avant-garde composers. This concert will feature the premiere of several works, including 3-Way Cotillion, a sextet by Martin Arnold, which reflects the composer’s fascination with early music, folk traditions and the influence of psychedelic music. Michael Oesterle, who they met at the NEM Forum in 1996, has enjoyed a long collaboration with the ensemble, which will present his Quartet No. 4, the fifth work written for Bozzini. Toronto-based composer Linda Catlin Smith has created Reverie especially for the occasion. Her music is described by The Guardian as “slow and quiet, but also lush, reminiscent of Couperin and Debussy”.

Programme

Linda Catlin Smith: Reverie (2025) – 20’ (création)
Martin Arnold: 3-Way Cotillion (2021) – 20’ (création)
Michael Oesterle: String Quartet No. 4 (2019) – 26’ (création montréalaise)

Program

Linda Catlin Smith: Reverie (2025) – 20’ (creation)
Martin Arnold: 3-Way Cotillion (2021) – 20’ (creation)
Michael Oesterle: String Quartet No. 4 (2019) – 26’ (Montreal creation)

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immersion / musique acousmatique / Musique de création

Semaine du Neuf 2025 : Musiques & Recherches – Vous avez dit musique acousmatique?

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Une plongée de trois heures dans l’univers de la musique acousmatique, immersive et spatialisée en temps réel, avec le résultat de plusieurs décennies de collaboration entre la Belgique et le Québec.
Julien Guillamat et Annette Vande Gorne présentent des œuvres imaginées au sein des studios multiphoniques de Musiques & Recherches en Belgique. En première partie, Annette Vande Gorne, figure emblématique de la musique acousmatique, présente Vox Alia, un cycle de cinq pièces autour de la voix, premier vecteur émotionnel et musical, support ancestral de toute communication. En deuxième partie, Julien Guillamat interprète sa dernière composition, Altitudes, puis un extrait de sa Symphonie de l’étang, une œuvre sonore immersive basée sur le paysage sonore de l’étang de Thau. Les œuvres de Francis Dhomont, Piazza, Ana Dall’Ara-Majek et Robert Normandeau témoignent également des échanges entre Montréal et Musiques et Recherches.

A three-hour immersion into the world of acousmatic, immersive and spatialized music in real time, with the result of decades of collaboration between Belgium and Quebec.
Composers Julien Guillamat and Annette Vande Gorne present works imagined in the multiphonic studios of Musiques & Recherches in Belgium. In the first part, Annette Vande Gorne, an emblematic figure in acousmatic music, presents Vox Alia, a cycle of five pieces based on the voice, the primary emotional and musical vector, and the ancestral medium of all communication. In the second half, Julien Guillamat performs his latest composition, Altitudes, followed by an extract from his Symphonie de l’étang, an immersive sound work based on the soundscape of the Etang de Thau. Works by David Piazza, Ana Dall’Ara-Majek and Robert Normandeau also testify to the exchanges between Montreal and Musiques et Recherches.

Programme

Francis Dhomont : Vol d’arondes (1999)
Annette Vande Gorne : Vox Alia I — Affetti (1992-2000)
Annette Vande Gorne : Vox Alia II — Cathédrales (2021)*
Annette Vande Gorne : Vox Alia III — Vox intima (2022-23)*
Annette Vande Gorne : Vox Alia IV — Vox populi (2023)*
Annette Vande Gorne : Vox Alia V — Vox naturæ (2024)*
Entracte
Julien Guillamat : Altitudes (2024)*
Julien Guillamat: Symphonie de l’étang, 2nd Mvt (2023)*
David Piazza : Clameurs et agrégats place de Ransbeck (2022)*
Ana Dall’Ara-Majek: Xylocopa Ransbecka (2017)
Robert Normandeau: Rumeurs place de Ransbeck (1987)
*création canadienne

Program

Francis Dhomont : Vol d’arondes (1999)
Annette Vande Gorne : Vox Alia I — Affetti (1992-2000)
Annette Vande Gorne : Vox Alia II — Cathédrales (2021)*
Annette Vande Gorne : Vox Alia III — Vox intima (2022-23)*
Annette Vande Gorne : Vox Alia IV — Vox populi (2023)*
Annette Vande Gorne : Vox Alia V — Vox naturæ (2024)*
Entract
Julien Guillamat : Altitudes (2024)*
Julien Guillamat: Symphonie de l’étang, 2nd Mvt (2023)*
David Piazza : Clameurs et agrégats place de Ransbeck (2022)*
Ana Dall’Ara-Majek: Xylocopa Ransbecka (2017)
Robert Normandeau: Rumeurs place de Ransbeck (1987)
*Canadian premiere

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Baroque / cinéma / saxophone

