The Grand Théâtre de Québec hosted on Wednesday the first of three stages of the presentation of Jaques Hétu’s final symphony by the Orchester symphonique de Québec (OSQ) and the Orchestra of the National Center for Reunited Arts (CNA). Powerful and poignant, the concert confirmed the scope of the Quebec composer’s work and calls for other experiences of the genre.
The project to bring together the orchestras of the National Arts Center and Quebec City emerged at the end of the pandemic. The artistic choice quickly fell on the 5e Symphony by Jacques Hétu and the concert took place on Wednesday under the direction of Alexander Shelley. At the end of the journey, after concerts in Quebec, Toronto and Ottawa, the 5e Symphony d’Hétu, concluding with a choral movement on the poem Freedom by Éluard, will be recorded for a future discographic release.
Even if in an interview at Duty, last Saturday, Alexander Shelley said he was open to all types of collaborations, the very warm and brotherly atmosphere of the two organizations on the sidelines of the concert, behind the scenes, Wednesday, suggested future cooperation between the CNA and the OSQ. The concert itself led to their hopes.
Message
The device is impressive and the fusion between the two sets has taken place well. In Jacques Hétu’s symphony, which we last heard in 2020, just before the pandemic, under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the movement that gains the most is The occupationthe 3ewhose heavy and oppressive atmosphere is reinforced by the power of the group, the strength of the accents and the tension that Alexander Shelley gives to the dissonances and harmonies.
In the most difficult passages, like the very Chostakovian Invasion, the CNA and the OSQ had a very united way of reacting to the fiery impulses of the leader. After several concert performances, this symphony, which takes place in Paris under the German occupation during the 2e World War, is still as eloquent, and impressive, magnificently constructed moreover.
What worked fairly moderately on Wednesday in Quebec was the Final. After three stanzas, it was clear that we understood nothing of what the Mendelssohn Choir of Toronto, although prepared by the French-speaking Jean-Sébastien Vallée, was telling between the repetitions, very audible and understandable, of the phrase “I write your name “. We therefore tried to read the printed words, but the light in the room did not allow it. And since the lyrics are in French, no one had thought to project them. As I recall, none of the previous presentations of the symphony that we attended posed such problems in understanding the crucial message of the symphony. Acoustic problem, pronunciation problem, too many singers? The disk should solve the problem.
One of Alexander Shelley’s excellent ideas, which we hope to find on the disc, is the coupling of this swan song by Jacques Hétu with Dark Nights, Bright Stars, Vast Universe by Kelly-Marie Murphy. At the dawn of his 60e anniversary, the composer trained in Calgary is well worthy of being placed in the mirror of Hétu. Not that she composes in the same obedience in terms of musical narration, but the talent in the dramatic layering and the finesse of the orchestration are remarkable and this work created in 2023 deserves to be taken up by other Canadian orchestras.
The concerto part was provided by the young Kevin Chen who, as expected, perfectly “won his competition” in the 2e Piano concerto by Saint-Saëns. “Victoire”, because he knew how to pack the coda into a frenetic tempo so impressive that we forgot everything else. A very honorable one, certainly, but which nonetheless remains in line with what we heard in recital on Sunday: playful piano without great sound prospects. All this is largely an illusion in a concerto like the 2e by Saint-Saëns and Kevin Chen showed himself, this time, at his best.
Christophe Huss was the guest of the National Arts Center.