Argentinian conductor Leonardo García Alarcón will come to Quebec for the first time with his Capella Mediterranea and the Choeur de chambre de Namur to present the two monuments of Monteverdi’s work: The Orfeo and the Vespers of the Virgin. This is the big poster for the Festival de Lanaudière 2023 (July 7-August 6), events that will take place on July 22 at the Fernand-Lindsay Amphitheater (The Orfeo) and on the 24th at Joliette Cathedral (Vespro).
Two logics clashed last year in a post-pandemic reopening scenario: an influx of music lovers frustrated by a deprivation of concerts or a timorous return to normal. In 2022, through bold programming in terms of number of events and prestige, Lanaudière had clearly bet on scenario 1. We know that it was the pessimistic version of scenario 2 that occurred. The 2023 edition therefore reduces the sails with less risk and more local actors for its shows between weekends, 3 out of 5 of which are provided by the OSM and OM.
The OSM and Rafael Payare will open the festival with the Ninth by Beethoven on Friday July 7 and will continue on Saturday afternoon with, in particular, the 2e Concerto by Rachmaninoff played by Denis Kozhukhin. Payare and the OSM will return on August 4 and 5 with Fire Bird and the 2e of Schumann. Their soloists: harpist Xavier de Maistre and mezzo Karen Cargill.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin will be at the Fernand-Lindsay Amphitheater on July 28 and 29 and August 6. July 28 with the Alpine Symphony of Strauss, the 29th with Respighi and the 3e Concerto by Rachmaninoff with Marc-André Hamelin and on August 6 with the 1er Concerto of Chopin and the Pathetic Symphony. His soloist will be Seong-Jin Cho.
The absence of “financial madness” is notable for concerts in churches (no Kantorow-Goerne recital this year!). In the “great soloists” category, besides Kozhukhin, Angela Hewitt will give a Bach recital on July 27. Lanaudière will once again welcome William Christie, for a concert version of Partenope by Handel (July 15); the National Youth Orchestra of the United States (July 16), while the Grands ballets will dance The four Seasons July 21.
To see in video