La Chapelle de Québec and Les Violons du Roy presented, under the direction of Bernard Labadie, in Quebec and then in Montreal, on Saturday, the famous Gloria by Vivaldi. But the “coating” of the concert, and in particular the oratorio Jephte by Giacomo Carissimi, left a lasting impression on the audience.
When we try to delve into the repertoire of the Roman Church in the middle of the 17th centurye century, we inevitably think of the essential Miserere by Gregorio Allegri. What we know is that this setting of Psalm 51 dates from the papal reign of Urban VIII (1623-1644). Specialists agree to place it around 1638.
It was in 1637 that Giacomo Carissimi was ordained priest at the Germanic Jesuit College in Rome. It is interesting in two respects to compare Carissimi, his Jephthah (supposedly composed in 1648) and the Miserere by Allegri.
Roman oratorio
The first shot shows Carissimi’s innovative touch in terms of form: an oratorio, or sacred mini-opera (story in three acts with the fight, the return of the hero, then his pain linked to the sacrifice of his daughter) . Story, character intervention and chorus alternate with great effectiveness. The second shot shows the brilliant transformation of Allegri’s legacy, concentrated in a striking final chorus ” Plorate, filii Israel “, in which the idea of lamentation (specific to Miserere) stretched over time, but without the redundancy of Allegri’s “old style”, is brought to a rare level of inspiration and concentration.
Many of Carissimi’s works are lost, including two operas, one of which Sacrifice of Isaac. We have no idea what we have been deprived of, but what Jephthah makes us bitter. Very much in contrast, Buxtehude is music like a river of reassuring faith. In both works, the tenor Philippe Gagné is admirable. Moreover, Bernard Labadie’s idea of drawing his soloists from the Chapel turns out to be remarkable.
Myriam Leblanc’s vocal purity suits this repertoire and, in the Gloria of Vivaldi, its ornamentation, along with that of the oboe, in “ Dominus Deus » is a gem. Sheila Dietrich’s voice fits equally well with that of Leblanc (Magnificat) than with that of Marie Magistry (Gloria). Joé Lampron-Dandonneau is beautifully clear in the Magnificat and Nathaniel Watson solid in all his interventions. Marie-Andrée Mathieu, with an endearing presence, is a warm narrator in Carissimi, a little more at ease in “ Who sedes ” that in ” Dominate Deus ” in the Gloria. Balance reigns everywhere, both among the soloists and in the choir (with a slight overweight of the baritones here and there, however).
Drop in attendance
Balance is the word that also suits musically, since Bernard Labadie does not emphasize anything unnecessarily. The gesture is fluid, but not hasty, the expression concentrated (“ And in terra pax ” of Gloria). This return of Bernard Labadie to the Maison symphonique, after the cancellation of his participation in the Requiem by Fauré and Duruflé, was however far from filling the room. The outfit, at the same time of 2e Symphony of Mahler by Jean-François Rivest and the OUM does not explain this: the Gloria was much more widely promoted, within a well-established season, Labadie’s presences are now scattered, therefore precious, and, between Vivaldi and Mahler, it is not the same audience.
THE Gloria by Vivaldi being a well-known and easy work, the problem of attendance, with a drop that can be estimated at 30% minimum, becomes more than annoying for the Violons du Roy. This elite ensemble had spent years, wandering from room to room, to conquer and stabilize an audience in Montreal. Since 2011, with the Maison symphonique and the Bourgie Hall, the success has been major. But the post-pandemic is proving more than difficult.
We thought, for a time, that the erosion had been initiated by a lack of identification with the new leader, Jonathan Cohen, an excellent musician, but less charismatic than Labadie. But if, now, even the latter finds himself in front of 800 spectators [notre estimation, au jugé], it’s worrying. The Violons du Roy are not the only ones to suffer in this way: the effect of the reframing of the Orchester Métropolitain’s programs in 2024-2025 and the I Musici season will be closely observed.