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On Nov. 12, Les Idées heureuses presented their second concert of the season at Bourgie Hall. Jamais je ne t’oublierai : échos du Moyen Âge dans nos chants du terroir consisted of a program of French and French-Canadian folk music and Medieval works. As the title suggests, the program was conceived to illustrate the echoes of Medieval music in our local folk tradition.
The concert was divided into five thematic sections—May, The Mother, Flowers, Cries, Goodbyes, and Dances—each featuring one folk song, arranged by Jean-François Daignault, and various Medieval works.
Les Idées heureuses, Nov. 12. Photo: Heather Weinreb
What you missed:
From its conception through to its execution, this was a remarkably successful concert. Although Daignault’s arrangements of familiar folkloric tunes, from “J’entends le moulin” to “À la claire fontaine,” were intricate and highly refined, the heart-warming simplicity of these melodies was always preserved.
The folk songs acted as guiding lights—a Medieval lantern, or torch, perhaps—leading the mysterious path of memory. At the beginning of each section, the folk tunes—which ranged from 3-voice a capella to solo voice and harp arrangements—delivered a stirring dose of musical nostalgia. These familiar tunes were followed by Medieval songs with the same theme. The Medieval fascination with the rose and the floral month of May is present in French-Canadian folk songs such as “J’ai cueilli la belle rose” and “C’est dans le mois de mai.” Similarly, “J’irai la voir un jour,” a French-Canadian devotional song to Mother Mary, finds resonances in the plethora of Marian hymns of the Medieval era. The result was a program of pure enchantment in which each song not only shined on its own, but contributed to a larger whole.
Artistic Director Dorothéa Ventura is well-known for her artistic versatility. In this concert, she was joined by other multi-talented artists: Daignault, who was invited by Ventura to direct this concert, was not only responsible for all the arrangements, but also sang and played various Baroque woodwinds. Both Leah Weitzner (voice, viola da gamba, and viol), and Antoine Malette-Chénier (voice, harp and Renaissance flute) sang while playing their instruments. A particular highlight was Weitzner’s performance of Hildegard von Bingen’s “Favus distillans.” Accompanying one’s own singing with a Renaissance viol is no small feat; Weitzner’s interpretation was stirringly emotive yet still retained the expansive, transcendental quality of this religious hymn.
From left to right: Leah Weitzner, Ghislaine Deschambault, Antoine Malette-Chénier, Jean-François Daignault, Dorothéa Ventura. Photo: Catherine St-Arnaud
The multi-talented nature of the group’s members isn’t limited to the impressive tricks they manage to pull off at an individual level. Their diverse talents signal each member’s integral importance to the whole. There are many singers who can learn a part in a couple of days, much fewer who can learn the music as well as a sign-language choreography, as was the case in Guillaume Dufay’s “J’ay mis mon cuer et ma pensée.” This ensemble has a palpable on-stage chemistry they convey through their music.
Gripes:
A clear sign that a concert was good is when the critic must harp on the program notes, but alas, I did find myself wanting to know the lyrics of these songs. While I appreciated there were no on-stage projections of the lyrics—that would have busied the visuals far too much—I did miss the opportunity to read the texts in the program or at least receive more explanation about them at the beginning of each concert section. This was not only a concert of vocal music, but one which showcased the parallels between Medieval and French-Canadian music. It would have strengthened the audience experience to be able to have texts on hand.
Les Idées heureuses will present Noëls anciens et nouveaux on December 4, and Musique et danse en Nouvelle-France on January 16. ideesheureuses.ca
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
