Immigration, Citizenship, and Culture Blog

Montreal Symphony also shines in non-French repertoire
By Stephen Fogarty • May 6, 2012

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

A memorable Mozart night in Montreal with the OSM
By Stephen Fogarty • February 26, 2012

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

Maestro Kent Nagano on the importance of cultural venues
By Stephen Fogarty • May 13, 2010

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

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