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Renaissance of Baroque – History of an Era in Montreal

By Philippe Gervais on 30 October 2018 Baroque and Early

How can Baroque music, born 400 years ago, seem so young to us today? The oblivion in which it has been immersed may have been paradoxically beneficial to the form. Ask any first- or second-generation “baroque specialist” and they will share the excitement they felt at their first Monteverdi Vespers, first Rameau, first Handel concerto with Harnoncourt, first contact with the viola da gamba, this strange instrument for which a certain Marin Marais, it was said, had written nearly 600 pieces. Discovering a particular genre of music is one thing; rediscovering it with a whole generation of music lovers is…

Photo: Marco Borggreve

Julian Prégardien – Tenor and Teacher Takes On Another Role

By Arthur Kaptainis on 30 October 2018 Art Song, Baroque and Early, Choral, Opera, Vocal

Like father, like son. Both Christoph Prégardien, the father, and Julian Prégardien, his son, are noted for baroque and classical opera and oratorio as well as 19th-century Lieder. Both have made highly-regarded recordings of Bach. Julian, however, is taking a step farther than his father – and most singers this side of Barbara Hannigan – by conducting the St. John Passion while singing the role of the Evangelist on Nov. 22 for the Montreal Bach Festival at the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul. (There will be a repeat performance on Nov. 25 at the Saint-Benoît-du-Lac Abbey in the…

Performing Baroque Music Today: As Fresh and Alive As Ever

By Pierre Chénier on 30 October 2018 Baroque and Early

Baroque music first enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the 1970s and has never looked back. Nowadays, the works of major figures like Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Couperin continue to be in the public eye, as are those of their lesser-known contemporaries. The performance of Baroque music, notably on records, has gone through different stages. The first, dating back to the 1930s, belonged to the pioneers who brought it to centre stage. Its guiding lights were cellist Pablo Casals, harpsichordist Wanda Landowska and guitarist Andrés Segovia, who included Bach in most if not all of their recitals. One never tires…

Infusion Baroque at L'Gros Luxe in St-Henri : : Montreal, QC : : Images by Danylo Bobyk Photography : : www.danylobobyk.com

Infusion Baroque – Old ”Infused” With New

By Carol Xiong on 30 October 2018 Baroque and Early

Infusion Baroque has it all: brilliant virtuosity, musical integrity and a concert presence unlike any other. With their innovative and often interactive performances, these musicians offer a progressive and accessible approach that is rarely seen in the mostly-serious world of art music. The Mandate Behind the Name This multi-talented female quartet (Alexa Raine-Wright, baroque flute and recorder; Sallynee Amawat, baroque violin; Andrea Stewart, baroque cello; and Rona Nadler, harpsichord) draws inspiration from anything and everything with a humourous sense of inquisitiveness. Even its name resulted from an exercise in free association. Nadler recalls: “We knew we wanted something beyond the…

Vincent Lauzer – A Recorder Player with Wind in His Sails

By Benjamin Goron on 30 October 2018 Baroque and Early

In 2012 the young recorder player Vincent Lauzer won first prize in the Canadian Music Competition’s Stepping Stone division, trouncing pianists, singers and violinists. Who is this phenomenon who has confounded expectations and found a place among the greatest musicians of his generation? As the Révélation Radio-Canada in 2013-2014, artistic director of the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival, recipient of the Fernand Lindsay career grant in 2015, Lauzer has many feathers in his cap. Most recent was his recording last month with the Arion Baroque Orchestra, playing Vivaldi flute concertos. This won a Diapason d’or awarded by the prestigious French…

Flûte Alors! Albums, Tours, Concerts

By Benjamin Goron on 30 October 2018 Baroque and Early

Flûte Alors! was born in 1999, the fruit of a student exchange with some Berlin musicians, organized by recorder players Matthias Maute and Sophie Larivière. It underwent various transformations over the years, gradually becoming more and more professional, before ending up as the present quartet of Vincent Lauzer, Marie-Laurence Primeau, Alexa Raine-Wright and Caroline Tremblay. In 2011, the quartet issued their first album, Kaléidoscope, comprising Baroque and contemporary works. It set out their mission, which is to make the recorder better known through concerts covering medieval, Baroque, Renaissance and contemporary music – as well as jazz, which was the subject…

The audience playing the part of “The Water” at Festival O18’s Queens of the Night: Dito and Aeneas at the Theatre of Living Arts; photo by Steven Pisano

Opera Philadelphia’s Festival O18: The Whirlwind That Was

By Charles Geyer on 29 October 2018 Baroque and Early, Choral, Classical, Concert Reviews, La Scena Online, La Scena Spotlight, Multimedia, Musical Theatre, Opera, Orchestral, Theatre, Visual Arts

REVIEW: of Opera Philadelphia’s “Festival O18” (September 20-30, 2018) – a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor, composed by Gaetano Donizetti with libretto by Salvadore Cammarano; the world premiere of Sky on Swings, composed by Lembit Beecher with libretto by Hannah Moscovitch; the premiere of Ne quittez pas (a “reimagined” La voix humaine of Francis Poulenc, with a new prologue featuring numerous of the composer’s art songs); the premiere of Glass Handel, an immersive concert experience featuring countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo performing music by George Frideric Handel and Philip Glass; and Queens of the Night: Blythely After Hours, an opera/rock…

Chansons d’amour d’Acadie et de France – Atma Classique, 2018

By Benjamin Goron on 2 October 2018 Baroque and Early, CD and Book Reviews, Chamber Music, Choral

Chansons d’amour d’Acadie et de France – Chœur Louisbourg, dir. Monique Richard ; Skye Consort This album offers a happy musical reflection of publications of recent decades. The Acadian folk songs are from compilations published in 1988 and 1996. Musical style range from the languor of Écrivez-moi to the light touch of Moine Simon. The Louisbourg Choir, directed by Monique Richard, lends rich tone and consistency to these songs, whose harmonies have been carefully chosen to give them a traditional sound, complemented by the instruments of the Skye Consort: recorder, chalumeau, rauschpfeife, cittern, violin, nyckelharpa and cello. Jacotin Le Bel’s songs complement a…

Early Music

By Philippe Gervais on 11 September 2018 Baroque and Early, Classical Music

French Music at Bourgie Hall Once again this year, several great names in early music will grace the stage of Bourgie Hall. French baroque repertoire at its most intimate and refined takes a place of honour. Most notable is the concert by Jordi Savall, who will recreate the original soundtrack of the film Tous les Matins du monde (Feb. 16 and 17). Unfortunately, both concerts are sold out, but those without tickets will be able to attend a free screening of the film (Feb. 9) in which Gérard Depardieu tries his hand at the viola da gamba and the role…

Muzio Clementi: Keyboard sonatas (Naxos)

By Norman Lebrecht on 3 August 2018 Baroque and Early, Lebrecht Weekly, Piano

The problem with Clementi is that there are no standout works. Where most famous composers write a couple of pieces that are gripping enough to be an entry point to their output, the London-based Italian just wrote and wrote more and more sonatas at roughly the same level of invention, leaving the new listener no idea where to start. Opus 33, published by Longman and Broderip in 1794, is not a bad door-knocker. Clementi employs many of the same devices as Mozart – a seductive melody, a secondary detour and several strong teases before he delivers a resolution. There’s nothing…

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