The young chef Francis Choinière had programmed the Requiem by Verdi with his Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir of Music Lovers on Sunday at the Maison symphonique. Bold initiative on the part of the one who seeks to “inspire a new generation of music lovers” as the executive director of his ensemble said in the preamble. The evening was of a very respectable general level, in particular with regard to the youth of the protagonists.
Francis Choinière’s ambition to stimulate new listeners materializes in theaters. It effectively brings together a younger and more diverse audience, perhaps initially coming for a film music project and who now attend such and such a classical concert. It’s a very respectful audience.
On Sunday, for Verdi, the conductor had filled the floor and the basket of the Maison symphonique. It’s very good, but he probably needed a little more to absorb a work with large numbers. We’ll see with the live version of bohemiane, in January, if Puccini attracts more than Verdi.
As in the other concerts we have seen previously by Francis Choinière, there was a lot of good things, in particular a kind of “musical good sense” which makes him go straight to the point, but with a fine sensitivity to things.
Choinière had particularly well prepared his choir. Even if the first passage a cappella (“Te decet hymnus”) did not land 100% on point, the second, with Aline Kutan in the Free me, was flawless. When the choir sings “Rex tremendae” a few well-felt rolled “r’s” intensify the effect and the Chorus of Music Lovers includes some remarkable deep basses. Furthermore, the deployment of large masses (Dies Irae, Tuba Mirum) has been mastered very well, especially the echo effects of the brass.
What was missing was an interpretative patina sometimes going beyond the first or second degree. For example the runaway Free me is not a rectilinear academic fugue à la Cherubini, but something seething and dramatic. And, speaking of intensity, when the soprano sings “Tremens factus sum ego” in this movement, the violas and violins II exchange musical formulas which form waves. This drama must well up in the sound texture and, from the start of the work, through a clear conception of the choral sound.
What sound does Verdi want when he writes ” sotto voce »? What is an Italian vocal color in funeral music? Is it covered or open? All of these questions need to be asked. They will be as the conductor resumes the score throughout his career. For the moment he has fixed the framework and the letter, sometimes with caution (sanctus).
As for the soloists, Aline Kutan is not the dramatic soprano required for the role, but her treble is of admirable purity and her precision is precious. Rose Naggar-Tremblay too, is a little ambitious by going so early to Verdi, a job that requires the profile of an Azucena (Il Trovatore). But the very supple voice allows him a lot… even a rhythmic failure in the 2nd verse of Liber scriptus. The tenor Adam Luther is highly questionable. The timbre is very beautiful but, technically, the mid-voice register is faulty and gives the impression of being strangled. In addition, many of its ends of sentences are skipped. As for the bass, Vartan Gabrielian, his means are exceptional. At rare times we hear something strange like this stupebit bit with a rather esoteric intonation.
That said, as we said, the general impression given by the concert was largely positive.