As the shadow of the Omicron variant hovers above us, it was very reassuring to witness the unexpected reunion between conductor Kent Nagano and storyteller Fred Pellerin on Wednesday evening at the Maison symphonique.
For this first of five performances, the two accomplices, who offer their fifth Christmas story in 10 years, were warmly welcomed by the public, particularly the conductor, received with more than fed applause.
“Good evening, maestro! », Launched Fred Pellerin arriving on stage after the performance by the orchestra of Holidays by Debussy. “Everyone was saying, ‘He’s gone.’ I was like, “He’s going to come back for Christmas.” It’s not for nothing! ”
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
In the tale Paradise post, Fred Pellerin tells us the story of the first postwoman of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton.
Under the traditional giant Christmas ball installed above the stage, which transforms according to the screenings, Fred Pellerin and the OSM have thus easily returned to their habits established since 2011. And that’s exactly what we need these days: to be told a new funny and moving story involving Toussaint Brodeur and the whole band of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, and to be rocked by arias by Prokofiev and Mozart.
We saw the universe of Fred Pellerin at the cinema this fall in The Time Harvester, but it is particularly good to find the storyteller on stage, his verve, his puns and his giggles – Kent Nagano, who was smiling a lot while listening to him, seems to have appreciated it too!
In this tale titled Paradise post, Fred Pellerin tells us the story of the first postwoman of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, Alice, who in secret allows the inhabitants of the village to maintain a correspondence with their dead. An exchange “more vertical than horizontal”, which does not particularly please the new priest.
This plot allows Fred Pellerin to make the characters of Saint-Élie react – Lurette the blacksmith’s daughter who is drowning in her tears, the hairdresser Méo who “hairstyles by default and not by quality”, Mrs. Gélinas, mother of 472 boys but in mourning for her only daughter, who died before being baptized.
A good dose of emotions
With skill as usual, he makes us go from laughter to tears, and each time, the music comes to support him: Mystery of the moment Henri Dutilleux when we talk about the afterlife, the Concerto for clarinet in A major by Mozart, with soloist Todd Cope, when it comes to hope, Romanian folk dances of Bartók when there is a wedding in the village – “we don’t have the budget in Saint-Élie” for a solemn wedding march, underlines Fred Pellerin -, the celestial Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten by Arvo Pärt when a character dies, while Fred Pellerin recites the words of I become the wind again by Martin Léon – certainly the most moving moment of the evening.
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Kent Nagano was visibly touched by the warm welcome from the audience.
After handing over the keys to his chalet to Kent Nagano – 10 years after the latter gave him the keys to the Maison symphonique, “it was about time! »-, Fred Pellerin sang the song with the OSM The hymn, which he wrote and sings with Celine Dion for the film The war of the toques 3D. A text filled with hope which gives courage for the future.
Sing a hymn for your brothers
We all need a truce
Sing a hymn to your father
And when the sun finally rises high
Sing a hymn
Kent Nagano, visibly happy to be there, left the stage accompanied by enthusiastic and generous applause, the audience very aware of the privilege of having him with him for a few more evenings, all thanks to this funny respectful friendship which l unites with Fred Pellerin. We can never thank them enough for helping us to fight, for an evening, our pandemic spleen.
Paradise post, at the Maison symphonique until December 18.