The Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM) concert this week gives voice to the Korean conductor of the San Francisco Opera, Eun Sun Kim, highlighted in Brahms and Mussorgsky and associated with Louis Lortie in Mozart and Fauré. However, it is the solidity of the OSM led by Olivier Thouin that stands out.
Difficult for the orchestra to mobilize for this somewhat routine program after having lived for three weeks in the cauldron and the creative process of the exceptional genesis of The Boy Queen by Julien Bilodeau, at the Opéra de Montréal.
It was also difficult, sitting in the room, to see or understand, Thursday morning, the little spark that did not ignite between the conductor on the podium and the orchestra. The great orchestras, Eun Sun Kim, at 43, has conducted them all, or almost. But we saw nothing on Thursday that could explain the impressive track record and enjoyed much more, for example, The planets by Gemma New that Paintings at an exhibition by Eun Sun Kim.
Lack of heat
The concert begins with Variations on a Haydn Theme by Brahms and we are immediately struck by the somewhat emaciated sound of the violins. Observing the playing, one has the impression that the vibrato has been limited, just like the expressiveness, as if the variations were reduced to tight and concise exercises recorded in adjacent boxes. There is no expression of human warmth here or any reference to German romanticism.
The introduction of Rondo K.382 by Mozart also lacks roundness. It is almost debited. Louis Lortie takes care of rounding the corners and playing with the contrasts to the maximum. A curious scene, in this morning concert, at the end of the work, the pianist turns around and shakes Olivier Thouin’s hand, before changing his mind and greeting, formally, the conductor. There are some great absent-minded people in the musical world. To our knowledge, Louis Lortie was not part of it until now.
In Fauré, we taste the pianist’s playing: it is of a voluble lightness, of this fluidity which makes Fauré’s magic. There is, behind the soloist, an orchestral framework, more than a dialogue or sound interactions. But it is a beautiful tribute that Louis Lortie pays to Fauré for the centenary of his death.
In Paintings at an exhibition, the orchestra provides an excellent performance. We notice the quality of Paul Merkelo’s playing, in Schmuyle, but also in The Limoges market. Trombones and horns complement each other beautifully in Catacombs. The prayer motif before the bells ins The big door goes by the wayside like an anecdote and we are surprised by the lack of impact of the bass drum at the very beginning of Baba Yaga.
We will have noticed in The big door to what extent the concertmaster of the orchestra gave of himself as a true leader of his troops. Also it seems to us that Elim Chan, Gemma New and Han-Na Chang are chefs that we would like to see more than Ms. Kim.