Bernard Labadie, the Chapelle de Québec and the Violons du Roy put an end to the 2022 Bach Festival on Friday with a concert bringing together the Cantatas BWV 109, 140 and 147a concert benefiting from an approach that is both eloquent and free from any overload.
There were a lot of people at the Maison symphonique for this seasonal concert by Les Violons du Roy, which came just in time to round off the Bach Festival in Montreal. A few meters from each other, at the back of a floor, we found Nicolas Ellis, new 1st guest conductor of Les Violons du Roy, Rafael Payare, musical director of the OSM, between two concerts of the fantastic symphonyand Jean Marie Zeitouni, who has just completed the series of performances of the remarkable beauty of the world by Julien Bilodeau.
This brotherly presence of professional musicians at the concerts of one of their colleagues is very rare. So it should be underlined and greeted with great respect. The word “respect” is also the first that comes to mind when we hear Bernard Labadie conduct Bach.
Nourishing sap
The conductor’s first priority is the practical and emotional intelligibility of the text. To do this, he does not force anything. But in the famous chorale Jesus bleibet meine Freude » (Jesus may my joy remain), the words « freude », « Leide », « kraft », « rings », « Wonne are emphasized not only because they are strong, but also because they allow sentences to bounce.
However, when Bernard Labadie says ” kraft (strength), we certainly perceive all the consonants, but nothing is “spit” or pushed. So it is with the musical flow: fluid, irrepressibly fluid (but never hasty or rushed) as if the expression of faith were nourishing sap of the human soul.
Bernard Labadie, in a relaxed but very informative preamble, clearly explained that as the season of Advent was a “Tempus clausum” (Geschlossene Zeit) in Leipzig, that is to say a moment of abstinence, this period did not lend itself to the composition of instrumental cantatas. The three works were therefore not directly related to Christmas. Bernard Labadie also dedicated the series of concerts to Marcel de Hêtre, chorister of the Chapel since 1998 and member of its administrative team.
Soloists
The success of such an evening is largely dependent on three elements: the solidity of the continuo, which is impeccable in all respects, that of the solo instrumentalists during the vocal solos and the quality of the vocal soloists. We appreciated the assurance of the interventions of Pascale Giguère on the violin and of the oboist Sonia Gratton who came as reinforcements with 48 hours notice to replace a musician sick with Covid.
Among the soloists, a very special mention to tenor Andrew Haji, his never-forced luminous timbre and his formidable assurance. Lydia Teuscher is always very effective and excellent in this repertoire, even if not very warm. Excellent surprise and great discovery with the alto Avery Amereau, a timbre of a beautiful fullness with a splendid roundness, which worked wonders in the air of the BWV 147. A little below, Matthew Brook’s timbre lacks aura and harmonics (Duetto with the soprano in the BWV 140). Projection also tends to weaken in vocalizations (BWV 147). But nothing unacceptable that would have made us regret the trip.