Les Violons du Roy, accompanied by the chamber choir La Chapelle de Québec and conducted by Bernard Labadie, presented an interesting repertoire on March 6: Bach’s early cantatas, the first works of the man who was to become the absolute benchmark of Baroque music.

The concert opens with a brief, but very light-hearted, introduction by Bernard Labadie. We have no record of his compositions before his apprenticeship, with the exception of one piece written around the age of sixteen. What did he write during his student years, before publishing his first cantatas? A great mystery, which makes us all the more curious to hear these famous early works broadcast.

The first notes of “Cantata BWV 150 Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich” echo through the Palais Montcalm. As throughout the rest of the concert, the ensembles are split up: this time, there are no violas, just a cello, double bass and bassoon. Immediately, we hear colors that, without knowing Bach perfectly, we would not have imagined coming from the composer’s mind: daring harmonies, lively tempo changes, and, thanks to the particular formation, a singular sound balance. Les Violons du Roy render the beauty of this cantata with excellence. The choral passages are perfectly successful, but we felt that the first passages by the soloists (from La Chapelle) were a little more timid.

“Cantata BWV 131 Aus der Tiefe rufe ich, Herr, zu dir” continues the evening, and this time it’s the violin section that becomes rarer. The violas return to the balance, and above all, an oboe makes its appearance, almost to the rank of soloist as it knits in counterpoint with the solo singers, and responds to their interventions. It seems that this work is at times taxing, and although the majority of the cantata is very well mastered by the musician, one can detect certain tensions in places (it should also be pointed out that the score requires quite impressive respiratory endurance). During the Arioso sung by the bass, Stephen Hegedus, the tempo seems to be disputed between the singer, the oboe and the organ, giving a feeling of imprecision without it being clear who is to blame. Nevertheless, the overall impression of the piece is good, with a perfectly mastered finale that leaves us with a taste of splendor before the intermission.

An even more atypical formation opens the second half of the concert, with two violas da gamba and two recorders replacing the violin section in Cantata BWV 106 Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit. A well-assumed early-music color, evocative of Renaissance instrumentations, which nonetheless gives rise to a few inaccuracy challenges. The soloists seem to have come into their own, and their interventions are more striking, notably the “Ja, komm, Herr Jesu, komm!” performed by soprano Myriam Leblanc with brio. The cantata unfolds, with a fine mezzo solo by Marie-Andrée Mathieu, previously unheard, pleasantly supported by tenor Hugo Hymas.

To close the concert, the Cantata BWV 4 Christ lag in Todes Banden was chosen. This time, the Baroque line-up is a little more standard. The cantata is more austere, in keeping with the text, with the exception of the Alleluias that punctuate the end of each verse. There’s a fine duet between Myriam Leblanc and countertenor Daniel Moody, although the latter loses some of the beauty of his timbre on the higher notes. Later, we hear Stephen Hegedus’s voice, highlighted more prominently than in his previous performances, in his Aria for verse 5. The concert ends with a final, grandiose “Alleluia”.

The concert BACH, LES PREMIÈRES CANTATES AND BERNARD LABADIE, will be presented again in Quebec City on March 7, 2025 and in Montreal on March 8 2025.

TICKETS AND INFO HERE

QUÉBEC–

To commemorate their fortieth anniversary, Les Violons du Roy are offering a series of exceptional concerts, including the following: Handel’s Messiah with Bernard Labadie.

First of all, the visual impact of such an ensemble on the stage of the Palais Montcalm cannot be overstated: a baroque chamber orchestra with an eye-catching theorbo in the center, behind which the soloists perform and wait, all overlooked by the choir of La Chapelle de Québec, thirty singers harmoniously arranged in a semicircle around the stage. The view is grandiose, worthy of the famous oratorio we’re about to hear.

Conductor Bernard Labadie, founder of Les Violons du Roy, returns to take his place for the duration of the concert, a chair he has left since 2014 to Jonathan Cohen. It’s under his guidance that our concert begins, with a perfectly executed instrumental overture. We continue immediately with the first soloist, tenor Andrew Haji, who captivates us from the very first notes of “Comfort Ye”. The singer handles nuances with great virtuosity and never tries to overdo it: his notes held without vibrato are a real treat for our ears, as are his perfectly mastered melismas. The choir then makes its first appearance with “And the glory of the Lord”, and its power is striking: what an impact! The group seems to form a single angelic voice, the purity of the sopranos mingled with the depth of the basses, the blend of timbres total. And already we hear “Thus saith the Lord”, the first solo by bass William Thomas, a young British singer with a great future ahead of him. This is contrasted by countertenor Iestyn Davies’s “But who made abide”, an impressive performance supported by the chamber orchestra, particularly with its velocity and precision of prestissimo. As the oratorio continues, we finally hear Liv Redpath, soprano. Her entrance is perhaps less remarkable at first than that of the other soloists, with a play in nuances that at first seems restricted, despite impressive vocal precision. The first interventions seem to lack a little life.

Messiah unfolds throughout the evening, punctuated by strong moments (how could one not shudder during the “Hallelujah” closing the second part?), but also occasionally by a few long stretches. A case in point is “He was despised”, a long countertenor solo that never ends. Whether Handel’s hand was too heavy, or the interpretation lacked direction, I couldn’t say, but time seemed to run longer during this aria). It ends beautifully with the perfectly executed “Amen”, a profusion of intense joy.

The concert is made brilliant by the instrumental ensemble, which has had the opportunity throughout to demonstrate its great capacity for contrast, always handled with the elegance and purity typical of Baroque music. Not once is a note overemphasized, not once does it fall into the realm of excess. For once, Les Violons du Roy excel in subtlety. The soloists are each outstanding, despite the criticisms set out above, one is aware of hearing a certain elite of lyrical singing. The choir of La Chapelle de Québec is excellent in its role, and doesn’t disappoint us once: its interventions are always a moment of great pleasure. All in all, a successful evening, and a brilliant one at that.

Photo Credit : David Mendoza Hélaine

Handel’s Messiah with Les Violons du Roy and Bernard Labadie will be presented at the Maison symphonique de Montréal on Saturday, December 14 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available here.