Semaine du Neuf 2025 : Soirée d’ouverture – Projection vidéo + Concert Quasar

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Le samedi 8 mars, dès 19h, rejoignez-nous à l’Édifice Wilder pour le coup d’envoi de la 3e édition de La Semaine du Neuf!
Au programme: présentation de la programmation du festival, cocktail et projection exclusive de The Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc de Julius Eastman, interprétée par le violoncelliste Amahl Arulanandam.
Projection vidéo: The Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc de Julius Eastman par Amahl Arulanandam.
Dans cet enregistrement vidéo, Amahl Arulanandam interprète les dix parties de The Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc en écran partagé – un exploit virtuose qui a nécessité l’enregistrement et la synchronisation de plus de quatre heures de séquences vidéo!
Julius Eastman était un compositeur, pianiste et chanteur afro-américain queer, précurseur du post-minimalisme. The Holy Presence of
Joan D’Arc a été créée à The Kitchen en 1981, mais la partition a été perdue et il ne restait qu’un enregistrement d’archives que la compositrice Clarice Jensen a utilisé pour construire minutieusement une transcription.
Amahl Arulanandam
De Bach au death metal, le violoncelliste torontois Amahl Arulanandam repousse les limites de son instrument. Sa polyvalence musicale lui permet de naviguer avec aisance entre les styles les plus variés, du baroque à l’expérimental. Que ce soit sur scène, en studio ou dans les clubs, Amahl nous invite à redécouvrir le violoncelle. Il explore les sonorités les plus inattendues de cet instrument, allant jusqu’à jouer sur le corps de l’instrument plutôt que sur les cordes. Pour lui, la musique est une forme d’expression sans limites, qui transcende les genres et les étiquettes. Passionné par la musique contemporaine, il a collaboré avec de nombreux compositeurs renommés et s’est produit avec les ensembles les plus avant-gardistes de la scène musicale canadienne. Amahl est un musicien curieux et insatiable, toujours à la recherche de nouvelles sonorités et de nouvelles expériences.
Camera: Justin Moy / Enregistrement: Paul Hodge Audio, Montage vidéo: Vicky Mettler, Concrete Sound Studios, Produit et réalisé par Isak Goldschneider
Concert: Quasar Tout ce qui m’épouvante
Le quatuor de saxophones Quasar poursuit ses collaborations internationales et aborde avec sensibilité les grands enjeux de notre monde.
Ce concert présente en première nord-américaine trois œuvres lituaniennes, contrastées et fortes en évocations: Calligrammes (Kristupas Bubnelis), Trauma (Mykolas Natalevičius) et Azaya (Egidija Medekšaitė). S’ajoute l’œuvre The Saxophone Quartet/While Flying Up, de la compositrice ukrainienne Alla Zagaykevych, coup de cœur du quatuor, qui rend hommage à la lutte du peuple ukrainien.

On Saturday, March 8th, at 6:30 PM, join us at the Wilder Building for the kick-off of the 3rd edition of La Semaine du Neuf!
On the program: presentation of the festival’s programming, cocktail, and exclusive screening of The Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc by Julius Eastman, performed by cellist Amahl Arulanandam.
Video Projection: The Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc by Julius Eastman, performed by Amahl Arulanandam.
In this video recording, Amahl Arulanandam performs all ten parts of The Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc in split-screen – a virtuoso feat that required recording and synchronizing over four hours of video footage!
Julius Eastman was a queer African-American composer, pianist, and singer, a precursor of post-minimalism. The Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc was premiered at The Kitchen in 1981, but the score was lost, leaving only an archival recording that composer Clarice Jensen used to meticulously construct a transcription.
Amahl Arulanandam
From Bach to death metal, Toronto-based cellist Amahl Arulanandam pushes the boundaries of his instrument. His musical versatility allows him to navigate with ease between the most varied styles, from baroque to experimental. Whether on stage, in the studio, or in clubs, Amahl invites us to rediscover the cello. He explores the most unexpected sonorities of this instrument, even playing on the body of the instrument rather than the strings. For him, music is a form of expression without limits, transcending genres and labels. Passionate about contemporary music, he has collaborated with numerous renowned composers and performed with the most avant-garde ensembles on the Canadian music scene. Amahl is a curious and insatiable musician, always in search of new sonorities and new experiences.
The Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc
Composed by Julius Eastman and transcribed by Clarice Jensen
Camera: Justin Moy / Recording: Paul Hodge Audio
Video editing: Vicky Mettler, Concrete Sound Studios
Produced and directed by Isak Goldschneider.

Programme

18:30 Cocktail et présentation de la programmation du festival
19:30 Projection vidéo: The Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc de Julius Eastman, par le violoncelliste Amahl Arulanandam
20:00 Concert Quasar

Program

19:00 Cocktail and presentation of the festival
19:30 Projection of the video: The Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc de Julius Eastman, by Amahl Arulanandam
20:00 Show from Quasar

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conte / Contemporary Opera / Indigenous peoples

Semaine du Neuf 2025 : NANATASIS, Opéra en Trois Légendes

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Présenté en première dans le cadre de la 20e édition du Festival international de Casteliers, ce spectacle créé par Nicole O’Bomsawin et Alejandra Odgers nous transporte dans un monde magique inspiré de légendes abénakises. Découvrez les aventures d’un jeune Abénakis qui deviendra un héros après avoir traversé bien des épreuves. Sous la direction de Troy Hourie et Christopher Gaudreault, une talentueuse équipe de quinze musiciens, chanteurs et marionnettistes entre en scène au milieu de décors oniriques pour entraîner le public dans un univers fantastique. « Nanatasis est un spectacle qui réveille l’enfant qui sommeille en nous. Une ode à la culture abénakise et à la nature. »

Premiered at the Casteliers puppet festival, this show created by Nicole O’Bomsawin and Alejandra Odgers transports us to a magical world inspired by Abenaki legends. Discover the adventures of a young Abenaki who becomes a hero after facing many trials. Under the direction of Troy Hourie and Christopher Gaudreault, a talented team of fifteen musicians, choristers, and puppeteers takes the stage amidst dreamlike sets to draw the audience into a fantastic universe. “Nanatasis is a show that awakens the child within us. An ode to Abenaki culture and nature.”

Programme

Nanatasis: Opéra en Trois Légendes (2024)
Alejandra Odgers (musique) Nicole O’Bomsawin (livret)

Program

Nanatasis: Opéra en Trois Légendes (2024)
Alejandra Odgers (music) Nicole O’Bomsawin (booklet)

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Ce contenu provient du Vivier et est adapté par PAN M 360