Friday, April 26, 2024 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Carole Cerasi is known for her subtle and virtuosic interpretations, her fluid phrasing and her refined touch. She has given recitals throughout Europe, performing at major festivals, as well as in Japan, Singapore, Colombia, Canada and the United States. In 2018, Metronome Recordings released her complete harpsichord works by François Couperin in a 10-CD set, […]
Friday, December 15, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Like every year, a festive concert dedicated to the Nativity! The traditional songs that everyone loves to hear and hum are combined with old French hymns and Christmas carols from different countries. Tenor Louis-Charles Gagnon and the girls’ choir Les Voix d’Elles, directed by Marianne Patenaude, are accompanied by the instrumental ensemble Clavecin en concert, […]
Sunday, October 22, 2023 @ 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm – The central work in this concert is Mozart’s magnificent Piano Quartet in G minor K. 478, originally published as Quartet for Harpsichord or Forte Piano, Violin, Tallie [sic] and Bass. Its darkly atmospheric first movement begins with a concise six-note theme that recurs again and again, and the two that follow flow into a beautiful […]
Friday, September 22, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Clavecin en concert celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel with a program of French baroque music. The first stone chapel, built in 1675 and unfortunately destroyed by fire – although its crypt is still there – was rebuilt between 1771 and 1773. This historical and patrimonial jewel has a special significance for Clavecin […]
Wednesday, May 31, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Young Bach drew abundantly from the myriad musical wells of his day, especially when it came to keyboard music. He greatly admired his fine German predecessors—Buxtehude, with whom he studied in Lübeck; Reinken and Böhm, whom he met in Hambourg and Lunebourg; and Kuhnau, whom he would succeed at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. All […]
Friday, May 5, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – A key manifestation of Mary’s maternal love, perhaps even greater than that of the Nativity, was her Passion and pain upon the death of Jesus, which would serve as inspiration for Baroque composers in their tributes to the Madonna. The Stabat Mater, a long medieval poem describing Mary’s suffering at the foot of the cross […]
Friday, April 21, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – A journey into the enchanted world of the French harpsichord: dances—lively, noble, dreamy, and suggestive—and portraits as varied as they are evocative come to life under the fingertips of Québec harpsichordist Christophe Gauthier. With refinement and intellect, he rekindles the stately nobility of Jean-Henri d’Anglebert, the elegant genius of Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, the […]
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – When Bach discovered Italian music, especially the concertos of Vivaldi, his writing underwent profound changes—a rationalization of form, a new melodic suppleness, the use of distinct sound layers, and a heightened attention to balance. To mark Early Music Day and celebrate Bach’s birthday, March 21, up-and-coming French harpsichordist Justin Taylor performs some of the loveliest […]
Tuesday, February 7, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Franz Joseph Haydn at the end of his life and Franz Schubert left magnificent vocal quartets with piano accompaniment for the use of talented amateurs who wish to occupy their musical evenings. They drew from the most important poets of the time texts which, not without a subtle moralizing dimension, evoke the various stages of […]
Friday, June 10, 2022 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – The 18th century was the golden age of the flute, characterized by great contributions in Germany, from Frederick II, King of Prussia. Not only did he play the flute even on the battlefield, but Berlin also assembled a phalanx of musicians who appreciated the expressive qualities of this royal instrument. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was […]
Friday, May 13, 2022 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Renowned harpsichordist Pierre Hantaï will present diverse and contrasting works by Bach and Handel, on the beautiful Flemish harpsichord from the Bourgie Hall collection. The instrument was made by Keith Hill, to replicate a 1640 Antwerp instrument by Hans Rückers, member of a significant harpsichord-making dynasty. Incomparable music and sound richness guaranteed.
Thursday, April 14, 2022 @ 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Following operas by Handel and Vivaldi, we are pleased to invite you to discover those of additional 18th-century opera composers who were famous in their time. The beauty of the various arias is expressed through different moods, conveying feelings of languor, hope, love, passion, and despair… Julie Boulianne will sing arias by these bel canto […]
Wednesday, March 9, 2022 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – An excursion into the enchanted world of the French harpsichord: aristocratic, dreamy, or well-wrought dances; character pieces; and evocative portraits are reborn under the fingers of the exceptional Franco-Brazilian harpsichordist Bruno Procopio. With intelligence and finesse, he revives the nobility of d’Anglebert, the poetry of Couperin, the verve of Rameau, and the splendour of Forqueray.
Friday, February 25, 2022 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – The Italian masters of the 17th century developed the modern string orchestra. Among their creations to highlight all possible textures are the Sinfonia from opera overtures, the Concerto grosso from Corelli, and the Solo concerto from Vivaldi. Bach remains the first great German heir to this new writing. The concert presents two of his harpsichord […]
Sunday, December 19, 2021 @ 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm – Marie-Josée Lord’s light yet passionate voice will characterize this concert in which joy, contemplation, peace, and exuberance co-exist. Here is her wish for this occasion: “May these shared moments give you a chance to listen to the words of each of the selected songs, be moved by the tones of the majestic organ, and let […]
Sunday, November 14, 2021 @ 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Each with their own styles and respective functions and positions, Bach and his four sons contributed greatly to the development of orchestral music in 18th-century Germany and elsewhere in Europe. Of notable mention: alongside their symphonic works, they also invented the keyboard Concerto. Bach’s eldest sons, Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emanuel, were part of […]
Thursday, October 14, 2021 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Written mainly for keyboard instruments, Fantasias have a long tradition in music history. In 18th-century Germany, they were presented as a type of notated improvisation, similar to the prelude and the toccata. They reveal the genius of the author, evoke the virtuosity of the performer, or create an atmosphere imbued with dramatic surprises…
Tuesday, September 28, 2021 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Throughout their training, many singers have drawn from the collections of arie antiche (Italian songs and arias). Also known as “Italian classics,” these arias were published in the 19th and 20th centuries as voice and piano arrangements. Accompanied by period instruments, the great Karina Gauvin will bring these jewels of the Baroque vocal repertoire back […]
