Jazz
Montréal
Hip Hop
(CANCELLED) Emrical
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s bloodiest tragedies, recounting the murder of a king by the titular general, devoured by ambition and driven by his wife to seize power. Eaten away by guilt and paranoia, the evil couple then sinks into madness. A cathartic play, if ever there was one. Production designer Jocelyn Pelletier wanted to give it an even more powerful dimension, by combining pounding rhythms and roaring guitars with a death-metal musical framework. And it’s not likely to miss its mark, since the sound design was entrusted to none other than the irreducible noise artist Érick d’Orion. Sensitive souls abstain.
English surtitles and discussion with the artists after the performance on Friday the 13th.
Classical / Contemporary
“Harpenning III”: Caroline Lizotte and Valérie Milot
At the age of 10, Valérie Milot fell in love at first sight with the harp. Now a seasoned musician, she is involved in a wide variety of projects: chamber music, concertos, solo recitals, both classical and, on the electric harp, more rock-oriented. She is featured here in a duet with another distinguished harpist, Caroline Lizotte, in charge of the harp classes at the Faculty of Music of the Université de Montréal, and an accomplished composer. The latter’s harp works are in constant expansion, have won awards, and have been performed all over the world. That’s what they will be playing on this afternoon, and it’s a great opportunity for discovery.
Photo credit: Asim Overstands
Sisters Priya “Contra” and Bhagya “Eboshi” Ramesh, aka Cartel Madras, roll through town at Bar le Ritz PDB on March 7. Born in Chennai but based in Calgary, this duo is pushing a hard-as-nails rap sound they have branded “Goonda rap”, centering their experience as queer, immigrants and women of colour.
Death Metal / Rock
Ride of the Valkyries: Your Last Wish • Valfreya • Sanguine Glacialis • Fall of Stasis • Vrylnia
Ride of the Valkyries is not the name of a band, but of an event that showcases Montreal bands led by female vocalists. On the program, Your Last Wish, with Roxana B.L. – the melodic death metal collective will release their third album Eradicate on March 6, six years after Desolation. For their part, Valfreya counts in its ranks singer Corinne Cardinal, who delivers her lyrics in a voice from from beyond the grave. The epic death black metal band celebrates its 10th anniversary on stage by playing its most popular songs, and a few surprises. Also featured are Sanguine Glacialis, with Maude Théberge, Fall of Stasis, with Jessica Dupré, as well as Vrylnia, with Ariane Martel.
Cavallo Diavolo • Chris Danger & The Northcouintry Swingers
Jazz
Mike Gauthier
Classical
« Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy »
With 15 instalments and as many or more auxiliary releases, Final Fantasy remains fantastic but shows no sign of finalizing anything. Over a third of a century, the video-game franchise has retained its place as an all-time great for gamers, a paradigm-shifter on par with Pac-Man and Pong. Unsurprisingly, its music has a Pavlovian emotional resonance for legions of gamers globally, particularly that of the revered Final Fantasy VII. Three years after their first spin through Montreal on the 20th anniversary of that lucky seventh entry, Grammy winner Arnie Roth again unsheathes his might baton again and conducts the 100-piece Distant Worlds orchestra and choir through the game’s musical history, accompanied by projected visuals. VII’s sounds get a place of honour on the programme, but so do some numbers from the most recent Final Fantasy XV. These were composed by the concert’s special guest, Yoko Shimomura (pictured here), whose memorable, emotive melodies, and intrepid intermingling of classical and current pop, have placed her at the pinnacle of video-game soundtrack production.
Avant-Garde / Experimental / Contemporary / Free Improvisation / Poetry / Singer-Songwriter
Chorale Joker
Photo credit: Martin Morissette
The Joker a cappella choir brings together some 20 musicians from the Montreal contemporary music scene. Under the direction of its founder Joane Hétu, the ensemble has been exploring the countless possibilities of the voice in all its forms for the past few years. Les lucioles, which premiered last May at the FIMAV, by the admission of its composers Hétu, Jean Derome, and Danielle Palardy Roger, is a tale in disarray. With a blend of poetry, music, dance and theatricality, it evokes both the fragile and evanescent nature of life, and the forces of darkness that threaten it.
Preceded at 7 p.m. by a talk on the place of storytelling and theatricality in today’s music.
Indie Rock / Rock
Destroyer • Nap Eyes
The unpredictable and always captivating Dan Bejar, the soul behind Destroyer, arrives in town to present his twelfth effort. Known for never making the same record twice, Bejar offers ten songs on Have We Met, produced in the company of his guitarist John Collins. Without abandoning the theatrical tone that has always characterized his work, nor his Bowiesque aspect, Destroyer is slightly less sinister or gothic than on his two previous records, with a few pieces showing a much more lighthearted tone. Without saying that this album – initially conceived to be entirely instrumental – is downright playful, it remains perhaps more accessible for anyone who’s not familiar with Bejar’s strange work. By his own admission, the Vancouver-based musician and singer was inspired by Leonard Cohen’s last records, soundtracks such as Pretty In Pink and White Nights, as well as… 1980s hip-hop.
From the Big Easy to the Balkans, brass bands can be counted on to get the party started. New York City’s Lucky Chops have their own distinctive take on blowing hard through metal tubes, one that’s familiar to more than a few users of that city’s subway system. Their long-overdue debut album of last September is built out of bumping funkiness, buoyant good cheer, and absurdly catchy horn hooks. Lucky Chops also visit schools for pedagogical sessions while touring, bless their socially responsible souls, but it’s a workout, not a workshop, that awaits when they haul out the heavy metal at le Belmont.