François Dompierre has composed the music for around sixty films. We owe him serious works, some jewels of our song and advertising refrains which have marked our imagination forever.
At home, in the room where a grand piano sits next to a small multimedia center, a library is overflowing with Félixes, Genies and other trophies. This composer could play the grand prince between two culinary experiences, the other passion that nourishes his life. But that’s not his style.
It was therefore with the greatest discretion that he created what was undoubtedly the most important work of his career. A requiem, a real one, with 12 parts in Latin, all the meanings of which he can dissect with obvious passion. THE Requiem by François Dompierre, which will have its world premiere on June 8 and 9 in Montreal and Quebec, was born in the year 2023. It took seven months to write.
I had the immense pleasure of hearing the result in the company of the composer. Music lovers, hurry up and get your hands on tickets.
Excerpt from the introit Kyriefrom Dompierre
Grandiose, moving, imposing, captivating, evocative of images… All these adjectives run through our heads as we discover this work which will now join the other requiems composed by Mozart, Verdi, Fauré, Berlioz and Britten.
“I had this within me for many years,” says François Dompierre. When I was young, I was part of a choir and I was an organist. I find that it is a founding text of our culture which remains extremely modern when we think of what we are experiencing at the moment. It speaks of all human feelings: pity, anger, envy, joy, love, memory…”
François Dompierre was not afraid to take different musical avenues during his long career. This Requiemwhich has a classical framework, nevertheless contains the presence of the composer in each of its parts.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Recording the disc from Requiem by François Dompierre at the Maison symphonique.
I haven’t tried to fill other shoes. I stayed in my own business. I wanted to make a sincere work.
François Dompierre
He is right to say that. In this sense, this work is a true offering to the public.
It was at the suggestion of Francis Choinière, artistic director and conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir of Musicians (OPCM), with whom François Dompierre recorded the disc Phonemes, that the impetus for this work came. Fifty years separate Dompierre and Choinière and yet a bond of trust based on mutual admiration unites the two men.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Francis Choinière, artistic director and conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir of Music Lovers
It is to this young 27-year-old chef that François Dompierre entrusted the recording of his Requiem. This was done at the Maison symphonique at the end of January. I had the privilege of witnessing this magical moment which, in addition to the musicians and choristers of the OPCM, brought together the soprano Myriam Leblanc, the tenor Andrew Haji and the baritone Geoffroy Salvas.
François Dompierre didn’t wait for a record company to raise their hand. He took the initiative and covered the costs of this recording alone. He doesn’t want to reveal the amount, but I can tell you it’s huge. “I found it important to preserve this work. For what ? I do not know. I’m 80 years old and I told myself I was going to afford this. I am the producer of this project and that makes me happy. »
Extract of Dies iraefrom Dompierre
This is not the first time that François Dompierre has taken such a risk. In the mid-1970s, he mortgaged his house to produce the record Dompierre on which appears the immense success Leapfrog. We can guess the rest of the story. “Sometimes my instinct tells me to do something like that. Otherwise, what will I do? Go get my coffee at McDonald’s and read my newspaper? »
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Conductor Francis Choinière leads his team during the recording of Requiem of Dompierre.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Score of Dompierre’s work
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
The choir at work
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During our conversation, the composer dropped the expression “testament work.” I find it hard to believe that this composition will be the last from this creator who seems to be ageless. ” I do not know. But what I can say is that I am very proud of the result. Humbly, I think it’s the best thing I’ve done in my career. »
Now that the recording of Requiem exists, François Dompierre wishes to find a house that will take charge of the marketing and distribution of this recording (discussions are underway). And if a partner offered to help him take this work to a high level, I don’t think he would say no.
Extract of Sanctusfrom Dompierre
A few months before the stage premiere of his requiem, François Dompierre is not afraid to say that he is a little nervous. For the performances planned for June at the Maison symphonique and the Palais Montcalm (during which the Requiem by Fauré will also be performed), Francis Choinière will be at the podium facing the OPCM. For the occasion, the choir will be made up of around a hundred voices.
“I find my pleasure in composition. For the rest, the reaction of critics and the public concerns me less than when I was 30, 40 or 50 years old. My good friend Denys Arcand thinks like me. Of course we prefer that people like us, but we accept the idea that not everyone will applaud us. What matters to me at the moment is that this work becomes known. »
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