On May 17, Matthias Maute led Ensemble ArtChoral in a concert of a cappella Beatles tunes at Montreal’s Maison symphonique. Maute shared anecdotes about the Fab Four throughout, enhancing the show’s warm and genial atmosphere.
What you missed
Besides the diverse poetry of the lyrics, Beatles songs are filled with complex instrumental arrangements, inspired melodies, and rich harmonies. For the most part, the arrangements did justice to the Fab Four, drawing out the wealth of musical richness already present.
Matthias Maute conducts Ensemble ArtChoral. Photo: Tam Photography
Using the sopranos to act as violins in Eleanor Rigby was fresh and thoughtful, as was the alternating staccato and legato articulation between chorus and verse in And I Love Her. Here Comes the Sun did seem to have a wealth of additional harmonies, which I thought detracted from the almost divine simplicity of the original. Overall, though, the arrangements cast a new light on old favourites.
Antoine Joubert’s solo piano performances of I Saw Her Standing There and Blackbird were well placed in the program, providing a welcome break for the ears from what would otherwise have been an over-saturation of choral sound. Joubert’s jazz-harmonized arrangements displayed a high level of musicality and virtuosity, though the performance lingered somewhat too long in the gravitas of Blackbird, and a slightly stronger sense of forward motion would have been preferable.
Matthias Maute (conductor), Antoine Joubert (piano), Philip Hornsey (percussion) with Ensemble ArtChoral.
Photo: Tam Photography
The choir’s performance was crisp and precise, and the acoustics of Maison symphonique allowed the group’s subtle dynamic shifts and pointed articulations to be clearly heard. However, with only 20 singers on stage, there was a noticeable lack of volume. ArtChoral’s 100 strong amateur Grand Chœur joined for Let It Be, All You Need Is Love, and Hey Jude, but they were seated in the first few rows of the audience facing the stage. Not placing them in the balconies, or making more creative use of the hall’s space for amplification, seems to have been the concert’s main oversight.
The program was given a standing ovation, and the audience of 1,300 left well fed on a hearty musical diet of Beatles melodies, luminous choral sounds, and thrilling piano performance. The makings of a delightful afternoon.
Upcoming Concerts:
– June 5 @ 7:30PM, Maison symphonique, Bach Magnificat with Ensemble Caprice
– June 21st @ 2:30PM, Brockville, ON, Bach&Balfour with Ensemble Caprice
– July 8 @ 2:00 PM, First Baptist Church, Ottawa, ON, Music & Beyond, A Divine Comedy with Ensemble Caprice
– October 30 @ 7:30PM, Maison symphonique, Soirée viennoise
