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Montreal
Bourgie Hall
Bourgie Hall seems to have reduced its early-music programming compared to recent years, but there are still excellent concerts presented by the Arion Baroque Orchestra and Les Idées Heureuses. It should be noted that most of these concerts are special events and are not listed in the hall’s annual season brochure.
Chouchane Siranossian
On Nov. 15 and 16, Arion features Armenian violinist Chouchane Siranossian in her Montreal debut. The program will include an early symphony by Mozart, Haydn’s famous Farewell symphony, and a tantalizing rarity, Andreas Romberg’s Violin Concerto No. 7 in E minor. Siranossian will be the best guide here, having already introduced three other unpublished concertos by Romberg on the Alpha label. www.arionbaroque.com
Les Idées heureuses
Les Idées heureuses is delighted to welcome back the tireless Hervé Niquet for a carte blanche event (Nov. 25). His considerable work as a conductor has not prevented him from developing his acting talents: during the concert, he will play the composer Michel Richard de Lalande, busy at home fine-tuning music for King Louis XIV’s public dinners. For this theatrical performance, featuring excerpts from correspondence and drinking songs, Les Idées Heureuses will present a large ensemble: 17 French and Quebec musicians. www.ideesheureuses.com
Harpsichord: The Return of the Winners
At the 10th Jurow International Harpsichord Competition held in Montreal in July 2024, the jury exceptionally awarded two first prizes, rewarding two young musicians with almost opposite temperaments. Under the auspices of Clavecin en concert, they have each been invited to give a recital at Saint-Viateur Church in Outremont: on Sept. 21, we will see the theatrical and imaginative Olga Davnis from Russia, and on Oct. 12 it will be German harpsichordist Joel Keller’s turn. www.clavecinenconcert.com
Bach Festival
Joseph Ripka
As is the case every year, the keyboard takes centre stage at the Bach Festival. Two organ recitals will be presented at Saint Joseph’s Oratory, at a modest cost and on a large screen: American Joseph Ripka, winner of several competitions, offers a highly virtuosic Italian-style Bach (Nov. 16), while Parisian organist Didier Matry explores another side of the German baroque master more marked by the French spirit (Nov. 23). To illustrate the diversity of Bach’s sources of inspiration, Luc Beauséjour has brought together five harpsichords by builder Yves Beaupré, each with a very different sound, at the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel for a recital devoted entirely to German music (Dec. 3).
Théotime Langlois de Swarte
The highlight of the festival will undoubtedly be the celebration of the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, published in 1725. Returning to Montreal for the second time, the young French violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte will be soloist in the famous concerto which he recently recorded. He will be accompanied by Les Arts Florissants with 14 musicians for the occasion (Nov. 25). Although The Four Seasons is often performed by a chamber ensemble, Langlois de Swarte prefers a larger ensemble in order to bring out the fortissimos and pianissimos that contribute so much to the theatricality of the work. www.festivalbachmontreal.com
Chamber Music
Vincent Lauzer. Photo: Beatrice Cadrin
On a more intimate note, don’t miss the recital by the fabulous lutenist Thomas Dunford, who will present repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the modern era (Bach Festival, Nov. 23). Geneviève Soly is embarking on a complete performance of Bach’s music for harpsichord and various instruments in three concerts at Bourgie Hall (first concert on Nov. 21), while flutist Vincent Lauzer and harpsichordist Dorothéa Ventura have undertaken to further expand this repertoire by arranging several of Bach’s works for their instruments, a common practice in the baroque era (Conservatoire de musique, Oct. 1). Also worth noting is the presence in Montreal of a young ensemble, the Consort Laurentien, now in its second season. The Consort occupies a unique place by devoting itself to the baroque repertoire for strings, brass and continuo. Starting on Sept. 13, their first concert in the beautiful Saint-Stanislas-de-Kostka Church will bring together three trombones, cornet, violin and harpsichord for music of the Nordic school. From Hamburg to Gdańsk, the journey promises to be unusual! www.consortlaurentien.com
Toronto
Tafelmusik
Tafelmusik. Photo: Dahlia Katz
Tafelmusik’s new season once again holds great promise. Two stars of early music will headline: violinist Rachel Podger conducts one of Mozart’s last symphonies, No. 40, followed by Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 (Sept. 26-28). The following month, violinist Lina Tur Bonet, whose energy won over audiences last year, returns for a rich program featuring, among other works, Vivaldi’s concerto nicknamed “Grosso Mogul,” renowned for its long cadenzas and spectacular high notes; Geminiani’s Follia and Zelenka’s great Simphonie à 8 concertanti (Oct. 23-26). The Tafelmusik choir and orchestra will join forces in November to present two settings of the Dixit Dominus: one by Handel, well-known for its stunning choral virtuosity, and the other by Antonio Lotti, which was probably the source of inspiration for Handel (Nov. 28-30). www.tafelmusik.org
Translation: Lilian I. Liganor
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