This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
Montreal, Wednesday, April 20, 2022 – The experience of music takes on its full meaning when it is shared. That is why the Orchestre Métropolitain (OM) and its Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin are thrilled to invite you to discover and take part in the Orchestra’s 42ndmusical season. With its concerts at the Maison symphonique de Montréal and its long-awaited return to the heart of Montreal’s neighbourhoods with events supported by the Conseil des arts de Montréal en tournée (Touring Program), the OM is a leader on the path back to symphonic life. Once again, performers of great diversity, profound creativity, and immense talent come together to tell OM audiences symphonic stories with peerless musical treasures that know no borders. This year, music comes out of confinement!
“Our season’s bold programming, fabulous collaborations and meaningful diversity make me particularly proud of our Orchestra and its mission. What a joy to bring this season to life, in-hall and together again. It’s like a new beginning!” ― Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain
| TICKET SALES START
APRIL 20: RENEWED SUBSCRIPTIONS & “HOLIDAY MELODIES” JUNE 1: NEW SUBSCRIBERS & INDIVIDUAL TICKETS |
OUR 2022-2023 SYMPHONIC TALES, AT A GLANCE
o The unique, grandiose premiere of a work by Elisapie, and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé to open the season o 11 programs at the Maison symphonique
o Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts 6 programs at the Montreal Maison symphonique
o One of the world’s greatest performers, French flutist Emmanuel Pahud, is Soloist-in-Residence with the OM o A new operatic treasure: African American soprano Angel Blue
o 7 World Premieres
o The return of the OM’s Conseil des arts de Montréal’s en tournée (Touring Program) in Montreal boroughs o A powerful female presence with 4 women guest conductors and 11 women composers o A great cultural diversity represented by 8 composers and 7 performers
o 2 Christmas dates: Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Kim Richardson and Mélissa Bédard, and Bach’s Mass in B minor o Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with the guitarist MILOŠ
o A family rendez-vous with Le pelleteur de nuages by Simon Boulerice
o Symphony No. 3 by African American composer Florence Price
o Two recordings for Atma Classique
o 2 chamber music concerts in Bourgie Hall at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
o The OM hosts the Azrieli Awards Gala Concert: a first (special concert)
SOLOIST-IN-RESIDENCE: FLUTIST EMMANUEL PAHUD
The arrival of one of the greatest performers of our time, Franco-Swiss flutist Emmanuel Pahud (photo) is without a doubt one of the highlights of the upcoming OM season. After winning first prizes at the Duino, Kobe and Geneva International Competitions, he was appointed Principal Flute of the Berlin Philharmonic under Claudio Abbado at the age of 22. He still holds this prestigious position today.
Emmanuel Pahud has recorded 40 albums exclusively for EMI / Warner Classics, all of which have received unanimous acclaim and numerous awards, in addition to significantly enriching the recorded flute repertoire. It is an honour to announce this exceptional artist’s residency with the Orchestre Métropolitain. His two concerts at the Maison symphonique will give our public the
opportunity to discover his artistry in two programs he has meticulously prepared, including works by Mozart, Debussy, César Franck, Amy Beach, Elfrida Andrée, Marc-André Dalbavie, Louise Farrenc and Cécile Chaminade.
To hear Emmanuel Pahud:
– Pahud’s French Melodies ׀ Sunday, October 16, 3 p.m.
– Colours of France ׀ Friday, January 27, 7:30 p.m.
– Chamber Music at Bourgie Hall ׀ Tuesday, January 31
INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY: THE ORCHESTRE MÉTROPOLITAIN’S SIGNATURE
“A season of rebirth and of gratitude for all those women who dedicated their lives to symphonic music, often remaining in the shadows, and whom we are proud to showcase.” ― Yannick Nézet-Séguin
For Yannick Nézet-Séguin, there is no doubt about it: the OM takes pride in its duty to shine the spotlight on women conductors, performers, and composers, and to make their achievements a pillar and a strong feature of its artistic vision. The Orchestra even pledges to bring the best women conductors in the world to Montreal! This year, it welcomes four female conductors from four different cultures who infuse the music they have chosen with their individual symphonic colours. As for performers, women have reached parity with men at the OM, and composers are also prominent with works by 12 women, including Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3 and the premiere of a work by Keiko Devaux of Quebec.
