Montréal
Classical / Classical Period
Elinor Frey, cellist in residence… for Beethoven
Cellist in residence at the Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur, Montreal’s Elinor Frey enjoys exploring all periods of the classical tradition, with both period and modern instruments. Offered in duo with Brigitte Poulin on pianoforte, the program here focuses primarily on Ludwig van Beethoven, with the exception of a work by French composer and cellist Jean-Louis Duport (1749-1819), also from the classical period. In the past decade, Frey’s playing with the ensembles Il Gardellino, Les Idées heureuses, Caprice, Constantinople or her quartet Pallade Musica has been much appreciated. Last year, Analekta released Guided By Voices, a beautiful recording of baroque works. Frey holds a doctorate in music from McGill University and has also studied at the prestigious Mannes College of Music and the Juilliard School. She is Professor of Early Cello at the Université de Montréal, Lecturer at McGill University and Visiting Research Fellow in Music from 2019-2022 at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford.
ARTISTS AND PROGRAM :
Elinor Frey : cello
Brigitte Poulin : pianoforte
Ludwig van Beethoven:
12 Variations on “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen” from Die Zauberflöte, WoO 46
Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5
12 Variations on “Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen” from Die Zauberflöte, Op. 66
Sonata in F major, Op. 5 No. 1
Jean-Louis Duport : Study for cello solo No. 8 in G major
Hip Hop
Montreal Loves Dilla : KenLo Craqnuques • Vlooper • Sash’U • Toast Dawg et +
Afro-Electro / Hip Hop
Nuit blanche 2020 : l’envers du décor avec Karaba • Nat Barrera • Odile Myrtil • Jerico
Alternative Rock / Art Rock / Rock
Sunforger • Nennen • Looping • Deluge in Colour
Classical / Classical Period / Romantic
Valery Gergiev conducts MSO
We may frown on his acquaintances with Vladimir Putin’s regime, but Valery Gergiev is nonetheless one of the great maestros of our time. Montreal music lovers have witnessed his genius on a few occasions, including appearances with the Mariinsky Orchestra of Saint-Petersburg, which he conducts with an iron fist, but also with extraordinary refinement and astounding mastery. This time we’ll have the opportunity to see Gergiev at work with the MSO, which suggests a very special relationship with this exceptional maestro. What about Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9? What place will he give to Hungarian virtuoso Kristóf Baráti, guest soloist in Mendelssohn’s indispensable Violin Concerto No. 2? All hopes are high, and this is one of the most eagerly awaited concerts of the season.
ARTISTS AND PROGRAM
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Valery Gergiev
Violin: Kristóf Baráti
Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto pour violon No. 2 in E minor, Op. 64
Bruckner, Symphony No. 9 in D minor, WAB 109
Singer-Songwriter
(CANCELLED) Birkin-Gainsbourg Le Symphonique
In 2016, the OSM and the Francofolies de Montréal introduced Birkin-Gainsbourg Le Symphonique, which Jane Birkin has been carting around the world ever since. This is a second opportunity to rediscover the great classics born of the collaboration between Gainsbarre and Birkin, a mythical couple if ever there was one. It is also an opportunity to realize the classical content of these brilliant songs, orchestrated for 72 musicians by Nobuyuki Nakajima, and once again performed by Jane in memory of her “Sège”.
ARISTS AND PROGRAM
Jane Birkin: singer
Symphony orchestra of 72 musicians
Philippe Forget: conductor
Philippe Lerichomme: artistic direction
Nobuyuki Nakajima: arrangements and piano
Electro-Jazz / Indie Pop / Jazz / Trip Hop
Elliot Moss + Laura Derover
From New York, Elliot Moss is both a visual artist and songwriter. The sweet melodies carried by his high-pitched, ashen voice, sometimes filtered by Auto-Tune (reminiscent of James Blake at times), blend into a housey, jazzy soul-synthpop, adorned with a few instruments played in real time — at least in the studio. Obviously, Moss knows the virtues of a songwriting hook, and moreover he knows how to deftly shift moods from one song to another. He also knows how to make good use of modular synthesizers, to fluff things up a bit. Following the gems he’s scattered to date, what‘s next for Moss? This Montreal concert should give us a few clues… In the same spirit, the very talented Laura Derover offers delicate synthpop, a little more complex than Moss’s, mixed with jazz and chamber music from the classical tradition. Listen carefully to this Dutch singer, who could turn out to be a discovery of 2020.
