Cultural revival | Towards a spring of renewal

Montreal’s musical winter started a month late and was cut short by several concerts that looked promising. Never mind, the recent recovery, cautious in some organizations, will go to a crescendo until the beginning of June. Here is an overview of the key events to come.

Everything in symphonic music

On the symphonic side, we will have to wait until April 20 and 21 to see the return of Rafael Payare at the helm of the OSM, particularly in The sea by Debussy. At the Orchester Métropolitain, note the end-of-season concert (June 18-19) with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, among others in Ravel. As for the conductors invited by the OSM, priority goes to Michael Tilson Thomas on March 9, 10 and 13 in the Ninth Symphony of Schubert and the Slovak Juraj Valčuha in the Fourth Symphony from Nielsen on May 25 and 26. At the Métropolitain, a crush on the Pathetic by Tchaikovsky by conductor Nathalie Stutzmann on June 4.

Prestigious soloists

For keyboard lovers, don’t miss Daniil Trifonov at the OSM in Prokofiev and Schnittke (April 20 and 21), Nicholas Angelich at OM in The emperor by Beethoven (April 29), the pianofortist Ronald Brautigam in a German romantic repertoire on April 12 at the Salle Bourgie and the harpsichordist Pierre Hantaï on May 13 in Bach and Handel at the same place. As for the ropes, the young prodigy Daniel Lozakevich will make his debut with OM in the Concerto n^oh 2 for violin by Prokofiev (June 4) and Nicolas Altstaedt will lead the Violons du Roy with his cello on May 7. Finally, Frenchwoman Camille Thomas, rising star of the cello, will play in Bourgie on March 31 with pianist Roman Rabinovich.

Great vocal meetings

Montreal will also be pampered vocally. It’s with The Magic Flute of Mozart that the opera will normally make its big comeback in May under the direction of the American Christopher Allen. Four major choral concerts to absolutely put on the agenda: the Passion according to Saint Matthew of Bach at the OSM on April 13 under the expert direction of Paul McCreesh, the Requiem of Mozart by the Violons du Roy and the Chapelle de Québec with Bernard Labadie on April 24, A german requiem de Brahms with OM and its titular leader on May 20 and the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven at the OSM under the direction of Rafael Payare on May 31 and the 1^er and June 2. Great singing is also in prospect at the Métropolitain, where Karina Gauvin will sing Alma Mahler alongside conductor Speranza Scappucci on April 8.

Chamber musicians from here

There will be few foreign chamber music ensembles this winter, apart from the Marlboro Musicians, who will play Schubert and Britten at Bourgie Hall on March 30. Pro Musica offers two concerts with top musicians between now March 20 and April 24 at Center Phi. Bourgie Hall remains the haunt of chamber music lovers, with several concerts given by musicians from the two main Montreal orchestras. We will remember the concert by pianist Nicholas Angelich with musicians from OM on April 22 in Mozart, Brahms and Schubert, as well as the transcription of the Symphony by Franck by Mathieu Lussier that the Pentaèdre wind quintet will play on March 23.

Old music galore

In addition to the complete Bach cantatas which continue at Bourgie Hall with Les Violons du Roy (March 27) and Pallade Musica (May 15), the coming of the Ensemble Correspondances to the same location on May 4 will be one of the must-haves of the season with a selection of airs de cour from the time of Louis XIII. Still in Bourgie, you will also happily find the Early Music Studio (1^er April) and the Arion orchestra with the French conductor Franck-Emmanuel Comte in a Rameau program (from March 4 to 6). Another promising concert: Splendors of the Baroque with I Musici and soprano Andréanne Brisson-Paquin on April 14 at Salle Pierre-Mercure.

Coming soon in contemporary music

The menu is also rich in current music. The tribute concert to composer Luis de Pablo by the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (May 6) is likely to be the highlight of the season. On the side of the Vivier, it is to Scelsi that the organist Adrian Foster and the Duo AIRS will pay homage on April 22 at Christ Church Cathedral. The Quatuor Bozzini will surround itself with two puppeteers on March 2 and 3 at Théâtre Outremont in works by Sokolović, Oesterle and others. On the side of the Contemporary Music Society of Quebec will finally be presented portraits of composers Jean Lesage (March 27) and Linda Bouchard (1^er may).