The convincing project Transfiguration recently arrived on CD. Here it is in the form of a “concert-experience” featuring harpist Valérie Milot and cellist Stéphane Tétreault in a cinematographic digital environment.
The “total experience”, that is to say visual and auditory, offered to the spectator began on Wednesday a little late: 9 p.m., the time, probably, to darken the stained glass windows of the Bourgie hall to ensure adequate darkness.
The project is courageous and important for the two artists who intend to travel the country with Transfiguration this summer. It also questions us, as spectators, about the concert experience and the place, henceforth, of video in live performance, which is far from having regained the hair of the beast and having found its audience again. yesteryear. Several shows this week had last-minute discounts of up to 50%. On the contrary, skilfully promoted, Milot and Tétreault had succeeded in making the premiere of their show the classic social event of the decade in the metropolis.
Music of our time
The content and musical journey of Transfiguration are known through the CD and were commented on in these columns at the end of last week. These are creations of our time, accessible, with each of the characteristics. Caroline Lizotte and Kelly-Marie Murphy are based on folklore, but the first, from Scotland, is more centered on the harp and the second, more Balkan, propelled by the cello. Alexandre Grogg is interested in reworking music from the past. His swans are those of Gibbons (The silver swan), Sibelius (The swan of Tuonela), Barber (A Swan) and Saint-Saëns, while his folia share in all directions and genres, including jazz.
In order to frame the subject more classically, the order of the pieces is modified in the concert compared to the disc. It is Double-Monologue by François Vallière who opens the evening. It is a pastiche of a society dominated by social networks, where two people “talk” without considering what the other is saying.
This musical expression without words is also that of Marjan Mozetich. His transfigured feeling is a striking instrumental decal of Madame Butterfly.
In the formatting of the concert, a soundtrack makes it possible to make the link between the pieces by giving a poetic context to each work. We also cleverly free ourselves from the printed program, since the framework of the compositions is brushed while being part of an overall visual aesthetic.
Who accompanies whom?
The purpose of the concert version of Transfiguration is that “through a staging where the music is transformed by means of projected images, the relationship between the two musicians evolves until the final transfiguration”. Translation: the musicians move and get closer according to the works to end up in an illuminated circle in Murphy’s score, the most carnal.
The musical course of the concert really makes sense, the only hiatus being the inevitable but logical applause between the compositions. It’s normal not to cut it, because the scores have their own emotions and universes but at the same time we would be curious to see what a fluid journey from beginning to end would give.
Obviously one inevitably wonders if the images projected on this very studied multiscreen device accompany the music or if the music accompanies the images. The question arises less in Mozetich or in The Madness of Grogg than at Vallières or Lizotte.
That said, the evening is to be marked with a white stone: the judicious creativity of Valérie Milot and Stéphane Tétreault and their entire team deserves to be saluted with infinite respect. These artists all asked themselves good questions in terms of repertoire, the concert format, the “concert ritual” and the integration of technology in the service of the musical message. Relevant questions and informed answers, many of which are very right on the first try.