An enthusiastic crowd packed Pollack Hall on a chilly November 1st evening to hear the McGill Symphony Orchestra (MGSO), which played three works, two rarely performed and one a cornerstone of modern Western culture.
The concert began with the 1920 version of Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments. This rather sombre, one-movement work of some 10 minutes duration was dedicated to the memory of Debussy. Its interesting progressions provide ample opportunity for wind musicians to showcase their talents, which the McGill players surely did. Read More
Prior to Saturday night’s concert of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM), Maestro Nagano humorously warned certain members of the audience they might want to block their ears as the OSM’s brass section had been augmented by 12 additional trumpets distributed in the balconies at the sides of and behind the stage. He also mentioned that the first piece to be performed, Leoš Janáček’s Sinfonietta, had not been played by the orchestra for quite some time.
It is a pity this work has not been heard more often. As mentioned in the program notes, Janáček drew his inspiration from a military-style fanfare he had heard in a park in Brno, and the work was offered to celebrate Czech independence gained following the end of WWI. The OSM gave a stirring performance whose detail and clarity blended perfectly with the numerous trumpets. All five of the brief movements showed the orchestra at its best, including the rousing conclusion. Read More
It seems unlikely that Maestro Kent Nagano had the Oscars’ weekend in mind when he planned this season’s schedule for the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM). Nevertheless, there was measure of serendipity in the timing of the four sold-out concerts this week at the Maison Symphonique which included two works by Mozart so famously featured in the multiple Academy Award winning film Amadeus.
Although Amadeus was not mentioned anywhere in the program notes, the dramatic initial passages of Mozart's Symphony number 25, showcased in the opening sequences of Miloš Forman’s 1984 Best Picture, were familiar to almost everyone in the hall. Read More
One of the factors in choosing to visit, study in or immigrate to another city is the vibrancy of its cultural life.
If you are interested in classical music, the city of Montreal is without a doubt one of its leading centres the world over.
The classical music scene is so vibrant in Montreal that on a typical Sunday afternoon during the autumn, for example, you may well have eight or ten or even more high-level concerts being performed around the city. It is our pleasure to share with you some of Montreal’s classical music treasures. Read More
The temptation to make cutbacks in the arts is stronger now than ever, given the continuing world-wide economic instability, including most recently the enormous problems being faced by the cradle of democracy, Greece. Mr Nagano’s speech helps us to keep in mind that the arts require proper venues in which to achieve their full expression. After all, if music and the other arts cannot flourish, human creativity and ultimately liberty will become precarious. Read More