{"id":153907,"date":"2026-03-06T09:53:49","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T14:53:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/gig_review\/menestrel-le-9e-plonge-dans-un-passe-lointain\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T10:34:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T15:34:58","slug":"menestrel-le-9e-plonge-dans-un-passe-lointain","status":"publish","type":"gig_review","link":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/en\/gig_review\/menestrel-le-9e-plonge-dans-un-passe-lointain\/","title":{"rendered":"M\u00e9nestrel | Au 9e, a journey into a distant past"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kerry Bursey and Janelle Lucyk marked the release of their self-titled debut album (Leaf Music label) with a concert at the nearly full Art Deco hall Le 9e on this first Tuesday of March\u2014a perfect way to wrap up the workday and beautifully usher in an evening in the middle of the week.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accompanied on lute and violin, the duo M\u00e9nestrel explores early and Baroque repertoire, weaving songs together in a program full of creativity. It makes for a soothing hour, certainly conducive to a burst of energy much needed in these troubled times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c0 la claire fontaine<\/em> (traditional), Ma berg\u00e8re tendre et fid\u00e8le<\/em> (Michel Lambert, 1610\u20131696), and En montant la rivi\u00e8re<\/em> (traditional) were linked with a Cape Breton melody and the Scottish air Fhear a\u2019Bh\u00e0ta<\/em> (The Boatman<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The soloists\u2019 voices are pure and luminous\u2014naturally lacking the projection of fully trained operatic technique from the Baroque period. What is lost in volume is more than compensated by purity. This repertoire does not demand operatic power; these voices are natural, unforced, and without vibrato.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lute accompaniment is rare in today\u2019s music scene, yet Kerry Bursey has chosen to cultivate this fertile ground. The lute truly transports the listener back to ancient times and the musical atmospheres of the past. This choice led the artists to perform works by English lutenist, singer, and songwriter John Dowland (1563\u20131626), the most famous composer of the Elizabethan era, whom Bursey humorously calls the ultimate \u201cemo\u201d composer\u2014he passed away exactly 400 years ago. Bursey, as lutenist and tenor, first performed Now, O Now, I Needs Must Part<\/em>, harmonized by Janelle Lucyk\u2019s singing, paired with an obscure Francophone song, Le doux silence des bois<\/em> (Honor\u00e9 d\u2019Ambruys, 1660\u20131702).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dowland\u2019s repertoire was also featured in the program\u2019s conclusion with Can She Excuse My Wrongs?<\/em> and Come Again, Sweet Love<\/em>. In between, the program included a mix of traditional and classical songs: Se l\u2019aura spira tutta vezzoza<\/em> (Girolamo Frescobaldi, 1583\u20131643), the humanist courtly standard Mille regretz<\/em> (Josquin des Prez, 1450\u20131521), and Si dolce \u00e8 \u2018l tormento<\/em> (Claudio Monteverdi, 1567\u20131643).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other traditional songs enriched the concert, including Once I Loved with Fond Affection<\/em>, featuring Janelle Lucyk as the principal soloist\u2014an angelic rendition\u2014preceded by two famous blackbird-themed songs performed by Kerry Bursey: the traditional If I Were a Blackbird<\/em> and, as you might guess, The Beatles\u2019 Blackbird<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This program served as a reminder that lovers of Baroque and early music are very much alive today, fully embracing modernity while drawing inspiration from our distant past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n