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May 27 marked the last concert of the season by the Orchester Classique de Montréal (OCM) at the Maison symphonique de Montréal. So many concerts, so many tributes paid to “exceptional women” during these few months. The last tribute in the series went to cellist Lotte Brott (1922-1998) who co-founded the OCM, formerly the McGill Chamber Orchestra, in 1939.
The tragic death of her son and conductor Boris Brott, who led the orchestra for many years, was of course on everyone’s minds. Returning from intermission, Jacques Lacombe, who exceptionally conducted the musicians, shared some memories and recalled that the OCM concerts had greatly contributed to his own musical awakening. Lacombe then dedicated the performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, in the second part of the program, to the memory of Boris Brott, using the words that the composer himself had written at the head of his manuscript : “Symphony to celebrate the memory of a great man.”
Under his direction, the OCM musicians rendered the different nuances of the work very well, whether strings or brass. A dozen participants from the Canimex mentoring program – one per instrument – came to strengthen their ranks and thus provide more sound amplitude. However, we were still far from the volume of an orchestra of more than 60 musicians. Regardless, it was good to hear the OCM in a broader symphonic repertoire than this more usual chamber music repertoire. Special mention to the section of three horns led by Jocelyn Veilleux who showed themselves to be very solid, particularly in the third and fourth movements.
In the first part, the OCM presented another major work by Beethoven: The Choral Fantasy in C minor. Jean-Philippe Sylvestre was at the piano, while a quartet of singers (Jacqueline Woodley, Suzanne Taffot, Emmanuel Hasler, Matthew Dalen and Jean-Philippe McClish) joined the voices of the choir (Les Chantres musicians and Les Filles de l ‘Island).
The work is not of the same caliber as Symphony No. 3. The main theme, which prefigures the Ode to Joy, is repeated obsessively even though it is not particularly inventive or charming to hear. At this stage, he is still light years away from the famous melody that will fully mature in Symphony No. 9.
The voices of the soloists and those of the choice only arrive well after the pianist’s triumphant debut and remain confined to a supporting role, if not at the very end. That said, the quality of the whole thing was impeccable. In the final moments, you would have thought you were hearing a festive scene from an Italian opera and this, it must be said, was very suitable for a season-closing evening.
For his part, Sylvestre gave a fairly good performance. His articulation was sometimes not the most precise in the chromatic rises and falls, but he delivered on stage all the emotional charge and passion that the interpretation of such a fantasy requires.
Note that the concert paid tribute to health “heroes”, to all those members of hospital staff who courageously faced the pandemic on the front line and provided the necessary care to the population. 200 of them were invited to the concert thanks to sponsorship from Medicom. At the announcement by the Director General of the OCM, Taras Kulish, the entire audience stood up to applaud them.
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