The Press in Vienna | The OSM in Vienna as at home

I know, you’re going to say: he rubs shoulders with the musicians of the OSM, he doesn’t want to speak ill of them, he multiplies the triumphs… But the real truth is that something bad happened. he extraordinary Monday evening at the Konzerthaus, where Rafael Payare and his musicians gave a second concert as part of a European tour that began on October 21.

This program was a source of concern for some. And for good reason, the 97 musicians offered this odyssey that is the Symphony n^oh 5 in C sharp minor by Mahler, a composer forever linked to the city of Vienna.

Some spoke of courage on the part of the OSM and its leader, of temerity or audacity (see the interview with Rafael Payare below). How would the public react to Montrealers’ interpretation of this gigantic work (it lasts 68 minutes)?

The answer lies in the ovation (the audience only rises for very good reasons in the Konzerthaus) that the spectators reserved for the musicians and their conductor at the end of the concert. From the room there were bravos, on stage, there was sweat, frank smiles and a lot of disheveled bow hair.

It is clear that this evening is now part of the long history of the OSM.

This work involves all the sections of the orchestra. But let us specify that Paul Merkelo, solo trumpet, and Catherine Turner, solo horn, were particularly applauded by music lovers. And with good reason.

And yet, this evening had started timidly with Nanie, by Brahms, who paired the OSM with the Wiener Singakademie, a choir of a hundred voices. Is it because the Viennese are used to choirs, however beautiful they may be? Is this composer also one of them? Still, the reception was average.

It took a second work by Brahms, Schicksalslied (song of fate), so that the public finally shows their enthusiasm in a clear and loud way. As the saying goes: to conquer without danger, one triumphs without glory!

I don’t know if it took courage to face the Viennese public with the 5^e by Mahler. But it certainly needed a conductor who knows perfectly the abilities of his musicians. It’s called trust.

That’s what we heard Monday night in Vienna, where the OSM felt at home.

The maestro we call Rafael

The thing jumped out at me. When OSM members talk about their leader, they mostly use his first name. The titles of “sir” and “maestro” take the edge off.

“It’s normal, my name is Rafael”, the concerned person simply told me when I raised this question with him. Rafael Payare is undoubtedly the warmest chef among the greats. He immediately establishes a closeness between him and his interlocutors.

But this “coolness” would be futile without this reflective side that appeals to everyone. You should have heard him answer the questions of the Viennese journalists who came to meet him in a salon of the Konzerthaus on Monday morning.

He elegantly dodged trick questions like, “If you had to live the rest of your life with just one composer, who would it be? »

Nevertheless, when we found ourselves face-to-face after this press meeting, we had to talk about “a few of his favorites”: Shostakovich and Mahler. “When it came time to think about the repertoire of the tour, these two composers quickly imposed themselves. We had to play them. »

How to qualify the decision to play the 5^e Symphony of Mahler in the city that consecrated this composer? Is it temerity? “The fact that he is associated with Vienna has a certain dimension. But we are not going to play Mahler any differently than in Montreal. Is this a brave gesture? I do not know. We are going to play it with who we are. »

This European tour is an important step for the leader of the OSM. But the latter refuses to speak of this operation as a strategy of seduction allowing him to reach a higher level. “My primary goal is to present high-level music, that’s all. And then, to ensure that the interpretation develops from concert to concert according to the public. The musicians and I dance together. »

This fascinating communion is a topic on everyone’s lips in Vienna. Those who saw him conduct on Sunday evening understood that “something strong” is happening on stage, said Matthias Naske, CEO and artistic director of the Konzerthaus in Vienna. “It’s not me doing the concert, it’s us”, says Rafael Payare.

While he was enjoying his pasta dish, I told him that when I saw him arrive on stage on Sunday evening, I had a moment of nervousness. He burst out laughing. “I’m not nervous. I’m excited. On the other hand, I make my assistant Béatrice very nervous. »

Indeed, Rafael Payare has a habit that can sometimes destabilize those around him: he goes to the room where he has to play just a few minutes before the start of the concert. “I calculate the distance between the hotel and the theater and usually arrive three minutes before the start of the concert. »

I couldn’t believe my ears! “I know, it freaks my agent out sometimes. I don’t feel the need to be there long before the concert. Everything is already in my head. »

Since our last meeting in San Diego, in August 2021, Rafael Payare has learned to become a Montrealer. His French has greatly improved. He enjoyed discovering the city. “We really enjoyed the summer. That said, there was Lanaudière, La Virée Classique, preparation for the tour in South Korea and the new season. In short, I have been very busy. »

So, if you see him one day in the streets of Montreal, just call him Rafael. It will make him happy.