Classical
Akiko Tominaga, Blair Logfren, piano, cello
Originally from Japan, Akiko Tominaga resides in Canada, more specifically in Montreal and Calgary, after having completed her piano studies at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. She was originally scheduled to perform this concert with marimbist Anne-Julie Caron, but the latter had to cancel, leading Tominaga to present a completely different program: she will perform with cellist Blair Lofgren. The works to be performed have not been made public for reasons we can take a guess at…
Arion Baroque Orchestra’s Bach: Light and Shadow programme is composed exclusively of works by Johann Sebastian Bach. Under the baton of Hank Knox, harpsichordist and founding member of Arion, the Orchestral Suite in B minor (BWV 1067) will be performed, followed by the aria Zerfliesse, mein Herze, from the St. John Passion (BWV 245). The famous Orchestral Suite is the second of four and was composed for flute, strings and basso continuo. Written between 1738 and 1739, this work is one of Bach’s last compositions for orchestra. It has seven movements, two of which showcase the talents of flutist Claire Guimond, Arion’s artistic director since 1981. An important figure in early music in Canada, Claire Guimond will be heard as soloist in two movements of the suite, the Polonaise, as well as in the well-known Badinerie. The concert will close with the aria Zerfliesse, mein Herze from the St. John Passion, the first large-scale choral work composed by the master. Given its many existing versions, it is difficult to establish precisely the year in which this passion was composed, but it is estimated that it was in 1724. Meaning “Flee, my heart,” Zerfliesse, mein Herze is a sweet tune of deep melancholy. Its refined texture allows a complete appreciation of the vocal part, which translates into a touching lyricism. The aria will be performed by the Spanish soprano Nuria Rial, a singer who works with several European opera houses.
PROGRAM:
Hank Knox: conductor
Nuria Rial: soprano
Claire Guimond: flute
JS Bach:
Orchestral Suite No. 2 for flute, strings and basso continuo, BWV 1067
(Ouverture, Rondeau, Sarabande, Bourrée l and ll, Polonaise, Menuet, Badinerie [flute, strings and harpsichord])
Sinfonia from Cantata BWV 42Aria Zerfliesse, mein Herze, from St. John Passion, BWV 245
Modern Classical
Han-Na Chang conducts Shostakovich
For its next concert, l’Orchestre Métropolitain welcomes conductor Han-Na Chang to the podium for Beethoven’s famous Violin Concerto and Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony. Formerly a solo cellist, Han-Na Chang has been Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Trondheim Symfoniorkester, in Norway, since 2017, where she previously served as Principal Guest Conductor from 2013 to 2017. She will share the stage with American soloist Benjamin Beilman, a violinist known throughout the world for his impressive technique and rich sound. Beilman will have the opportunity to perform Beethoven’s Violin Concerto several times as part of the festivities associated with the composer’s 250th birthday, notably in France, Hungary and Poland. Composed in a very short time, the Violin Concerto was premiered on December 23, 1806 by the then well-known violinist Franz Clement. Clement was even the author of the last theme used in the final rondo of the concerto, obviously refined by Beethoven afterwards. The program will conclude with a colossal piece: Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony. First performed on December 17, 1953, only a few months after Stalin’s death, this picturesque work is one of the composer’s best known. He said at the time that his goal was to convey the emotions and passions of the people, at that time strongly oppressed by Stalin’s ruthless regime. In a more traditional four-movement form – in contrast to its five-movement predecessor – this symphony is on a par with Shostakovich’s great works: giant, poignant and virtuosic.
PROGRAM
Conductor : Han-Na Chang
Violin : Benjamin Beilman
Beethoven : Violin Concerto
Shostakovich : Symphony No. 10