African American Soprano Angel Blue: A New Operatic Treasure
It is with immense pride that OM introduces audiences to African American soprano Angel Blue, undoubtedly one of the most prominent sopranos in the operatic world today. Recipient of the Met’s prestigious Beverly Sills Award in 2020, this brilliant and unique performer is triumphantly acclaimed on stages around the world. We will discover her in two works by American Samuel Barber:
Knoxville, Summer of 1915 and Antony and Cleopatra, “Death of Cleopatra,” alongside Yannick Nézet-Séguin for the season’s finale.
A few discoveries not to be missed:
– Latin Waves ׀ Friday, November 4, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Lina Gonzalez-Granados, conductor, MILOŠ, guitarist – Electric Revolution ׀ Friday, February 10, 7:30 p.m.׀ Daniela Candillari conductor, Thorwald Jørgensen, theremin – French Colours ׀ Friday, January 27, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Chloé Van Soeterstède, conductor, Emmanuel Pahud flutist – Symphonic Explorations ׀ Sunday, June 11, 3 p.m.׀ Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor, Angel Blue, soprano
TWO GREAT COMEBACKS
True to OM values, we invite you to experience moments of pure emotional symbiosis with great composers and works that have crossed the centuries and marked eras. On the program: symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and grand symphonic premieres to discover.
Conductors Alexander Shelley and Nicholas Carter return to the podium
Adding to this season’s outstanding conductors-to-discover, the OM welcomes back two conductors with whom it has had the pleasure of collaborating in the past, finally reuniting with them: Alexander Shelley and Nicholas Carter.
Described as “a natural communicator, both on and off the podium” (Daily Telegraph), English conductor Alexander Shelley shares his time between Ottawa and London, notably as Music Director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) since September 2015. After making his OM debut in 2018, he is back in Montreal next spring to conduct, among others, Canadian Jocelyn Morlock’s poignant and luminous My name is Amanda Todd, a Juno Award winning work he recorded in 2017 with the NACO for the Analekta label.
Australian conductor Nicholas Carter is also making a much-awaited return to the OM
this season, inviting us to rediscover symphonic treasures too often left unheard:
Mozart’s tragic Idomeneo (“Chaconne” and “Pas seul”), Glazunov’s romantic Violin
Concerto and Stravinsky’s boldly rhythmic Petrushka (1947).
– Elegance with Kerson Leong ׀ Friday, April 28, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Alexander Shelley, conductor – Bigger than nature ׀ Friday, May 19, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Nicholas Carter, conductor
7 World Premieres
Because classical music is also the music of our time, reflecting contemporary values while echoing the realities of previous and current generations, the Orchestre Métropolitain is actively committed to giving new works a prominent place in its programming. This is the OM’s other trademark!
Let us mention the following World Premieres (among others):
– Orchestral Auroras ׀ Sunday, September 25, 3:00 p.m. ׀ New Work by Inuit artist Elisapie – Electric Revolution ׀ Friday, February 10, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Concerto for Theremin by Simon Bertrand – Milot, Tétreault, Gougeon ׀ Friday, February 17, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Double Concerto for Cello and Harp by Denis Gougeon – Symphonic Explorations ׀ Sunday, June 11, 3:00 p.m. ׀ New Work by Keiko Devaux
Concertos
The close, personal relationship between a soloist and an orchestra is always an exciting and unforgettable experience. The OM’s upcoming season is sure to have some special moments in store for you:
– Latin Waves ׀ Friday, November 4, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar by Rodrigo – French Colours ׀ Friday, January 27, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Flute Concerto by Marc-André Dalbavie – Milot, Tétreault, Gougeon ׀ Friday, February 17, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Double Concerto for Cello and Harp by Denis Gougeon – Symphonic Heights ׀ Friday, March 3, 7:39 p.m. ׀ Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3
– Elegance with Kerson Leong ׀ Friday, April 28, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto – Bigger than Nature ׀ Friday, May 19, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Glazunov’s Violin Concerto
Symphonies
This is where the very nature of the Orchestra comes into its own: performing the summits of beauty and emotion that are symphonies. Next season, the OM invites you to rediscover some of the most exceptional works of the entire symphonic repertoire:
– Pahud, with a French Twist ׀ Sunday, October 16 ׀ Louise Farrenc’s Symphony No. 1
– Colours of France ׀ Friday, January 27, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Franck’s Symphony
– Electric Revolution ׀ Friday, February 10, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7
– Milot, Tétreault, Gougeon ׀ Friday, February 17, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 – Musical Acrobatics ׀ Friday, March 3, 7:39 p.m. ׀ Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5
– Symphonic Explorers ׀ Sunday, June 11, 3 p.m. ׀ Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3
Concerts with the Choeur Métropolitain
The Chœur Métropolitain joins the OM musicians to bring their magnificent vocal colours to Ravel’s iconic Daphnis et Chloé, Bach’s masterful Mass in B minor, and to our very special holiday event, Festive Airs.
