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Viennese Masterpieces on Stage : Mozart meets Beethoven at the Maison symphonique

By Benjamin Goron on 31 October 2018 Classical, Classical Music

By all appearances Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony are sharply contrasting if not utterly dissimilar works. The former, stemming from the Salzburg prodigy’s youthful years, is gracefully elegant in tone and style. Scored for a smaller orchestra, the piece is a wellspring of melodic ideas that often go undeveloped. The latter work, for its part, is a late opus of the German composer, the result of much thought, and soon recognized as a pinnacle in his artistic oeuvre. Far more ambitious in scope, it requires not only an unusually large instrumentation to fully realize its intention,…

Tribute to Krzysztof Penderecki and a Musical Celebration of Poland’s Independence

By Sébastien Daigle on 31 October 2018 Classical Music, Contemporary

On Nov. 11, 1918, at the end of the First World War, Poland became an independent state. To celebrate the centennial of this event, the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in Canada and the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Montreal are presenting a Tribute to Penderecki concert, which also celebrates the 85th anniversary of the composer Krzysztof Penderecki. The featured work, Penderecki’s Resurrection Piano Concerto, was composed in response to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. “It is a very powerful work, written in the spirit of the great concertos of the 20th century,” according to…

Concerto with a Touch of Jazz: Julie Lamontagne and the OSDL

By Benjamin Goron on 31 October 2018 Classical Music

After winning two Prix Félix and one Prix Opus and receiving her training in classical piano, Julie Lamontagne is now pursuing a career in jazz. As a composer and an arranger, she develops new approaches by mixing styles for which she has a fondness. Now What, an album produced in collaboration with New York-based saxophonist Donny McCaslin, and Noël, an anthology of holiday classics with a touch of energy and swing, are two of Lamontagne’s major projects. In the spirit of Christmas, Lamontagne will join the Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil on Dec. 6 in a classics meet jazz concert. “The…

Nicandro e Fileno: a Historical Recording

By Benjamin Goron on 30 October 2018 Baroque and Early, CD and Book Reviews

On the strength of last year’s production of Nicandro e Fileno by Le Nouvel Opéra and Les Boréades, ATMA Classics has now released this Italian pastoral opera, never issued on record before. Composed by Paolo Lorenzani to a libretto by Phillipe-Julien Mancini, Duke of Nevers, the opera was premiered in September 1681 at the Château de Fontainebleau, a retreat occasionally used by Louis XIV and his loyal subjects. For its time, the Italian style of the work was quite subversive. So much so that the king’s personal secretary Lully forbade its use. And if that weren’t enough, the subject matter…

A Builder with Pluck – Meeting with Yves Beaupré

By Philippe Gervais on 30 October 2018 Baroque and Early

Yves Beaupré is fortunate to have a job as rare as it is exciting. He is the only Quebecer to devote himself entirely to the building of harpsichords. For nearly 40 years, he has created between three to five instruments a year, each with its own decorations and sonority. As soon as a harpsichord is finished, Beaupré’s Montreal workshop fills with friends and musicians to behold the new wonder, which is then brought to life by the fingers of a performer, himself surprised by the result. The instrument is then sent to its new owner, often in Quebec, but also…

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 : Faculté de musique de l'Université de Montréal

Higher Education: New and Noteworthy

By Carol Xiong on 30 October 2018 Classical Music, Education

Concordia University Concordia’s Department of Music celebrates the Year of the Woman. Key among its celebrations is the hiring of Andrea Young as Artist-in-Residence. Joshua Rager releases a new CD (Dreams and Other Stories), Ricardo Dal Farra completes the department’s first ﬁeld school at the Universidad de Caldas, and recent graduate Ilyaa Ghafouri wins First Prize at the TIMES PLAY 2018 Composition Competition. Glenn Gould School Beginning in the 2018-19 academic year, students completing undergraduate requirements at the Glenn Gould School will receive a Bachelor of Music, Performance (Honours). Acclaimed cellist Hans Jørgen Jensen is named to the faculty. Scholarship…

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…

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