This Saturday evening, the Orchester symphonique de Laval is presenting a sold-out concert… because you don’t open the box office to play in front of an empty hall.
Posted at 9:00 a.m.
The lyrical gala, with several excellent young singers from the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, will be captured for possible webcasting. One more !
Because stocks are piling up: a symphonic film entitled The great classics, a concert marking the 15and conductor Alain Trudel’s birthday at the OSL, all of this will be broadcast free of charge over the next few weeks, on the orchestra’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
At the head of all these projects, Alain Trudel, who has just renewed for five years his contract as musical director of the Laval orchestra. A gifted musician (conductor, trombonist and composer) who has accumulated, among other things, a Grand Prix du Disque from the Charles Cros Academy, the Virginia-Parker Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts, Opus prizes and a recent appointment as Chevalier of the National Order of Quebec. Add four children, from 5 to 30 years old, two grandchildren, a dazzling cancer crossed more than 15 years ago, and you will understand that Alain Trudel is not the type to be discouraged, even less to stay the arms crusaders.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Alain Trudel
From the first day of his recent forced vacation, Alain took out his trombone, the instrument that made him known, very young, both in the world of classical music and in that of jazz.
How long to get back in shape with the trombone, Alain? “A minimum of ten days, provided you are patient, to put all the technical fundamentals back in place before playing pieces. »
It’s exactly like for a top athlete, if I skip stages, I pay dearly: you have to take the time to reforge King Arthur’s sword!
Alain Trudel
Listening to him play, one gets the impression that his quick fitness technique is foolproof.
Musical director of the OSL, Alain Trudel is also at the head of the Toledo Symphony, in Ohio, where he directs 17 different programs. This year, he will also be a soloist. “As a soloist in front of my orchestra, I have to be at the top of my level. If, the following week, when I pick up the baton, I have to tell a musician that he is playing too high, I don’t want to be answered: you too were a bit high last Tuesday! »
Keeping control of his instrument reminds him of the essential: “There is a human commitment, behind the sound. A conductor who never plays an instrument can end up disconnecting from this reality. »
Alain Trudel recognizes the strength of this commitment among the musicians of the Orchester symphonique de Laval: “They are solid, individually and collectively. They are open, can play in all styles. This is what gets our recordings noticed. »
This is, among other things, what prompted the chef to accept a new five-year contract at Laval: “We had to think carefully, because that means refusing work elsewhere. But this is home! »
Like many of us, Alain Trudel has spent much more time than expected at home for two years. He is aware of going through the crisis with a better parachute than many musicians with precarious status he meets: this allowed him, from the first confinement, to embark on the composition of a piano concerto, a project started he 25 years ago!
I had in mind, from the beginning, a small string orchestra, simply augmented by a solo horn and percussion: it is done well in distance on stage, it was the right time!
Alain Trudel
After completing the composition, Trudel sent it to three pianists he admires. Three quarters of an hour later, Charles Richard-Hamelin called him, enthusiastic, offering to ensure the first: it will be done in June, in Toledo. Too bad for us, except that Toledo has developed a paid platform for broadcasting its concerts.
Many unknowns, adjustments to come in the concert environment, but the strength of the music is there for good.
Suggestions for learning classical music
I asked Alain Trudel to suggest three works capable of thrilling a person who would have taken the resolution to open up to classical music in 2022. Here are his choices, from the most intimate to the most grandiose:
If you like Mahler, meet on March 2 at the Salle André-Mathieu: Alain Trudel will conduct The song of the earth, two great soloists are invited, and the counters will be wide open.
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