TWO PROGRAMS TO USHER IN THE HOLIDAYS
To spoil himself just a little bit this holiday season, Yannick Nézet-Séguin thought
he would share his passion for jazz with the public. For one Christmas concert, he
brings together performers of whom he is especially fond, to perform jazz, of
course, but also traditional works and French and English holiday airs. He will be
joined on this adventure by the Choeur Métropolitain and by two of Quebec’s
most amazing vocal artists, Kim Richardson and Mélissa Bédard.
Close to the Nativity, the OM will present Bach’s celebrated Mass in B minor, music of powerful spirituality, which delves into doubt and forgiveness, transporting us into a state of wholeness. Hear an exceptional line-up of soloists: American soprano Erika Baikoff, Scottish mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill, German tenor Werner Güra and Canadian bass-baritone Nathan Berg, as well as the Chœur Métropolitain and Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting. Experience an evening of rare musical intensity.
– Festive Airs ׀ Saturday, December 3, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. ׀ Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor – Bach’s Mass in B minor ׀ Saturday, December 18, 3 p.m.׀ Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
TWO RECORDINGS FOR ATMA CLASSIQUE
Two concerts by the Orchestra will provide opportunities to record two works for the Atma Classique label. Quebec composer Denis Gougeon’s brand new Double Concerto for Cello and Harp, featuring cellist Stéphane Tétreault and harpist Valérie Milot, will be followed by the recording of Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5, continuing a cycle begun in 2019.
– Milot, Tétreault, Gougeon ׀ Friday, February 17, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Nicolas Ellis, conductor
– Musical Acrobatics ׀ Friday, March 3, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
AND NUMEROUS DISCOVERIES!
The Orchestre Métropolitain is sure to offer you unforgettable moments of discovery that are strongly inspired by inclusion and cultural diversity, but above all, by renewal and a will to transport us elsewhere, to rattle the cage, to fulfill our pressing need for new horizons. The OM introduces usto works by composers who hail from the four corners of the world: Canadians Jocelyn Morlock and Keiko Devaux; Americans Gabriela Lena Franck and Florence Price; from France, Cécile Chaminade, Louise Farrenc and Germaine Tailleferre; as well as Elfrida Andrée from Sweden. We will also discover the music of the Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and the Mexican Arturo Márquez.
Let us also discover an unusual instrument: the theremin. An electroacoustic instrument invented in 1920, the theremin is one of the oldest specimens in electronic music, and a long time favourite of science fiction film soundtracks—from B-movies of the 1950s to the more recent First Man—for its unique sounds. The theremin has also been artfully used in pop music: Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys and Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin being two examples. This season, Quebec composer Simon Bertrand brings this astonishing instrument into dialogue with the symphony orchestra! For the occasion, the OM welcomes soloist Thorwald Jørgensen from the Netherlands, recognized as one of the best classical theremin players in the world.
Among those discoveries:
– Pahud’s French Melodies ׀ Sunday, October 16, 3 p.m. ׀ Flute Concertino by Cécile Chaminade – Latin Waves ׀ Friday, November 4, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Danzón No. 2 by Márquez
– Electric Revolution ׀ Friday, February 10, 7:30 p.m. ׀ Concerto for Theremin and Orchestra by Simon Bertrand – Elegance with Kerson Leong ׀ Friday, April 28, 7:30 p.m. ׀ My name is Amanda Todd by Jocelyn Morlock
For full details of our 2022–2023 programming: www.orchestremetropolitain.com
To learn more about Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s activities: www.yannicknezetseguin.com
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
